Biblically Compatible Archaeology and Geography

by Damien F. Mackey The Patriarchs  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses,  span the entire period of Egyptian history from the very first king of the First Dynasty of the Old Kingdom to, in the case of Moses, the last (woman) ruler king of the so-called Middle Kingdom. Egyptologists have created too many Egyptian kingdoms and dynasties. Likewise, regarding the early history of the earth, we are presented with a vast succession of Geological Ages reaching back, say, 4 billion years ago, give or take. Palaeontology takes us back through the supposedly successive Stone Ages a far more modest 2-3 million years. Archaeological Ages then follow these earlier ages, all nicely set out in linear, or “Indian file”, fashion. This system, however, is quite artificial, not according with reality. Hence, the already challenging task of trying to marry, particularly the Archaeological Ages, with the historical kingdoms and their dynasties, might seem to h

by Damien F. Mackey When reading through Anthony Everitt’s 392-page book,  Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome  (Random House, NY, 2009), I was struck by the constant flow of similarities between Hadrian and Augustus - which the author himself does nothing to hide. Here are some of them: Pp. 190-191: Ten years into his reign, Hadrian announced to the world that, speaking symbolically, he was a reincarnation of Augustus. P. x: … Augustus, whom Hadrian greatly admired and emulated. P. 145: Flatterers said that [Hadrian’s] eyes were languishing, bright, piercing and full of light”. …. One may suspect that this was exactly what Hadrian liked to hear (just as his revered Augustus prided himself on  his  clear, bright eyes). P. 190: … the true hero among his predecessors was Augustus. For the image on Hadrian’s signet ring to have been that of the first  princeps  was an elegantly simple way of acknowledging indebtedness …. Later, he asked the Senate for permission to hang

‘But when his captains and tribunes were come, and all the chiefs of the army of the king of the Assyrians, they said to the chamberlains ‘Go in, and awake him, for the mice coming out of their holes, have presumed to challenge us to fight’.” Judith 14:11-12 Did an infestation of mice destroy Sennacherib’s 185,000-strong army? Metaphorically speaking, yes. “Mice” was how the neo-Assyrians were wont to describe their contemptible enemies, and the quote from the Book of Judith above is a perfect example of this. Did not the Assyrian king, Tiglath-pileser, say about Rezin of Damascus: That one (Rezin of Damascus) fled alone to save his life*** and like a mouse he entered the gate of his city. (Sir Henry Rawlison,  Assyrian Discovery,  p. 246) And, in the very same era of the Judith incident, we read this of Sargon II: https://erenow.net/ancient/ancient-iraq-third-edition/20.php “Yet Babylon under Merodach-Baladan remained as a thorn in the side of Assyria, and in that

When reading through Anthony Everitt’s 392-page book,  Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome  (Random House, NY, 2009), I was struck by the constant flow of similarities between Hadrian and Augustus - which the author himself does nothing to hide. Here are some of them: Pp. 190-191: Ten years into his reign, Hadrian announced to the world that, speaking symbolically, he was a reincarnation of Augustus. P. x: … Augustus, whom Hadrian greatly admired and emulated. P. 145: Flatterers said that [Hadrian’s] eyes were languishing, bright, piercing and full of light”. …. One may suspect that this was exactly what Hadrian liked to hear (just as his revered Augustus prided himself on  his  clear, bright eyes). P. 190: … the true hero among his predecessors was Augustus. For the image on Hadrian’s signet ring to have been that of the first  princeps  was an elegantly simple way of acknowledging indebtedness …. Later, he asked the Senate for permission to hang an ornamental shiel

  by  Damien F. Mackey The use of the term “pharaoh” (פַרְעֹ֔ה) as a title as early as Genesis 12:15 is likely anachronistic – a later editing – as it appears that this term was applied to the rulers of Egypt only late, during so-called New Kingdom Egyptian history.  Part One: Naming the ruler by title only Joshua J. Mark explains that “Pharaoh” was a Greek version of the Egyptian pero or per-a-a, meaning “Great House”:  https://www.ancient.eu/pharaoh/  The Pharaoh in ancient Egypt was the political and religious leader of the people and held the titles ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ and ‘High Priest of Every Temple’. The word ‘pharaoh’ is the Greek form of the Egyptian pero or per-a-a, which was the designation for the royal residence and means `Great House’. The name of the residence became associated with the ruler and, in time, was used exclusively for the leader of the people. The early monarchs of Egypt were not known as pharaohs but as kings. The honorific ti