Ok, Moe gets serious, in a serious mood.
How accurate is the bible as a history book? Who knows, generally accurate in parts. Now, I did this post to show relevance to the Ancient Israelite beliefs and what they had in common with the Egyptians.
I feel the Jewish faith is actually much like a sect of the ancient Egyptian beliefs. Which in a round-about way alters modern Christianity as we know it. Not to say Jesus didn't exist.. although I hope to discuss this at a later date.
Here is PART of the reason why. I feel the following has more to do with religion than with history. I will, when I have time, correlate more Egyptian and Ancient Israelite beliefs, including points on the Messiah.
Here goes my first serious thread for quite some time:
Joseph and Imotep I feel are the same person.
Joseph of the bible was sold to the Egyptians and later became prime minister.
Imhotep was also of a prime minister type status and was born a commoner as well. One HUGE aspect that connects them is the dream of the 7 year famine. The meaning of their names is also very similar.
OK - First, their names:
Imotep's Name
Imhotep in Egyptian means the voice of Im
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'IAM has sent me to you.'"
In the bible it mentions Joseph was given the Egyptian name Zaphenath-paneah. That name means "the God lives; the God speaks".
Imhotep was a doctor/holy man
"And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel." GEN 50:2
OK - Now the 7 year famine/feast
There is an Egyptian inscription that is supposedly written by the Egyptian King Djoser. It discusses nothing other than...
A seven (7) year famine and seven years of plenty.
Comparing the bible and this inscription. The bible account first:
Genesis Chapter 41 NIV (I edited this a bit - cut some of the boring dribble out)
1-7 discuss the dream in detail with the seven fat cows etc...
8-13 discuss somebody telling Pharaoh about Joseph and how he could interpret dreams
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
17-24 Pharaoh tells Joseph about his dreams
25-32 Pharaoh basically makes Joseph a holy man and...
33 And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.
38 So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, [3] and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt."
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
In the inscription:
Here King/Pharaoh Djoser is troubled about a famine and asks Imhotep who the god of the Nile is, so he can approach him about the drought:
"... I asked him who was the Chamberlain...Imhotep, the son of Ptah... What is the birthplace of the Nile? Who is the god there? Who is the god? I need the guidance of Him who presides over the fowling net..."
In the Egyptian text, Imhotep is termed "the son of Ptah", who was the Egyptian god known as the "creator" of everything else, including the other gods.
Later in the inscription Imhotep answers the pharaoh and interprets the dream. Basically seven years of feast and seven years of drought, but here the feast and famine are reversed.