The Mention of the Israelites in Egyptian Scriptures :: essays research papers fc

There are several Egyptian documents that not sole(prenominal) mention the Israelites in their texts, but also tie the Bible to historical facts. Egyptian documents such as the Tell el-Amarna letter, a large stele of the Menephtah, and the Elephantine papyri not only tell the history of Egypt, they also coincide with biblical scripture. The documents confirm not only dates, certain numbers, and rituals, such as circumcision, but places and event, e.g. The Exodus, of biblical stories. According to jam Orr, general editor for The Definition for Egypt, the Tell el-Amarna Letters were discovered in 1887. These documents refer to many Biblical cities they also give much direct cultivation concerning the political and social conditions at that period (Orr, Palestine). Damien Mackeys The House of David, shows the remarkable similarities between several rulers in Egypt and the three kings (Saul, David, and Salomon) mentioned in the Bible. In Michael Grants The History of Ancient Israel, he states that a ruler in the 14th century named Labayu ruled over Shechem and extended his kingdom as far as the Mediterranean coast (18). One model given in the case of Saul tells of a second name stated in Psalm 57 the name is Lebaim, a unique word in the Old Testament meaning great lions. In line with this passage comes a reference from the Amarna letters an Egyptian pharaoh whose name was Labayu, meaning Great Lion of (N) where N is a gods name (Mackey 1). The Amarna letters could also wrap together David and Tuthmosis tether as one and the same. Labayu had sons that battled for an equally important roll after his death (Grant 18). In II Samuel 31, the passage tells of how Sauls two sons Ish-Bosheth and David fought for power. This leads Mackey to a comprehensive comparison between David and Tuthmosis I & III. A few illustrations in the contrast are ranging from military campaigns to coronation ceremonies (Mackey 3-5). In the military campaign of Megiddo, the records by Tuthmo sis III describe the split of his armies to defeat scattered forces in separate Canaanite towns. Later, Tuthmosis rejoins his armies to capture of Megiddo (Orr, Palestine). This corresponds with II Samuel 111 account of Davids conquest of Rabbah (Mackey 5). Although, not as much information is found on the Elephantine papyri and the stele of Menephtah, they still display the bonds between the history of Egypt and biblical scriptures.