![]() ![]() ![]() To the scribes of the Middle Kingdom, however, this was a serious problem which they needed to warn their countrymen against. Actually, the First Intermediate Period was a time of great cultural progress and individual growth of the various regions of Egypt it simply was lacking a strong central government. The First Intermediate Period was commonly understood as a time of lawless chaos following the collapse of the Old Kingdom. ![]() 1900 CE, when Gardiner was working with Admonitions, the literature of the Middle Kingdom, describing the time of the preceding the First Intermediate Period of Egypt was interpreted as historically accurate. Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts (Public Domain)Ĭ. Even so, Egyptology and Near East studies still had a long way to go before it matured and many texts were misinterpreted by these early scholars. The story of the Fall of Man, the Great Flood, the existential observations of Ecclesiastes, the concept of a dying and reviving god whose resurrection brings life to the world, all of these were recorded before the Hebrew scribes began writing the books which would eventually become the Bible. The narratives of the Bible, so long thought to have been penned by God or God-inspired scribes, were now understood to have precedent in earlier works of other cultures. 1900 CE brought to light the literature of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and changed the way the Bible and world history were understood. Prior to this time, the Bible was considered the oldest book in the world comprised of wholly original literature. What these scholars found instead was the complete opposite of what they had expected. This was a very interesting time for archaeology in that, beginning in the mid-19th century CE, more and more European archaeologists were working in the Near East at the behest of institutions looking for historical, physical evidence to corroborate the stories of the Bible. The text received its first interpretation and publication by Egyptologist A.H. ![]() HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF THE ADMONITIONS The Book of Exodus, in fact, with its emphasis on Egyptian cruelty toward the Hebrew slaves, could be seen as a literary 'divorce' from the culture which inspired some of the greatest works which eventually found a place in the Bible. In many of these biblical narratives, one finds passages lamenting a time of order and peace contrasted with a present period of disorder, chaos, and misery phrased in similar forms.Īlthough this theme of a 'golden age' in which one was perfectly happy contrasted with a present dark age is common in the literature of many cultures throughout time, in this case, it is entirely possible that these Egyptian texts directly influenced the Hebrew works. The Admonitions of Ipuwer and other texts resonate with the same kinds of concepts one finds in the biblical books of Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Psalms, and the Song of Songs, as well as works not classified as 'wisdom literature' such as Lamentations, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Job, among others. The influence of Egyptian wisdom literature on the scribes who wrote the books which would later comprise the Bible is evident. Their example contributed significantly to the subsequent flowering of the genre among the Hebrews. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the earliest practitioners of this class of writings, to which the name "Wisdom Literature" has been given. Formulate and ponder problems of life and death and seek solutions. ![]()
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