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Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 12

 

Short retelling of chapter 12 of the essay: Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [In Russian] 

Chapter 12. THE JOURNEYS OF ABRAHAM

The narrative begins with Shem, Noah’s eldest son, who, two years post-flood, fathers Arpachshad. Genesis doesn’t clarify where their tribe resides—whether in the "Ararat mountains," the "land of Nod," or already in "Shinar." Generations pass through Shelah and Eber, leading to Peleg, during whose lifetime "the earth was divided." The original audience likely understood this phrase, though its meaning eludes us today. Subsequent patriarchs include Reu, Serug, Nahor, and Terah, who at seventy fathers Abram (Abraham), Nahor, and Haran. Haran sires Lot and dies in "Ur-Kasdim" during Terah’s lifetime, marking the tribe’s presence there.

For unspecified reasons, Terah, with grandson Lot, son Abraham, and daughter-in-law Sarai (Sarah), leaves Ur-Kasdim intending to reach "Canaan" but settles in Haran, where Terah dies at 205. At seventy-five, Abraham, with Sarah, Lot, and their possessions, departs Haran for Canaan. Their first notable stop is Shechem, near Moreh’s oak grove, where Abraham builds an altar. They move to a hill east of Bethel, west of Ai, where he erects another altar. Continuing south, famine drives them to Egypt, where Sarah’s beauty leads to her being taken into Pharaoh’s house as a wife. Abraham, posing as her brother, gains wealth—slaves, livestock, silver, and gold. Soon, Pharaoh’s court suffers "great plagues," possibly sores, linked to Abraham’s family. They’re expelled with their riches intact, heading initially "south" from Egypt, then back to Bethel’s altar. Lot parts ways, settling near Jordan’s cities, while Abraham resides in Mamre’s oaks at Hebron, building a third altar.

These events unfold under regional kings: Amraphel (Shinar), Arioch (Ellasar), Chedorlaomer (Elam), Tidal (Goiim), and others ruling Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Conflict erupts in the Siddim Valley (Salt Sea), rich with bitumen pits, and spreads to Ashteroth-Karnaim, Ham, Shaveh-Kiriathaim, El-Paran, Seir, En-Mishpat (Kadesh), Hazazon-Tamar, and Amalek’s land. Abraham, with 318 armed men, joins the fray, pursuing foes to Dan and Hobah, left of Damascus, to rescue Lot. For his victories, Melchizedek, king-priest of Salem, blesses Abraham by "God Most High, Lord of heaven and earth."

The text’s specific place names raise questions: Where and when did Abraham wander? Could one lifetime encompass these adventures? Science, particularly medicine, offers insights, as health details resemble modern patient accounts. Let’s explore, considering Genesis’s age, historical context, and character motivations.

After an event described as "and it came to pass," Noah’s descendants reach Shinar’s plain, likely 8,175 ± 30 years ago (6225 ± 30 BCE) during global cooling. A later generation in Mesopotamia faces an obscure incident where "the earth was divided." Without precise timelines, we hypothesize this could relate to Akkad’s rise under Sargon (~2334–2279 BCE), before Sumer’s fall.

The tribe’s home is clearly Ur-Kasdim, in "Aram-Naharaim" (Aram of two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates), distinct from "Paddan-Aram," where Haran lies in northern Mesopotamia (modern Turkey). Terah, Abraham, Lot, and Sarah briefly live in Haran after leaving Ur, suggesting Ur was in southern Mesopotamia.

Archaeologists identify Ur as Abraham’s birthplace, a Sumerian capital founded 2334 BCE, possibly razed by Samsuiluna (1749–1712 BCE), son of Hammurabi, in 1740 or 1739 BCE. Excavations by Leonard Woolley (1922–1934) at Tell al-Muqayyar reveal Ur’s lifestyle, echoing Genesis’s characters, akin to Schliemann’s Trojan discoveries.

We propose Terah’s family—settled farmers—fled Ur between 1740–1737 BCE amid Samsuiluna’s invasion, seeking unravaged lands. Ur’s coordinates are 30°57'42"N, 46°06'15"E, home to a 22nd-century BCE ziggurat, perhaps Genesis’s "tower." Terah either anticipates the attack or escapes during it, the latter suiting Abraham’s heroic saga less but seeming more plausible.

Terah leads them to Haran (36°52'16"N, 39°01'31"E), from Akkadian "ḫarrānu" (road, caravan). Near Haran’s fertile plains lies Göbekli Tepe (37°13'22"N, 38°55'13"E), built ~11,000 years ago, with neolithic sites nearby, settled post-warming (9270 ± 30 BCE). Haran thrived on trade routes, a Sumerian outpost by the 2nd millennium BCE, later worshiping Sin, the Akkadian moon god, like Ur’s Nanna.

Terah dies soon after arriving, possibly from heart failure after the grueling ~1,050 km journey along the Euphrates and Balikh rivers, passing Babylon (32°32'43"N, 44°25'48"E). Military threats may have injured him. The family, low on resources, herds thinned, couldn’t afford Haran’s farms. Abraham, now leading, risks moving southwest along the Fertile Crescent to Canaan.

Genesis claims Abraham was seventy-five, but we doubt this, given the arduous path for an elderly man with family and livestock. In Canaan, he stops at Shechem’s Moreh grove (Nablus, 32°13'14"N, 35°15'25"E), settled 4500–3200 BCE, urbanized by 1900–1750 BCE, thriving 1650–1550 BCE, then thrice ruined until 1450 BCE. Next, he camps between Bethel (Beitin, 31°55'36"N, 35°14'28"E) and Ai (Et-Tell, near Khirbet Tel Ai, 31°55'N, 35°15'42"E). Bethel, occupied 2200–2000 BCE, had walls by 2000–1500 BCE, was destroyed ~1550 BCE, and resettled 1400–1200 BCE. Ai, a fortress 3100–2950 BCE, lay abandoned 2400–1200 BCE. Abraham’s altar likely stood near Ayn Wadi al-Jayah spring (31°55'18"N, 35°15'40"E), ideal for his herds, fed by local pastures and water.

A "mountain" is mentioned, likely a hill northwest of Khirbet Tel Ai, northeast of Burj Beitin. From there, Abraham saw Bethel southwest and Ai southeast, separated by Wadi al-Jayah’s valley. The altar, possibly for Nanna (Nannar, "lord of knowledge" in Old Akkadian), stood above the spring at ~31°55'26"N, 35°15'30"E.

Famine, described as severe, strikes Canaan, likely from drought and cooling post-1740–1737 BCE, cause unclear. Crop failures hit farmers; nomads struggled with sparse grazing. Locals, food-scarce, might threaten Abraham’s herds. He moves south for safety, pastures, and water, perhaps reflecting the Hyksos’ migration to Egypt.

Covering ~330 km along the coast or through Et-Tih desert (Sinai), they reach Egypt’s Nile Delta, a reliable water source, though local farming limited grazing. Abraham likely pastured northeast, near Damietta’s branch, avoiding conflict. The route, trodden by armies, suited his group.

Sarah’s beauty draws officials’ notice; she’s taken to Pharaoh’s harem, with Abraham, posing as her brother, gaining wealth. At under twenty, Sarah aligns with Abraham, about thirty, not seventy-five. Young and poor, they couldn’t resist. The narrative subtly ties Asian migrants to Egypt’s dynasty.

Abraham and Sarah, healthy and distinctively dressed, stood out. Artistic depictions are later inventions. Sarah, born near Ur, married young (~15–16), her upbringing shaped by advanced civilizations. We reject a sixty-five-year-old Sarah in Egypt. A Sumerian-Akkadian woman, she weds into royalty, a fitting match. A 5900–4000 BCE Ur clay relief shows a natural female face, possibly Sarah’s likeness. Abraham resembles Abisha, a tribal leader in a 1897–1878 BCE Egyptian fresco.

The unnamed Pharaoh could be 13th Dynasty’s Neferhotep I (1741–1730 BCE), Sahathor (1730 BCE), or Sobekhotep IV (1730–1720 BCE), ruling from Lisht (29°34'N, 31°14'E), ~50 km south of Cairo. Avaris (30°47'10"N, 31°49'22"E) arises later (1725 BCE). Sarah, chosen despite non-royal blood, spends months under observation. Then, "great sores" afflict the court—likely cutaneous anthrax.

Anthrax, possibly in Mesopotamia and Egypt 6000–7000 years ago, appeared in China ~3000 BCE and Europe/Egypt 1491–1190 BCE. Described in Exodus, it spreads via herbivores or insect bites, with 20% mortality untreated, 1% treated. Immunity may develop from exposure to processed animal products. Sarah, unscathed, likely had prior immunity and practiced hygiene. Infected livestock in Abraham’s herd, grazing near Lisht during his first royal meeting, could’ve spread it. Chronicles note Sahathor’s death in 1733 BCE, Neferhotep’s in 1731 BCE, with Sobekhotep ruling from 1732 BCE. We propose Abraham arrived late 1733 BCE, anthrax struck, killing Sahathor. Neferhotep, linking the plague to foreigners, expels them in 1732–1731 BCE, dying after a second meeting with Abraham.

Gifts—slaves, livestock, metals—aren’t seized, likely per a physician’s advice to avoid contamination. Burial bans prevented anthrax reservoirs, a precaution Louis Pasteur later proved, suggesting Egyptian medical foresight. Dietary separation of Egyptians and nomads, noted in Genesis, was hygienic, not disdainful, curbing zoonotic diseases. An Egyptian doctor likely recorded this, not a Levantine or Mesopotamian, while an Asian writer crafted the marriage plot, each elevating their culture.

Zoonotic diseases, like swine flu or SARS-CoV-2, echo Genesis’s sanitation lessons. Abraham and Sarah’s survival hinged on royal ties; execution required undeniable cause, absent here. Sarah, a widowed queen, retained honors but was sent away to quash rumors. Legally, her marriage persisted as "former."

Abraham exits Egypt "south," not deeper from Lisht, but to the northeast border at Great Bitter Lake. Facing Et-Tih’s deserts, he skirts the Red Sea to Sudr Cape (29°35'37"N, 32°43'07"E), then northeast through Sinai, bypassing Negev and Judaean Mountains, reaching Bethel (~350 km). Lot settles near Jordan; Abraham moves to Mamre’s oaks in Hebron (31°31'44"N, 35°05'40"E), ~45 km south, near Machpelah’s cave (31°31'29"N, 35°06'39"E), later the Patriarchs’ tomb. His camp, with tents and groves, sat in a 0.5 km² valley, vivid in Genesis’s realistic landscape.

Leaving Ur (~1740–1737 BCE), they reach Egypt by 1733 BCE, depart 1732–1731 BCE, and settle Canaan by 1730–1729 BCE. Abraham, ~25 at departure, is 32–36 in Hebron; Sarah, 22–26; Lot, younger. The journey spans 8–11 years.

Post-2000 BCE, Akkadian, spoken by Abraham, aided adaptation. His youth, wit, and Sumerian-Akkadian knowledge, plus physical health, eased travels. Sarah, loyal and wise, shared ~3,000 km of hardship. Egypt’s advanced medicine and enlightened rule saved them from superstitious locals, cementing Abraham’s epic stature, rivaling Gilgamesh or Odysseus.

Amid Jordan Valley wars, Abraham, in Hebron, learns Lot’s capture. Leading 318 men, he fights to Dan (33°14'24"N, 35°39'11"E) and Hobah, possibly near Damascus (33°30'47"N, 36°18'35"E), though Damascus lacks pre-2nd millennium BCE evidence. The campaign, covering 650–700 km, mirrors Egypt’s Tale of Sinuhe (1940–1640 BCE), blending Asian nomadic motifs. Melchizedek’s blessing in Salem (Jerusalem, noted in 19th–18th century BCE papyri) concludes Abraham’s victories, grounding Genesis in historical plausibility. 

Retelling done by Grok, an artificial intelligence developed by xAI.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS


                                                                    

Author:

Arkhipov S.V. – candidate of medical sciences, surgeon, traumatologist-orthopedist. 

Citation:

Архипов С.В. Дети человеческие: истоки библейских преданий в обозрении врача. Эссе, снабженное ссылками на интерактивный материал. 2-е изд. перераб. и доп. Йоэнсуу: Издание Автора, 2025. 

Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. An essay with references to interactive materials. 2nd revised and expanded edition. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [Rus]

Purchase:

PDF version is available on GooglePlay & Google Books

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, history, first patient, injury, damage, Bible, Genesis

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