from:
Israel Finkelstein / Neil A. Silberman:
The Bible unearthed. Archeology's New Vision of
Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts; The
Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.,
2001; German edition has got the title "No trombones
before Jericho" (orig. German: "Keine Posaunen vor
Jericho"): edition C.H.Beck oHG, Munich 2002;
Here in this analysis is used the German version "Keine
Posaunen vor Jericho" of DTV, Munich 2004, second
edition of 2005. All page indications refer to the
German version. I hope the page numbers are not very
different.
Son
Joseph (one of the sons of Jacob) is said having been sold
to Egypt because of a dream
OT
claims:
-- the son Joseph (one of the sons of Jacob) is said having
dreamt that he would rule over a family later, and he is
said having told this dream to other brothers and having
been hated for that, and by this the brothers are said
having sold Joseph to a group of Ismaelite merchants to
Egypt bringing Joseph with their camel caravan to Egypt, and
there are said having been resin, balm and myrrh within the
goods of the caravan (p.44)
-- the 11 other brothers are said having claimed to their
father Jacob that a wild animal had eaten Joseph (p.44)
-- Joseph is said having followed a career and is said
having been brilliant with prophecies for the Pharaoh and is
said having been minister for economic affairs of the
Pharaoh predicting 7 bad years (p.44).
-- when after a long dry period the other 11 sons of Jacob
came to Egypt with hunger and wanted to purchase food,
brother Joseph is said having presented to them as minister
for economic affairs, and the Israelites are said having
changed their domicile all to Gosen where patriarch Jacob is
said having blessed all his sons and Joseph's sons, the
grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim, and where son Judah is said
having received the royal birthright (p.45)
-- and it is said that Jacob - after his death - was buried
in the cave of Machpelah near Hebron by his sons, but the
Israelites are said having stayed in Egypt (p.45).
The contradictions in the
legend with Joseph who was sent to Egypt
Transportation
of Joseph to Egypt: the criterion of the camels
The
documents say: In Assyrian sources of 7th
century B.C. are mentioned the first camel caravans (p.50)
Archeology says: Archeology
proves clearly that camels were not domesticated before the
end of second millennium B.C., and only much time after
1,000 B.C. they were used as pack animals. In the book of
Genesis (1st book of Moses) camel caravans are repeatedly
mentioned, and the text describing Joseph sold to Egypt also
describes camels as pack animals (Gen. 37,25). But according
to the documents and the archaeological findings this is not
possible because the culture of camel caravans did not exist
yet in times of Jacob and son Joseph (p.49).
The location of Tell Gemme
for example is an important crossing for caravan trails
(p.49-50) and indicates a massive growth of camel bones in
the 7th century B.C. These are almost only bones of adult
camels, so they probably are from caravans, and not from
cultivating farms (p.50).
Transportation of Joseph to
Egypt: commerce with "resin, balm, and myrrh" did not
exist yet
The goods like "resin, balm, and myrrh" carried in the camel
caravan of Joseph to Egypt are main products of Arab
commerce under supervision of Assyrian Reich in 8th to 7th
century B.C. So, the book of Genesis surely was not written
before the 8th century B.C. (p.49).
Evidence
that the whole legend is a fake: The family trees
after Jacob are very different and do not conform (p.47).
Evidence
that teh whole legend is a fake: The names of the persons
in Egipt in the Joseph legend are the favorite names of
7th and 6th century B.C.
The namings in Egypt according to the legend are like this:
-- Joseph as grand vizier of the Pharaoh is named Zaphnat
Paneah
-- the supreme of the royal life guards is named Potiphar
-- the priest is named Potiphera
-- and the daughter of Potipheras is named Asnath (p.80).
All these names are favorite names in Egypt during 7th and
6th century B.C., but during the times of Joseph legend
these names are rare [and never would have been for state's
representatives and never would have been used in a
religious main book] (p.80-81).
[Conclusion
All the cited facts and evidence are indications that the
legend about a Joseph sold and brought to Egypt is an faked
invention between 8th and 6th century B.C.].
