The Portland daily press., 1896-09-19

No record Of the plaques was likely to
be preserved by the Egyptian historian.
Indeed, as has already been said, there
seemed little probability that the monu-
msnts would contain any reference to the
Israelltes at all. But the unexpected
often happens. especially in Egyptian re-
search, and last winter Prof, Flinders
Pertie was SO fortunate as to discover n
monuments on which the name actually
on the western bank of Thebes he disin-
tered the remain of temple, hitherto
supposed to have been built by Amenop-
his III, Of the 18th dynasty, but which
turns ont to have been erected by Menep-
tab of the 18th. This temple Of Amenop-
his was already in ruins, and Meneptah
carried away its soulptured and inscribed
stones in order to construct his own
sanctuary. Among them was large
stella of granite, moro than 10 feet in
length, upon which the older monarch
had engraved record of his building
operations. The stella was built by
Meneptah into the new temple. with its
inscribed face against the wall, while on
the other face another inscription was
cut concentrating the glories OF
Meneptah himself. The inscription is,
in fact, hymn of victory describing the
overthrow aud flight of the Hibyan in
yaders in the fifth year of the kings
reign. Toward the end the post chances
at the other glorious achievements of the
Pharaoh. "Vanquished, we are told,
lis the land of the Libyans, the land of
the Hlttites is tranquilized, captured is
the land of Pa-Kana'na (probably Khur-
bet Kana'an south of Hebron) with (?)
Ashkelon; overpowered is 1.-THE land of
| Geer; the land of Innu'am Ito the north
OF Palestine) is brought to nought; the
lsraelites Q-s-y-r-a-e-l-u) nre minished
| 90 SO that they have no seed tho land of
Kharu is become like tho widows OF
Egypt; all lands are at peace. "Kharu
was southern Palestine, and the name
| is identified by Prof. Maspero with that
| of the Horites of scripture. The word
rendered "minished' has the determine
tive of "badness" or 'ssmallness'' at
tached to it, but 1t is met with here for
the first time: the word translated
"seed" is found elsewhere in the sense of
Offspring.
The poet has not been careful to ascrite
to Meneptah only what were really his
| own victories. The "tranquilizer" of the
land of the Hituites was his father. Ram
eses I'll, and not Meneptah himself. Nor
is any strict geographical order followed
in the catalogue of Meme ptah g successes.
We pass from Libya to northern Syria,
for Asheklon to Gezer, in accordance
rather with political than with geograph-
ioal requirements.
But one fact stands out prominently.
The name Of the 'Jsraelites' alone is
without the detsrminative of Country"
or 'distriot. There was, therefore, no
special part Of the known world in which
the poet could localize them, unless in
deed 1t were Egypt itself. They must
either have been wanderers without fixed
homes of their own, or else bond slaves
in Egypt Th. first alternative is the
| more probable; when the poem was writ
ten, the Israelites were probably already
lost in the wilderness, in their words,
the Exodus would already have taken
place.
In this case we shall have in the in
| scription the Pharaoh's version of the
Exodus just as Sennaoherib in his ac-
count of his campaign against Hezekiah
says nothing of the disaster which drove
him from Jerusalem, and mentions only
his defeat of the Egyptian army, the
spoil he had gained in judah, and the
presents he had received from the Jewish,
king, too, the Egyptian scribe draws
discreet veil of silence over the flight of
Israel and the loss of the pursuing host
in thefwauers of the sea, and describes
only the effect of the measures that had
been taken 10 destroy the "seed'' of
Israel. And even this had been the
work of Ramses. ii rather than of his son.
The Israelites are, however. clearly
recognize as of Cananitish origin. They
had come from Palestine, and it is there
fore with the Horites OF Edom and
southern Palestine that they are asso-
ciated. Perhaps in the statement that
the Kharu had ''beooms like the widows
of Egypt" the poet wishes US to see the
result of the determination of the Israel
itish seed. At any rate. it Is impossible
not to be struck by the axtraoI binary
parallelism between what is said of the
Israelites and the narrative which we
read In the first chapter of Exodus
There, too, we are told that the Pharaoh
urged his people that the descendants of
Jacob did not multiply" that he or
dored the midwives to shay "the men
chilrden," and that finally, he charged
all his people, saying, "Every son that is
born ye shall cast into the river" The
expression used of the Israelites on the
newly founded stella Is nothing less than
q summary of the biblical account.
Jesse r, Test ESu an old rasidan+