RE: Did ancient egypt have crucifiction?
October 20, 2013 at 11:56 am
(This post was last modified: October 20, 2013 at 11:58 am by Minimalist.)
Quote:Middle Kingdom
Ah, okay. Actually a good question. It depends on how literal they are and there are degrees of literalism as there are of everything else.
"Solomon" is supposed to have built the temple 480 years after the Exodus. The Exodus itself took 40 years and before that they were supposed to have spent 400 years "in bondage." So 480+40+400= 920.
Traditionally Solomon's reign was supposed to have begun around 970 BC ( tenth century BC). If you just take the 480 years you are back to 1450 BC which is the reign of the 18th Dynasty king, Thutmose III. If you want to add in the 40 years of the Exodus story itself you are back to the reign of Thutmose I or II (dates vary) but still 18th Dynasty. As a historical aside, Egypt under Thutmose III reached the zenith of its military might and influence. Thutmose III gained an empire that reached the Euphrates River and stretched into Nubia and Libya. There is no indication that Egypt was "laid low" by god or anyone else at this time. It was their golden age.
However, you still need to account for the first 400 years of bondage.
So one has to go back to at least 1850 BC and the reign of Middle Kingdom pharaoh Amenemhet III or possibly Senusret II, his father. Both had highly successful reigns but Senusret's military targets were in Nubia and Amenemhet seems to have been a builder who ruled at a time of peace. In either case, these were 12th Dynasty rulers and thus solidly Middle Kingdom. There is absolutely nothing linking either to any "Hebrews" but fundies who are stuck with the 880 or 920 year period in the second millennium are stuck having to push their story back that far.
