Joseph and his Pharaohs and more

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

The value of correct biblical chronology is that we are able to bring together much data from biblical and extra-biblical areas to enlighten the times of events. Joseph is such an example.

The reader will want confidence as to how I am able to give Julian dates to biblical chronology. This way: the fourth year of Solomon in 1 Kings 6:1-4 is in 970 BCE and that calculation lined up with three extra-biblical references that are considered. The chronology of Hiram is involved. This is 480 years after the Exodus and that would give us 1450 BCE for the Exodus, the year in Egyptian chronology of Ward when Thutmosis III died. Then the 400 years of hard labor and trouble and 430 years to the death of Joseph that Galatians 3:17-19 speaks about. From that date, maybe 1878 BCE one can calculate all the other dates of the patriarchs reaching back to what seems as 2683 BCE as a year for the Flood. This is how the years and dates of Joseph are allocated to a Julian dating. William Shea and myself are proposing 1450 BCE as the date but Horn-Thiele-Schwantes-Waterhouse suggested the 1446 BCE date and the year of Solomon’s fourth year as 966 BCE. Recently there is someone in Estonia that is doing a doctoral on chronology of Thiele with the name of I. Villis (2015) but the problem with his schemes are that he approaches the Bible with scissors and glue and cut and paste and transform (panelbeating chronologer) so much that one cannot accept that view. Anyone, no matter how beautiful the explanations, but when they have to change the biblical text in order to uphold their view, they are no longer valid.

The way in which my own scheme is upheld is the following: Two cuneiform texts, called Distanzperiode mentioned by John Brinkman in his doctoral in 1976:8,18 footnote 5, on the Kassites, but which he could not figure out, became actually two pieces of evidence for my own chronology on the patriarchs. The Bible dated the cuneiform tablets and then the cuneiform tablets dated the biblical chronology with one cuneiform tablet hooked on outside sources making all correct. There is a  period of 700 years mentioned in one text that are stretching between a certain Kassite king in the days (according to biblical chronology) of Moses near the Exodus and he said that he lived 700 years after Hammurabi. One can see the Oriental Institute (where Brinkman works) frown how this text must stretch to Hammurabi in 1798 around the corner, too short to be applicable. Well, biblical chronology is again the help and the reliability of biblical chronology is proven since the 700 years are stretching from that Kassite king to Hammurabi, all right, but Hammurabi I in Abraham’s days and not Hammurabi II in 1798 BCE. Brinkman did not know that Amraphel is actually [H]amraph[el = dingir = god in Babylonian] the same person in Genesis 12 and according to my chronological scheme that 700 years is from 2156 BCE, the year of the great lie of Abraham in Genesis 11. The reliability of the date of the Kassite king is further strengthened by a second cuneiform tablet from the time of Nabonidus in 538 BCE which states that from that time to the same Kassite king is 800 years, again a Distanzperiode text and that coincides with the same time. Thus, two texts are confirming the biblical chronology as very reliable and proof that the ancients had very careful ways of calculating their chronologies and it is better for us to take of our skeptical gloves when working with Ancient Near Eastern chronologies.

           When Joseph became Prime Minister in 1950 BCE it was the 22^nd year of Sesostris I who started his sole reign at his 10^th year as co-ruler with his father Amenemhet I who died in 1961 BCE while Sesostris I was in a Libyan campaign. The Tale of Sinuhe gives us a lot of background as to what happened the day the father of Sesostris I died. He left his army when someone whispered the news to him, which Sinuhe happened to have overheard and rushed back to Egypt to secure the throne. His father was seemingly assassinated by the harem.

           Thanks to the books by Breasted we know exactly when Sesostris I was crowned by his father, namely in the 20^th year of Amenemhet I in 1971 BCE according to the Stela of Intef. We are working with the information supplied by Breasted in Vol. I of Ancient Records of Egypt. The book is online.

Joseph must have been in jail a year or two before 1950 BCE. The seven prosperity years started in 1950 and lasted to 1944 BCE. The seven years of famine stretched from 1944-1938/37. It is interesting that in the modern age, if we turn these numbers around, it was also the seven years of famine during World War II.

Sesostris I was still reigning and the prosperity years started in the 22^nd year of Sesostris I and continued to the 28^th year of Sesostris I. The famine years stretched between his 29^th to 35^th year. According to the Stela of Uwaweto, also mentioned by Breasted, Sesostris I ruled until his 44^th year in 1928 BCE. That was the 2^nd year of his son Amenemhet II but in Amenemhet II’s 3^rd year the Stela of Simontu also mentions Sesostris I and thus Sesostris I was still alive in his 45^th year in 1927 BCE.

Jacob died three years later in the 6^th year of Amenemhet II in 1924 BCE.

The reign of Amenemhet II lasted for 35 years until 1895 BCE when he was succeeded by Sesostris II who reigned until 1877 BCE or his 19^th year. Three years before the death of Amenemhet II, Joseph died in 1878 BCE. Joseph was advanced in his years and like it goes with passing generations and passing legacies, Joseph was not known to Sesostris III who took the throne in 1877 BCE.

The oppression did not start until 1850 BCE or the 27^th year of Sesostris III. The oppression would start a program of oppression and Egyptian Imperialism that would last for 400 years [from the 27^th year of Sesostris II] or 430 years [from the death of Joseph in 1878 BCE according to Galatians 3:17, 19. Many scholars thought that it refers to Abraham but it is the promise repeated by Joseph on his deathbed at the end of the book of Genesis]. The law was given at Sinai in 1448 BCE, that is why the 430 years reaches back to 1878 BCE.

What we did here is to align the information of Breasted using the high chronology and align it with the biblical chronology as we worked in out in koot van wyk, Archaeology in the Bible and Text in the Tel (1996).   

Now let us turn to surprise. The Beni-Hasan people are very important to biblical investigators. We remember the Beni-Hasan relief with iconography of a group of Semites moving to Egypt.

Another piece of evidence needs our attention as well. A Beni Hasan prince, Amenemhet or Ameni wrote in the 43^rd year of Sesostris I or the 1^st year of Amenemhet II a report of his life. He says that the year 1929 BCE was the 25^th year since he started working for King Sesostris I. He was a high official in Egypt’s government. 1. He is a Beni Hasan prince; 2. After coming from a trip for Sesostris I and coming back “the king’s son praised god for me” (Breasted 520:14). It is very interesting that the god’s name is not mentioned? 3. “There was no citizen’s daughter that I misused” (Breasted 523;1). Joseph also did not misuse an overlord’s wife as a young man. 4. “When years of famine came, I ploughed all the fields . . . “ “furnishing its food so that there was none hungry therein” (523;19).

Conclusion: Either this Amenemhet or Ameni is the nickname of Joseph himself, or he was a close colleague or assistant of Joseph himself. Between the date of his retirement in 1929 BCE and the assumed start of his work in 1953 BCE was a crisis of famine. It coincides with the famine of Joseph in 1943-1938/37 BCE. He also said that at his nome, they considered him a prophet (see Breasted 518-519). This is a very interesting term to be connected to a high official of Egypt. Everyone can think for themselves but for me, I somehow favor Joseph here. His father was Knumhotep, also a vizier of the Egyptian pharaohs but he may have adopted Joseph and when he died it coincided with Joseph’s experience in the jail and since the pharaoh needed a new vizier, Joseph was selected and what better way to give him continuation without politics involved than to say he is the son of Knumhotep, adopted that is.

If one compares a photo of Sesostris I with Sesostris III, it is very obvious that Sesostris I is happy, tranquil and satisfied in his life. Totally opposite is the oppressor Sesostris III known for his gruesome acts. One can see he hanging mouth on the three statues in the Louvre. Very unhappy, sour, toothache and plain hatred. The one knew Joseph, the other not.