3rd
dynasty Egypt, his name was Imhotep, one of histories first truly great
engineers. He is attributed for not only building the very first pyramid, but
also inventing the column, which was the backbone of architecture until the
invention of steel construction in the Industrial Age. His name means "One
who comes in peace." He was second to the Pharaoh Djoser. Among the list
of his titles were, Chancellor of the King of Egypt, Doctor, First in line
after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Hereditary
nobleman, High Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief Carpenter, Chief Sculptor,
and Maker of Vases in Chief.
To
say he was an impressive and gifted individual would be a huge understatement.
The pharaoh at the time put a huge amount of trust in this man, and it is
likely that without him Pharaoh would never have been able to hold as much
power and control as he did. Imhotep was also an interpreter of dreams. He had
a dream from Ra that the world was about to experience a famine lasting 7
years, so Imhotep built granaries and stored up massive amounts of food, thus
he saved Egypt from a huge catastrophe.
Imhotep
is considered one of the first physicians and he diagnosed and treated dozens
of diseases. He was a poet, and considered one of the greatest scholars and
philosophers of the time. What is even more remarkable about this Egyptian is that
he was not of noble birth; he was a commoner who built and reasoned his way to
the top of an oppressive society. He represented the hopes and desires of all
the lowly and poor. It is no wonder that he was deified and worshiped as a god
upon his death.
So
that's all very interesting history, but what does it have to do with the
Bible. With Dr. Ben Carson's recently spotlighted belief that the pyramids were
used to store grain, I think the reason I bring Imhotep up is obvious. Imhotep
and the Joseph of biblical fame have striking similarities. The question has
often been raised, are Imhotep and Joseph the same person. Joseph was also
chancellor to pharaoh, second in command, he built buildings, married the
daughter of the high priest of Ra, ministered under Potiphar, the chief
physician, and interpreted dreams and saved Egypt from a 7 year famine. Imhotep
had 11 brothers, Joseph had 11 brothers, the similarities could go on.
That
being said, what is most striking is not their similarities, but their
differences. Primary among them is that Imhotep was the high priest of Ra. The
Bible describes Joseph as unwavering in his steadfast trust in Jehovah, so much
so in fact that Joseph is one of only a handful of people in the Bible that are never
mentioned as having any faults or making any mistakes. The differences could go on, Joseph
is never attributed to building any sort of pyramid, and no mention of
Imhotep's Canaanite family is ever made. I think Christians have been asking
the entirely wrong question when it comes to Imhotep. We should not be asking
if Joseph and Imhotep are the same person, we should be asking, "why are
they so similar?"
The
distinction between the two questions might seem negligible, but they are
indeed different. Conservative Christians, such as Dr. Carson automatically
assume that the Bible is 100% accurate in every detail, thus they wrongfully
assume that history must be wrong in order to fit their bible into the spot
that history resides. The problem is, as one post one twitter read, "The
Egyptians could write." Much of Egyptian history is quite accurate. The Bible was
written at least hundreds of years after Joseph's story actually occurred, Imhotep's story was written at the same time it was being lived. One of
Imhotep's inventions is the use of papyrus to record contracts and history, so
to assume that the Bible got it right and history got it wrong is a huge
stretch.
As
I have stated multiple times in the past, the Bible is not written like
History, it is written as story. It is a compilation of gathered stories that
were then pieced together by editors and redactors over time. So if Imhotep and
Joseph are not exactly the same person why are their stories so similar? Let me
ask you a question first, if you are writing down the lost history of an
enslaved people what will you write about? The commoner looked to
Imhotep for hope and the chance of obtaining what was out of reach for all but
the pharaoh himself. Imhotep represented freedom, resistance, and victory. When
looking at the past history of Egypt is it any wonder that the writer would lay
claim to the story of such a man as Imhotep? Moses knew the history of Egypt; he
was educated by Egyptian scholars and he chose to mold the story of Imhotep
into the history of Israel.
Joseph
represents freedom to the people of Israel. Joseph chose to rise from every
situation he found himself. Sold into slavery he became the very best slave,
put into prison he became the best prisoner, given the opportunity to interpret
dreams, he came up with the wisest plan, put into pharaoh's court, he became as
an equal to Pharaoh himself. Can you imagine the hope that sprang into the
hearts of a beaten people when they heard the recounting of such a story from
their past Egyptian history?
I don't really
care whether or not Joseph was a real character or an amalgamation of a couple
different characters from Egyptian and Canaanite history, what I care about is
why the story is there. The story of Joseph is not placed in scripture as a
historical landmark, it is placed there to tell us something distinct about
God. God is on the side of the resistance. That is the entire point of the
story. God is with those who resist the pyramid scheme of Egypt. God is with
those who stand up for what is right and work to be their best right where they
are at, but who are not content to stay there and use every opportunity
given them to establish a kingdom of love and Justice for all. With this broad
view in mind, whether or not Joseph was a real historical figure or not makes
no difference whatsoever to its historical and spiritual significance.
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