- The use of cows as symbols for years, a known Egyptian motif appearing sopra texts from the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BCE).
- The names Potiphar/Potiphera and Asenath were genuine Egyptian theophoric names (combining the names of Egyptian deities). Potiphar was based on verso typical Saite Period construct combining the name of the Egyptian god Regnante. Asenath includes the name of the Egyptian goddess Neith, durante a typical construct common from the New Kingdom periodo preciso the Ptolemaic period, although the goddess’s popularity increased considerably during the Saite period mediante the Sbocco (664-332 BCE).
- The 40 days embalming process (describing Jacob’s death mediante Gn 50:2) was well documented per Egypt from the New Kingdom onwards.
- The “agrarian reforms” in Gen -26 describe the exemption of the temples from royal taxation, a practice that was documented from the 8 th century BCE onwards.
Despite the fact that the Egyptian elements in the story represent many different eras, Redford concluded that the composition of the Joseph story should be dated preciso the Saite period, between 640 and 425 BCE, as some of the details could not predate that period.
The Continuity of Egyptian Culture
This inability esatto identify one specific eta sopra Egyptian history that could provide the historical sostrato puro the Joseph story is the result of an inherent trait of ancient Egyptian culture – its continuity.
This makes it very difficult onesto date a biblical story based on the Egyptian elements it includes. Alternatively, scholars may date the story by asking when and how Egyptian traditions found their way into the Hebrew Bible.
As biblical research grows more concerned with questions of transmission processes along the Egypt-Israel axis, an old intenzione has reemerged – could the Joseph story have been written by someone living con the Jewish diaspora sopra Egypt?
Per Migrazione Racconto
The “sparpagliamento annuncio” genre was first noted with relation puro the books of Esther and Daniel. Both describe one man’s rise onesto power in a foreign land, a story revolving around per royal breviligne, and culminating with the successful integration of the foreigner within local elites. The preparazione in both books is the exiled Jewish population and both schermo considerable knowledge of the athletique, its officials and customs.
The underlying message of both Daniel and Esther is that one can survive and even thrive mediante the diaspora setting. Therefore, these books were probably written per exile, for the exiles. Sopra 1975, the biblical scholar Arndt Meinhold first suggested that the Joe narrative scheme of verso dispersione novella arnesi in the Egyptian courtaud.
The Egyptian Migrazione
The intenzione of per Jewish dispersione per Egypt, compiling its own inspirational literature, is compelling. However, for the most part, the Egyptian sparpagliamento before the Persian period (5 th -4 th centuries BCE) has remained invisible onesto Egyptologists. For example, con Jer 44:1 muddy matches, the prophet addresses Judeans that reside per the land of Egypt at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph and mediante the land of Pathros. Most Egyptologists agree that the first three place-names can be identified as Tell Qedua (northern Sinai), Tell Defeneh (12 km west of the Suez Canal) and Memphis. Nevertheless, these sites have not yielded remains that attest to their foreign Judahite/Israelite element during the 6 th century BCE, the period of Jeremiah’s prophecies.
Perhaps too few Judahite and Israelite settlers were con Egypt preciso leave per significant mark. But it should not be surprising that some settled there after the destruction of Judah; trade relations between Egypt and Judah/Israel were maintained throughout the first millennium BCE, and those trade relations may have also led preciso the migration of smaller groups esatto Egypt, particularly after the destructions of Samaria (722 BCE) and Jerusalem (586 BCE).
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