Cultural Anthropology — Full Article

The Biblical Joseph Found in Egypt

FAIRY TALE OR LEGEND? NO WAY -TOO MUCH EVIDENCE FOR THAT

As always the clincher in so many cases, Archaeology , Cultural Anthropology and Etymology come together to verify another Biblical truth in History. The great Joseph of scripture has been discovered imbedded firmly in Egyptian history. The name "Imhotep", in ancient Egyptian, is translated to mean "the voice, or mouth, of Im. However, there is no record of a god in Egypt called "Im". But in the Biblical Scriptures is the God "I Am". "And God said unto Moses, I am that I am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." (Ex. 3:14) "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58)

God Told Moses, "Tell the Pharaoh that "I Am" has sent you". It appears that "I Am" was the name by which the Egyptians had known Joseph's God. Could "Im" have been "I Am"? The name that the Bible says was given to Joseph by the Pharaoh, "Zaphenath-paneah", has been translated by some to mean, "the God lives; the God speaks". Since we do not fully understand the meaning of the Egyptian "Hotep", it is quite possible that the translation of Imhotep, "The voice of I am", is identical to the biblical name of Joseph, "the God lives; the God speaks".

Physician Imhotep is the earliest physician whose historical records survive. And although Joseph isn't mentioned as being a physician, the Bible gives one very important clue to this: "And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel." (Gen. 50:2) Here the physicians are specifically stated to be under Joseph. But later, when Imhotep became established as the "god of healing", it is the manner in which he healed that ties him directly to Joseph.

Ancient Greek writings mention a great sanctuary at Memphis where people came from everywhere to seek cures from Imhotep. They would pray to him, make offerings and then spend the night in this sanctuary, which was a sort of Lourdes of ancient Egypt. While they were sleeping, the god Imhotep was said to come to people in their dreams and cure them.

Is there a connection between Joseph and dreams? Remember, it was Joseph's dream about him and his brothers binding sheaves, that was one of the causes of their great jealousy of him, after he related to them that he had dreamt their sheaves stood up and bowed to his. "And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words... Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams." (Gen.37:8,20)

In the records, Imhotep was associated with doing good by means of dreams. So was Joseph. The biblical account also speaks of Joseph's wisdom: "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art." (Gen.41:39) Again, the evidence points to Imhotep. Imhotep was also revered for his wisdom.

In several inscriptions from much later times, reference is made to the "words of Imhotep". For example, in Song from the Tomb of King Intef, we read: "I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hardedef...", and it goes on to explain that their "sayings" were recited in his day. It could be that after Joseph's death, others copied his wise sayings and took credit for them, perhaps adding a bit of their own and changing things to suit them. As these sayings were passed down through several generations, instead of being attributed to Imhotep, they were attributed to Ptahotep, "the voice of" the Egyptian creator, "Ptah".

At the end of these Egyptian manuscripts, the writer states that he is near death, having lived 110 years, and that he received honours from the king exceeding those of his ancestors, in other words, he received the most honours ever given a man by a Pharaoh. Notice the biblical parallel concerning Joseph: "And Joseph lived 110 years." (Gen.50:22)

IN A COFFIN IN EGYPT

IN A COFFIN IN EGYPT

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