The
Demotic Chronicle
by Koot van Wyk
Also
called Papyrus 215 in the Bibliotheque nationale de France dating to the early
2nd century BCE (Bresciani). It is an ancient Egyptian prophetic
text. Oracular sayings with (pesher, compare the pesharim at Qumran with a
similar style, pesher Habakkuk) or exegetical prophetic paraphrases run in VI
columns ending in line 21 (Spiegelberg). Some scholars recognize history in the
list of rulers and others consider that their length and prosperity of reigns
are weighed as an expression of the will of the pagan deities. For Adventist
theology, this document is important for the following reasons: The conquerors
of Egypt were Medes not Persians originally (see Darius the Mede and
Babylon’s fall in 539 BCE followed by Cyrus the Persian in Daniel 8:20; 9:1;
6:28 compared to Demotic Chronicle III.18 “The first ruler who came after the
foreigners who are the Medes (Persians) was Pharaoh Amenirdais (Amyrtaios)”. “Der
erste Herrscher, der nach den Fremdländern kam, welches die Meder sind, Pharao
Amyrtaios.”(Spiegelberg) “The Persian conquerors of Egypt are called “Medes”
(hieroglyphic Mdj, Demotic Mtj probably < Aram. mdy).” (Bresciani). “the
‘Medes’ are first mentioned (col. 3.18-20) as a point ‘post quem’ for the
indigenous dynasties” (Bresciani). It is not clear that the Medes came after
the Persians since the text does not say that explicitly. Scholars read into
the text here. Bresciani’s use of a political text the “Prophecy of the Lamb” (Staatsbibliothek,
Vienna, Pap. Vindob. D.10.000): “I will rule Egypt after the Persian (Darius
III, q.v.) who had turned his face to Egypt will be gone (from Egypt)” to show
the Persian-Mede order, cannot be equated uncritically. A syncretistic Hellenistic
Jew wrote in Column IV.7 the interpretation: "’Er ist nicht gewesen’.
Das heißt, er war nicht auf dem Wege Gottes = bn-p=f ḫpr ḏd bn-p=f ḫpr ḥr t3
mj(.t) p3 ntr.” “’He was not’. Saying/meaning: He was not on the way of God”. This
is the hand of a Jewish person in Alexandria for this expression is common in
the Old Testament (see Spiegelberg 1912: 18 and footnote 3; page 11 for the
original). The number seven is important in Column II.1-5. It is another
fingerprint of a Jew with Jewish pagan syncretism (Spiegelberg 1912: 14; see
also Table 6 lines 2-3 at Spiegelberg 1912:7). Six days are connected by interpretation
to a pharaoh but on the sixth day the god Thoth will write and the records of
his deeds [Books in Heaven concept] and the following day the deeds will
be Investigated by Ptah [Investigative Judgment], namely, what the pharaoh
did in Memphis (see Daniel 7:10) (Spiegelberg 1912: 10 line 4 for the original
in Column II.4 and Ptah in Column II.5). Daniel predates the Chronicle by 300+
years. Year-Day Principle in the Chronicle: In Column IV line 16 is the
prophetic utterance of one day allocated in the Interpretation to one year,
thus the year-day principle in prophetic genre in this text is honored
(Spiegelberg 1912: 18 and footnote 15): “’Der erste Monatstag’. Das heißt: Ein
Jahr [original at Spiegelberg 1912: 11 line 16 middle to last part, jte sw I ḏd
w`.t n(?) rnp.t] laßt man ihn herrschen.” Spiegelberg commented on this
expression as also in Column 5 line 1: “Wortlich ein Jahr ist es, das man ihn
machen laßt (lassen wird), um Herrscher zu sein”. Spiegelberg then commented
saying: “Die Deutung des Monatstages als Jahr ist dieselbe wie in 5/1.”
(Spiegelberg 1912: 18 footnote 15). “’The first day of the month’.
Saying/meaning: One year he was allowed to reign”. Spiegelberg said: “The
meaning of one month day as a year is the same as in 5/1”. Compare the
interpretation of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24-27); the 2300 days as years
(Daniel 8:14) and the 1260 days as years prophecies of Daniel including
Revelation 12:14 for the last mentioned one. Rain
or water in the Chronicle’s prophecy is interpreted as “people”. In Column V lines 3-4 it is stated that in prophecy rain or water
means people just as it is also in the prophecies of the Old Testament predating
this text. Line 3 “Er sagt: ‘Der Himmel ist rein’. Das heißt: Die Sonne
sieht sie. Er sagt: ‘Es regnet auf den Stein’. Das heißt: Die Menschen werden
ins Ungluck gesturzt. . . Wasser bedeutet Mensch,. .Der Stein bedeutet das
Ungluck.” Line 3 “He said: ‘The Heaven is pure.’ Saying/meaning: The Sun saw
you. He said: ‘It rains on the stone’. Saying/meaning: People are thrown in
accidents….Water means people….The stone means accident”. (Spiegelberg 1912:
19). Compare the theology of the Rock of Daniel 2 which crushes all empires on
earth represented by parts of the image. Possible case of the eating of
Taboo food: Dogs. In Column VI line 21 there is a case of eating dog as food:
Line 21: “’Es leben die Hunde.’ [Das heißt:] Line 22. Der große Hund, er findet
zu essen,” (Spiegelberg 1912: 22). “’It lives for the dog’ [Saying/meaning:]
Line 22. The big dog, that he finds to eat”. Hope is medicine in the
Chronicle and Proverbs. In Column VI line 1 it reads that "?Mut, ihre
Heilmittel." that hope is a medicine which is also a concept in the Book
of Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” earlier by Solomon,
which was a popular Hebrew Book also in Egypt as the Wisdom Literature of
Amenemope dating to 650 BCE illustrates with the links scholars have tried to
show. Again it is a case of Jews living in Egypt due to Assyrian Invasions in
Israel in 723 BCE and Sennacherib in 701 BCE and his second and final entry
near Jerusalem in 689 BCE. Of course
many Jews also lived in Egypt during this time. C. McCown. (1925) in his zeal
to reject pan-Babylonianism wanted to substitute Israel religion with
pan-Egyptianism as origin. Since then a host of modern scholars also maintain
this fallacy until modern times like Stewart Moore 2015. He is correct that Jews
in Alexandria were suffering with bifocal identity: their own monotheistic
religio-culture and the pagan polytheistic and superstitious religio-culture
(see Moore 2015: 2). How to adapt without giving up their identity was the key
problem. However, that does not make them borrow their religion from the
Egyptians. If they did, it was not part of the biblical canon. It is also the Demotic
Chronicle that was copied and interpreted by a syncretistic paganized Jew so
this source cannot serve to explain biblical apocalyptism or eschatology. It is
the other way around. As McCown coined it for Babylonian sources one can add
Egyptian or other Umwelt sources as well: “The long-accepted theory that Hebrew
literature is largely the product of Babylonian influences is now discredited,
both because of the unquestionable originality of Hebrew thought, in general,
and in particular because the use of cuneiform models and materials is
recognized to have been greatly overrated.” Methodologically the sources are
dating to 650 BCE or later and most of the biblical books, dodging Wellhausen
et al, are dating to 1460 BCE for Genesis by Moses; also Job and Psalms; 950
BCE for Solomon’s Proverbs as opposed to 650 BCE Wisdom of Amenemope; and here
the Demotic Chronicle as source for prophetism and eschatology in Egypt outside
the Bible albeit in 290 BCE. They were written by secularistic Jews who blurred
their bifocal cultural vision and “mixed” biblical traditions dating earlier
into Egyptian and Umwelt texts dating later.
Sources: Joachim
Friedrich Quack: “As he Disregarded the Law, he was Replaced During his Own
Lifetime”. On Criticism of Egyptian Rulers in the So-Called Demotic Chronicle.
In: Henning Borm (ed.): Antimonarchic Discourse in Antiquity. Steiner,
Stuttgart 2015, 25-43. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demotic_Chronicle E.
Bresciani. (1994, December 15). "DEMOTIC CHRONICLE". Encyclopaedia
Iranica Vol. VII, Fasc. 3, pp. 276-277. Downloaded on 16th of October 2018
from http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/demotic-chronicle J.
Johnson, “The Demotic Chronicle as an Historical Source,” Enchoria 4,
1974, pp. 1-17. A.
Blasius: Zur Frage des geistigen Widerstandes im griechisch-romischen Ägypten ?
Die historische Situation; in: A. Blasius / B. U. Schipper (Hrg.): Apokalyptik
und Ägypten ? Eine kritische Analyse der relevanten Texte aus dem
griechisch-romischen Ägypten, Leuven / Paris / Sterling, VA 2002, pp.
41-62. A.
Blasius / B. U. Schipper: Apokalyptik und Ägypten? Erkenntnisse und
Perspektiven; in: A. Blasius / B. U. Schipper (Hrg.): Apokalyptik und Ägypten?
Eine kritische Analyse der relevanten Texte aus dem griechisch-romischen Ägypten,
Leuven / Paris / Sterling, VA 2002, pp. 277-302. A.
Blasius / B. U. “Die ‘apokalyptischen’ Texte aus Ägypten − ein
Forschungsüberblick.”; in: A. Blasius / B. U. Schipper (Hrg.): Apokalyptik
und Ägypten? Eine kritische Analyse der relevanten Texte aus dem
griechisch-romischen Ägypten, Leuven / Paris / Sterling, VA 2002, pp. 7-20. Demotic
Text online in English: http://www.yorku.ca/pswarney/2110/dem-chron C.
McCown. (1925). “Hebrew and Egyptian Apocalyptic Literature.” Harvard
Theological Review. Vol. 18. Pp. 357-421. W.
Spiegelberg. (1914). Die sogenannte Demotische Chronik des Pap. 215 der
Bibliotheque Nationale zu Paris nebst den auf der Ruckseite des Papyrus
stehenden Texten, Leipzig. Downloaded on 16th October 2018 at
https://ia801400.us.archive.org/35/items/diesogenanntedem00spieuoft/diesogenanntedem00spieuoft.pdf Stewart
Moore, (2015). "From the Mouths of Beasts: Ethnic Identity in Apocalyptic
Literature from Egypt." Jewish Ethnic Identity and Relations in
Hellenistic Egypt. With Walls of Iron? Supplements to the Journal for
the Study of Judaism 171. Brill: Leiden-Boston.