Complications

I had written that in my next post (this one), I would attempt to give an outline of who the possible candidates were for the position of Pharaoh during the time of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  I'm not really ready to do that yet.  These matters are a whole lot more complicated than they might seem, especially when one is only beginning to study Egyptology.  There are a lot of conflicting theories and I'm still getting a handle on the main ones.  Besides, these pharaohs sometimes had several names by which they were known, so that results in some confusion as I to make sense of which Pharaoh reigned during which period of time.  Things are coming along, slowly but steadily, but I don't have a final answer yet.

However, there are certainly some interesting theories out there, ranging from ones that look plausible and seem to take into account the Biblical passages regarding these events, to theories that are, to put it politely, bizarre.

I do have a basis from which to begin, though.  As I have stated before elsewhere in this blog, I have great confidence in the accuracy of the Bible.  I will do a post or series of posts on that topic sometime, because it is an important subject to deal with, and also because my readers deserve to know why I am willing to build my life upon what it says.  For now, in a nutshell, so we can continue, I just want you to think about one thing regarding the Bible:  in every place where the Bible speaks of what I would call "archaeological/geographic/social/political" matters, like:

• geographical places,
• names or locations of cities,
• social customs,
• names of government positions,
• people groups,
• kings/rulers and their decrees, 

                                                         
                                        the Bible has never been proven to be wrong.

That fact is quite amazing, if you think about it for a moment.  Sure there have been controversies, and at times it even looked as though the scoffers were right, but in the end (and it may have taken years for the proof to become known) the Bible is always found to be accurate in what it is saying about the matter at hand.

[I deliberately left out other matters of a more religious nature for the moment, although I do believe the Bible is accurate about those, too.]

As I begin to look into these matters about the pharaohs, I can confidently start by using what the Bible says about these matters, and eliminating those theories which blatantly contradict a biblical statement.  I am willing to consider all theories, but it is not a bad thing to be able to say that a certain theory just doesn't hold up under scrutiny.  I know that in our time it is not popular to say that someone else's cherished beliefs are wrong.  However, all theories can't be right, especially if they are directly opposed to each other.  For example, if I say that Pharaoh such-and-such was the one who reigned during the Exodus, and someone else has another pharaoh in mind for that position, both of us cannot be correct at the same time (unless, of course, they had some type of coregency --ha,ha).

This brings up one other point.  None of us knows all of the facts.  Even if we think we have worked out all of the problems which a certain theory might hold, tomorrow another article, or archaeological dig, or some other finding may shed more light upon a subject, and show that our own theory is wrong.  So, apart from matters which are clearly stated in the Bible, I hold my theories in an open hand.  Look at them, study them, and feel free to comment upon them or to add your own thoughts on these matters.

Now I will try to make some sense of the names and reigns of the pharaohs.  I think I need a large corkboard or wall, or something, to make a visual picture of it all and so I can reposition names as I find new information.  However, I also need to figure out what to make for dinner, so I will get back to this later.

Exodus 1:8-10 Pharaoh what's-his-name

"Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.  'Look,' he said to his people, 'the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.  Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.' "

Exodus 1:8-10 (NIV)

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I have been spending much time trying to figure out which pharaoh reigned during the time of the Exodus.  Along the way I was amazed about how complicated things can become.  I don't really have a background in Egyptology, so I am starting practically from scratch, outside of various articles and books which I have read during the previous years.  At times I wondered if it really mattered for our purposes here.  Was I wasting my time?  Especially since even well-informed scholars can't seem to agree upon many of these matters.

However, I kept reading and researching, because along the way, I discovered a lot of fascinating information which could be helpful to us as we study the biblical text.  As long as you realize that this is a work in progress, I will share the things I have found or am thinking about as we travel through the book of Exodus.  Nearly every day I read of archaeological discoveries which confirm or at least shed light upon biblical texts, so it is like a puzzle which is constantly being updated.

First, I took a look at the text itself.  Just who was this "new king, who did not know about Joseph" who "came to power in Egypt"?  This seems to indicate an outsider, or at least a younger Egyptian, who did not know Joseph personally.  At first I thought it had to be someone from an outside culture, for otherwise, how could they be unaware of what Joseph, Pharaoh's prime minister, had accomplished for Egypt?  However, then I thought that even in our own times, it is not unusual for people to be ignorant of important figures even from as recently as their parents' or grandparents' times.

Next, I noted that this new king seemed to be somewhat familiar with the Israelites.  He is concerned that the Israelites might join forces with some opposing army, fight against Egypt and then later leave the country.  Geographically, the Israelites were in a good position to do this, for any army would probably have to sweep in from the north, passing through the Nile Delta area, where the people of Israel were living.

The fact that this king seems to be reluctant to let the Israelites leave the country shows me that even though they had not yet been enslaved, already there is some tension on the Egyptians' part, and a sense that the Israelites needed to stay in Egypt.  Perhaps this is only due to the fact that the Egyptians would be reluctant to lose this buffer zone of Israelites between themselves and any possible enemies.

This new king notes that the Israelites have become very numerous.  Perhaps you have heard about the concept of a hostile witness?  One aspect of this type of witness happens when someone who is not on the same side as the defendant nonetheless gives testimony which supports the defendant.  Well, probably without even realizing it, this king is giving clear testimony that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph is keeping His promise to grow Israel into a great nation during their time in Egypt.

In my next post, I will try to give an outline of some of the possible candidates for Pharaoh-during-the-Exodus.