Exodus E-Book

Pietro Testa

• Herausgeber: Harmakis Edizioni
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

The theme covered in this small research concerns the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, an episode reported in the Bible and which constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of the cultural memory of the Jewish people. The Exodus is a matter of 'goat's wool', as a comparison between faith and archeology, and it is a delicate and ambiguous comparison: two cultures of antiquity face each other.
On the one hand, ancient Egypt, witness of a millenary social organization, which has left tangible traces of its historical reality: reality proven and witnessed by its manifestations over time, through writing (and therefore thought), the art in its various forms, and in religion, apparently 'strange', but basically reasoned and subtle. On the other hand, the history of Israel documented by the Old Testament, which then echoes in the New Testament: but here is a story concerning the great figure of Jesus, manifestation of the encounter of God with humanity in a new discourse based on love and forgiveness. The episode of Exodus, and beyond, has tormented, and still torments, theologians and archaeologists today. This often depends on the vagueness of references to places and dates, both for the antiquity of the language (but there are experts) and for the Jewish theological currents. Furthermore, let's not forget the 'spirit' of the ancient (very complex) Hebrew language of the Bible which was translated into Greek, in which there are often 'inconsistencies' between hidden shades of one idiom with respect to the other. In conclusion, in this research we only wanted to highlight the testimonies, finally expressing a reflection on the state of the facts.
 

Leseprobe

PIETRO TESTA

EXODUS

Myth or Reality

© All rights reserved to Harmakis Edizioni

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Operating Office, the same as mentioned above.

Editorial Director Paola Agnolucci

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Printed by: Rotomail Italia Spa

ISBN: 9788831427227

© 2020

Layout and graphic elaboration: Leonardo Paolo Lovari

© Tutti i diritti riservati a Harmakis Edizioni

When man thinks,

God smiles.

PROEM

The theme covered in this small research concerns the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, an episode reported in the Bible and which constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of the cultural memory of the Jewish people.

The Exodus is a matter of ‘goat’s wool’, as a comparison between faith and archeology, and it is a delicate and ambiguous comparison: two cultures of antiquity face each other.

On the one hand, ancient Egypt, witness of a millennial social organization, which has left tangible traces of its historical reality: reality proven and witnessed by its manifestations over time, through writing (and therefore thought), the art in its various forms, and in religion, apparently ‘strange’, but basically reasoned and subtle.

On the other hand, the history of Israel documented by the Old Testament, which then echoes in the New Testament: but here is a story concerning the great figure of Jesus, manifestation of the encounter of God with humanity in a new discourse based on love and forgiveness.

The episode of Exodus, and beyond, has tormented, and still torments, theologians and archaeologists today. This often depends on the vagueness of references to places and dates, both for the antiquity of the language (but there are experts) and for the Jewish theological currents. Furthermore, let’s not forget the ‘spirit’ of the ancient (very complex) Hebrew language of the Bible which was translated into Greek, in which ‘inconsistencies’ are often found between hidden shades of one idiom with respect to the other.

In conclusion, in this research we only wanted to highlight the testimonies, finally expressing a reflection on the state of the facts.

Pietro Testa

Naples 2019

CHAPTER 1

THE FOREIGNER IN ANCIENT EGYPT

1.1. The conception of the foreigner

To understand the chapters concerning the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, it is good to illustrate some situations and conditions of the phenomenon of foreigners in the land of the Nile.

Ancient Egypt considered itself an empire whose potential borders extended beyond its own, that is, in Egyptian thought, to where the universe extended.

At the head of this empire was the sovereign (king; pharaoh) who did not fail to face, always victoriously (!?), The foreign peoples on the borders of the land of Egypt: hence the iconographic and literary theme of the conquered and captive foreigner . Foreign people were subject to very elaborate magical ritual practices: detailed lists of populations and their kings, maleficent on simulacra or vases inscribed with their names, curse texts, etc.

This is confirmed by the so-called ‘execration texts’ drawn up on clay vases and figurines found in Giza and Saqqâra, in which we find the heads of Nubia and Asia listed. For example (for Asian countries) 1

the prince of Haim (called) Itimaibi.

the prince of Isqai (called) Murai.

At the end of this string of names, execrative formulas that could be extended to subjects had to be added.

These rituals are also attested in the Middle Kingdom and, of course, continue throughout the Egyptian history, thus entering the field of black magic and execration. It should be noted that these rituals demonstrate concrete and direct knowledge of geography, politics, toponymy, the languages of Africa and Asia and of the leaders and territories over which the king had dominion but of which, also due to a presence in Egypt rebellions or plots were feared.

We cannot, however, limit ourselves to reducing the Egyptian vision of the foreigner to these elements, since the facts turn out to be more complex. For example, in the tomb of Seti I, in the fifth hour of the Book of the Afterlife, Horus and the four races of humanity known at that time are shown

.

The part of the text that interests us says:

... (This) is useful for you, cattle of Ra, entered into being by the Great who presides over heaven! Let the breath of breath be to your noses!...

The breeds are:

the Egyptians, called Men (rmT);

the Asians (aAmw);

the Nubians (nHsyw);

the Libyans (TmHw).

The text mentions that each race was created by the demiurge’s action, and the important thing is that this myth does not make chronological differences between the Egyptians and other peoples: in all they are called ‘Ra cattle’.2

Of course the differences that distinguish the breeds are known. They reveal themselves in linguistic diversity, physical types, skin color, etc. But all have a common origin, as a hymn to Aten declares:3

8

9

“The countries of Syria and Kush, the land of Egypt, you have put each one in its place, you have created their livelihood, owning their own food resources so that their life span is determined. The languages have been separated as their physical aspects, their skin colors are different, since you have diversified the peoples”

Since the creator is at the origin of these differences, they would not be able to correspond to differences in value. Thus, in Egyptian thought, the alternation is cosmological and not ontological. Each breed is assigned its own situation which corresponds to a set of distinctive characteristics, but not differences in being. All peoples were created by the demiurge and depend equally on him for their livelihood: therefore they participate in the same nature.

1.2. The settlement process of foreigners

We can classify the process by which foreigners settled in Egypt in three types.

a-Installation provoked

A large part of foreigners present in Egypt was made up of prisoners captured in raids, in police operations, or in offensive or defensive wars. These prisoners were often assigned to the large institutions that made up the ‘state’, especially temples. The king Thuthmose III, in his Annals, made the prisoners count fruit of his war campaigns, and who were donated to the temple of Amon. For example, from the year 23 to the year 42 of the kingdom, about 1600 Asians, not counting the Nubians, went to swell the ranks of the staff of this institution.4

To these were added the individual catches of which the particularly brave soldiers were gratified for their personal service. For example, the soldier Ahmose, the son of Ibana, brought back from the wars against the Hyksos and the Nubians, 19 prisoners who became his servants.5