Greaves, John: Pyramidographia: or, a Description of the pyramids in Egypt ([London], [1752])

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616

Of the ^ime in which the

Greavfs. Egypt was coetaneous with Mofes ; seeing
C^VXJ the name, which is there given him, of Pha-
raoh, is a common denomination applicable
to all of them ; much like Ccefar or Augus-
tus with the Roman emperors, or sbme time
Co/roe with the Perfians; and no diitinstive
appellation. Yet in Herodotus we find one
king, the successor of Sefoftris, to have
been called ] Pheron, which I suppose is
Pharaoh, and his proper and peculiar
name. But who this Pharaoh should be,
whose heart Goo hardened, and upon
whom Mofes wrought so many wonders,
is worth our dilquisition. Jofephus, in his
fir st book contra Afionem, out of Mane-
thos, contends, thixtTethmoJis (who is termed
Amofis by Asricanus and Eufebius) reigned
then in Egypt. The whole force of his
argument lies in this, that Manethos men-
tions the expuliion of the nation of shep-
herds to have been by Tethmojis : but
the Hebrews were a nation of shepherds :
therefore the Hebrews were expelled out of
Egypt, or, in the scripture-phrase, departed
out of Egypt, under Tethmofts ; and con-
sequently, that Mofes, who was their con-
ductor, was coetaneous with him. That
the Hebrews were a nation of shepherds,
and so accounted of themselves, and were
esteemed by others, is very perspicuous.
k And Joseph find unto his brethren, and
unto his father's houfe, I will go up, and Jhew
Pharaoh, and fay unto him, My brethren,
and my father's houfe, which were in the land
of Canaan, are come unto me : and the men
are Jhepherds ; for their trade.hath been to
feed cattle -, and they have brought their
flocks, and their herds, and all that they
have. And it /hall come to pafs, when Pha-
raoh /hall call you, and /hall fay, What is
your occupation? that ye Jh all fay, thyfer-
vants trade hath been about cattle, from our
youth even until now^ both we and alfo our
fathers ; that ye may dwell in the land of
Goshen. For every Jhepherd is an abomi-
nation to the Egyptians. But before we
•shall disprove this assertion of Jofephus,
which carries much speciousness with it,
and therefore is approved and followed by
i Tatianus, by m Juftin Martyr, and by
n Clemens Alexandrinus, we shall put down
the words of Manethos himself, as they are
reported by ° Jofephus in his flrst book con-
tra Ap'ionem. Timaus by name being our
king, under him, 1 know not how, God was
displeafed ; and beyond expetlation, out of the
eaftern countries, men of obfcure birth en-
camped themfelves in the country; and eafiily,
and without battle, took it by force, bind-
ing the princes, and, beftdes, cruelly burning

the cities, and overthrowing the temples of.
the gods. Lnft of all, they made one of
themfelves a king, who was named Salatis :
he, reigning nineteen years, died. Aster him,
another, named Bason, reigned forty four
years ; next to him Apachnas ; another,
thirty-fix years feven months ; then Apo-
ph\s,fixty-one ; Janias, sifty, and one month ;
after all, Assis, forty-nine years and two
months. And thefe were the firji fix kings
of them always conquering, and defiring to
extirpate Egypt. Their nation was called
Hycsos, that is, kingly fhepherds. For hyc,
in the facred tongue, Jigmsies a king ; and
sos a Jhepherd, or fhepherds, in the common
dialect ; and thence hycsos is compounded.
But fome fay, that thefe were Arabians. [In [These
other copies I have found, that, by the deno-m the
mination hyc, kings are not figmfied, but ™ords of
on the contrary, captive Jhepherds. For hyc,2f „*%
in the Egyptian language, when it is pro-Man?-'
nounced with a broad found, plainly fignisies t^0i ]
captives ; and this feems more probable to me,
and better agreeing to the ancient hiftory.~\
Thofe kings therefore, which we before men-
tioned, and thofe which were called Pastores,
and thofe which defended of them, ruled
Egypt five hundred and eleven years. Aster
this, he mentions that by the kings of Thebes,
and of the reft 0/" Egypt, there was an invafiion
made againfi thefe fhepherds, and a very great
and lajting war. The which, he Jays, were
conquered by a King, whofe name was Alisfrag-
muthosis •, whereby they loft all Egypt, being
Jhut up into a place containing in circuit ten
thoufand acres. This fpace,Ma.nethos fays, the
Jhepherds encompajfed with a great and ft rang
wall, that they might fecure all their fubfiance,
and their fpoils, in a defenfille place. But
Themosis, the fon of Alisfragmuthosis, en-
deavouring to take them with four hundred
thoufand armed men, beleaguer'd the walls,
who, defpairing to take them by fiege, made
conditions with them, that they Jhould leave
Egypt, and go without any damage whither
they would: they, upon this agreement, no less
than two hundred and forty thoufand, with
all their fubftance, went out of Egypt by the
defert into Syria •, and, fearing the power of
the Assyrians {who then ruled Asia) in that
country, which is now called Judasa, they
built a city capable to receive fo many myriads
of men, naming it Hierusalem.
By way of answer to Jofephus, we say,
that though the Ifraelites might properly
be called Ihepherds, yet it cannot hence
be inferr'd out of Manethos, that these
shepherds were Israelites. Nay, if we com-
pare this relation of Manethos, with that .
in Exodus, which P Jofephus, being a Jew,

I Sstrsyrp/-^ q TZKAnnsctyT^ ZK^k^cLoQzKzyov tyiv sictcriAmnvTov wctiXa, avrx $i$6y&> Herodot. 1.2.
,l Gen. xivi. 31, 32, &c. * In Oratione contra Grsecos. m In Parjeneticoad eosdem.
II Lib. 1. Stromatum, ° Joseph. lib. 1, contra Apion. 'F.^/Spsto sia.<?iKzv<; riy.h7iy.a&oV3y.a, Sec.
P Exod. i.
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