- The use of cows as symbols for years, verso known Egyptian motif appearing mediante texts from the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BCE).
- The names Potiphar/Potiphera and Asenath were genuine Egyptian theophoric names (combining the names of Egyptian deities). Potiphar was based on a typical Saite Period construct combining the name of the Egyptian god Re. Asenath includes the name of the Egyptian goddess Neith, per per typical construct common from the New Kingdom era onesto the Ptolemaic period, although the goddess’s popularity increased considerably during the Saite period per the Sbocco (664-332 BCE).
- The 40 days embalming process (describing Jacob’s death con Gn 50:2) was well documented sopra Egypt from the New Kingdom onwards.
- The “agrarian reforms” mediante Gen -26 describe the exemption of the temples from royal taxation, a practice that was documented from the 8 th century BCE onwards.
Despite the fact that the Egyptian elements durante the story represent many different eras, Redford concluded that the composition of the Joseph story should be dated esatto the Saite period, between 640 and 425 BCE, as some of the details could not predate that period.
The Continuity of Egyptian Culture
This inability esatto identify one specific evo sopra Egyptian history that could provide the historical sostrato sicuro the Joseph story is the result of an inherent trait of ancient Egyptian culture – its continuity.
This makes it very difficult onesto date verso biblical story based on the Egyptian elements it includes. Alternatively, scholars may date the story by asking when and how Egyptian traditions found their way into the Hebrew Bible.
As biblical research grows more concerned with questions of transmission processes along the Egypt-Israel axis, an old idea has reemerged – could the Joseph story have been written by someone living con the Jewish dispersione in Egypt?
Verso Esodo Notizia
The “esodo recente” genre was first noted with relation esatto the books of Esther and Daniel. Both describe one man’s rise esatto power per a foreign land, a story revolving around a royal capable, and culminating with the successful integration of the foreigner within local elites. The preparazione mediante both books is the exiled Jewish population and both display considerable knowledge of the court, its officials and customs.
The underlying message of both Daniel and Esther is that one can survive and even thrive in the dispersione setting. Therefore, these books were probably written mediante exile, for the exiles. Durante 1975, the biblical scholar Arndt Meinhold first suggested that the Joe narrative scheme of verso diaspora novita batteria durante the Egyptian court.
The Egyptian Migrazione
The timore of a Jewish sparpagliamento sopra Egypt, compiling its own inspirational literature, is compelling. However, for the most part, the Egyptian esodo before the Persian period (5 th -4 th centuries BCE) has remained invisible sicuro Egyptologists. For example, sopra Jer 44:1, the prophet addresses Judeans that reside in the land of Egypt at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph and per the land of Pathros funziona largefriends. Most Egyptologists agree that the first three place-names can be identified as Tell Qedua (northern Sinai), Tell Defeneh (12 km west of the Suez Canal) and Memphis. Nevertheless, these sites have not yielded remains that attest sicuro their foreign Judahite/Israelite element during the 6 th century BCE, the period of Jeremiah’s prophecies.
Perhaps too few Judahite and Israelite settlers were in Egypt onesto leave a significant mark. But it should not be surprising that some settled there after the destruction of Judah; trade relations between Egypt and Judah/Israel were maintained throughout the first millennium BCE, and those trade relations may have also led preciso the migration of smaller groups sicuro Egypt, particularly after the destructions of Samaria (722 BCE) and Jerusalem (586 BCE).
