The
Shepherd
Kings
Strive not with a man without cause, if he hath done thee no harm" (Proverbs 3;30).
And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters: (2-Samuel 22;16-17).
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee" (Proverbs 4;24)
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THE HYCSOS
HEBREW-SHEPHERD KINGS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Contents:
SHEM AND SUMER
The Skull Shape of Sumerians and Englishmen
The Patriarchs were Local Princes
Israelites in Egypt Maintained Holdings and Estates in Canaan
THE HYKSOS: ISRAELITE SHEPHERD KINGS OF EGYPT
THE HYKSOS SHEPHERD KINGS IN SECULAR SOURCES
HYKSOS AND HEBREWS
Habiru, Sagaz, Isaac
Israelite Tribes in Ancient Egypt
Dan, the Hycsos, and the Foundation of Mycenean Civilization
Immanuel Velikovsky, David Rohl, and H. Hoeh
New Research Developments: Jacobovici and Cameron
THE HYCSOS, SETH, AND HAIR COLOUR
Irish Traditions and the Hyksos
SHEM AND SUMER
The ancient Israelites were also known as "Hebrews" which was more of a generic term for them and had archaic connotations. The first Hebrew, Scripturally speaking according to general understanding, was Abraham the Patriarch. Abraham was the son of Terach son of Nachor son of Serug son of Reu son of Peleg son of Eber son of Shelech son of Arpachshad son of Shem son of Noah from whom descend all of present day humanity (Genesis ch.11).
Noah and his family were the survivors of a flood which had destroyed all the rest of mankind. Legends similar to the story of Noah in which a flood destroys everybody apart from one righteous individual and family are found all over the world, in nearly every culture..
Sumerian civilisation probably preceded all other organised communal cultures. The Sumerians enforced universal literacy, possessed a high degree of mathematical awareness, and were scientifically intellectual. Their irrigation practices were better than those employed today in the same area. The "R" in "SUMER" (i.e. Sumerian) was not pronounced.1
The Sumerians of Sumer therefore were called by a name equivalent in Semitic dialects to SHEM son of Noah, i.e. in a sense they represent the original Semites. The Sumerians however did not speak a "Semitic" tongue but rather one similar in some respects (of structure etc.) to Finnish.. Even so, Aharon MARKUS claimed that the word-roots used by the Sumerians are to be found in Hebrew.2
The Sumerians influenced (and some say even initiated or catalyzed) early Egyptian and Indian civilizations.
Abraham was a product of Sumerian culture and came from Ur of the Casdim which was a Sumerian centre. Abraham, in the Biblical sense was the first Hebrew .
Our studies show that a significant proportion of the people of Britain and many other West Europeans descend from the Hebrews who apparently emerged from Sem of Sumer.
The Skull Shape of Sumerians and Englishmen
Professor C. S. Coon, stated that the skull and face form of the ancient Sumerians was almost identical to that of living Englishmen 3.
Concerning cranial evidence it should firstly be noticed that in these matters the experts are by no means always unanimous or consistent in their findings. Coon was a recognized authority on the subject but his opinion in this case was evidently not shared buy others. Secondly, it is realized nowadays that the shape of the skull, facial features, and even coloring in the long run all may be influenced strongly by geographical AND OTHER factors. Nevertheless, a genetic component is also present and would seem to limit the degree of possible change within a homogeneous population. If Professor Coon's statement is even partially correct, it means that an ancestral link may fairly be considered (on this point alone) to exist between the ancient Sumerians and Englishmen.
We in Brit-Am trace many people in Western Europe to the Ancient Hebrews. We take cognizance of whatever secular evidence supports our belief and try to be as updated as possible on relative research. Nevertheless this belief of ours derives from the Bible and is supported by the Bible and all other considerations are secondary to what the Bible says.
The Patriarchs were Local Princes
Sem (i.e. Sumer?) gave rise to the Israelites who descend from Abraham the Hebrew whose story is found in the Biblical Book of Genesis. Abraham came to the Land of Canaan from Ur Casdim, of Sumer, which was to the north. Abraham at one stage dwelt in the Philistine area and at another time he sojourned in Egypt. Everywhere he went he seems to have been accorded treatment befitting a nomadic leader or prince. He was rich and successful and had many servants and much cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys. At one stage, four of the most powerful kings of that age invaded the Land of Canaan and took booty and prisoners. Abraham and his servants pursued the kings (who had begun their return towards Mesopotamia), overtook, and defeated them (Genesis ch.14). Abraham begat Ishmael and Isaac and other sons. Ishmael married the daughter of the King of Egypt. Isaac, however received the inherited birthright of Abraham. Isaac also wandered to the land of Philistines and to Egypt and was accorded a similar status to that of his father. He had widespread possessions and grazed his flocks throughout the breadth of the land. It follows that though the family of Abraham did not actually rule over the land of Canaan they were powerful entities within it over the course of several generations. They were treated as equals by local monarchs, intermarried with royalty, and made war when necessary against powerful international coalitions.
Isaac begat twin sons, Esau and Jacob, of whom Esau was born first. It happened that Esau returned from the hunt in a state of great hunger. Jacob gave the famished Esau a pottage of red lentils in exchange for his firstborn birthright and later by apparent subterfuge replaced Esau in receiving a blessing from their mutual father. Consequently, Esau hated his brother, Jacob (Genesis 27:41). Jacob, was later re-named "Israel", and begat twelve tribes. These became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Esau on the other hand became a powerful war-lord and intermarried with Canaanites and others and with a daughter of Ishmael ancestor of the Arabs. Part of the German and Roman elites descended from Esau, whereas the British and other West Europeans to a great degree along with the Jews are the Children of Israel.
The ancient Israelites were also known as Hebrews. Israel had four wives and twelve sons. The daughter of Israel, Dinah, was raped and abused by the son of the monarchical ruler of Shechem which at that stage was a powerful urban state. In revenge for their sister, the sons of Israel exterminated all the males of Shechem and took their women and possessions as booty. The terror of the Lord was on the cities around about. The inhabitants of these cities were ethnically akin to the inhabitants of Shechem yet they dared not interfere because the terror of God was upon them (Genesis 35:5).
Joseph the son of Rachel, Israel's favorite wife, was befavoured by Israel. The brothers of Joseph were jealous of him and suspected that he had designs to usurp them, so they seized him and sold him as a slave to a trading caravan on its way to Egypt. In Egypt Joseph became the manager of an important estate but fell out with the owner's wife who first tried to seduce him, then accused him of attempted rape. Joseph was imprisoned and while in jail successfully interpreted the dreams of two of the Egyptian king's servants who were also incarcerated. Consequently, Joseph was recommended to the Egyptian Pharaoh and was appointed the effective ruler of the country. Joseph had foreseen a seven year long famine which visited Egypt and other countries including the neighboring land of Canaan. Due to lack of harvest, the brothers of Joseph came on a buying trip to Egypt which possessed grain stored in advance at the command of Joseph. Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him.
After putting his brothers to a test and seeing that they genuinely regretted their treatment of him, Joseph became reconciled to his brothers and encouraged their moving to Egypt and settling in the border area of Goshen east of the Nile delta.
When his brothers arrived in Egypt Joseph intended to introduce them to Pharoah, the Egyptian ruler, in order to obtain confirmation for their occupation of Goshen. He had advised them what to say upon being presented before the Egyptian king,
WHEN PHAROAH SHALL CALL YOU, AND SHALL SAY, WHAT IS YOUR OCCUPATION? THAT YE SHALL SAY, THY SERVANTS' TRADE HATH BEEN ABOUT CATTLE FROM OUR YOUTH UNTIL NOW, BOTH WE, AND ALSO OUR FATHERS: THAT YE MAY DWELL IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN: FOR EVERY SHEPHERD IS AN ABOMINATION UNTO THE EGYPTIANS (Genesis 46:33-34).
Pharoah instructed Joseph that if there were any "men of activity" (Genesis 47:6) amongst his brothers, then they should be placed in charge of his own cattle. Pharoah granted the land of Goshen unto the Israelites to settle in. Goshen was east of the Nile River on the borderline between Egypt and Canaan and did not properly belong to Egypt. Eventually, Goshen was to be included within the territories apportioned to Israel (Joshua 11:16).
The total number of males of the family of Israel who entered Egypt was seventy. A list of them is found in Genesis ch.46. The personages mentioned in this list were to become the heads of clans many of which were to become nations in their own right. In "The Tribes" these clans are traced to ethnic entities that were important in early European history and whose descendants in many cases may still be traced today.
Israelites in Egypt Maintained Holdings and Estates in Canaan
Joseph was the virtual ruler of Egypt and he apparently appointed other Israelites to positions of authority. Joseph re-arranged the Egyptian system of land tenure and introduced various changes in administration. In Egypt over the course of generations the Israelites became a great and numerous nation. A later King of Egypt enslaved the Israelites but under the leadership of Moses they were delivered by God and wandered in the wilderness for forty years before re-entering the Land of Canaan and conquering it. The twelve tribes apportioned the conquered land between them. Even while still in Egypt, before their enslavement and subsequent Exodus the Israelites (at least at the beginning) had continued to maintain an active interest in the Land of Canaan and may have utilized Egyptian power to strengthen their own. Some Biblical passages seem to strengthen the notion of a constant Israelite involvement in the Land: In the Biblical Book of Chronicles it speaks of the sons of Ephraim (son of Joseph) as having been active in the country of Canaan:
AND THE SONS OF EPHRAIM.....EZER, AND ELEAD, WHOM THE MEN OF GATH SLEW, BECAUSE THEY CAME TO TAKE AWAY THEIR CATTLE.
AND EPHRAIM THEIR FATHER MOURNED MANY DAYS, AND HIS BRETHREN CAME TO COMFORT HIM.............
AND HIS DAUGHTER WAS SHEERAH WHO BUILT BETH HORON THE NETHER, AND THE UPPER, AND UZZEN SHEERAH. (1-Chr.7:20 23)
Similarly, The Book of Deuteronomy (ch.3) speaks of Jair (i.e. Yair) and of Gilead and his father Machir the son of Menasseh taking land east of the Jordan in a way that could be understood as referring to Yair, Gilead, and Machir, themselves as well as to their descendants later:
JAIR THE SON OF MENASSEH TOOK ALL THE COUNTRY OF ARGOB UNTO THE COASTS OF GESHURI AND MAACHATHI; AND CALLED THEM AFTER HIS OWN NAME, BASHAN HAVOTH JAIR, UNTO THIS DAY.
AND I GAVE GILEAD UNTO MENASSEH (Deuteronomy 3;14-15).
AND THE CHILDREN OF MACHIR THE SON OF MENASSEH WENT TO GILEAD, AND TOOK IT, AND DISPOSSESSED THE AMORITE WHICH WAS IN IT.
AND MOSES GAVE GILEAD UNTO MACHIR THE SON OF MENASSEH ; AND HE DWELT THEREIN.
AND JAIR THE SON OF MENASSEH WENT AND TOOK THE SMALL TOWNS THEREOF, AND CALLED THEM HAVOTH YAIR.
AND NOBAH WENT AND TOOK KENATH, AND THE VILLAGES THEREOF, AND CALLED IT NOBAH, AFTER HIS OWN NAME (Numbers 34;39-42).
Yehudah Kiel in his commentary (Daat Mikra) on the Biblical Book of Chronicles speaks at length on the above subject. He says that the place Gath in the Land of Israel with which the sons of Ephraim were involved is (contrary to other opinions which identify it with Kiryat Gath in the south) in the centre of the Land towards the north. He affirms that the GATH here spoken of is, like Beth Horon and the cities built by Sheera daughter of Ephraim, in the territory which was later to be apportioned to the descendants of Ephraim. He deduces, in effect, that after coming out of Egypt the different tribes were to receive lands which, at least in some cases, had formerly been associated with their tribal forefathers. His claim is supported by quotations from other exegetes who dealt with this matter before him.
Y.Kiel quotes from the Commentary of the 17th century "Rabbi Yehudah HaHasid" (ca.1690):
<<Israel received many possessions from their forefathers in the Land of Canaan. Even though they were in Egypt they were wont to send emissaries to Canaan to prepare fields and vine yards of their own. The descendants of Joseph apparently of Ephraim [Joseph's second son] built cities for themselves in Canaan in the area of their future inheritances. They caused their servants to settle in these cities and raise them tribute and tend their inheritances for them. Because of this situation the Egyptians became fearful lest the two bodies [i.e. Israel and their vassalages in Canaan] join together and war against them....Formerly due to Pharoah's esteem of Joseph by virtue of which Pharoah honoured them... the Israelites had received permission from Pharoah to so act [in tending their Canaanite possessions]. In the book of Chronicles..Sherah [daughter of Ephraim] established cities [in Canaan] and she lived at least 6 generations prior to [the Israelites conquering the land after coming out of Egypt under the leadership of] Joshua who conquered the land.>>
Likewise, another Rabbinical source (quoted by Kiel and ascribed to a Student of Saadia Gaon) and perhaps dating to ca.1100 c.e. says:
<<Machir [son of Menasseh who was the brother of Ephraim, Menasseh and Ephraim being the two sons of Joseph] ..was the progenitor of Gilead. Later Yair confirmed possession of the lands of Gilead [east of the Jordan River]. After the generation of Joseph and his brothers died out, the surrounding nations increased in power and two of them, Geshur and Aram, seized the villages of Yair....For this reason the later descendants of Machir [after coming out of Egypt] desired to settle in the Land of Gilead. Moses therefore granted them the land which had formerly been held by their forefather and Joshua [the successor of Moses] confirmed this grant
<<This point should be made quite clear, those matters spoken of in the Pentateuch concerning Machir, Nobah, and Yair [having held territory in the land], are speaking of a previous era. Machir, Nobah, and Yair were not alive at the time of the wandering in the wilderness [after coming out of Egypt] and so they received nothing in that period.>>
The sources state that since Machir, Nobah, and Yair, were long since dead they could have received nothing in the time of Moses and Joshua but that which it says they were given was received by them long beforehand, within their own lifetime, and later re-possessed by their descendants. The lands spoken of here appear to be those of the Machir-dominated half tribe of Menasseh east of the Jordan River. According to Prophecy when the Lost Ten Tribes return in the future they will initially receive areas east of the Jordan to settle in.
AND THEY OF EPHRAIM SHALL BE LIKE A MIGHTY MAN...
I WILL BRING THEM AGAIN ALSO OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND GATHER THEM OUT OF ASSYRIA; AND I WILL BRING THEM INTO THE LAND OF GILEAD AND LEBANON; AND PLACE SHALL NOT BE FOUND FOR THEM (Zechariah 10:7, 10).
"Lebanon" is the modern day State of Lebanon and "Gilead" means present-day Syria and Jordan.
The upshot of the above is that the Israelites in Egypt had been influential and had enjoyed positions of authority and that even while in Egypt some type of connection had been maintained for some time with the Land of Canaan.
THE HYKSOS: ISRAELITE SHEPHERD KINGS OF EGYPT.
The Hyksos were shepherd kings i.e. leaders of sheep and cattle herders from the Land of Canaan who took control of Egypt or at least shared power with local Egyptian rulers who interacted with them culturally. Schullman 4 argues that Hyksos domination may have been due to a combination of residents' usurpation of power and minor invasions from the east.
There is reason to believe that the non-Egyptian element amongst the Hyksos were Israelites.
<<This point should be made quite clear, those matters spoken of in the Pentateuch concerning Machir, Nobah, and Yair [having held territory in the land], are speaking of a previous era. Machir, Nobah, and Yair were not alive at the time of the wandering in the wilderness [after coming out of Egypt] and so they received nothing in that period.>>
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THE HYKSOS SHEPHERD KINGS IN SECULAR SOURCES
As implied above, the opinion exists that the rulers of Egypt known as the Hyksos (whom we believe to have been essentially Hebraic) were a group of native Egyptian local rulers who employed western Semites extensively in their service and adopted cultural features from them. 5
Later another group of Egyptians came to power who were opposed to the former Hycsos one and all that they stood for. Some believe that the Hyksos were not Hebraic but rather other foreign non-Egyptian rulers who befriended the Israelites and engaged them in their administration. According to this view when the Hyksos were expelled from Egypt it was the native Egyptian rulers who began to oppress the Hebrews and they were THE NEW KING WHO KNEW NOT JOSEPH who rose up and oppressed them having had no tradition of co-operation with them 6
At all events, the Egyptians later identified the Israelites with the Hyksos. The case equating the Hyksos with the Hebrews is a convincing one and probably the truest.
HYKSOS AND HEBREWS
The Hyksos (whoever they were) are believed to have entered Egypt about 1725 BCE 7
They entered not by force and gained control without a struggle says the Egyptian Historian Manetho.
The Egyptian Classical historian Manetho identified them with "Phoenician Kings" meaning in effect local princes (such as the Israelite Patriarchs were) from the Land of Canaan and perhaps they were physically present in the land from before the date given which is based upon the date that their influence becomes apparent. The coming of the Hyksos entailed also the arrival of the Habiru 8
Habiru, Sagaz, Isaac
The Habiru have been often equated with the Hebrews and the two names (Habiru and Ivri i.e. "Hebrew") mean the same. An Akkadian (Mesopotamian) ideogram known as SA.GAZ is used interchangeably with HABIRU.9
There is most likely a similarity in meaning between the name SAGAZ and the name ISAAC. The Israelites were destined to come out of Egypt, conquer the land of Canaan, and to later have the major portion of their tribes exiled by the Assyrians. Later, in their places of Assyrian imposed exile the Israelites were to be identifiable with the Scythians and others. The names Ishkuza, Asguzi, Iski-Gulu, Zohak, Haik, and Saca, and Assaka which were to be applied to the Scythians all derive from the name Isaac: The term "Saxon" ultimately came from the same source. Isaac was the son and inheritor of Abraham who came from over the Euphrates river and became a kind of wandering warlord in the Land of Canaan. Abraham received a revelation from God and was promised that from his seed would arise a people who would reform and bless all the nations of the earth (Genesis 22:16-19).
Previously, before the time of Abraham the Land of Canaan had been possessed by the Semites descendants of Sem son of Noah. When Abraham entered the land, it was then being conquered from the Semites by Canaanite peoples (Rashi on Genesis 12:6).
Abraham was himself a descendant of Sem and so Israel the chosen inheritor of Abraham's blessings had a natural right to the Land. The Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, were all real life people who lived and acted in the way Scripture says they did. At the same time the Bible presents a multi-faceted view of reality and the Patriarchs may be ALSO viewed as Prototypes of their line and maybe the last real representatives and ultimate fulfillers of it. In other words if the appellations "ISAAC" and "SAGAZ" really are connected in one way or other then the implied meaning may be that the SAGAZ (Habiru-Hebrews) were to be epitomised by Isaac and their historical function fulfilled only through his seed. Abraham was promised that IN ISAAC WILL YOUR SEED BE CALLED (Genesis 21:12). This is translated by Kaplan, (The Living Torah p.55), as: It is through Isaac that you will gain posterity, Literally: You will be said to have offspring, or offspring will be considered yours. In other words the descendants of Isaac would be considered the inheritors of Abraham and the continuers of his line. Nevertheless a literal interpretation alongside the implied one is also acceptable: The offspring of Abraham would bear the name of Isaac.
The Prophets sometimes referred to the northern ten tribed kingdom of Israel as House of Isaac (Amos 7:16) or just as ISAAC (Amos 7:9) In the Hebrew Bible not only does the Prophet Amos (quoted above) refer to the northern Tribes as Isaac but he even uses a divergent (North Israelite?) pronunciation calling them YiS-hak instead of the usual YiTS-hak. Yis-hak in Assyrian would have become Isak or just Sak which was the name given to the Scythians. After exile the Israelites joined the Scythians and were identified with them. They were to receive appellations based on the name of Isaac.
Abraham was the first Hebrew mentioned in the Bible though some believe the appellation "HEBREW" to apply to all the descendants of Eber an ancestor of Abraham. Others say that the name refers to someone who came from the other side or from OVER the river Euphrates. Iben Ezra (Exodus 21:2) quotes these opinions but is adamant that the term Hebrew was applicable only to the Israelites.
In Hebrew the word-root "aver" means "other" or "over" and this root is the source of these English words ("over" and "other") and also of the Hebrew word "IVRI" transliterated as HEBREW and implying "othersider". According to Ptolemy and others the early Celtic inhabitants of Ireland and Britain called themselves Iberi which is a variant of the appellation Hebrew!
The Habiru (with whom the Hyksos were identical or at least connected) were recalled in Hittite texts as belonging to the Land of Amurru meaning the Land of the Amorites i.e. the Land of Canaan. The Bible relates that there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph and enslaved the Hebrews in order to reduce their numbers through oppressive labour. Egyptian inscriptions dating from the time when the Hebrews would have been enslaved according to Scripture refer to the "'prw" (Habiru) as slaves. Later reports to Egypt (the Tel El Amarna tablets) after 1400 BCE show the land of Canaan being conquered by the Habiru (i.e. Hebrews) who initially occupied the hill country just as the Book of Joshua (11:16-23 cf. Judges ch.1) records the Israelites as having done. The Habiru according to Egyptian records included a tribe named Benenima (Benjamin), an individual leader named Iasuia (i.e. Joshua) and other Biblical characters. 9 such as the people of Malchiel and Asher 10
Malchiel was a clan name of the Israelite tribe of Asher (Genesis 46:17). The tribe of Asher was considered in Egyptian text as synonymous with "MENTI"11 and elsewhere MENTI IS IDENTIFIED WITH THE HYCSOS! 12
The very name MENTI maybe one Egyptianised version of the Hebrew name Menasseh! 13
Menasseh was an important Israelite tribe in the north adjoining the Tribe of Asher and the two intermerged to an extent14
Both Asher and Menasseh were later to be prominent in Scotland, as described in "The Tribes"
Classical sources 15. considered the Hycsos to have been "Phoenicians" and some Israelite tribes (e.g. Asher, Zebulon, Issachar, Dan, Nephtali, and maybe western Menasseh) could in practice have also been considered Phoenician. The term "Phoenician" derives from PUNI a clan in the tribe of Issachar. The Amarna tablets in some cases refer to members of the Habiru in the Land of Israel by Hebrew names such as Ayab equated with Joab and Dadua which is said to be the same as David. 16
The Egyptian historian Manetho (ca.261 b.c.e. quoted by Josephus in Versus Apion) said that the name Hyksos is a compound of Hyc a king and sos shepherd, i.e. they were shepherd kings. At all events, a similar term Haka was later applied by Armenian historians to the Israelite descended Cimmerians and Scythians and in early Medieval English the nickname "HAIK" was considered a form of ISAAC!
The Hebrew brothers of Joseph upon entering Egypt had classified themselves as shepherds and for that reason had been given the land of Goshen to settle in. In another passage Manetho says that Hycsos were also styled captives 17.
Modern scholars believe the name Hycsos to denote foreign ruler and say that it was the particular term applied to the local princes of Canaan from whom (it is now believed) the Hycsos derived. The Hycsos in archaeological terms are defined as a group of foreigners who settled in the eastern Delta of Egypt (i.e. in "Goshen") and at times ruled over all the land as well as Nubia meaning the Sudan. The majority of Hycsos names are West Semitic and today the consensus appears to be that they "originated in the Levant from Middle Bronze Age Canaanite ethnic stock" 18.
This definition is consistent with the Hycsos having been West Semitic Hebrews who before coming to Egypt had sojourned in Canaan and were considered natives and princes in that land. Graves of the Hycsos in Egypt were found to contain remains of mutton19 which suggests that the Hycsos really were sheep-herders or Shepherd kings. The native Egyptians always considered the sheep an unclean animal and would not go near them. In Avaris (Ramses of the Bible) the Hycsos capital remains of animal sacrifices were found around an altar. The animals killed were mainly cattle with a few sheep and not a single pig 20
In Intermediate Summation
THE SIMPLE IMPORT OF EGYPTIAN SOURCES WOULD LEAD ONE TO BELIEVE THAT THE HYCSOS HAD ORIGINATED IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. THEY HAD COME TO EGYPT PEACEFULLY. THEY SOMEHOW GAINED (OR BEEN GIVEN) CONTROL, OR THEY HAD JOINED FORCES WITH AN EGYPTIAN ELITE THAT ADOPTED ASPECTS OF THEIR CULTURE AND WITH WHOM THEY CAME TO BE IDENTIFIED.
THEY WERE ALSO EQUATED WITH THE HEBREWS.
EVENTUALLY THEY WERE DEFEATED, HAD BEEN ENSLAVED, AND ULTIMATELY HAD BEEN DRIVEN OUT OF EGYPT WHENCE THEY RETURNED TO THE LAND OF CANAAN AND FOUNDED THE ISRAELITE NATION. THIS WHOLE DESCRIPTION FITS THE BIBLICAL VERSION REGARDING THE ISRAELITES APART FROM THE FACT THAT IN SCRIPTURE THE ISRAELITES ARE ULTIMATELY BEGGED BY THE EGYPTIANS TO LEAVE AND NOT EXACTLY DRIVEN OUT. THE EGYPTIAN RECORDS ARE, HOWEVER, NOTORIOUS FOR MISREPRESENTATION AND OTHER FACTORS SUPPORT THE BIBLICAL VERSION.
Israelite Tribes in Ancient Egypt
At the time of Hyksos domination over Egypt Israelite names such as "Jacob-el" (God of Jacob) and "Joseph-el" (God of Joseph) are recorded in Egypt and associated with the Hyksos rulers 21
A Talmudic-Rabbinical tradition says that the Children of Joseph (Ephraim and Menasseh) were not enslaved to hard labour like the rest of the Israelites but rather were used as soldiers in warfare and police-administration Midrash (Schoker Tov 81;7). This under the conditions of the time could also entail a great deal of hardship but even so throws new light on our understanding of the Hycsos-Habiru-Israelite equation. The Hycsos centre in Egypt is believed to have been the city of Avaris in the Nile Delta. Later, the native Egyptians threw off the yoke of whoever the Hyksos represented and enslaved the Hebrews. Avaris was re-built by Hebrew slaves and re-named "Ramses" (Exodus 1:11).
Manetho recorded that after leaving Egypt the Hycsos went to Judea and built Jerusalem 22
Dan, the Hycsos, and the Foundation of Mycenean Civilization
Since in the time of Manetho the Jews of Judah and Jerusalem were only Hebrews he was aware of, he was identifying the Hycsos as Israelites! Manetho also said that the final expulsion of the Hycsos included that of a people known as the Danaoi 23
The foundation of Mycenean Civilization according to some authorities is indeed to be accredited to Hycsos refugees from Egypt.
The Danaoi are identifiable with Danaus who according to Diodorus Siculus (1;28) came to Greece but (says Diodorus) had left Egypt together with those who built Jerusalem. "Danaoi" and "Danaus" are forms of the name DAN a prominent tribe amongst the 12 Tribes of Israel.
An Egyptian stele refers to the expulsion of the Hyksos using the terms "Asiatics" (as distinct from Egyptian) and "the ruler of Retenu" (Israel and Syria) and according to G. W. Ahlstrom, this clearly identifies the Hyksos as inhabitants of the Land of Israel 24. Archaeological finds also confirm the identification of the Hyksos with Israel, for instance, the Hyksos type of house in Egypt was forerunner to a form of dwelling later found in Israel25 after the Exodus and regarded as characteristally "Israelite" being used as an "Israelite marker" in Archaeology.
The Bible (1-Kings 8:1) says that the Temple of Solomon was built 480 years after the coming out of Egypt which places the Exodus around the year 1450 BCE.Egyptian records are understandable as saying that the expulsion of the Hyksos took place in two stages, the first in ca.1570 when in effect the Hycsos were mostly forcibly concentrated in and about Avaris (i.e. Ramses)26 in the Delta region and the second around 1450 BCE. 27
The Jewish Oral tradition believed that the actual oppression (as distinct from exile in Egypt) only began after the death of Levi (last of the Tribal Fathers) and therefore lasted ca.180 years, even though the Israelites were in Egyptian exile for 400! It follows that the oppression began around 1630 b.c.e. and continued until the Israelites left and these dates roughly correspond with those in Egyptian accounts concerning the overthrow and after a time the final expulsion of the Hyksos.
Immanuel Velikovsky, David Rohl, and H. Hoeh
Immanuel Velikovsky, "Ages in Chaos", 1952, had his own theory concerning the Hycsos.
Velikovsky admits that Manetho implied that the Hycsos were Hebrews, and that other authorities inclined to this opinion. Even so, Velikovsky quotes Arab traditions according to which the Amalakites once ruled over Egypt. He says that after the Israelites departed from Egypt the Amalekites came in and took over what was a devastated country and that in Egyptian tradition references to the Hycsos refer to them.
Velikovsky was a psychiatrist by profession. He believed that the Amalekites had cruelly oppressed the Egyptians and that the subsequent misconceived identification of the Amalekite (in his view) Hycsos with Israelites had resulted in giving the Hebrews an unjustified bad name. This according to Velikovsky was the beginning of anti-Semitism in world history!
Similarly, David Rohl ("A Test of Time", 1995,) follows in Velikovskys footsteps but provides information and opinions of great interest: Rohl dates the Exodus to 1447 BCE. Rohl states that archaeological finds indicate a high proportion of females to males (3 to 1) in the land of Goshen amongst the Apiru (i.e. Hebrews) just before the Exodus which is consistent with the Egyptians having attempted to kill off all male Hebrews in their infancy. The major city in Goshen was Avaris which was abandoned en masse. The earlier dwellers of Avaris were Asiatics ( i.e. people from the Middle East) who were very-much Egyptianised and these were the ones who left and Rohl identifies them with the Hebrews. Their place was taken by other Asiatics who were not Egyptianised and Rohl (in the track of Velikovsky) equates the newcomers with Amalekite invaders.
Rohl incidentally describes and provides photographs of a statuette of an early Asiatic (i.e. Hebraic-Hycsos) prince who has red hair and is draped in a tartan-like cloak of many colours. Rohl identifies this individual with the Patriarch Joseph! Later claims appeared on an academic discussion list that the statue depicted by Rohl had been reconstructured and may not be a faithful representation of the original.
H. Hoeh, "Compendium of World History", vol.1, p.248 points out that in 1-Samuel 30 David meets an Egyptian slave left to die in the wilderness by his Amalekite master and he associates these Amalekites with the (later) Hycsos mentioned by Velikovsky. The Egyptians identified the Hycsos of old primarily with the inhabitants of Canaan which in effect meant the Israelites and the original Hycsos entity was largely Hebraic. Other non-Israelite foreigners from the area of "Israel" may later have taken over Egypt and become subsequently confused with the Hebrew-Hycsos in Middle Eastern tradition.
New Research Developments: Jacobovici and Cameron
Wikpedia: Hyksos
A 2006 documentary created by Jewish Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici (and fellow producer James Cameron), which explores new evidence in favor of the account of the Book of Exodus, "Exodus Decoded" (The History Channel, aired Sunday, 20 August, 2006), investigates Egyptian records concerning the departure of the mysterious Semitic Hyksos.
Jacobovici identifies the Hyksos as the biblical Hebrews (who he calls "Amo Israel", meaning, "His" - ie, God's - "people Israel"). He supports this thesis with Egyptian-style signet rings uncovered in the Hyksos capital of Avaris. These signets read Yakov, similar to Hebrew/Canaanite name of the Biblical patriarch Jacob ( Ya'aqov). Also, Jacobovici suggests the name of the city itself, Avaris, may derive from the Hebrew/Canaanite word ivri ( ), meaning "Hebrew", which is often identified with the Habiru/Apiru. Today, the ruins of the ancient city is Tel el-Yahudiyeh, which is Arabic for "city-mound of the Jews". The archeological site is known for its distinctive black-and-white ceramic pottery.
Wikpedia: The Hyksos: A New Investigation
The Hyksos: A New Investigation is a book by John Van Seters published in 1966 by Yale University Press. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hyksos:_A_New_Investigation The main contribution of this volume is a careful linguistic analysis by Van Seters in which he argues that the Ipuwer Papyrus does not belong to the First Intermediate Period of Egyptian History (c. 2300-2200 BCE), as previously thought, but rather to the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1700-1600 BCE). Van Seters' case has not been universally accepted by Egyptologists, who continue to suggest a range of dates for the composition of Ipuwer.
Given a revised chronology, such as that suggested by David Rohl, Van Seters' dating could lend support to the theory (presented by other scholars, though not discussed by Van Seters) that the Ipuwer Document, which contains such statements as "The River is blood", describes conditions in Egypt at the time of the Biblical Exodus.
THE HYCSOS, SETH, AND HAIR COLOUR
The Hyksos in Egyptian Mythology were associated with the figure of Set or Seth 28
The Egyptians considered the god Seth to be essentially a negative figure connected with the desert and with waste places. In Scripture SETH (Genesis 5:3) was born in the likeness of Adam the first man and from him was descended Noah and all of humanity. Even so, in Hebrew tradition SETH could be considered a specifically HEBREW ancestor (see Yehudah Halevi, HaKuzari) due to the idea that the Hebrews were inheritors of a God-given birthright. The Hebrews saw themselves as obligated to remain as close as possible to the original master plan entailed in the creation of man. Therefore, they were the true inheritors of Adam the first man as transmitted to Seth whereas the rest of humanity due to idolatry had diverged from the primary path.
The Egyptians equated Seth with the Phoenician Baal especially under the aspect of Baal Zephon 29 and ultimately identified with the god Saturn.
"Zephon" (Tsaphon) in Hebrew (i.e. in the name "Baal Zephon") connotes "hidden". The Greeks rendered this name Typhon 30 just as they called the city of Tsur (Zur) "Tyre". The Roman name for Typhon was "Saturn" which also means "hidden" and is derived from the Hebrew root "Sater" - i.e. to hide.
The Israelites in later Greek and Roman mythological terms were also to be equated somehow with Saturn as were the Celts of Britain.
The Egyptians called Seth the "Bull of Retenu" 31 meaning the Bull of Canaan. Seth was considered to be the only god of the Hyksos.
According to Plutarch ("Isis and Osiris", ch.73) Seth was identical with Typhon and he says that the Egyptians used to burn men alive calling them Typhon's followers This equation was confirmed by Diodorus Siculus (1;88;5) who said that every year red bulls were sacrificed by the Egyptians,
"Because it is thought that this was the colour of Typhon..Men, also, if they were of the same colour, as Typhon were sacrificed, they say, in ancient times".
Egyptian colored wall illustrations show that a proportion of the western Semites (including the HEBREWS) were blonde and red haired. This was also the case concerning the population of Canaan (sometimes referred to as "Amorite") at the time when the Israelites were the dominant element there 32.
Hebrew slaves had been portrayed (on wall illustrations still extant today) working for their Egyptian taskmasters and some of those depicted are blonde 33.
Colouring varied from tribe to tribe and fairhairedness may have been more pronounced later in the north of Israel than in the south. In order that no one should misunderstand this matter it is worthwhile clarifying it:
1. Red or Blonde- hair was considered characteristic of peoples from the Land of Israel, and Syria according to Egyptian illustration.
2. Sometimes groups of assumedly Israelite (or so-called Palestinian-Syrian) individuals are shown as entirely blonde or redhaired with blue eyes and pale pink skins.
3. More often people are shown from the same areas with very dark (maybe oiled?) headhair and red or blonde beards and eyes being either brown or bluish.
4. Blonde or redhaired individuals are sometimes depicted in groups though frequently they are shown as mixed in with other much darker individuals with similar facial features to themselves.
5. Groups of darkish people from the geographical areas of Syria and Israel are also often depicted.
6. Mesopotamian, Syrian, and Phoenician coloured statuettes depict both dark individuals as well as those with blue eyes and red-blondish hair. Statuettes from Judah and northern Israel show individuals with both apparently European as well as Semitic type features.
7. It follows that there were both mixed dark Mediterranean and so called light Nordic types existent amongst the ancient Israelites and the peoples around them. The evidence supports the idea that maybe there existed a certain color differentiation from tribe to tribe or from one general area to another.
8. Jewish Rabbinical sources also support the notion that some tribes contained more fair individuals than others.
9. The climate and physical environment have a definite effect on a person's (or an entire people's) physical appearance. So does heredity. How environmental and genetic factors inter-react with each other is unknown but it definitely does occur. We are not interested in racial ideas regarding the relative hypothetical merits (if any) of one group over another. To the extent that physical differences exist between peoples a knowledge of them can help in tracing their migratory paths and this is our primary interest here
10. Our ideas concerning race are often based on misconceptions. The population of Britain, for instance, is considered to be 50% of Mediterranean type and less than 50% Nordic. The Nordic type itself in some ways is closer to the Mediterranean and Negroid than it is to the Central European. Claims based on Studies in racial sciences including even the most recent findings remain less than absolutely certain. Despite this reservation many of these studies are of potential importance. The ancient Hebrews appear to have been of the same types as those predominant amongst the present-day Jews and amongst Northwest European peoples. This does not mean that everybody belonging to any particular type must (on those grounds alone) have any connection to Israel nor does it preclude descendants of the ancient Hebrews in some areas having changed their physical format (due to environment or intermarriage) while still remaining of the seed of Israel according to Biblical Prophecy. The Bible in several places also gives non-Israelites the option of becoming full-fledged citizens and being treated equally. Once accepted the stranger leaves his past behind. Nowhere does it say that membership is limited to people of any particular appearance. Those people whose chances of belonging are circumvented and limited for hereditary reasons according to Scripture are the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:3), Egyptians (Deuteronomy 23:7-8), and the Edomites (Deuteronomy 23:7-8), Ammonites, and Moabites (Deuteronomy 23:3), and these last three were of the Israelites own family and genetically possibly identical! Esau the forefather of Edom was the twin-brother of Israel (Genesis 25:24). He was born red and hairy (Genesis 25:25). He became the arch-enemy of Israel and from him descend a portion of the Germans (Megilla 6).
JOSEPH too was described as looking like a Germani (Genesis Rabah 86:3). Joseph has the quality of being able to defeat Esau (Baba Batra 123b). There are parallels between Esau and Joseph and in a way the two are mirror images of each other.
The Israelites had been in Egypt at the very beginning of their national formation. They had been there both as ruler and as subdued for hundreds of years. It follows that memories of the Egyptian sojourn and Egyptian influences could well have remained imbued in segments of the Hebrew population long after their eventual exit. Semitic, Egyptian, and other Middle Eastern characteristics were destined to re-appear from time to time amongst the western Celts many of whom were actually descended from deported Israelites. The idea that at least one or other of their major primary ancestors had sojourned in Egypt and had occupied a position of influence was also to return on itself frequently as an emphasised theme in Celtic genealogy.
After leaving Egypt the Israelites entered Canaan which they conquered and settled in before being deported from by the Assyrians and taken elsewhere..
Irish Traditions and the Hyksos
The Irish says that their ancestors and those of the Scottish had been in Egypt in Ancient Times at the same time as the Israelites had been. They were associated with the governors of Egypt and their ancerstor had married scotta the daughter of Pharoah. They had refused to persecute the Israelites and had left Egypt with them and had included Israelites amongst them. Some accounts say that they hthemselves had kept the Mosaic Law and that they sojourned in Greece before continuing to Spain and from there to the British Isles. A detailed analysis of these traditions belongs elsewhere. Nevertheless it was worth noting that the Irish accounts in their essential poiints appear to be historically reliable. In effect they identify at least a portion of the early inhabitants of the British Isles as of Israelite origin. This corresponds with conclusions based on other fields of inquiry.