Towards calculations of the Date of the Exodus and the Pharaoh of the Exodus

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

Regarding the date of the Exodus and the pharaoh of the Exodus, it is better to focus on Adventist discussion and not non-SDA discussion. The next step is to find Adventists that takes the Bible literally and is not willing to sacrifice the data of the Hebrew text with adaptions or modifications. That means, only Adventists who stick to the 480 year period as literal years and not divide the period in two. The true discussion on the date of the Exodus and the Pharaoh of the Exodus can only be with those who either hold 1450 BCE as the date of the Exodus or those who hold 1446/1445 BCE as date of the Exodus.

The East-Euro SDA researcher has many problems as was indicated before in a summary. (See the December 3, 2015 summary ).

He is a computer researcher, not a Comparative Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Cultures expert.

The Adventist Daniel Hämmerly Dupuy 1965 has done much in the past on this issue (see Daniel Hämmerly Dupuy, Argeología Bíblica Paleotestamentaria. Desde Moises Hasta Saul Tomo 1 (Épocas de Moisés y de Josué) (Lima Peru: Departamento de Publicaciones del Colegio Unión, 1965).

I see nothing about S. Douglas Waterhouse’s theories.

Where must a researcher begin? Some suggestions:

1. The biblical data from 1Kings 6:1 as the 4th year of Solomon means that one has to establish when the 4th year was and then calculate backwards.

1. Thiele, Waterhouse, Dupuy, et al says it is 966/967 BCE.

2. Shea and Van Wyk independently from each other suggested 970 BCE but I do not know if Shea has changed his opinion in the meantime.

1. The Pharaoh can only be established if one consider the problems related to the counting-systems of Egypt for their Pharaohs.

   The following article is a must:

   

   Basically there are three systems to select from among Egyptologists. One starts with the accession date of Ramses II and then work back according to the information of the article and Egyptological data. Look at the bottom for the possible death dates for Thutmosis III: 1474; 1449*; 1460; 1435; 1449*; 1424.

2. Corregency views between Thutmosis III and Amenhotep II

1. Redford: corregency of 1 and 1/3 year

2. Wente and Van Siclen: corregency of 2 and 1/3 year

3. Krauss (1978): Zero corregency.

1. The Thutmosis III mummy in the Oriental Museum in Chicago, x-ray analysis indicate that he is of someone 35-40 years old.

2. Egyptian calendar and Sothic cycle:

1. Egyptian calendars were calculated from agriculture; moon; stars; and the civil year. They introduced a 360 day year of 30 days each per month with five epigomenal days added each year. A quarter day was missing and every four years one day was lost. In order for the seasons to be again in proper place, 1460 years or the Sothic Cycle must pass. This is the time it took for a star called “Sirius” to rise with the sun on New Year’s day.

2. According to Papyrus Ebers there was a heliacal rising of Sirius on the 9th day, 3rd month of the 3rd season of the 9th year of Amenhotep I.

   Pharaoh list: Amosis, AmenhotepI*, Thutmosis I

                                                                Thutmosis II

              Hatshepsut           Thutmosis III

                     Amenhotep II

                                  Thutmosis IV

                     Amenhotep III

                     Amenhotep IV

              Thutankhamon

              Eye

3. In the 12th dynasty such a heliacal rising of Sirius was observed on the 16th day, 4th month of the 2nd season in year 7th of Sesostris III (Illahun Papyrus).

4. If 139 A.D. is such a date of the Sirius observation then subtracting 1460 years one get to 1321 BCE. In that year the rising of Sirius and the first day of the first season coincided.

5. Sothic cycle differences between Egyptologists.

   Hornung and Ingham thinks that the Sothic cycle was 1456 years but others claim it was 1460 years.

   Let us compute the pharaoh’s reigns with the two dates for the cycle:

1. If the cycle is 1460 years from 139 AD = 1321 BCE. Thus the 9th year of Amenhotep I was 1545 BCE and similar computations indicate that 1877 BCE is the date for the 7th year of Sesostris III.

2. If the cycle is 1456 years from 139 AD = 1317 BCE. Thus the 9th year of Amenhotep I was 1541 BCE and the similar computations would indicate 1872 BCE as the 7th year of Sesostris III.

   Why is Sesostris III important? He was the Pharaoh who did not know Joseph since Joseph died according to biblical chronology 1878 BCE.

1. The other problem with the reign of Sesostris III is Beckerath who said that we do not know whether the scribe has counted co-regency + sole reign + co-regency together in his system.

   Old reckoning for Sesotris III is 1878-1843 BCE

   New reckoning of Beckerath for Sesostris III is 1872-1853.

  “Hy lyk vir my so baie soos tant Koek se hoenderhaan”

1. Observation point of the Sirius star affects the calculation:

   Memphis and Heliopolis is in the Nile Delta in the North.

   Thebes is in the center of Egypt.

   Elephantine is on the Nile but in the South.

1. If the observation of Papyrus Ebers was from Heliopolis then the date is 1545/41 BCE. (considering the longer cycle or shorter cycle)

2. If the observation of Papyrus Ebers was from Thebes, then the date is 1527/23 BCE. (considering the longer cycle or shorter cycle)

3. If the observation of Papyrus Ebers was from Elephantine then the 9th year of Amenhotep I was in 1523/1519 BCE. (considering the longer cycle or shorter cycle)

4. Scholars differ: Some say it was made from one location (Krauss, Franke, Leitz). Others say it was made from a multiplicity of locations (R. A. Wells).

   

    

   

   The key point here is that the reign of Thutmosis II lasted until 1504 BCE.

1. Thutmosis III, pharaoh of the Exodus who died in 1450 BCE actually made a commemorative stela for the inceptor of the oppression, Sesostris III. “Birds of a feather flock together”.

   

   Thutmosis III linked himself ideologically with Sesotris III

2. Galatians 3:17 correctly analyzed

   If the Exodus took place in 1450 BCE then the giving of the Law was in 1448 BCE at Sinai and from that date 480 years prior is 1878 BCE.

   Note: If we calculate the 430 years from the time of Jacob’s arrival in Egypt, we will have the problem that Joseph (a Semite) is favored by a pharaoh in a time when the whole of Egypt experienced an extreme animosity against Amorties, also Semites.

   The promise to Abraham was renewed to Jacob and to Joseph and repeated at Joseph’s death. 1878 is the death year of Joseph and all calculations prior to that has to go backwards to the Flood and before.

3. The 4th year of Solomon should be established also from outside sources.

    

    

    

    

1. Regularly check with the Bible for corrections and direction

1. Understanding the Egyptian Theology of Judgment and the Midnight Hour

1. Middle Age Orientation of worship opposite to Tabernacle biblical way

1. Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III

Hatshepsut with a false beard

Hatsepsuit’s mummy

Hatsepsut’s mummy

The skin-ointment that contained toxic material that killed Hatshepsut.

Thutmosis III the pharaoh of the Exodus and hater of Hatshepsut [and Moses]

Moses said in Genesis 3 written in 1460 BCE that the snake walked on legs and had wings to fly and could speak.

Here is the tomb of Thutmosis III hastely completed after his death in 1450 BCE with sloppy work by another team of builders [because the Israelites left]  and hurriedly they copied from the Book of the Dead this picture. Notice the snake (top) has legs, wings and says an Egyptian word: “Ankh” which means “Life/Prosperity/Health”.

1. Explaining the dates of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III

1. Thutmosis III’s death put at 1450 BCE.

1. The article of Ward permits 1449* BCE as shown above.

2. The Egyptologist Georg Steindorff published in 1926 the book Die Blütezeit des Pharaonenreichs (Bielefeld ; Leipzig : Velhagen & Klasing). Then in 1963 Georg Steindorf and Keith C. Seele, When Egypt ruled the East (Toronto: Toronto Press) they indicated that Thutmosis III died in 1450.

3. N. Gottwald wrote in 1959 that the biblical chronology “places Moses in the fifteenth century BCE, thereby making the probable Pharaoh of the Exodus Thutmosis III (1504-1450” BCE. N. Gottwald, The Tribes of Yahweh. A Sociology of the Religion of Liberated Israel. 1250-1050 B.C.E. (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis), 115.

1. Personal

   After passing the doctoral comprehensive examinations at Andrews I was asked to teach Biblical Archaeology.

   These are my students in my class in the early 90’s. In the center is my wife to be.

   Below, I returned in 2004 to go and date her for marriage.

   “Two antique individuals at an antique Ford in love with antique things.”