Harps and the biblical times

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Visiting Professor, Department of Liberal Education, Kyungpook National University, Sangju Campus, South Korea, Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia

Noah died 350 years after the flood (2583 BCE calculated from 970 BCE as the 4^th year of Solomon in 1 Kings 6:1-4 plus 480 years to the Exodus which is 1450 BCE plus 430 years to the death of Joseph (Galatians 3:15) plus all the times of his ancestors to Abraham’s birth. Calculating then back the ancestors of Abraham unto the Flood gives us the date 2583 BCE).

Noah died thus in 2233 BCE and Abraham was born in 2231 BCE just three years after Noah’s death. The first picture dates to the time of Terah the father of Abraham who was born in 2361 BCE.

The second picture is from the time of Moses since it was depicted in one of the graves dating to Thutmosis III 44-49^th year, thus between 1460-1449 BCE. Thutmosis III was the illegal son of Hatshepsut’s husband after they were just married (she was married at 15). It was at 6 years old that she found Moses in the Nile and thus too young to be his mother. Moses came to the court during the enstrangement and tragedy of the birth of the streetwomen’s Iset’s son Thutmosis III much to the horror and pain of Hatshepsut. When her husband died, her mother Ahmose loved Thutmosis III more and of course Hatshepsut found help with Moses who was older than Thutmosis III. She wanted Thutmosis III to be the ruler instead of her daughter Hatshepsut but when she died the priests insisted that she had the royal blood and should rule from 1495 BCE and probably Moses was heading for very high positions then in the Palace of Egypt when he killed in 1490 the Egyptian overseer. He created a stick for Thutmosis III, who by now hated Hatshepsut who took away his throne, and Moses had to flee. Since Thutmosis III was illegal and only Hatshepsut had the royal bloodline, he did everything in his power to find Moses, probably afraid that Moses will be selected as next pharaoh of Egypt by Hatshepsut or the priests. On the 3^rd of April 1482 Hatshepsut died of liver cancer and obesity because she had a skin disease and her lotion had an element in that poisoned her. The lotion bottle was found recently in Egypt (five years ago). News of her death reached Thutmosis III on the 10^th of April while he was searching for Moses in Gaza and he jumped on a horse and hastened to Karnak non-stop. On the 28^th of April he reached Karnak to prompt that the priests install him as pharaoh and not Moses and on the 29^th they inaugurated him. He returned to Syria February 1 of 1481 since he did not find Moses yet (my hunch). Year after year he went there in that area but could not locate Moses. Moses was the biggest nightmare of Thutmosis III. If Hatshepsut was such a favorite by the priests they would favor him also because he was a close associate of Hatshepsut. But God kept Moses safely in Midian. In 1450 God called no one else but Moses to go to Thutmosis III to ask for freedom. His tongue had problems and probably his nerves as well. By now Moses was 80 years old and Thutmosis III about 70+ years. Thutmosis was born in 1521 thus minus 1450 = 71 years old. Thutmosis III died in the flood and was never found. The older brother was put in the coffin and buried in his tomb. Scholars have x-rayed the Thutmosis III mummy in the Oriental Institute of Chicago and found that he was only about 30-35 years old! Should be, shouldn’t it?

The second harp is from these times.

The third harp is from the time of Ramses III who reigned after the Midianite oppression between 1206-1198 BCE (Judges 6:1). Gideon was called as a judge in 1199-1159 BCE (Judges 8:28). It is on ivory from Megiddo and the Egyptian motif is strong. Dating to the time of Ramses III we know the following of Ramses III. He crushed the tribes of the Saara and Soshu in the Negev (shepherd nomads). No enemies from Syria or Nubia attacked Egypt during his time. It was relatively peaceful. The harp dates from this time.

The fifth harp is from 1180 BCE on pottery and dates to the time of Gideon in Judges 8:28. It is a Philistine harp since it is used on Philistine pottery (Mycenean pottery).

David lived in 1050 BCE.

The sixth and seventh harp is from Karatepe and are Hittite harps. They date to 800 BCE which is the time of Jeroboam II. It is iconography from the site and the report was written in 1948 and published in 1951.

The eighth harp is dating to 490 BCE from the time of Darius the Persian.

Harps 8-12 are all dating to the Persian period and are from paintings on Greek vases from that time. The days of Esther to Nehemiah are relevant here.