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MOSES

THE HERO: 'MOSES' OR 'MO-USE' OR 'MOSE' OR 'MOSHEH'

A SUMMARY

He is said to be the most famous of all the prophets in history. But is he historical or mythical? Did he really exist as an ordinary man or a prophet? Did he really receive a 'revelation' from God? Was he a Midianite? Was he an Egyptian, but deliberatly presented as member of the Levi tribe? Where does his Egyptian connection come from? Questions are numerous, but before giving answers let us start with what we know: The introductory story of the birth and upbringing of Moses in the Pentateuch (First five books of the Old Testament) is decorated with mythical and legendary motifs. He was said to be the son of Amram and Jochebed (Numbers 26:59). He was born when the Israelites, who had come to Egypt under Yosef, were being oppressed by the Egyptians, Pharaoh was uneasy about the prospect of a new born male child growing up and taking his throne. So he ordered the killing of every new born Hebrew male children, which compelled the Israelites to drown every newborn male child (Exodus 1). But the mother of Moses had other thoughts. She was determined to save him alive. She placed Moses (he was three months old) in a basket (or ark) made of bulrushes, at the edge of the river where Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe. The princess took pity on the child, whom she adopted as her own and called him Moses.

Egypt is thought to be the most likely origin of Moses. But was he an Egyptian? Moses sounds like an Egyptian name. The persons presented as his brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, are thought to be later additions to the story (Exodus 15:21). Miriam is the person with whom is connected the oldest piece of literature in the Old Testament - Song of Miriam. What we know as the Song of Miriam (Exodus) is said to be a genuine example which has come down to us from the Late Bronze period (13th cent. BC.). After all, what Israel managed to hold in memory before the advent of writing was almost only pieces of poetry and some stories. The Song of Miriam may have become a hymn by numerous additions to it over hundreds of years. It may have been lenghtened and enlarged, and turned into the hymn of Moses: It is about the passage of the children of Israel through the 'Sea of Reeds,' and the text tells us that it was nothing but the memory of a storm. There is nothing divine(!) about it.

We are told that Moses grew up, and aroused by the oppression of his kinsmen in Egypt. He killed one Egyptian in their defense and fled to Midian and married the daughter of a Midianite priest there. He also took part in Midianite worship. In later history Midianites were Israel's enemies (Judges 6-8). But a Midianite-Israeli cultic comradeship is evidenced (Exodus 18:12).

Moses married to Zipporah/Tsippora, the daughter of a Midianite priest called Yetro (In Exodus his name is Jethro and Reuel; in Judges 4:11, and in Numbers 10:29 his name is Hobab). Therefore, either Moses had three wives, thus three fathers-in-law; or there were two other persons mentioned in the Old Testament who were also called Moses(!), which means that there were three persons in total, called Moses; or maybe this father-in-law had three names. This is ridiculous! But there's more unfortunately: Read Numbers 12:1: "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman." What is this? Didn't he marry Tsippora/Zipporah the Midianite as we were told in the Exodus story? Either he married again in the meantime and this Ethiopian woman is his second wife together with Zipporah, or Zipporah may have died, or they may have separated or divorced. Maybe Midianites were Abyssinians (Ethiopia was Abyssinia then) or Midian in reality may have been Abyssinia(!). With all this nonsense one has no choice but to say that all of this story is just a product by the incompetent writers who have written over a period of time. Pure invention and fabrication. Any way, Zipporah or this Abyssinian woman, whoever it was, gave Moses two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. On their leaving Midian (Exodus 4:24) a strange incident happened: YHWH (or, an angel as in the Greek version) attacked Moses and threatened to kill him. Zipporah performed circumcision on Moses and saved his life.

While grazing the sheep of his Midianite father-in-law Moses chanced upon the 'sacred mountain', Sinai, which obviously was a frequented place of pilgrimages. There, in a way peculiar to ancient religion he experienced(!) the presence(!) of God. Mountains are very important and popular in almost all the ancient belief systems, the supreme beings are believed to have dwelt on a special mountain or descend on it, to establish some sort of a communication with the mankind, to reveal themselves to their chosen person - the 'messenger,' to give them a divine law, etc. The blackberry bush (Hebrew seneh) there, on Mount Sinai was 'enwrapped' in fire which did not consume it, and out of it Moses heard the words of God mediated to him by a heavenly being. In fact a new deity, which calls himself YHWH appeared to Moses. He was unknown to Moses until this event. But Moses understood him to be the same God as the one worshipped by his Hebrew ancestors. Moses received(!) a new revelation while at the same time the continuity of Hebrew religion (starting with Abram) was preserved.

Then, the famous rebellion by the people together with Moses is thought to have taken place on the slopes of the Mount Sinai. Moses was up the mountain receiving God's orders(!), the people down on the lower ground got Aaron make them a golden calf to worship, God sent Moses down, people stood against Moses, the rebellion was put down by force and blood.

A covenant between YHWH and Israel is established. Then comes the 40 years in wilderness. Then Moses and his people arrive at the borders of the 'promised land,' but because of what happened at the Valley of Jezreel, Moses was banned by the God from entering the 'Promised Land,' he saw the 'land' from afar, ascended Mount Nebo and died there, as ordered by his God -YHWH.

This is the possible shortest story of the 'man called Moses.'

MOSES AND THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament is the only source we could consult if we are dealing with the story of Moses. The Old Testament covers a period of nearly 1,200 years if we reckon from the Exodus, or nearly 2,000 years if we reckon from the time of the Patriarchs. The Old Testament largely reflects the varied history of the people of Israel. Tradition is that the first five books of the Old testament was written by the 'man called Moses?' Well, if it is the Old Testament don't ever believe right away what you are told. Read again, read the whole of it. See all those nonsensical utterances, discrepancies, read the statements giving away the ulterior motives, repetitions etc., and think again, how a person could write his death, while still alive (Moses writes of his own death in Deuteronomy). It is impossible. He has to go through his last moments to write down what has happened. Which means that he could start writing his last moments when he is dead and gone. Can you imagine? Well anyway, the historical research done on the Old Testament has shown the world decisively that Moses is not the writer of the Pentateuch, which was brought together by collecting and writing down the Oral Tradition which has been in circulation then for hundreds of years. These are the findings:

1. The language used all through the books is not coherent.

2. There are contradictions and repetitions.
3. There are differences in the fundamental theological tenets.

These three points show us that various writers involved in the writing of the first five books of the Old Testament. These two writers are described as the 'J' and 'E', because 'J' insists on using the word Jehovah, whereas 'E' uses Elohim for the name of the god. Deuteronomy is written by another writer who is usually called 'D'. Then came the writer 'P' (denoting the Priestly tradition) who started writing after the Babylonian exile. His interpretation of the events told by 'J' and 'E' were inserted into the Pentatuech. 'P' added two more books, Numbers and Leviticus. 'P' contributed to The Old Testament also by writing the account of creation in the first chapter of the Genesis. In writing this creation story he used portions of the Assyro-Babylonian epic of creation Enuma Elish according to his needs and priorities. In short 'P' edited Enuma Elish, and 're-created the creation' which was already done by the Babylonian thinkers thousands of years before their era. Therefore, it is clear that various sources were used in the collection of these books, and different people wrote different sections at different times. We shall try to deal with the Old Testament later on but here we suffice by saying only that the Old Testament is most certainly a collection based on the personal interpretations of the history of the region, written by different writers, fashioned around a concept of pivotal 'God' which is again based on personal perceptions and interpretations of natural phenomena, dreams, visions etc.

The Old Testament's real beginning and foundation is contained in Exodus. You were thinking about Genesis being the beginning. Wrong! The Old Testament is the book of God, is it not? It is also the book of the 'chosen people.' Then the beginning of the book should be with an established relationship between the 'giver' and the 'taker': With the covenant.. Exodus is based on the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Through this migration God makes known of his power and his determination to liberate his people. The 'law' in Exodus and Deuteronomy - the 5th book of the Old Testament - is basically the simplified version of the Laws of Hammurabi. Proverbs of Solomon/Shlomo and many Psalms are based on ancient Egyptian literature. When taken together Exodus - the 2nd book of the Old Testament - and Leviticus - the 3rd book of the Old Testament - summarize the establishment of Israel as God's covenant people and the enactment of the cultic and other laws that were to mark Israel's life as a covenant people. And the rest, in short, is mythology and some mainly unreliable information on the history of Israel.

THE STORY OF MOSES

Now let us start our journey through all these events. What was his name? Moses/Mo-use/Mose/Mosheh?; Was he an Egyptian or Hebrew? According to some scholars Moses lived at the time of Ramesses II, which was not only a period of oppression and forced labour for Israel, but also the time at which Moses - the great liberator of his people - appeared: "..and it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren....he slew Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of the Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well..." (Exodus 2 ff.). These scholars say that Moses was a Hebrew, brought up by Egyptians. His name can be connected with a Semitic root meaning 'bring out, take out, remove, extract.' But this name can also be interpreted as Egyptian, here Moses means simply 'boy, son.' There are Pharaohs called Ah-mose, Thut-mose, Thut-mosis.

Meanwhile there are those who say that Moses was an Egyptian. He was the one who gave freedom to Jews, gave them their 'law,' founded their religion. This concept of 'man called Moses' (this is how he is called in the Old Testament, Numbers 12:3) goes back to such ancient times that the first thing must be a research done to establish whether he is an historical personality or a mythical hero. The first thing that attracts our attention is his name which is Mosheh in Hebrew. If we go by the inference in the Old Testament and keep to the Hebrew elements, Moses can be separated into 'mo' and 'use'. 'Mo' is 'water', 'use' is 'save'. So 'mo-use' may be translated as 'saved from the water.' Which could be taken as a reference to Moses being found in a basket in the river Nile (Exodus 2:10). M. Soloweitschik in Jüdishes Lexicon writes: "The Old Testament's interpretation of this name, 'taken out of water,' is a popular etymology, and it does not fit first of all the active form of the Hebrew word, because Mosheh could only mean, '(who) takes out.' "

On the other hand, J. H. Breasted in his work titled The Dawn of Conscience exhibits another approach: "It is important to see that the name Moses is Egyptian. The original of this word is 'mose' in Egyptian which means 'child.' It is the shortened version of names like 'Amen-mose' (child Amen) or 'Ptah-mose' (child Ptah). It is beyond doubt that Moses' father gave his son an Egyptian God's name like Ptah, Amon, and this name became shortened in time, and turned into ' Mose.' '"The 's' at the end of 'Moses' is an addition originating from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. This addition does not exist in the Hebrew version, 'Mosheh.' If the name is Eyptian a lot of people should settle down for the option that the person is Egyptian as well. But no historian did that. Though the reason is impossible to establish it may be due to the greatness of their respect for the Old Testament, or the thought that Moses may not be a Hebrew is repulsive for them.

The Old Testament connects Israel's going to and coming out of Egypt about 400 years later to two Egyptian Israelites. One of them was the chief minister in Egypt and the other was the adopted child of a princess who joined the Pharaoh's entourage, but never forgot his origin. To the first one (Yosef) the ruler gave an Egyptian name - Zafenat-paneah. The name of the other one could be translated as 'born child' or 'seed of the water', 'came from the water' - Mose (there were no wovels in the Egyptian writing, so many pronounciations are possible). Admitting that this name was given by the Pharaoh's daughter, the Old Testament interprets this story in line with the Hebrew mythology, and writes that the name means 'taken out of the Nile.' The story of 'Moses in the Bulrushes' is picked by the general public. This story tells us that Moses' mother gave birth to him, and in order to save his life, put the baby in a basket covered with pitch, and put the basket in the river Nile. He was discovered later in the water, taken out, and raised by a second - ordinary family. But one must point out that this story could be used also as a valid argument against the credibility of Moses himself, because the birth story of Moses is identical with the birth legend of king Sargon of Agade (Sharru-ken/Sharrum-kin). King Sargon is the founder of the Semitic dynasty of Akkad (Babylon) in 2360 BC. Of course as we have seen elsewhere these 'superior'(!) people usually tell their stories themselves. (Well, aren't we led to believe that the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament was written by Moses himself?) That is the rule. King Sargon is not an exception. In cuneiform texts Sargon say the following about himself: "I am Sharru-ken the powerful king, the King of Akkad. My mother was an Enitu princess, I did not know any father. ..My mother conceived me and bore me in secret. She put me in a little box made of reeds, sealing its lid with pitch. She put me in a river...The river carried me away and brought me to Akki the drawer of water. Akki the drawer of water adopted me and brought me up as his son..." The similarity between this account and the Old Testament story of Moses (Exodus 2) is striking. This basket story, we are told, is a very old Semitic folk tale. It was handed down by word of mouth through many centuries. The Sargon legend of the 3rd millennium BC. is found on Neo-Babylonian cuneiform tablets of the 1st millennium BC.

In addition to this confusion on the name, it is impossible to form a coherent picture on the historical personality of Moses. This myth about Moses' birth being identical with the Sargon of Agade, may be due to the Children of Israel's positive feelings about Sargon's story when they became aware of it during the Babylonian exile. We wouldn't be far off if we say that they liked the story and adapted it to Moses.

Everything we read about Moses in the Old Testament has the character of an adventures of a mythological hero. So, as Spenta Mainyu pointed out earlier, the hero is born and lives despite the father's will to the contrary. Leaving in a basket out in the open is the unmistakable symbolism of birth. Basket is the uterus and the water the basket is left on is the amniotic fluid. In almost all the cases which could be tested, the family which leaves the newborn out in the nature is fictional but the family which finds the newborn and raises him is real. If we accept this rule, everything related to the mythical story of the birth of Moses becomes clear. Moses is an Egyptian, most probably an aristocrat, but the myth made him Jewish.

There is a crucial point which separates the myth of Moses from the others. In those myths the hero raises his position progressively. But the myth of Moses exhibits a lowering of the status of the hero. His life starts as an aristocrat hero and falls down to the level of the Sons of Israel.

THOSE BIRTH STORIES !

The birth stories and the events in the early lives of the leaders of nearly all the civilized nations, exhibit similarities. Sometimes it is beyond similarity, and a perfect fit could be seen between the stories of these peoples of far away countries, with completely different origins, cultures, and traditions. These leaders are sometimes the heroes, sometimes the fantastic kings, princes; sometimes the founders of their religion, kingdom, empire, or their city. By creating these stories these peoples start exalting their heroes. Why? They may feel the need to have an extraordinary founder of their existence. They may feel the need to create a leader figure, 'higher than the ordinary people.' They may have been looking for an excuse for their bowing down to the authority. They may have been looking for a 'something' that would separate from their neighbors, that 'something' being their 'leader,' without knowing that their neighbors were after the same thing. According to Otto Rank, the births and the early lives of these leaders were decorated deliberately with fantastic characteristics.

If we want to build up an 'average myth' for these leaders this is what we get:

* Hero is the child of an aristocratic family of the highest grade

* Before the conception their mothers-fathers experienced difficulties due to abstinence, long lasting infertility, or secret sexual union because of external prohibitions, and hindrances, starting with the period of pregnancy or maybe earlier, there exists a prophecy (in the form of a dream or revelation) which forewarns the hero's birth, and generally contains a threat for the father.

* Based on this prophecy the newborn is condemned to death or to abandoning out in the open by an order from the father or a representative of his. As a rule the newborn in a basket is left in the water.

* Later on the newborn is saved by poor persons or an animal, and suckled by a female animal or a poor woman.

* When the hero becomes a grown-up he finds his aristocratic family, takes revenge from his father, gets accepted to the family, and becomes very successful and famous.

The earliest historical person who became the subject of such a birth myth was the founder of Babylon, king Sargon of Agade (Sharru-ken/Sharrum-kin). Sargon's birth myth is identical with the birth myth of Moses. Those who have similar birth myths are, Cyrus (Cyrus the Great, the Persian king), Romulus (A son of Mars and legendary founder of Rome), Oedipus (A son of Laius and Jocasta who in fulfillment of an oracle kills his father and marries his mother), Karna (A hero in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata), Paris (A son of Priam whose abduction of Helen leads to the Trojan war according to Homer's Iliad), Perseus (The son of Zeus and Danaë and slayer of Medusa), Heracles (Hercules. A mythical Greek hero fabled for his great strength and especially for performing twelfe labors imposed on him by Hera.), Gilgamesh (Sumerian Gil-ga-mes. The king of Uruk and hero of the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh to whom is related according to the epic an account of the Flood that covers the earth), Amphion (A musician who built the walls of Thebes by charming the stones into places with his lyre.) and Zethus (One of the twin sons of Zeus by Antiope. Brother of Amphion. A hunter and herdsman).

Let us continue with more personalities. Moses was the leader of the Hebrew tribes and gave them the Ten Commandments. Manu was the person who laid down the social and religious laws in ancient India. Manes was the lawgiver in ancient Egypt. Minos was the Cretan who codified the laws - the laws he learned in Egypt - in ancient Greece. Manu, Manes, Minos and Moses, four man, all belonging to the same archetypal pattern, great contributors to humanity. Each gave a 'law' and established a community of priests. Though the weapon was the most powerful law for the primitive peoples, these cultural and spiritual leaders got their strength from a 'superior being' - the God. Men like these are surrounded with a mystery and their human origin becomes transfigured. These were considered prophets or messengers who communicated the word of God. Why they and not others? Because these were historical or mythical leaders who were the only one around to explain, within the knowledge of their times, the 'whys' and 'hows' of the events of the pre-history. There was nothing divine(!) in it. They were just clever persons. And what about the similarity of the names?

THE FIRST EXAMPLE OF MONOTHEISM ?

At the end of the 18th dynasty Egypt becomes a world power. An imperialist state. With this imperialism comes the monotheism. God is the reflection of the Pharaoh who is the absolute ruler of a great world empire. The influence of the priests of the Sun-God in On (Heliopolis) has gained in strength with the effects coming over from Asia and the idea of an universal God appeared. The name of this God is Aton/Aten, who is not bound by a single country or people. Then a young Pharaoh comes to power in Egypt in 1379 BC. Like his father he is called Amenhotep (IV) ('Amon is satisfied'). Later on he changes his name to Akh-en-aton. He tries to introduce a new belief system to his Egyptian subjects, which is completely different than the traditions and habits of thousands of years. It is an orthodox monotheism, the first example of its kind in history. Akh-en-aton's rule lasted 17 years.

Each new development must have prior conditions paving the way. The roots of monotheism in Egypt could be found in earlier times. For a signigicant period there have been attempts among the priests of the Sun Temple at On (Heliopolis) to develop the thought and emphasize the moral aspect of an universal God. During the reign of Amenhotep III (The father of Akh-en-Aton) worship of the Sun-God has gained a new significance. A very ancient name of the Sun-God, Aten, or Aton, regained importance. And the young king Amenhotep IV found a ready movement based on Aten/Aton belief system. Although he was not the first to have initiated this belief system, he became a loyal follower. While all this was going on, Egypt became a world power, and the resultant imperialism found its reflection in religion as universalism and monotheism. This God had to go beyond the boundaries and spread its sovereignty to the occupied lands. Amenhotep was a loyal follower of the sun cult. Amenhotep worshipped the sun not as an object but as a symbol of a divine being whose energy is manifested as rays of light. He introduced for the first time the 'exclusion factor' (his god was the only god with no other) which transformed the doctrine of a universal God into monotheism. In one of the hymns he says: "O, Sole God, there's no other God beside you!" Priests of Amun reacted towards this new religion and Amenhotep's belief system gradually became clear, coherent, unyielding and intolerant. This opposition has risen to such a level in the sixth year of Amenhotep's reign that he changed his name to Akh-en-Aton ('Aton is pleased'). Akh-en-Aton removed the name of God, Amun/Amen, not only from his name but also erased it from all the engravings. After changing his name he left the city of Teb, established a new royal capital lower down the river and named it 'Akhetaten' ('Aten's horizon') the ruins of this city is known as Tell el-Amarna. According to Akh-en-aton what is said about the other Gods were all lies, and deception. He totally rejected the illusion of life after death which was very important to Egyptians. Aton/Aten belief system banned everything connected to myths, magic, and witchcraft. According to Weigall, '..all the formulas, and gadgets related to magic were burned. Jinns, satans, monsters, spirits, demi-Gods, demons, even Osiris was burned to ashes.' Akh-en-aton accepted the energy of the sunlight as the source of life on earth, and worshipped this energy as a symbol of his God's power. There was no other representation or a personal image of the Sun-God 'Aten/Aton'. ' Akh-en-aton did not allow the making of the images of the Sun-God. The king said that the real God has no form, and kept his position until the end of his life. A last point: There was an absolute silence about Osiris and the kingdom of the dead. Here is an observation which deserves attention: 'Churches have become the ground for athheism. Atheism begins with the emergence of monotheism. In the western intellectual culture, atheism's roots are within the self-alienation of the religion.' Egyptian Pharaoh Akh-en-aton is the first registered atheist in the history of mankind. Despite the fact that Akh-en-aton worshipped the Sole God, the Sun-God Aten, he was accused by his son-in -law, - who replaced him - with atheism, because he had rejected the official deity. The originality of Akh-en-aton was his 'monotheism with the sun at its focus.' Akh-en-aton banned all the other Gods and insisted on his Sun-God as the Sole God to be worshipped. He was really a monotheist but he was accused of first with anti-theism then with atheism. Buckley relates a marvellous hymn of the Aton/Aten cult:

"..O Sole God with no equal. You created the world as you wished, alone; Everything on earth, men, herds, wild animals, stood on their feet (because you wished so) and everything in the sky took to wings (because you wished so)."

Despite all the things done, Aten belief system did not enjoy popularity, and most probably limited to the close circle around the Pharaoh. A period of anarchy followed until the year 1350 BC. when general Haremhab/Horemheb reestablished the order. In this interim period the old belief systems were reintroduced, and Aten belief system was abandoned. Akh-en-aton's capital city was demolished and ransacked and Akh-en-aton was treated like an ordinary criminal. Since Akh-en-aton all those who rejected or opposed the official Gods in Egypt, Greece or Rome were accused of atheism. Socrates, Anaxagoras, Diagoras, Protagoras and others thinking like them were among those accused of atheism. The idea of monotheism which had risen with Akh-en-aton had to stay in darkness for a long while. Here, it is very important to jeep in mind that Akh-en-aton worsipped one god, the sole God; Aton belief system banned everything connected to myths, magic, and witchcraft; Sun was the only representation of God, because Akh-en-aton did not allow the images of the Sun-God; The king said that the real God has no form; and there was an absolute silence about Osiris and the kingdom of death, the afterlife. These are very important points from the standpoint of the orginal Mosaic belief system.

THE SHADOWY PERIOD BETWEEN THE EXODUS AND 'KADESH-MERIBAH'

Let us say that Moses was an Egyptian. Could we find something which would show us that there really was a person named Moses, in Egypt, who would fit our story? Well, some scholars are on record, who claim that he may have been the governor of one of the border regions, maybe Goshen, where Semitic tribes have settled. Flavius Josephus in his work titled Jewish Antiquities, which seems to be connected to prophecies - folklores which are not included in the Old Testament prophecy - tells us about an Egyptian general called Moses participating in a war in Abyssinia, which ends in victory. This Egyptian general makes an agreement with the Semitic tribes, then he leads them, and accomplishes the Exodus by his strength and will power.. This migration may have ended without fighting and pursuit. Moses' authority would have made this possible since there was no higher authority in the region than his. The Sole destination of this migration would be the Land of Canaan. Then the Aramaeans had invaded Canaan following the collapse of the Egyptian authority. Thus they showed that a determined and resourceful people could win a new homeland for themselves. These Aramaean invaders were called 'Habiru' in the letters found at the ruins of Tell el-Amarna. But this name (Habiru=Hebrew) was given to the Hebrew invaders who could not have been mentioned in the letters found at Tel el-Amarna. Some claim that 'Hebrew' comes from Eber who is among the forefathers of Abraham the list of whom could be extended(!) to Noah. Starting with the name 'Habiru' these people were thought to be the 'Hapiru' mentioned in the records of the ancient Babylon, Tell el-Amarna, Nuzi, Ugarit and Bogazköy. In the Egyptian records they appear as 'Apiru.' But these people called 'Hapiru' are described as oppressors, mercenaries, captives, public workers, rebels, and slaves. It is understood that they did the odd jobs of the settled community. They could not be connected with any nation or religion. Therefore they were described as 'nomads living in the desert.' They could not be 'Hebrews.' Some others say that 'Hebrew' comes from the Hebrew word 'ibri ' meaning 'people from across' or 'people from the other side.' This name is said to have been given to them in Egypt.

The period between the Exodus and the invasion of the land of Canaan is not clear. The supposition is that Moses imposed on the people with him the laws thrown out by the Egyptians - laws of Akh-en-aton, and the doctrines of the Aten/Aton religion. These moral rules may have been much more orthodox than the ones put into effect by Akh-en-aton. Moses may have given up the the Sun God which Akh-en-aton worshipped, and replaced it with the 'Sole God' of his thinking.

If we are seeking a probable reconstruction of what happened in this 'shadowy period' we have two clues: Firstly, Ernst Sellin found the possible traces of a bloody 'event' where this group of Semites may have risen against and killed this 'man called Moses' in this shadowy period. The second clue is about this Semitic group coming back from Egypt, and joining other tribes - their next of kin - in the region called 'Kadesh' (Kadesh-Meribah) between Palestine, Sinai Peninsula, and Arabia. They adopted a new religion with the influence of the Midianite clans living there; They started worshipping a volcano God - YHWH. Coming together at Kadesh and the founding of the religion there must have taken place between 13th and 12th centuries. Exodus is supposed to have taken place in the beginning of this period and the union at Kadesh in the end. You may be asking yourselves what happened to the Mount Sinai where, we were told that, this adoption of a new religion has taken place? Which story is true? Did it happen in the region of Kadesh-Meribah or on the slopes of the 'Mount Sinai/Tur'u Sina/Jebel Musa/El Tur' which is at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula?.

Now, the supposition that the Children of Israel had risen against Moses, and killed him sounds really fantastic. But it is not. Moses, with his character shaped by the Akh-en-aton doctrine employs an identical method with the Pharaoh, imposes his belief with force on the people and makes them accept it. Moses' doctrine may have been stricter than the doctrine of Akh-en-aton. Moses could not have relied on the Sun God for support, because the On (Heliopolis) cult had no influence at all on his 'people of foreigners' (The Semitic group of people he has taken out of Egypt). But like the people of Egypt who could not put up with the 18th dynasty of Akh-en-aton and his religion, the Children of Israel likewise could not put up with a religion unworldly to this extent, and could not respond to the necessities of this belief system. In both cases the Egyptians and the Children of Israel, who were oppressed and whose needs were not met eventually may have rebelled and toppled this unwanted belief system imposed on them. Egyptians waited until the destiny removed Akh-en-aton from the stage, but the Semitic group of people may have taken the matter in their own hands and removed the tyrant (Moses) from their head; and renounced this new religion. This event is told by the story of this Semitic people getting Aaron make them a golden calf to worship, and Moses 'breaking the stone tablets,' and begging YHWH for mercy, as the story goes in the Old Testament. Here 'breaking the stone tablets' could not be taken literally. Could you believe in Moses breaking the stone tablets on which he claims that the Commandments from his God is written? No. Therefore there must be a symbolism in this expression. But where? By being unable - as the action of the people shows us - to get his people accept this new God, which resulted in them getting a golden calf, made especially for them as an object of worship, means that Moses has violated the first two commandments of his God: "You shall have no Gods before me...You shall not make unto thee any graven image or likeness of any thing." So, the meaning is clear: By being unable to force his will on his people he caused this uprising against him and his God; "Moses violated the Law." This story is about the idolatrous practices. This rebellion was suppressed, according to the scholars well versed in this subject, with much bloodshed by the Levites (Exodus 32:26-29). Only after this victory was the worship of YHWH re-established. YHWH was enraged, wanted to wipe out this rebellious people, Moses 'interceded', conversed with the God 'face to face'(!) in the tent of meeting containing the tabernacle, and the God's forgiveness is heard when Moses shouted "YHWH,YHWH, a God merciful and gracious" (Exodus 34:6) (Islam has adopted the "merciful and gracious" section of this formula, since Islam's God is the God of Moses).

There must have been a large number of people with Moses when they left Egypt. But it should not be wrong to assume that only a small section of the Jews have gone through the events in Egypt. In other words the tribe coming back from Egypt joined the other tribes of the same stock, which were living for a long while in the region between Egypt and Canaan (the Promised Land). This coming together of the tribes which formed Israel shows itself in the adoption of a new religion for Israel - the religion of YHWH. Eduard Meyer's opinion is that this event was realized because of the influence of the Midianite tribe living at Kadesh. What about the 'terrible' and 'bloody' development which supposedly ended with Moses being killed? According to Sigmund Freud it must have taken place long before this union of the tribes. One cannot help but accept this proposition, because if Moses was alive at the union of the tribes developments most certainly would have been different. In what way, and how? That is your guess.

Read the Old Testament and you will realize immediately that numerous different elements came together in the formation of the Jewish people. But the main factor creating the difference was having or not having gone through the events in Egypt and later on. This dividing line naturally leads to the formation of two different groups which may be seen in the later division of the nation into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

A group of scholars, Eduard Meyer among them, though accepting the story in the Old Testament on the adoption of a new religion, claim that this 'event' has not taken place on the slopes of Mount Sinai, but in Kadesh-Meribah in southern Palestine. In the region between the eastern exit of the Sinai peninsula and the western boundary of Arabia. This place called Kadesh-Meribah is an oasis famous for its water sources and numerous water wells. The Semitic people coming out of Egypt may have met the Midianite people there and adopted YHWH as their God. It is beyond doubt that YHWH is a volcano God.

There are no volcanoes in Egypt, and the mountains on the Sinai peninsula have never been volcanoes. But there are volcanoes along the western border of Arabia, all of which kept their activity until recent times. Arabs call River Jordan/Yordan/Erden as Shari'at al Kabirah, the 'Great River,' and the valley it flows through is called the Jordan Valley which is only a part of a huge fracture in the earth's crust. The subsidence released volcanic forces that had been lying dormant deep down along the whole length of the fracture. In the upper valleys of the Jordan near Bashan there are still the towering craters of extinct volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep layers of basalt have been deposited on the limestone surface. There is repeated evidence that this depression has been subject to earthquakes, and Bible records them - i.e. the Sodom and Gomorrah story.

Sinai and Horeb are accepted generally as different names of the same mountain. We read about Kadesh and Meribah in various places in the Old Testament (Numbers 20:1, 20:13, 20:14, 20:16, 20:24). According to Eduard Meyer the name given to the intermediary between the God and the people was 'Moses.' Whose father-in-law was the Midianite priest Yetro. Moses received divine(!) messages as he grazed the flock of Yetro. Yetro visited him in Kadesh and advised him on certain matters (Exodus 3:1; 18:2-27). Eduard Meyer goes on with his hypothesis: "The Moses we know is the 'father" of the priests of Kadesh. He comes from genealogical myth coming to the fore attached to a cult, and a figure who is not historical (not real). Therefore apart from those who accept the origin of the belief as an historical fact, no one was able to fill him with content, present him as a concrete individual, and explain his deeds or what was his historical role." In short, Meyer is of the opinion that this 'Moses' is just a figure." But he becomes a 'person', the 'man called Moses" in the Old Testament. Meyer continues, "Moses is closely related with Midian and the cult centers in the desert. Inseparably linked with Kadesh (Massah and Meribah), and presented as the son-in-law of the Midianite priest." This last point is an additional support for Meyer's theory; Moses' connection with the Exodus and the story about his youth is secondary." In other words they are there as a result of Moses' integration with an unbroken and mythical story. According to Meyer the stories about Moses' youth were dropped completely, and "...the 'Moses' in Midian is no longer an Egyptian or the grandchild of a pharaoh. He is a shepherd to whom YHWH showed himself. He played no role in the Exodus. He is not mentioned in the downfall of Egyptians. The heroic personality ceases to exist with the 'later Moses.' He is only a subject of the God, and a performer of miracles provided with supernatural powers by YHWH." This 'later' Moses of Kadesh, one of the Midian clan, who makes a figure of brazen serpent (Numbers 21:9) to cure the snake bitten people could have nothing to do with the aristocratic 'Moses the Egyptian.' Because he was the one who imposed a religion which banned all kinds of magic and witchcraft, with severe punishments. The only outcome Eduard Meyer has established of the Egyptian connection is the tradition of circumcision. He gives us further clues to this end: 1.Joshua (Joshua 5:5-9) orders his people to have their foreskins cut off, and circumcises all the children, then the God YHWH says "..This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt off you." 2. Herodotus tell us that the "Phoenicians and Palestinians of Syria have learned this tradition from Egyptians."

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