The Portland daily press., 1896-09-19
ISRAEL'S RECORD IN EGYPT.
Some Late Discoveries About 1t.

Tho Accurate Coloring of the History of
Joseph-How Flinders Petrie Found
the Name of Israel on a Monument
Last Winter.
(Prof. Sayos of Oxford in the Homiletic
Review for September.)
Egypt was the land in which Israel
grew from family into a nation. 1t
there passed through the "iron furnace"
of bondage and trial which fitted it to
receive the law delivered from Sinai.
I he memory of it's sufferings in 1.-THE
land of Ham" and of the mighty arm
which had rescued it never faded out of
the national consciousness. 1t lay at
the background not only of the history
of the people, but of their religious con-
viotious as we'll.
When, therefore, the hieroglyphic
writing of ancient Egypt first came to
be read, 1t was thought that some allu-
sion to the Israelites would be found in
1t. On the wall of tomb at Thebes a
scene was painted from an Egyptian
backyard. and 1t was assumed that the
briok.makers must have been the de-
scendants Of Jacob. In the inscriptions of
the 18th and two following dynasties
mention is made of people called
Aperin, who were employed in convey
ing stone from the quarries of the east
ern desert for the public buildings of
Egypt, and in the "Aperin" Cha bias and
other Egyptian scholars protested to see
fuller knowledge came the conclusion
that neither in tho briok- makers of the
Theban tomb nor in the Aperin of
Thothmes III and the Ramessides could
the children of Israel be recognized. and
such light as the Egyptian monum ents
restricted to illustrations of 1t from the
manners and customs, the beliefs and
practices which the progress of Egyptol-
ogy has revealed.
In fact the more we came to know of
the Egyptian movements, the less likeli
hood did there seem to be that any
direct reference to the Israslites would
be found among them. The inscriptions
which have been preserved to us are al
most exclusively inscribed on the walls
Of temples and tombs. The subjects of
them are accordingly either religious or
Itinerary. We learn from them what the
Egyptians thought about their gods or
tho condition Of the soul after death
what else they contain is or the most
fpart q wearisome catalog OF the titles
fand functions of the kings. OF history OF
A,ven historical illusions there is next
TO nothing. And such history as there
Is, is naturally record of Egyptian VIC
soriss and glory, not Of disaster or de-
feat There seemed small probability
that we should ever discover any refer
ence to the successful escape Of body of
despised Bedou1n serfs from their Egypt
ian taskmasters, or to the loss of an
Egyptian army in the waters of the
sea-
Doubtless ancient Egypt possessed an
historical literature, but 1t was written
upon papyrus. And but few relics of
the old literature Of the country upon
papyrus have survived. These have been
found almost entirely In tom BIS, and con-
sequently, with few exceptions, are
theological in character. Some day, per
hsps. we shall discover the library of
some temple or individual in with his
torioaa works will be included; but I'M
Ill We do SO our knowledge of ancient
Egyptian history must remain what it
b today, a thing of shreds and patch
work.
Il ID not only the earlier chapters of
the book of Exouds that have Egypt as
their background, the later chapters of
Genesis also are equally Egyptian. The
history of Joseph is as much the history
Of aa Egpyt ian official as it is the his
tory Of Hebrew slave. If, therefore,
10 Is indeed history and not fiction, it
must be true in Its local coloring, and
be confirmed by Egyptian research in
both general outlines and details.
And suoh in fact is the CASE We are
pnly gradually beginning to discover
how extraordinarily accurate in its