Thursday, April 05, 2007

Joseph's Famine

-> Judaeo-Xtian version: Joseph/Paneah vizier during 7 yrs plenty/storage and then 7 yrs world drought/famine.
-> Hittite version: Telipinu disappeared, trees withered, springs dried up, famine crept over world.
-> Phoenician versions: Mot slays Baal, 7 yrs drought/sterility. Salem & Sahar huge appetites, spend 7 yrs amoung crops/pasture while food accumulates in barns. Danel puts 7 yr curse on earth. Drought Keret (2 wives, 7 sons). (Ref: A Millard, Larousse, Hutchinson.)
-> Yemeni version: . (Ref: G Jeffreys/ies.)
-> Assyrio-Babylonian version: Epic of Gilgamesh "7 yrs drought ... have you saved grain ... I have saved grain ... for 7 yrs". Atrahasis epic ".... Let the fig tree be cut off from the people; in their bellies let vegetables be wanting. Above let Adad make scarce his rain....[there then followed 7 harsh yrs/periods/series of famine.]" "Would that famine had wasted the world rather than the flood." "In later Sumerian as in old Babylonian writings flood and deluge are sent by the gods along with equally catastropic visitations of plague, drought and famiine." Descent of Ishtar (dry, dusty, vizier, 7 gates/judges), on earth springs of fertility ran dry, Ea secured her release by means of a brilliant eunuch which captivated the heart of the mistress of infertility & death. (Refs: NK Sandars, A Tomas, A Alford, Cotterell.)
-> Sum-Akk: 12 yrs drought/famine during late Guti dyn/period [prob not jose's one unless 12 is for doubled 6?].
-> Iranian versions: During the reign of Afrasiyab, king of Turan, over Persia, it did not rain for 8 years. Drought betw Anau 2-Susa 2.
-> Indian versions: Indra vs Vritra/drought. Once the earth was deprived of moisture, Ganges washing only sky, land filled with ashes, to put an end to this terrible drought ... sought to bring the Ganges out of heaven. [12 yrs famine priest Viswa-mitra]. (Ref: E Sykes, Larousse.)
-> China: In his [Ch'en T'ang's] reign China suffered from seven years of famine, shortly before that of Egypt (H Hoeh.)
-> Chinese version: Huangti brought down Pa/dryness who stopped wind & rain, Pa couldn't go back, continued to spread drought, people suffered grtly. (Ref: Larousse.)

-> Egyptian version: 7 yrs drought during Djoser's reign. 7 empty years Mentuhotep 4 (11th dyn, or 12th?) Perhaps cp 2 droughts supposedly between end of last ice age and 1st Egyptian dynasty. 7 cows Hathor. 7 ears corn Isis [Virgo]. A king of 9th dyn was Kaneferre (Chenephres?), a famine in his reign. Unas famine scenes.
-> Ethiopian: "the country that Anayer had come from had been afflicted by 7 yrs of famine (Hancock).
-> Bambara version: Faro (vs Teliko/desert wind) came to earth after long period of drought during which most living things died? (Ref: M Jordan.)
-> Yoruba: Ifa left earth whereupon famine descended.
-> Rhodesian: "then Mwuetsi sickened: rain didn't fall, plants withered, streams ran dry, animals and people died."

-> Greek versions: abduction of Persephone, life shrivels & dies, dry summer, grain stored in silos, Demeter wanders earth. "During the 7 yrs that followed not a drop of rain fell in Thera, & every tree on the isl, except 1, withered & died." Some see a similarity betw Jose & Thales.
-> Evolutionist versions: Egyptian wheat found in Lake Dwellings built on dried up lake shores. Geological period (lost name) when most seas considerably dried up.

-> Peru: deluge followed by a famine (tho this could also/alt be the lack of food after flood).

-> Toltec: Tollan stricken by drought & then famine, all rivers and wells dry up, grainaries invaded by vermin. (Pears.)
-> Mexico: 4th age great famine prevailed (DA MacKenzie.)
-> Huron Indian vers: Tsenta made life poss on earth by defeating the Great Frog which had swallowed all the (deluge) waters and returning them to the rivers and valleys.
-> Cherokee: Sun-goddess hated people and cursed them with a great drought (Flem-Ath.)


- Judaeo-Xtian version: Joseph & Potiphar's wife. Jesus tempted by Devil.
- Mesopotamian versions: epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh turns down Ishtar. Descent of Ishtar (dry, dusty, vizier, 7 gates/judges, on earth springs of fertility ran dry), Ea secured her release by means of a brilliant Eunuch which captivated the heart of the mistress of infertility & death. (Sandars, Massey.)
- Phoenic: Aqhat refuses to give bow to the goddess (tho not quite the same), (Larouse).
- Combabus solicited by [Syria-Dea?] (Lucian, G Massey.)
- Classical: chaste Virbius spurned love of women, Aphrodite stung by his scorn, disdained stepmother Phaedra, she falsely accused him to his father, sea-god sent bull from waves (G Frazer.)
- Egyptian version: "the tale of two brothers" (Bata and Anpu's wife, date 6th dyn/mid kdm?), (Keller, .)
- Amerind: Akaiyan & Nopatsis wife [also even with a Benjamin parallel], (L Spence).

The orthodox establishment places Jose in hyksos times (15th/16th dyn), while Rohl's "new chronology" places Joseph in 12th (or 11th?) dyn.

12th dyn is too late for Joseph who was only 3rd after Abram (generations in between Abe to Jose were only 2) who was only (1)400 yrs after flood just after extreme longevity, at beginnings of history.

Joseph and Moses can't both be so close together re (11th)/12th/(13th) dyn(s).

The Egyptians attached special significance to the ideal age of 110 yrs, which is the age Joseph died at.

Shechem is founded in the time of Jacob in bible (except for anachronistic mention in Abraham's time). The town is mentioned in the 12th dyn of Egypt, meaning Jacob must come before (or contemp with) 12th dyn.

Asenath (~Arsinoe???) elements may be Aso/Isis/(Sais), Neith?

Various possible elements Potiphar:
p-, Put/Buto/Bata/Ptah, Pharaoh/Phra/p(e)r-/Af-Ra, Har/Horus, Ra.

Joseph has been variously compared with Osar-siph (Sayce), Peteseph (Cheremon), Inyotef (Rohl?), Djoser (B Walker), Souphis (Hoeh), and/or [(bay/bey) ~ ya-seph ~ irsu ~ (Yuya)].

Given the clear proof (above) that Joseph's famine really was world-wide as bible says (contrary to seeming opinion), Joseph must correspond with a period/date in Egyptian history that has a global atmosphere such as the 4th dynasty not like [15/16 &/or 12/11].

(Verses imply united kingdom and not 2 or more contemp ks/dyns as some theorise?)

A certain officer Ra-hotep [Hotep-ra?] of ca 3rd dyn was chief priest of On, and leader of warriors of the monarch.
The name and offices are vaguely similar to either/both the biblical Potiphera priest of On whose daughter Joseph married, and/or to the officer Potiphar captain of the royal guard whose wife tried to get Joseph to lie with her. (Could famous Rahotep's wife Nefert/Nofret "beautiful/good" actually be Potiphar's wife or the mother of Asenath? Tradition would have it that the name of Potiphar's wife was Zuleika/Zelicah [compare Queen Dalukah?])
Other names also/alt similar are Hotep-dif 2nd dyn priest,
Ptah-hotep 5th dyn, (some would add Djedefre).

The bent pyramid attributed to time of about Sneferu (3/4 dyn) could represent the 7 yrs plenty and 7 yrs scarcity. (Bent pyr connected with: 3.5 pi (half of 7), St Joseph, Joseph's canal.) Other hitherto theories were that it (&/or Meydum pyr) was due to disaster/rain/quake, or [dual/Seth] (A Alford.)
(Less likely, perhaps Joseph was even entombed in bent pyramid (explaining why Sneferu allegdedly had 2 or 3 pyramids?) and the rough hewn tunnel hacked thru masonry is from Moses removing his bones???)

Anc Egyptian feudal period (4-15 dyn) may be connected with Joseph's state.

Also/alt, king Pepy/Phiops (6th) dynasty was a centenarian like Joseph & Moses. Djedi the 4th dyn magician lived 110 yrs.

Philitis the shepherd of 4th dyn might be Hebrews, as a people rather than person?
Hebrews were captive shepherds [of Egyptian records/traditions?] not (Hyksos) king shepherds.

Gos(h)en (cp Gozan)/Gesem (LXX/Sept): Kessan (Artapanus):
Faqus/Phacussa/Qesem (Rohl), Feshn (kh/f intchge), Sesen (s/k, sh/kh intchge), Goseir (n/r intchge), Casius, Giza/Gizeh (cp Gaza), Gosu/Cusae ("too far south"), Gesy/Qus, Kush/Kesh, Kahun.

(Joseph sold for money a type of Jesus sold for money.)

Abraham ~ Uenephes/Semenptah (1st dyn) :
- (famine -> plagues);
Jacob ~ Nynetjer/Necherophes (2nd dyn) :
- (Shechem ~ Shem-Re????, "terror");
Joseph ~ (betw Zoser to) Sneferu (3/4 dyn) :
- (famine Zoser?, bent pyramid, Rahotep, global);
Moses ~ 12th dyn :
- (12 springs, slave workers?, brick buildings, temple Atum, new kdm/dyn/king, giant?, ....)