An Excellent Fortress for His Armies, a Refuge for the People


Book Description

A collection of Egyptological, archaeological, and biblical studies papers dealing with the history, religion, and culture of the ancient Near East, assembled in honor of James K. Hoffmeier.




“Did I Not Bring Israel Out of Egypt?”


Book Description

The Hebrew Scriptures consider the exodus from Egypt to be Israel’s formative and foundational event. Indeed, the Bible offers no other explanation for Israel’s origin as a people. It is also true that no contemporary record regarding a man named Moses or the Israelites generally, either living in or leaving Egypt has been found. Hence, many biblical scholars and archaeologists take a skeptical attitude, dismissing the exodus from the realm of history. However, the contributors to this volume are convinced that there is an alternative, more positive approach. Using textual and archaeological materials from the ancient Near East in a comparative way, in conjunction with the Torah’s narratives and with other biblical texts, the contributors to this volume (specialists in ancient Egypt, ancient Near Eastern culture and history, and biblical studies) maintain that the reports in the Hebrew Bible should not be cavalierly dismissed for ideological reasons but, rather, should be deemed to contain authentic memories.




Tell el-Borg II


Book Description

This is the second and final volume of scientific and interdisciplinary reports on the excavations and research conducted at Tell el-Borg, north Sinai, between 1998 and 2008, written by the scholars and specialists who worked on the site under the direction of Professor James K. Hoffmeier. This volume focuses on the cemetery areas, which yield more than a dozen tombs, typically made of mud brick, some of which were constructed for a single occupant and some of which were larger tombs that accommodated multiple family members. Included is a treatment of an area of “public” space featuring a temple and a well, among other things, and a study of the geological results of the nearby ancient Ballah Lakes that offers new data on the history of the Nile distributary that flowed by Tell el-Borg. The balance of the work deals with specialty reports, including the faunal and botanical remains, the clay coffins, and elite stones. A concluding chapter offers a synthesis of the decade of work and ties together the finds published in both volumes. In addition to the editor, the contributors to this volume include Stephen Moshier, Bahaa Gayed, Gregory D. Mumford, Scott D. Haddow, Mark Janzen, Thomas W. Davis, Rexine Hummel, Hesham M. Hussein, Carole McCartney, Michelle A. Loyet, Louise Bertini, and Salima Ikram.




Tell el-Borg I


Book Description

Between 1999 and 2008, a team of experts and specialists worked together at Tell el-Borg, a site in north Sinai, in the delta region of Egypt. This volume comprises the first report on the site. Tell el-Borg, as it turned out, was composed of four significant areas: the military zone where two forts were found (Fields IV, V, and VIII), the public space (Field II), the domestic area (Field VI), and the cemeteries (Field III and VII). The focus of this first of two volumes is as follows: the historical and archaeological setting of north Sinai, the east frontier military area commonly known as the Ways of Horus (Chapter 2); the paleo-environmental setting of Tell el-Borg and its environs (Chapter 3); the introduction to Tell el-Borg and the initial discoveries (Chapter 4). The two forts and the related discoveries are treated in detail (Chapters 5 and 6), followed by the magnetometer survey conducted in 2006 and 2007, which demonstrated that we had nearly exhausted the site’s potential (Chapter 7). The pottery finds from all fields are treated here by ceramic specialists: Egyptian pottery (Rexine Hummel, Chapter 8), Levantine wares (Catherine Duff, Chapter 9), Cypriote imports (Stuart Swiny, Chapter 10), and some ceramic specialty studies (Chapter 11). Last, a study of the weaponry discovered from the fort is offered (Chapter 12). The second volume will appear in the next few years.




The Exodus Case


Book Description

In the spring of 2001, Dr. M?ller and an American TV crew went to the bottom of the Red Sea to reveal the remains of Pharaoh’s army. They also discovered several lost places and cities recorded in the Bible, and the true location of the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. All this evidence is available in The Exodus Case. Join Dr. M?ller on his journeys and study for yourself this stunning material supported by more than 500 new colour photos and detailed satellite photos. Thoroughly researched and written by Swedish scientist Dr. Lennart M?ller, this book takes you on an exciting journey through early biblical times from Abraham to the Exodus and discloses brand new discoveries by Dr. M?ller and his team in Egypt, Sinai, Turkey, and in the Middle East.




The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context


Book Description

The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context: An Illustrated Journey invites readers on a journey of discovery that will change the way they view the Ark of the Covenant forever! Although much has been written about the Ark of the Covenant, few authors engage the wealth of information available that pertains to Egyptian material culture. The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context: An Illustrated Journey is the first book to explore the complex history of sacred ritual furniture in Egypt that predated the ark by hundreds of years. Within Egyptian culture, over four hundred examples of ritual furniture exist that shed light on the design and appearance of the ark. These examples form patterns that provide context for the Israelites' understanding of the ark at the time of its construction. That understanding would have been obvious to the Israelites of the time, but has since become obscured over the millennia. This groundbreaking book is the first to connect the Ark of the Covenant with the archaeology and chronology of ancient Egypt, and it does so in an accessible way with straightforward text and dozens of full-color photographs and graphics. Key points and features: A groundbreaking work of scholarship--the first of its kind to connect the Ark of the Covenant with its ancient Egyptian context.High-level scholarship is paired with straightforward text, making it an accessible volume for students and curious laypeople, as well as experts in the field.Includes dozens of full-color photographs and graphics depicting ancient Egyptian artifacts and art.Durable hardcover is built to withstand heavy use in classrooms and libraries.




The Ancient Israelite World


Book Description

This volume presents a collection of studies by international experts on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society, economy, religion, language, culture, and history, synthesizing archaeological remains and integrating them with discussions of ancient Near Eastern and biblical texts. Driven by theoretically and methodologically informed discussions of the archaeology of the Iron Age Levant, the 47 chapters in The Ancient Israelite World provide foundational, accessible, and detailed studies in their respective topics. The volume considers the history of interpretation of ancient Israel, studies on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society and history, and avenues for present and future approaches to the ancient Israelite world. Accompanied by over 150 maps and figures, it allows the reader to gain an understanding of key issues that archaeologists, historians and biblical scholars have faced and are currently facing as they attempt to better understand ancient Israelite society. The Ancient Israelite World is an essential reference work for students and scholars of ancient Israel and its history, culture, and society, whether they are historians, archaeologists or biblical scholars.




The Kiosk of Taharqa


Book Description

From the reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-204 BC), an extensive building and decoration programme is attested throughout Egypt, with a specific emphasis on the cult of Osiris and the child gods. The royal legitimation, in which Horus of Edfu and Amun of Thebes played a major role, was a further focal point. With the Theban revolt (206-186 BC), the royal support of the Egyptian temples stopped abruptly and was only resumed under Ptolemy VI Philometor. In the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak, the Kiosk of Taharqa was a key contribution of the Kushite period (746-655 BC). Under Ptolemy IV, a major restoration campaign took place in the First Courtyard: the gate of the Second Pylon was rebuilt and the Kiosk substantially renovated. Its intercolumnar walls were remodelled and carved with ritual scenes of royal legitimation. The soubassement was decorated with a procession of nomes, received by the goddess Waset, and the column shafts and abaci were engraved with the royal names. In this book, the Kiosk's Ptolemaic texts and iconographic decoration are presented and analysed. A global study of Philopator's architectural activities places the Kiosk in the larger context of Karnak and beyond. In addition, a palaeographic study of the hieroglyphic texts is published.




Israel in Egypt


Book Description

Scholars of the Hebrew Bible have in the last decade begun to question the historical accuracy of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt, as described in the book of Exodus. The reason for the rejection of the exodus tradition is said to be the lack of historical and archaeological evidence in Egypt. Those advancing these claims, however, are not specialists in the study of Egyptian history, culture, and archaeology. In this pioneering book, James Hoffmeier examines the most current Egyptological evidence and argues that it supports the biblical record concerning Israel in Egypt.




How God Forms Abraham to Be a Blessing


Book Description

This book aims to understand God’s interactions with Abraham in relation to God’s command that Abraham “be a blessing” (Gen 12:2d), which is directly tied to God’s goal that “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3b). The book proposes a formative narrative approach to examine interactions between character and plot, the movement of plot, and the connection between sequential plots. An analysis of thirteen Abrahamic narratives (Gen 12–22) suggests a classification based on four different types of interactions between God and Abraham, which indicate how cooperation and conflict between God and Abraham advance the narrative’s plot. The book then proposes a narrative discourse analysis to examine how Abraham evolved through different stages of the narrative by moving from deviation to cooperation. Detailed analysis of this transformation process reveals three turning points in Abraham’s life. The formative narrative approach and narrative discourse analysis proposed in this book can contribute to the analysis of two important aspects of Old Testament narratives: the formation of plot and the cause-and-effect structure in narrative discourse.