Examining the source traditions that make
up the Bible, the Elohist (E) and Priestly (P) traditions insist that the
divine name of Yahweh was revealed
in Egypt. While the deity may have been known under the Canaanite name of
El in the past, his real name is Yahweh. The worship of Yahweh as the chief deity is another distinctive belief of the Israelites.
Is there any evidence that a small group of people may have
migrated from Egypt to Canaan, bringing with them some of their religious
traditions, including a belief in a god named Yahweh?
Egyptian Names
The exodus and wilderness narratives mention several individuals
with names that seem to be Egyptian in origin: Hur, Phinehas, Merari, Mushi,
and of course Moses.
As odd as it may seem, one of the most frequently-mentioned
names in the OT is not Hebrew in origin. The name Moses derives from the
Egyptian mose, “is born.” We see it
frequently in the names of the Egyptian pharaohs like Thutmose (“Thoth is
born”) and Ramesses (“Ra is born”). In the case of Moses, the name of the
Egyptian deity was lost.
Hur was the companion and assistant of Moses and Aaron. His
name derives from the Egyptian god, Horus. Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron.
His name derives from the Egyptian words meaning “the southerner.” Merari was
the third son of Levi and Mushi was his son. The name Merari derives from the
Egyptian words meaning “to love.” Mushi has the same derivation as Moses.
To be clear, Egyptian names alone mean nothing. Someone
composing the stories centuries later could have made up Egyptian names to provide
verisimilitude to the story. But when it comes to Moses, it does not seem as though
the tradition realized his name was Egyptian in origin.
In the story of Moses being rescued from a basket (Ex2:3b-10), the Pharoah’s daughter called him Moses (Hebrew mosheh) “because I drew (Hebrew, mashah) him from the water.” She’s making a pun on the name as
though it were of Hebrew origin, not a shortened form of an Egyptian name. It’s
as though she is saying, “I’ll name him ‘Drew’ because I drew him from the
water,” not realizing that “Drew” is a shortened form of the name
“Andrew”.
The evidence suggests the name of Moses was handed down in
the tradition but not its Egyptian origin. Those who later wrote it down came
up with a Hebrew derivation for the name. This militates against the idea that
Egyptian names were created to provide local color to the story.
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| Pharaoh’s daughter finding baby Moses by Konstantin Flavitsky (1830–1866) |
Egyptian Artifacts
Seven chapters in Exodus (25-31) provide the blueprint for
the Tabernacle and its furnishings and six chapters (35-40) describe how those
instructions were followed in its construction. As the Bible relates it, the
Tabernacle was the center of Israelite religion in the pre-monarchial days just
as the Temple was central to worship in the days of Solomon and beyond.
As befitting a people on the move, the Tabernacle was
essentially a fancy tent with the Ark of the Covenant in its inner sanctum. As
Moses and his people left one campsite, they would disassemble the Tabernacle
and carry its furnishings (the Ark, lampstand, altar, etc.) to the next
campsite where they would then reassemble it until it was time to move again.
Once the Israelites reached Canaan, the Tabernacle was eventually established at
Shiloh until David had the Ark moved to Jerusalem.
Just as the Exodus is questioned as historical fact,
biblical scholars and archaeologists have doubted if such a Tabernacle ever
existed. Some think it was the Priestly author’s idea for a scale model of the
Jerusalem Temple adapted for desert wanderings. Others have found parallels in
tent shrines built by neighboring people.
Perhaps the best comparison for the Tabernacle as described
in Exodus may be the battle tent of the Pharaoh Ramesses. Both feature the main
tent situated inside a courtyard. The battle tent is divided between a larger
reception area and the inner sanctum where the Pharaoh resides. This matches
the Tabernacle with its larger Holy area and the inner Holy of Holies where the
Ark of the Covenant, the footstool of YHWH resides. The 2:1 proportions between
the inner and outer sanctums are roughly the same in both.
The Ark, too, has an Egyptian parallel in the sacred bark, a
ritual object resembling a boat, usually carried on poles by priests in
procession. Its main purpose was to transport gods and mummies.
A Tribe Called Levi
Looking back on the evidence so far, a pattern begins to
emerge. References to Egypt as the location where God revealed his name as YHWH
only come from the E and P sources, both of them of Levite origin. Of the
individuals mentioned with Egyptian names, the Bible tells us most belonged to
the tribe of Levi. The Tabernacle and Ark are strongly tied to cultic practices
which could only be undertaken by members of the tribe of Levi.
Could it be that a small group who escaped from Egypt became
known as the tribe of Levi?
References to the Levites in the Bible are not consistent
and somewhat confusing, but two points stand out: the Levites were not given a
territory of their own in Canaan and were the only tribe allowed to serve as
priests. These are not unrelated.
Outside the urban economy of the Canaanite city-states,
there was little opportunity for artisans, craftsmen, and so on. Most of the
residents of the Canaanite hill country needed land to grow food for
subsistence. If an incoming group from Egypt arrived after territory had
already been doled out to various clans and tribes, they would have found
themselves landless and in need of a way to make a living. Serving as priests
of the central sanctuary of Shiloh and at local shrines throughout the
countryside would have sufficed.
These Egyptian refugees would accommodate their religious beliefs
and practices to those of the indigenous Canaanite population. The god Yahweh that they had worshipped in Egypt (and perhaps earlier if they were originally
from Midian) would be recast as another name for the Canaanite god El who the locals already worshipped. As the official teachers of religion, the Levites could instruct the Israelites in the Egyptian practice of circumcision, the kind treatment of slaves, and tales of the plagues.
Because they were resident aliens, perhaps it is not surprising that the Levite sources in the Bible commands 52 times that resident aliens are not to be mistreated “because we were once aliens in Egypt.”
Because they were resident aliens, perhaps it is not surprising that the Levite sources in the Bible commands 52 times that resident aliens are not to be mistreated “because we were once aliens in Egypt.”
