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Johnny Skeptic · 05-12-2010, 07:14 AM

Consider the following:

http://ohr.edu/838

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

In the early 19th Century a papyrus, dating from the end of the Middle Kingdom, was found in Egypt. It was taken to the Leiden Museum in Holland and interpreted by A.H. Gardiner in 1909. The complete papyrus can be found in the book Admonitions of an Egyptian from a heiratic papyrus in Leiden. The papyrus describes violent upheavals in Egypt, starvation, drought, escape of slaves (with the wealth of the Egyptians), and death throughout the land. The papyrus was written by an Egyptian named Ipuwer and appears to be an eyewitness account of the effects of the Exodus plagues from the perspective of an average Egyptian. Below are excerpts from the papyrus together with their parallels in the Book of Exodus.

Comments please.

show_no_mercy · 05-12-2010, 07:36 AM

Wiki!

Quote:

The Ipuwer Papyrus is a single surviving papyrus holding an ancient Egyptian poem, called The Admonitions of Ipuwer

[...]

The sole surviving manuscript dates to the later 13th century BCE (no earlier than the 19th dynasty in the New Kingdom). Egyptologist Dr Halpern believed that the papyrus was a copy of an earlier Middle kingdom copy. The dating of the original composition of the poem is disputed, but several scholars, have suggested a date between the late 6th dynasty and the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1850 BCE - 1600 BCE). The theme of this work has previously been taken either as a lament inspired by the supposed chaos of the First Intermediate Period, or as historical fiction depicting the fall of the Old Kingdom several centuries earlier, or possibly a combination of these.

[...]

The later passages of the poem contain a dialogue between two figures identified only as "Ipuwer" and the "Majesty of the Lord of All" (this term can be used either of the sun-god, or the king). Although these sections of the poem are badly damaged, they apparently debate the causes of evil and chaos in the world, and the balance between human and divine responsibility for them. This dialogue forms one of the oldest examinations in world literature of the question of theodicy

It seems to be a poem that is an early example of theodicy, not a record of historical events. Even if it were, it was written a couple of centuries before the traditional Exodus story was supposed to take place.

Toto · 05-12-2010, 08:02 AM

Last thread on Ipuwer (and follow the links there.)

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05-12-2010, 08:02 AM	#3
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	Last thread on Ipuwer (and follow the links there.)

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