Clivedurdle

Should be reasonably easy to tie down historically - senior advisor to a Pharoah, saves nation from starvation by good management.

Is he independently confirmed?

Ray Moscow

As far as I know, Joseph is entirely legendary, with no basis in history.

Moreover, several elements of the Joseph story parallel run with the Osiris myth, and so we have more of a case of a Mythical Joseph (MJ2) than an History Joseph (HJ2).

Ray

Clivedurdle

Even the dream coat? (indirect reference to an ec thread on clothes!)

Do the stories of Joseph have any theological impact anywhere?

Clouseau

Descendants were troublemakers, though- definitely worth writing out of history.

spin

Well, at least definitely worth apologetic rearguard action to cover up the absence.

If one were interested in real history one would look at the abundant evidence for members of the royal court in the 18th and 19th dynasties. Perhaps one might like to go out further on a limb and locate the exodus earlier, despite the fact that Raamses (Ex 1:11) was named after Ramses II.


spin

Clivedurdle

Are there any court officials who might be the seed of these biblical stories? Why did the early Jewish nation make Egypt the fall guy for their "history"?

What relationship is there to the rivers of Babylon?

Doug Shaver

Not that I've ever heard about. So far as I'm aware, there is not even a hint of his existence outside the Bible.

Minimalist

In The Bible Unearthed, Israel Finkelstein makes a compelling case for the writing of the OT during the late 7th century BC. At that time, as the Assyrian Empire faltered, both Egypt and Judah (which had prospered as an Assyrian vassal state) began to have dreams of Imperial expansion to the areas being vacated by Assyria.

Egypt was cast as the "villain" because they were seeking to re-assert what had been their traditional hegemony over Canaan since the days of Thutmoses. The folk memory of the Hyksos Expulsion was dusted off, given a new coat of glorious paint ( "if you believe in Yahweh he will help us defeat Egypt again, like he did before") and the territorial ambitions of Josiah were made part and parcel of the priests agenda to make Yahweh the only god. Of course, god failed and the Egyptians killed Josiah so the whole thing had to be re-written.

It's a fascinating book.