Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1896-08-20
GOLDsBORO n C.. THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 1896
THE OPPRESOR OF ISRAEL

l aE VI + ~ EOOh .OF lOhAE l..
A Tablet Discovered in Egypt
Which is Thought to Give Some
Clue to the Pharaoh Whom
Moses RebeIIed Against.
New York Sun.
1t is we'll known that nothing
has more perplexed Egyptolo-
gists than the silence of Egyp.
tian records regarding the so
1journ, of the children of Israel in
the eastern section of the Nile
delta. That silence was broken
in February of this year, when
Prof. Flinders Petrie, while en-
gagged at Thebes in clearing the
site of the funeral temple OF
Merenptah, the son and success
sor Of Rameses H., unearthed a
very large tablet of black gram
lite, bearing long inscription,
in which mention is made of the
Israelltes. In the current mum =
Der of the Century Magazine the
discoverer himself discusses the
bearing Of the inscription on the
question whether Merenptah
should be recognized as the Pha-
raoh, who, after repeatedly hard~
ening his heart, let the people of
Israel go.
At first sight it seemed diff
cult to reconcile this inscription
which records an expedition
which took place on the fourth
Or fifth year CT Merenptah S
reign (about 1903 B. c. with the
supposition that the Israelites
were at the time domiciled in the
land of Goshen. For in the in
scribed account of the campaign
in Syria, during which he SUBJ
dued all his enemies, Merenptah
says: 1.-The Hittites are quieted; :;
ravaged is Kanah (near Tyre)
with all violence; taken is Aska>
Ion; seized is Chesulloth ICON.
jecturally identified with the
modern IksaD Yanvah of the
Syrians (near Tyre is made as
though it existed not; people of
Israel is spoiled; it hath no seed;
Syria is widowed" This inscrip-
ton unquestionably proves that
Merenptah knew the name of the
Israelites, and that he had at
tackled and crushed the people
thus called. But from the con>
text showing that this occurred
in Syria, in the neighborhood of
Galilee, it seems to follow that
the exodus of the children of
Israel from Egypt must have
taken place in an earlier reign.
Prof. Petrie, however, clings to
the hypothesis that Merenptah
was Pharaoh of the exodus, and
he undertakes to reconcile it with
the inscription by the assumption
that there were Israelites and
Israelites. That is to say, only
part Of the Israelites went
down into Egypt in Joseph's
time; rest remained in Palestine.
He shares the view recently pres
valent that there were traces of
the Israelites in Palestine before
the arrival of the fugitives from
Egypt, and he deems this view
strengthened by the inscription
just discovered. He thinks that
only on this assumption can we
account for the silence of the
book of Judges concerning the
repeated invasions of Palestine
by the Egyptians during the
reins Of Merenptah and of his
successor. Rameses Ill; inva-
sions which covered a period of
somewhat more than 40 years
and then abruptly ceased.
On the whole, then, Prof. PEI
tries adheres to the gene1 ally
received opinion that Rameses
H., during his long term of 66
years. was the great oppressor
of the Israelite sojourners in
Goshen, and that it was his son,
Merenptah, who. after bearing
successive plaques with pride
and endurance that seemed in
vincible, eventually consented to
let the children of Israel depart.
It is admitted, however, that the
mention, in the lately discovered
inscription, of the Israelites as
residing in or near Galilee, is
not the only difficulty to be sur
mounJed by the advocates of the
popular theory. There has as
yet been discovered in inscrip-
ti0ns nc trace of the kingdom of
Merenptah being weakened by
the troubles of the exodus. It is
also certain that this King was
not drowned in the Red Sea.
There is no sign of disruption
shown in a report by an official
ON the eastern frontier, report
written about 1900 B. c., or
three years later than the in :
scription of which we have been
speaking. The official says that
he has received tribes from Edom
and passed them into Egypt in
order to settle them at Lake of
Pithom, in the land of Succoth,
where they will colonize and pas
ture their herds. It is obvious,
as Prof. Petrie admits, that, had
great trouble with a Semitic race
just passed over, it would not be
likely that . fresh tribe from the
/ Eoct nnuld ho Uo1aornod A q