Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-06
EGYPTIAN FAIRY TALE.
A Curious Echo of Biblical Records
Unearthed.


Unearthed.
From the London Standard.
In the year 1895 the trustees Of the Brit
ish Museum purchased a fine papyrus roll
written on both sides, the diverse bearing
series Of revenue returns, dated in the
''7'' year Of The Emperor Claudius, B. c. 46-
written in Denote. The latter, with a fine
FAC smile. have been published by the
Clarendon Press, Oxford, accompanied with
a translation and commentary from the
pen Of Mr.. F. L. Griffith the Psychologist.
Inc stories are part of a series which CEN
ter in hero named Khamuas, high priest
OF Memphis. the historical original being
the Prince Regent kha-m-uas, the son of
Rameses II. The writer of these stories
mas corrected great quantity of folk leg
ends which were current in Egypt at the
time when this manuscript was written,
about A. D. 1880; and the papyrus may
certainly be described as one of the rich
discovered.
Ihe stories relate to Khamuas under the
name Of Seine, derived from his title of
Sem: priest of Memphis, and his son, ST.
osiris The story of the birth of this youth
Is given. He is the miraculous child Of his
mother and his name is revealed to his
Iather In dream, Ibis name shall be ST.
osiris (son OF Osiris. for he shall do many
grew big. he grew strong, and went to
school," and that he rivaied the scribe
who taught him." and he began to talk
with the Scribes in the House of Life Che
nprary or Memphfs), in the temple Of Ptah
and all the land wondered at him." The
resemblance between this extract and the
story of the birth Of Christ is most aston
lshing, and 1t is still more SO when we read
again Behold, the boy Si-Osiris reached
twelve years of age, and there was no
scribe In Memphis that could equal him in
reading or writing or magic" If in these
passages we have an adaptation of the
story or the birth Of Christ, as told by the
dlsclpies, 1t is certainly the earliest record
known, being less than twenty years after
the Introduction Of Christianity into Egypt
py 81. Mark "a. D. 80. The wonder work
ing youth takes his father to the regions
OF Amenti, or Hades, and the cycles of the
iand or death are described. Here we have
a mass of valuable legendary matter de-
rlveo from EGYPTIAN, Christian and Jewish
sources. Inc Judgment scene differs much
from that described in the 125th chapter of
the Book of the Dead. and there Is woven
INTO this portion curious story very like
that Of the parable of the Rich Man and
Lazarus" The doctrine of future n,,nish.
ment, not found in the Egyptian rituals fs
clearly stated in the words, He that is
good upon earth, they are good to him In
are evil to him.
The latter part of the papyrus contains
the account of the magical contest between
oi-osFiS ana the magicians Of Ethiopia-
resembling the traditional contest between
Moses and James and Jambres Here we
nave two curious echoes Of the plaques of
EGYPT. The magician said to his mother
the Negress, as a sign, when thou shalt
eat and drink, thy water shall be the color
or blood, and the floods shall turn to the
color of blood. and the heaven shall be the
color OF blood" Here we have certainly
the echo OF the first plague (Exodus. yif:19I
80 also, IN another passage is the plague
OF darkness preserved. One of the magi-
clans ela. who is in prison, says, Il would cast
my spell upon Egypt, and 1 will cause the
people or Egypt to pass three DAYS and
tnree nights without seeing light" words
Whlch certainly resemble those of the
plague of darkness EXODUS, x:2D. The
treasures of this curious document are not
exhausted, for here we have also the story
OF moses and the bulrushes, for one ma
glclan rebukes the other with the words
Art thou not Hor the son of the Neeress
whom l saved in the reeds of RAJ" The
manuscript contains many more valuahle
g!eanlngs from the traditions current in
EGYPT In the first century of our era a
PERIOD when Alexandria was the emporium
OF the literary wares of all the known
"orio. rms valuable papyrus is but an
earnest OF what We may expect as the rub
olsn heaps OF the Favoum and lower Eevnt
are explored c6ype