Re: About Egypt
storyguide3 said:
A question for those who have this book. Is the information on Egypt more or less historical (with added magical goodness), or is it heavily coloured by the biblical accounts? In other words, are they painted as the bad guys, enslaving Israel, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Just to nitpick, but the Israelites
were enslaved in Egypt. Going with the generally accepted date of 1550 B.C. as the time period, the oppression of the Israelites would have followed the overthrow of the Hyksos, a Semitic people who had conquered and poorly-treated Egypt. It is possible that the Israelites, also a Semitic people, were caught up in a wave of retaliation with Egyptians not making a distinction between one Semitic group and another.
From
Ancient Near Eastern Texts relating to the Old Testament (ANET), edited by James Pritchard, we find this victory inscription of Pharoah Merneptah, son of Rameses II:
"The princes are prostrate, saying: 'Mercy!'
Not one raises his head among the Nine Bows.
Desolation is for Tehunu; Hatti is pacified;
Plundered is the Canaan with every evil;
Carried off is Ashkelon; seized upon is Gezer;
Yanoam is made as that which does not exist;
Israel is laid waste, his seed is not;
Hurru has become a widow for Egypt!"
To be sure there is some hyperbole in this inscription, but the activities praised in it can be fairly characterized as the sorts of things the "bad guys" do.
The most likely date for the exodus is between 1300 and 1280 BC, during the reign of Ramses II. Also in ANET (259, to be precise), there is a letter that discusses an attempt by a group of slaves to escape Egypt. Apparently, such slave escape attempts were common under Ramses II.
Now, one could argue that a nation that invades and enslaves others isn't all bad and be on safe enough ground, but to object that such violence is portrayed negatively seems a bit much.
BTW, I too would like to buy
Testament.
