Egyptian influences in the Hebrew Bible
It is generally accepted[by whom?] that some elements of the texts of the Hebrew Bible have precedents in earlier (Bronze Age) Ancient Near Eastern religions and mythology, especially Mesopotamia (see Panbabylonianism), but to a lesser extent also Ancient Egyptian. For instance, certain material from the Book of Proverbs appears to derive from the Instruction of Amenemope.[1]
Some authors[who?] claim that the religion of the ancient kingdom of Judah was an amalgamation of local Canaanite traditions.[citation needed] and that when Jerusalem was a Jebusite city its tutelary deity was Tsedek. These Canaanite traditions which laid influence upon Israelite and ultimately ancient Jewish religion were in turn influenced by older Mesopotamian and possibly also Egyptian traditions.[citation needed]
Traditional Jewish sources state that the word "אנכי", used as "I" in I am the Lord thy God is of Egyptian origin.[2]
Great Hymn to the Aten[edit]
James Henry Breasted first suggested that there were parallels between Psalm 104 and the Great Hymn to the Aten which was inscribed in an Egyptian official's tomb during the reign of Akhenaten. This suggestion has not been universally accepted however. Miriam Lichtheim commented about the alleged resemblance with Psalm 104 saying that "The resemblances are, however, more likely to be the result of the generic similarity between Egyptian hymns and biblical psalms. A specific literary interdependence is not probable."[3] Biblical scholar Mark S. Smith has commented that "Despite enduring support for the comparison of the two texts, enthusiasm for even indirect influence has been tempered in recent decades. In some quarters, the argument for any form of influence is simply rejected outright. Still some Egyptologists, such as Jan Assmann and Donald Redford, argue for Egyptian influence on both the Amarna correspondence (especially in EA 147) and on Psalm 104."[4]
| Psalm 104 | Aten Hymn |
|---|---|
| Thou makest darkness, and it is night:
wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey and seek their meat from God [...] The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening [...] Oh LORD how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches. |
When thou settest in the western horizon of heaven the world is in darkness like the dead [...] Every lion cometh forth from his den. The serpents they sting. Darkness reigns [...] Bright is the earth when thou risest in the horizon [...] The two lands are in daily festival, Awake and standing upon their feet [...] Then in all the world they do their work. How manifold are all thy works! They are hidden from before us. Oh thou sole god, whose powers no other possesseth. Thou didst create the earth according to thy desire, being alone: Men, all cattle, large and small; All that are upon the earth.[5] |
See also[edit]
- Akhenaten and Judeo-Christian-Islamic monotheism
- Canaan Late Bronze Age
- Habiru and the biblical Hebrews
- History of the Jews in Egypt
- Moses and Monotheism
- Origins of Judaism
- Osarseph
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Lichtheim, Miriam (2006). Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume II: The New Kingdom. University of California Press. p. 147
- ↑ Tanhuma Buber, Yithro 16, Yalkut Shimoni ibid.
- ↑ Lichtheim, Miriam (2006). Ancient Egyptian Literature: Volume II: The New Kingdom. University of California Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0520248434. Search this book on
- ↑ Smith, Mark S. (2010). God in Translation: Deities in Cross-Cultural Discourse in the Biblical World. William B Eerdmans Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 978-0802864338. Retrieved 8 July 2017. Search this book on
- ↑ Barbara., Mertz, (2010). Temples tombs & hieroglyphs: brief history of ancient egypt. United Kingdom: Robinson Publishing. ISBN 9781849012805. OCLC 694260588. Search this book on Page 214-215.
Further reading[edit]
- Assmann, Jan (1998). Moses the Egyptian: the memory of Egypt in western monotheism. ISBN 0-674-58739-1. Search this book on
- Assmann, Jan (2008). Of God and gods: Egypt, Israel, and the rise of monotheism. ISBN 0-299-22554-2. Search this book on
- Bryce, Glendon E. (1979). A Legacy of Wisdom: the Egyptian Contribution to the Wisdom of Israel. Bucknell University Press. ISBN 0-8387-1576-1. Search this book on
- Guttmann, Julius (1995). The Guide for the Perplexed. ISBN 0-87220-324-7. Search this book on See The Guide for the Perplexed By Moses Maimonides, translated and introduction by Julius Guttmann, Daniel H. Frank
- Höfele, Andreas (2005). Renaissance go-betweens: cultural exchange in early modern Europe. ISBN 3-11-018215-7. Search this book on edited by Andreas Höfele, Werner von Koppenfels
- Marsham, John (1672). Canon Chronicus. Search this book on
- Redford, D. B. (1993). Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times. ISBN 0-691-00086-7. Search this book on
- Reinhold, K. L. (1778). Hebräischen Mysterien oder die älteste religiöse Freymaurerey. Search this book on (The Hebrew Mysteries or The Oldest Form of Freemasonry) under the pseudonym Decius
- Spencer, John (1685). De Legibus Hebraeorum, Ritualibus et earum Rationibus libri tres. Cambridge. Search this book on
- Sutcliffe, Adam (2005). Judaism and Enlightenment. ISBN 0-521-67232-5. Search this book on
This article "Egyptian influences in the Hebrew Bible" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
