Biblical Hebrew Forum

[James Christian <jc.bhebrew AT googlemail.com>]

Hi Jim,

what do you think about Akhenaten being the younger brother of the first
born that died during the Exodus. I find it an inviting thought. His father
gets his butt kicked good style by an only God. His older brother dies
mysterioulsy because of it. And lo and behold all of sudden for the first
time in Egyptian history there is a monotheistic pharoah. Could it be that
what he witnessed happen to his older brother and his father caused him to
start a new monotheistic religion albeit a la egyptziano?

Other parallels I see is the 18th dynasty is well known for having reached
its climax of chariot technology having all the 4 spoke, 6 spoke and 8 spoke
variants. The claims of amateur archeologist that is largely responsible for
the new identification of Sinai in Arabia are that he found 8 spoke chariot
wheels in his proposed red sea crossing point. 8 spoke chariot wheels are
only attested in the 18th dynasty. They were an experiment which was later
abandoned apparenlty they were unpractical.

James Christian


2010/2/11 <JimStinehart AT aol.com>

>
> Professor Yigal Levin:
>
> You wrote:  “In theory, you could be right. However:
> 1.  At least a hundred years separate the Amarna references to Busruna
>  and the biblical references to Bezer (assuming that the latter are
>  historically reliable and not anachronistic - which I would not take for
>  granted).
>  2.  Most of the inter-city conflicts that are recorded in the Amarna
>  letters are between towns that are closer than that.
>  3.  There are several other places in Transjordan that have names
>  derived from the root BCR, which means "to harvest grapes". Most famous is
>  Bazrah, chief city of Edom, but there are others. So why focus on this
>  otherwise unknown Bezer?
>  4.  Even if so, so what?”
>
> If Biblical Bezer is the Busruna at Amarna Letter EA 197: 13, then
> virtually everything that is said at Genesis 14: 5-6 is historically
> verified!
>
> (1)  Genesis 14: 5 refers to Year 14.  It is likely that Amarna Letter EA
> 197 dates to Year 14 (of Akhenaten’s 17-year reign).  That’s an exact match
> as to dating.
>
> (2)  The first place mentioned at Genesis 14: 5-7 is Ashteroth.  Amarna
> Letter EA 197 likewise focuses first and foremost on Ashteroth.  (I believe
> everyone agrees that in both cases, this is historical Ashteroth east of
> the
> Sea of Galilee.)
>
> (3)  Genesis 14: 5 refers (along with Genesis 14: 1, 9 as well) to a
> coalition of four attacking rulers.  Three of those four attacking rulers
> are
> specifically referred to in Amarna Letter EA 197.  (i)  In chapter 14 of
> Genesis, the mighty Hittite king in this coalition of four attacking rulers
> has
> been given the very nasty Biblical Hebrew nickname “Tidal”, effectively
> meaning “Murderer”, since the Hittite king in question here is Suppiluliuma
> I,
> who famously murdered his own older brother named Tidal/Tudhaliya to seize
> the
> Hittite throne.  Amarna Letter EA 197 likewise does not refer to this
> mighty Hittite king by his formal historical name (nor does any other
> Amarna
> Letter written by a princeling), but rather at EA 197: 23-31 we see a
> reference
> to “the king of Hatti”.  (ii) At Genesis 14: 1, 9, the Hurrian princeling
> member of this coalition of four attacking rulers is “Arioch”, being a
> Hurrian princeling name which nicely functions as an apt Hebrew nickname
> for this
> princeling.  The actual Hurrian name of this Hurrian princeling is at EA
> 197: 31-42:  Etakkama (or ‘Itatkama’).  (iii) The Amorite member of the
> four
> attacking rulers has the appropriate Hebrew nickname of Amrapel at Genesis
> 14: 1, 9, with the first three Hebrew letters of that name, )MR, meaning “
> Amorite” and/or “Amurru”.  The historical name of this Amorite ruler is at
> EA
> 197: 23-31:  Aziru.  Aziru was the Amorite ruler of Amurru in northern
> coastal Lebanon.  (iv)  Finally, wealthy Ugarit effectively financed the
> Great
> Syrian War, which began in Year 14 after, as accurately referenced at
> Genesis
> 14: 4, a league of five rebellious anti-Hittite princelings formed in Year
> 13.  The original, defective spelling of Chedorlaomer’s kingly title very
> likely was MLK (LM, being a title unattested at Elam east of Babylon, but a
> kingly title uniquely attested at Ugarit (meaning “King Eternity”).  Ugarit
> King Niqmaddu II is the only member of the coalition of four attacking
> rulers
> who is not specifically mentioned in Amarna Letter EA 197.
>
> (4)  Genesis 14: 5-6 presents a small military force, authorized by the
> coalition of four attacking rulers, as proceeding south of Ashteroth after
> commencing this “minor” phase of military operations at Ashteroth.  If
> “Busruna”
>  at Amarna Letter EA 197: 13 is Biblical Bezer east of the northern end of
> the Dead Sea, as discussed in my prior post on this thread, then we have
> historical confirmation that this small Hittite force not only pressured
> Ashteroth, but also pressured princelings south of Ashteroth as well.
>
> (5)  Finally, Genesis 14: 6 specifically mentions “Horites”.  Though
> commonly said to be the Hurrians, perhaps more accurately the “Horites” in
> Genesis are people whose rulers had Hurrian-type names (so easily
> distinguishable
> at a glance from Semitic names, but with pure Hurrian names not being
> easily distinguishable from Indo-European names).  All three princelings in
> Amarna Letter EA 197 have vintage Hurrian-type names:  Biryawaza,
> Biridaswa, and
> Arsawuya.  Those are classic Biblical “Horites”.
>
> When you say, “Even if so, so what?”, the answer is:  “Everything is
> riding on this!”  On the foregoing analysis that I have set forth, one key
> to
> which is viewing Biblical Bezer as being the Busruna referenced at Amarna
> Letter EA 197: 13, we have virtually every aspect of Genesis 14: 5-6
> historically
> verified by Amarna Letter EA 197!  How close a match could there possibly
> be?  We’ve got (1) the specific date, namely Year 14, (2) we’ve got the key
> starting point, namely Ashteroth, (3) we’ve got a coalition of four
> attacking rulers, one with a Hittite name, one with a Hurrian name, one
> with an
> Amorite name, and one with a Ugaritic kingly title (with all such names
> being
> nastly Hebrew nicknames in chapter 14 of Genesis), (4) we’ve got a solid
> reference to a cite well south of Astheroth (Bezer/Busruna in Amarna Letter
> EA
> 197, and a series of cites south of Ashteroth at Genesis 14: 5-6), and (5)
> we’
> ve got Hurrian-type princeling names out the wazoo for the Biblical
> “Horites”
> .
>
> What more could one ask for?
>
> Professor, I assume (without knowing, of course) that most every year you
> teach your students that Genesis 14: 5-6 is entirely fictional, having been
> composed centuries after the event, which in any case is fictional anyway,
> and having no relationship to any actual military operation verifiable in
> secular history.  But next year, why not ask your students to compare
> Amarna
> Letter EA 197 straight up to Genesis 14: 5-6?  I myself see Genesis 14: 5-6
> as
> being a classic example of the  p-i-n-p-o-i-n-t  historical accuracy of the
> Patriarchal narratives, in the context of Year 14 of Akhenaten’s reign.
>
> The first Hebrew (the author of the Patriarchal narratives) was terrified
> that after pressuring the Transjordan, the mighty Hittites might soon
> invade
> beloved Canaan itself.  The first Hebrews’ prayers to YHWH not to let that
> happen, being prayers that appeared to be fully answered, along with the
> first Hebrew’s composition of the Patriarchal narratives, which are based
> first
> and foremost on the fear that shortly after Year 14 the dreaded Hittites
> might overrun beloved Canaan (an eventuality that thankfully never
> happened),
> constitute the historical foundation of Judaism, with Judaism effectively
> being born in Year 15.  The Hebrews cared little or nothing about pharaoh
> Akhenaten’s peculiar, unattractive form of monotheism.  But the first
> Hebrews
> cared greatly whether that strange, troubled pharaoh would or would not
> stand
> tall in the saddle and resolutely oppose the seemingly unstoppable advances
> of the mighty Hittite war machine, as the victorious Hittites ominously
> loomed just north and northeast of beloved Canaan.
>
> In my considered opinion, one key to understanding and appreciating the
> p-i-n-p-o-i-n-t  historical accuracy of the Patriarchal narratives is to
> compare Amarna Letter EA 197 straight up with Genesis 14: 5-6.
>
> Jim Stinehart
> Evanston, Illinois
> _______________________________________________
> b-hebrew mailing list
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
>