Definitely getting into the information overload stage. Started out early this morning. I did devotion, on the Exodus experience, talking about how this trip is a journey that will lead us on an exodus from old ways of looking at and understanding the texts, and into a journey that hopefully will have us continuing to walk closer with Jesus.
So we started out the day going to Saqquara, an important Egyptian burial ground. They told us we'd see a bunch of Pyramids, among them the Step pyramid (cuz it's built in stages and not smooth. Google any of the pyramid names for more information; I'm not going to re-write it all here.)
Peter thinks we don't have enough data to independently verify everything in the Old Testament; I actually thought we did. Peter thinks there is no archaeological data to show the migration of the Hebrew people into Israel, that our only source for that story is the Bible. The issue with the Biblical accounts of history, of course, is that they may not match 100% to what can be independently verified outside the Bible (and this is important if you want to spread the Word to skeptical people who do not believe the Bible to be authoritative). We all know that Biblical accounts can be biased and that texts change with each transmission.
So in our explorations here in Egypt we've looked at a few things. One of the things we've seen is how the religious atmosphere of Ancient Egypt is (or was) like the religious atmosphere of the Old Testament. Specifically, the concepts of life after death, and the soul surviving Earth, are concepts that predate our Judeo Christian roots and originated in Egypt. We could look at the ancient Israelites who spent time in Egypt and make some inferences about where they got those ideas, but that's another discussion.
The whole idea of God as One originated in Egypt. That was with Amenhotep IV, otherwise known as Akhenatun, who instituted the worship of one God. It's important to note that the ancient Israelites were not completely monotheistic -- they acknowledged and believed in other Gods, they just believed that The One God was better. I'm reminded of the whole showdown with Baal. There would have been no contest if they hadn't believed in other gods.
As mentioned before, we might want to consider the possibility that Egyptian culture influenced the Israelites. Akhenatun was in power from about 1350 - 1320 Before Christ. while Peter says this was earlier than the Exodus, I see the Exodus being about 1450 BC, or a thousand years before Akhenatun. So I have to do some more research on that one.
The Hapiru people might be the predecessors to the ancient Hebrews. Whenever we see references to Israel outside the canonical text, it's important to know who the people were. It's important to know that the references to Israel refer to a PEOPLE Israel.
We've looked at the possible influence of Egyptian culture on Israelite Scriptures. Another common idea between Egyptian and Israelite cultures is the whole idea of God in Three, as expressed in Father, Mother, and Child. That's how the Egyptians commonly portrayed their deities.
Hwt-ka-Ptah (home of the soul) got distorted to Hikuptah, which in Latin and Greek got distorted to Aegyptos which in "Middle English somehow got distorted to Coptic which got distorted to Egypt. It's the same root word, but has gone through different meanings in different languages.
So first we went to the Red Pyramid. We climbed a bunch of steps (you'll see the picture), then down a long incline, bent over because it was too short to stand in (we ended up just going down it backwards, sort of like descending a ladder), then had to walk bent over, then went a short distance into the first chamber, then into the two preliminary chambers before the burial chamber. Then we went up 3 or 4 flights to look over into the funerary pit. There was a STRONG, STINKY smell that couldn't be disguised by the copious amounts of ammonia they tried to cover it up. I had to come out of there SO quickly -- I took the "stairs" the ladder-like little walkway that we'd had to come down backwards -- I took the ladder thingie out really quickly, gasping for air and sweating and panting the whole way. I think I was the first one of the group who went down to come out. Maybe I'm borderline claustrophobic or something, I don't know. But I went into a pyramid today, and I got a good cardio workout. Now all we have to do is invent a pyramid machine, something that works you like steps but lets you use your whole body like a ladder, and is on an incline....
Then my mind kinda turns to jelly. I think we went to the step pyramid, which is built in stages, or steps. After that we went to the Bent pyramid. The Bent pyramid is the only pyramid in Egypt with parts of the original casing still preserved. You can see why it's called the Bent pyramid.
After that we stopped, sat in the shade of the pyramids, and ate the lunches we brought. Then we went to the Muhammad Ali Mosque, and to the el-Khalili Khan Bazaar, where vendors were shouting "Brown Sugar" and "Obama" and "how can I take your money from you today?" I did manage to get 16 papyrus scrolls for $40.00, so that will be good for gifts. If they don't disintegrate or fall apart....
We leave early tomorrow for Sinai. I still have to get some stamps for postcards, and have a coupla things to pack. Peter thought we should go into town tonight, but if I can get to be before 11, that will be a victory.
It's all good. Tiring, but all good. I'm really happy I'm here. Would love a burger, though....
Here's the link to photos from today:
No comments:
Post a Comment