Daniel’s Mentor Joseph or the Imhotep Connection:
Interesting enough, the prophet Daniel of the time of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon was not the first Israelite to interpret dreams and end up as chief counsel to head of an important country. Let us review the history of Joseph and his influence in Egypt.
As you may well remember, Joseph, a child of Jacob, was sold into slavery out of his brother’s jealousy of him and his special relationship with their father. Joseph was the first son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel for whom he had worked fourteen years as her dowry. Genesis tells us:
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.[1]
In other words, Jacob wondered what all those dreams Joseph was having really meant. Could there be something to them? As a young adult he himself had had a dream from God.
13 And he dreamed a dream, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.[2]
Interesting enough, Mary the mother of Jesus had a similar reaction as Jacob to the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. When the shepherds come and proclaim they have seen angels announcing Jesus’ birth, Mary also becomes pensive wondering what it all can mean. We can read from Luke.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.[3]
Parents have been wondering for thousands of years what the future will hold for their children. Even so, both Jacob and Mary have similar reactions to the obvious unusual events of their child’s childhood.
Getting back to our history in Canaan, you may remember that out of hatred and jealousy Joseph’s brothers sell him to merchants travelling down to Egypt. It’s a beautiful story which you can read in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Eventually, Joseph ends up in prison on a false accusation.
20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his (Joseph’s) hand; because the Lord was with him (Joseph), and that which he (Joseph) did, the Lord made it to prosper.[4]
So Joseph even prospered in his situation in prison in so much that the prison warden put Joseph in charge of the prisoners. In the process of time two men get thrown into prison by the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker are detained in the prison, while an investigation is made into which one has done wrong. During the time they are in prison, both men dream a dream which Joseph accurately interprets. On their release, one man is found guilty and hanged and the other is restored to his place of service, just as Joseph had predicted.
Joseph had pleaded with the man who was to be released to remember him to Pharaoh.
14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: 15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.[5]
But the man refrains from mentioning him to the Pharaoh at that time.
23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.[6]
So Joseph remains in prison. But after two years, Pharaoh dreamed a dream.
7 And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.[7]
Finally, the chief butler reminds the Pharaoh of Joseph in prison and his ability to accurately interpret dreams. Pharaoh calls for him.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.[8]
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and in the end the Pharaoh appoints Joseph Prime Minister of all of Egypt.
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.[9]
We are now going to look at an interesting study on Joseph done by D. Stoner. Mr. Stoner is the grandson of Professor Peter Stoner author of the famous book Science Speaks. First published in 1957, Professor Peter Stoner’s book showed the mathematically improbability of any one person fulfilling forty-eight Messianic prophecies. We will look at his conclusions in a later chapter. Even though mathematically impossible, the forty-eight prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus.
Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, D. Stoner also does Biblical research looking for confirmations of the Bible’s accuracy in secular history. If the Biblical history is true, surely we should be able to find a mention of Joseph in Egyptian history. Making a careful and a reasonable study, in the manner of his grandfather, young D.Stoner concludes that the famous Imhotep of Egypt may in fact have been none other than Joseph himself. About the above Biblical passage he says the following:
From the way this is worded, it sounds like having a second in command was a new idea to Pharaoh. There did not seem to be anyone else who had to be removed from that position before Joseph took over. The first Pharaoh to have a second in command was Djoser 2668-2649 BC, the second Pharaoh of the third Dynasty (Old Kingdom). By some incredible stroke of luck, this lines up almost perfectly with our estimate of 2682-2651 BC window (for Joseph to appear on the scene in Egypt, according to D. Stoner’s calculations.) This makes Djoser's right-hand man a likely candidate to be Joseph. Due to the recent Mummy movies, the name of Djoser's vizer has now become better known than Djoser's own name: It was Imhotep, which means "comes in peace." Imhotep was not only the first second-in-command, he was also history's first genius. It might be fair to say that no one was as "discreet and wise" as he was. Could the real-life Imhotep have been the Joseph of Genesis?[10]
We will continue from the Bible.
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. 46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.[11]
Isn't the Bible a fascinating book? Joseph even got to marry the daughter of the most important religious personality, the Priest of On. Now he was not only the Prime Minister, but probably would also have some influence on the religious institution through his marriage to the High Priest’s daughter. He may even have been next in-line to inherit the High Priest position himself. D.Stoner makes the following similar observation:
Joseph married the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis, the Greek name for On. (In Egyptian history), Imhotep became the high priest of Heliopolis. It is not known if the office of "Priest" was hereditary, but we do at least know that Joseph had "family ties" to the office and that he was in a very high-profile public position. He would have been a natural candidate,[12](especially with his spiritual background and experiences and ability of interpreting dreams and hearing from God.)
Wikipedia notes that the following:
The Upper Egyptian Famine Stela, dating from the Ptolemaic period, bears an inscription containing a legend about a famine of seven years during the reign of Djoser. Imhotep is credited with having been instrumental in ending it.
However, Wikipedia makes the following comment:
At the time of first translating the stela, it was thought that the story of a seven-year-famine was connected to the biblical story in Genesis 41, where also a famine of seven years occurs. But more recent investigations have showed that a seven-year famine was a myth common to nearly all cultures of the Near East.[13]
If the seven year famine was in fact a historical event, we would expect to find similar records of it throughout the Near East especially if it was as severe as the Bible denotes. Modern scientists often reject off hand any scientific evidence which confirms what the Bible records. That's why we see the words "legend" and "myth" in the above Wikipedia comment. Since the time of Scottish geologist James Hutton in 1788 and Charles Lyell in 1830 whose published works aimed at removing Moses from science, scientists have increasingly had a naturalistic interpretation of the scientific data. They start with the precept that all of science and history can only be explained by natural causes without the need to implore the hand of a Divine Creator. As one evolutionist Professor of Genetics Richard Lewontin has said,
“We take the side of evolutionary science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just so stories, because we have a prior commitment to materialism, that materialism is absolute for we cannot allow a divine foot in the door.”[14]
“We take the side of evolutionary science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just so stories, because we have a prior commitment to materialism, that materialism is absolute for we cannot allow a divine foot in the door.”[14]
Earlier scientist, like Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, among many others, said they were thinking God’s thoughts after Him. They did not see the need for science to have an atheistic hand, in fact, they believed that true scientific study only certified the existence of a Divine Creator. At the time of its translating of the Famine Stela scientists were people of faith, therefore, they saw the obvious similarities to the Biblical narrative. As scientists became more atheistic, their world view or belief system caused them to interpret the data through the lens of atheism or naturalism with the need to find another answer which would not confirm the Biblical record.
Let's return to the comparison of Imhotep with Joseph. The statutes of Imhotep presents him as a young man with a scroll on his knees. Joseph was also a young man, just thirty years old, when he became Chancellor of Egypt according to the Old Testament. From Egyptian history we know that Imhotep was responsible for the recording of government documents. He may have also initiated the improved changes in the Hieroglyphic writings to include the phonetic system similar to the writings of the early Sumerians. Since Joseph’s family had come Sumer, again this fits in nicely.
It is interesting to note that the word papyrus actually means “belonging to the house,” or government. Under Joseph, the Pharaoh became the sole property owner in Egypt outside of the priesthood. So we would expect papyrus documents to be government or perhaps religious documents. Since Egyptian history says that Imhotep was also High Priest, there would be no conflict. The question we need to ask is, could Joseph have become High Priest on the death of his father-in-law? To me, it seems there is too much coincidence and similarity to the Biblical record to deny its viability off- hand.
It is interesting to note that the word papyrus actually means “belonging to the house,” or government. Under Joseph, the Pharaoh became the sole property owner in Egypt outside of the priesthood. So we would expect papyrus documents to be government or perhaps religious documents. Since Egyptian history says that Imhotep was also High Priest, there would be no conflict. The question we need to ask is, could Joseph have become High Priest on the death of his father-in-law? To me, it seems there is too much coincidence and similarity to the Biblical record to deny its viability off- hand.
D.Stoner also believes that Imhotep lifespan and Joseph’s correspond exactly which seems to be another confirming factor. But even if there may be some discrepancies with the dates, they may be due to our miscalculations or misinterpretations of the ancient secular records. Since Moses edited the Old Testament records of Genesis and he was familiar with ancient history having had a thorough Egyptian education, it seems likely he would have corrected any known dating errors found in the scriptures.
D. Stoner also shows that Joseph’s Sumerian name could have been mispronounced by the Egyptians to become Imhotep. Joseph told Pharaoh that God had given him a message of peace. Since Imhotep means, “comes in peace,” maybe it was the name the Pharaoh gave him referring to his prophetic message of “peace.” Concerning Joseph’s quick rise to power, D. Stoner notes the similarity to Imhotep's own rapid rise. Again from Egyptian history, nothing is really known about Imhotep before his rise to power. If Imhotep was Joseph, it would be expected that his past would be a mystery. In later Middle and New Kingdoms, Egypt would not be managed by a single Chancellor, but Pharaoh would need a whole team of men.[15]
Here is an inscription found on a stone which once comprised the base for a statue of Djoser: "The Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, the first after the King of Upper Egypt, administrator of the great palace, hereditary Lord, the High Priest of Heliopolis, Imhotep the Builder, the Sculptor, the maker of stone vases."
Back to the Biblical account, Pharaoh’s dream was a warning about the famine which will be on the land in seven years hence. Joseph begins to store corn for those times.
47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. 48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.[16]
53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.[17]
Joseph’s brothers also must go down to Egypt to buy bread. And after testing them to see if they had repented of their crime against him, he reveals himself to them. But you need to read it from the Bible to get the full impact. And Joseph says to them,
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.[18]
The famine in Egypt continues. Because Joseph knows the future he is able to invest in future markets. He buys up all the extra grain during the years of plenty, probably at a cheap price as there was great abundance. Later, as the famine continues, he is able to sell the grain at a higher price and literally buys up all the property in the land of Egypt and may have initiated the first income tax. Let’s read from the Bible.
11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families. 13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate. 20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.
21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.[19]
Stoner’s comment on the tax follows below:
Joseph saved Egypt from a seven-year famine by interpreting Pharaoh's dream. According to the Famine Stele (mentioned earlier), Imhotep saved Egypt from a 7-year famine by advising Pharaoh. "After" being advised, Pharaoh had a dream about the solution. As a result, a ten percent tax was imposed (as opposed to 20% tax we see in the above scripture. Regardless of the discrepancy between 10% and 20%, what is true is that), it is an historic fact that Djoser's reign was when the Pharaohs first became wealthy enough to build pyramids.[20]
Joseph’s brethren and father and his wives go down into Egypt and Pharaoh gives them the best land to live on, the land of Goshen. Israel, Joseph’s father, even gets to meet Pharaoh and pray a blessing over him. The Bible tells us,
27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.[21]
Here are some more observations from Stoner on the Joseph/Imhotep connection.
Joseph's family (Abraham) emigrated from Iraq to Egypt. Imhotep designed the first step pyramid but as Djoser tomb. It was very similar to the towers/temples in Iraq. Imhotep was even given credit in Egypt for the invention of structures built entirely from stone. Also, ancient statues and paintings always picture Imhotep with a scroll. This is the first historical evidence of literacy. He was even believed by some to have invented writing. Before his time, Egyptian writing involved little more than attempts to illustrate the acts of kings with pictures. Shortly afterwards, Egyptian hieroglyphics developed into a hybrid syllabary form of writing…. Although the pictographs had been adapted to the Egyptian language, the mechanics were unmistakably borrowed from ancient Sumerian which was also a hybrid syllabary form of writing.[22]
Is it possible that Abraham had in his possession a clay copy of the original pre-flood and post flood records of Genesis given to him from Shem who was still alive during Abraham’s lifetime? If there were some written clay copies Joseph could have had the ability to “read” before going to Egypt. Or perhaps Joseph using the oral tradition had memorized the Genesis record up until his time, in which, because of his learning and position in Egypt he was able to record the Genesis record that Moses would later edit under God’s guidance. Another possibility is that Abraham could have learned “reading” during his living in the Sumerian and passed on this ability to his descendants Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
Stoner continues,
Joseph was thirty years old when he first stood before Pharaoh (Genesis 41:46) and lived to be 110 years old (Genesis 50:22,26). This puts him in Egypt for about 80 years. It is believed that Imhotep served under four Pharaohs. Probably: Djoser (2668-2649 BC), Sekhemkhet (2649-2643 BC), Khaba (2643-2637 BC), And Huni (2637-2613 BC), (see Clayton p. 30). That's 36-55 years, after which the third dynasty ended.[23]
If Imhotep is Joseph then he would have been ruling from the time he was thirty until nearly eighty-five years old. We have modern day business magnets and religious leaders who have kept their position of power even until that age. So again, the correlation fits.
Stoner makes the following conclusion about Imhotep’s unfound tomb. If Imhotep was indeed Joseph, we would not expect to find his tomb. Why? Because when Joseph died, he asked his descendants to take his body back to Canaan and bury him with his parents. The Bible records that when the children of Israel some four hundred years later depart from Egypt they take Joseph’s body.
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he (Joseph) had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.[24]
So the fact that Imhotep’s tomb has never been found, though the tombs of other architects have been, fits in perfectly if Imhotep is Joseph. We would not find his tomb in Egypt, because he never made one for himself, as he was expecting to be taken back to Canaan and buried in the cave where his parents were laid.
Why do we not hear about the Joseph-Imhotep connection or possibility in modern history books? Stoner concludes that the powers that be within today’s American educational, historical and scientific community are not interested in this sort of information becoming public knowledge as it gives credence to the Biblical narrative. Like I quoted earlier, they "cannot allow a divine foot in the door.”
As for the Famine Stela, scientists consider it a forgery from some three hundred years later. But forgeries usually are pretty close to the truth so that they pass as the real thing. It seems the priesthood did not want the Pharaohs to forget that they, the priesthood, were part of the seven year miracle seeing that Imhotep, a high priest, was responsible for saving Egypt. Whether the Famine Stela is a forgery or not is really beside the question. The fact is that it is an ancient hieroglyphic inscription and should be given as equal consideration as any other ancient artifact and not dismissed off-hand because of its content is Biblically inconvenient.
One thing we know for sure is that during the reign of Djoser, the Pharaoh suddenly had enough wealth and power to begin the building of gigantic public work projects to themselves. Another interesting point is that the name Djoser could be broken up into “De Joser” or “of José” as we would say in Spanish or Portuguese. The meaning would be “of Joseph.” Since Imhotep was more important than Pharaoh because he had saved the country, could that fact have caused the Pharaoh himself to be remembered as “of Joseph” or Djoser? In any case, the truth is that the Famine Stela has some facts that are accurate which could weigh on the side of it being accurate in total.
If Imhotep was indeed Joseph, this could account for his extraordinary abilities above and beyond those of the normal or upper-class Egyptians. The Bible shows Lot, Abraham's nephew, as a magistrate in Sodom, and Abraham, Joseph's great-grandfather, as an important tribal leader. Besides the spiritual advantages from having learned from his forefathers the importance of maintaining the true God in his understanding and life, Joseph could also have acquired knowledge of Sumerian writing from his fore-fathers. They had dwelt in Sumer before migrating to Canaan and later into Egypt.
As we have noted earlier and as Stoner concludes: Imhotep is “associated with invention of writing in Egyptian mythology; he is always pictured with a scroll on his lap and was thought to have invented the method of writing on papyrus. Also, it was at approximately this time that Egyptian writing took a quantum leap in its capacity for detailed expression.”[25] The fact that Egypt developed the first practical way of saving information and that all the wealth was in the hands of the Pharaoh may have been the reason for Egypt becoming the first “World Empire.”
“The quantum leap is what took place when Egypt adopted a new system which matched, in many ways, the pictographic system used by the ancient Sumerians. Similarly, it was exactly at this time that the Sumerian idea of giant stepped towers found its way to Egypt; under the direction of exactly this man. The ancient Sumerians had a history of experimental medicine; Imhotep was later deified for his contributions to medicine. It is left as an exercise for the reader to discover in what other ways this match might help explain Egypt's sudden and historic rise to power."[26]
“The quantum leap is what took place when Egypt adopted a new system which matched, in many ways, the pictographic system used by the ancient Sumerians. Similarly, it was exactly at this time that the Sumerian idea of giant stepped towers found its way to Egypt; under the direction of exactly this man. The ancient Sumerians had a history of experimental medicine; Imhotep was later deified for his contributions to medicine. It is left as an exercise for the reader to discover in what other ways this match might help explain Egypt's sudden and historic rise to power."[26]
The Joseph-Imhotep connection is quite amazing and almost impossible to deny. Stoner even notes of another study that pushes Imhotep’s ancestry to another architect, Imhotep's presumed father, named "Kanofer."[27] Of course the name “Kanofer” is not too far from Joseph’s first master in Egypt called “Potiphar.” Are these just strange coincidences? They say that truth may be stranger than fiction. The above study just leaves me in wondering if the famous Imhotep of Egyptian history was our very own Joseph?
As you remember, Joseph’s father Jacob or Israel finally went down into Egypt during the famous seven year famine. Like other patriarchs before him, he prays a blessing over his children before his death. Amazingly, Jacob gives a remarkable prophecy about his son Judah. Remember, the Bible is no ordinary book because it is a book of accurate prophecy. Here’s what Jacob prophesied about Judah.
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.[28]
As you may know, King David of the tribe of Judah is the first really strong King of a united Israel some five hundred years later. Saul, the first King, was of the tribe of Benjamin. But because of his disobedience to the Lord the Kingdom is given to David. David also was a mighty warrior who fought off the Philistines and other enemies and gave the Kingdom its initial statehood. The Kings of Judah are all descendants of David as was Jesus of Nazareth. The reference to Shiloh in verse ten is referring to the Messiah. Jesus’ genealogy is traced back to David in both Matthew and Luke.
We have seen that Daniel was a good student while in Babylon. No doubt he was also a good student before going into captivity. As a worthy Bible student, he would have been familiar with Joseph’s history and how God used him to influence the Pharaoh for good and to save lives. Knowing Joseph’s history would have given Daniel and his mates the faith they needed to know that God was with them to influence the King for good and to save lives, just like Joseph had.
Paul tells us, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”[29]
In other words, Paul is telling us that the histories in the Bible are written to give us knowledge of the past so that we can learn from them and therefore have patience and find comfort through them. The histories in the Bible show us God’s care for those that love Him. They give us faith and faith in turn gives us hope for the present and hope for the future. Daniel and his friends received faith through the Biblical histories they had put to heart as Jewish youths. Those histories gave them faith which then translated into hope for the present and hope for the future.
The Bible histories and truths can do the same for us today. That is one of the reason I am putting so much Bible in the text. In hope that it will give you faith and that faith will in turn give you hope for your present situation and hope for the future even if things are looking bleak at the moment and may become worse in the future. Remember, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”[30]
Are you low in faith? Maybe you need to rekindle your faith by spending time reading the Book of Books, the Bible. Many a great men of the past have spent time reading the Bible. Let us read about some.
John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United Sates who lived from 1767-1848, said the following:
The first and almost only book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world. So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it, the confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.[31]
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President who lived from 1858-1919, had similar thoughts.
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. Almost every man who has by his lifework added to the sum of human achievement … has based his lifework largely upon the teachings of the Bible.[32]
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President who lived from 1809-1865, said,
I can see how it is possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, there is no God.[33] In regards to this great book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man´s welfare, here, and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.[34]
In the next chapter we will read of another famous man who also was a avid Bible student.
Footnotes:
[1] Genesis 37:3-11
[2] Genesis 28:13-15
[3] Luke 2:7-19
[4] Genesis 39:20-23
[5] Genesis 40:14-15
[6] Genesis 40:23
[7] Genesis 41:7b-8
[8] Genesis 41:14-16
[9] Genesis 41: 41-44
[10] http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html
[11] Genesis 41:41-46
[12] http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html
[13] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine_Stela
[14] Richard Lewontin. “Billions and Billions of Demons,” New York Review, January 9, 1997, p. 31.
[15] http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html part 5
[16] Genesis 41:47-49
[17] Genesis 41:53-57
[18] Genesis 45:5-8
[19] Genesis 47:11-26
[20] http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html, part 5
[21] Genesis 47:27-28
[22] http://dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html part 5
[23] Ibid, part 5
[24] Exodus 13:19
[25] Ibid, part 5
[26] Ibid, part 5
[27] Ibid
[28] Genesis 49:8-10
[29] Romans 15:4
[30] Romans 10:17
[31] Treasures, World Services, Zurich, Switzerland, 1987, p.188
[32] Ibid, p.190
[33] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/131220-i-can-see-how-it-might-be-possible-for-a.
[34] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/392563-in-regards-to-this-great-book-the-bible-i-have
Copyright@DennisE.Molinski
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