Chapter 16. The Archive of Joseph
The saga of
Joseph, a towering figure in the Book of Genesis, begins in Harran
(36°52'16"N, 39°01'31"E), where he is born to Rachel, the second wife
of Patriarch Jacob. As a young child, he leaves Paddan-Aram in northern
Mesopotamia with his family, eventually settling in the Canaanite valley of
Hebron. The journey through Western Asia’s rugged terrain leaves vivid
impressions—of camel caravans, river crossings, and a final glimpse of his
grandfather Laban on Gilead’s heights. By seven, Joseph is in Canaan, a land of
contrasts to Harran’s plains.
At seventeen, his life takes a dark turn. His brothers,
envious of Jacob’s favoritism—symbolized by a vibrant, multicolored robe—sell
him into Egyptian slavery. In Egypt, Joseph’s fortunes shift dramatically.
Purchased by Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief bodyguard, his diligence earns him the
role of estate manager. Yet, success is fleeting; Potiphar’s wife falsely
accuses him, leading to three years in prison. There, his gift for dream
interpretation catches the court’s attention. At thirty, Joseph is appointed
vizier, overseeing all of Egypt. He predicts seven years of abundance followed
by seven of famine, a prophecy that proves true when hunger strikes. On the
famine’s second year, his brothers, unaware of his identity, arrive from Canaan
seeking grain. Their shock at discovering Joseph alive and powerful is matched
by his forgiveness. He invites his family to settle in Goshen, a fertile region
in the Nile Delta, promising to sustain them through the crisis.
Jacob, now aged, joins his son in Egypt, living seventeen
more years until his death at 147. He requests burial in Canaan, echoing the
Story of Sinuhe’s hero, who yearned for a homeland grave. Pharaoh, meeting
Jacob, likens him to Sinuhe, calling him “a born nomad,” a nod to the
Israelites’ pastoral life. Joseph entrusts physicians to embalm his father, and
a grand funeral procession carries Jacob’s body to the Machpelah cave near
Hebron (31°31'44"N, 35°05'40"E), passing through the Jordan Valley’s
“Goren-Atad,” also called “Abel-Mizraim.” Joseph returns to Egypt, living to
110. His body, too, is embalmed and placed in a coffin in the Nile Valley.
Genesis first introduces Joseph in chapter thirty, his
presence weaving through the narrative until its close. The book’s final twenty
chapters seem crafted for him—a vivid, cohesive tale, both entertaining and
morally rich, with tragedy giving way to triumph. Its details, intimate and
layered, mirror the Egyptian Tale of Two Brothers, where a diligent worker
faces betrayal and false accusations. Like that story, Genesis uses “All the
Land” for Egypt and notes a seven-year cycle, though Joseph, unlike the tale’s
hero, never claims the throne but rises to “Hereditary Prince,” second only to
Pharaoh.
Joseph’s birth year is unstated, but the text implies he
follows his sister Dinah, the youngest child when Jacob decides to leave
Harran. A lucrative contract with Laban delays their departure, extending
Jacob’s twenty-year stay—fourteen years for two wives, six more for additional
terms. When Jacob flees, pursued by Laban to Gilead, Joseph is six. The journey
from Paddan-Aram to Shechem (32°13'14"N, 35°15'25"E) takes about a
year, placing Joseph in Canaan at seven. He recalls boarding a camel with his
mother, crossing a river, and ascending Gilead, where a celebration marks his
last sight of Laban. The family camps at Mahanaim through summer and early
fall. One night, chaos erupts; Joseph, half-asleep, is led through darkness by
Jacob, who carries him over the rushing Jabbok River (Zarqa River). Amid
livestock clamor and herdsmen’s calls, Jacob stumbles, clutching his son
tightly. Rachel, alarmed, takes Joseph, setting him down safely. At dawn, the
caravan moves on, led by a limping Jacob, staff in hand.
Soon, a daunting sight emerges—a band of grim Bedouins on
camels, armed with spears, daggers, and axes. Their approach engulfs the
caravan, encircling it. Jacob positions Joseph and Rachel at the rear. Voices
rise, then calm; the family bows. Joseph, awestruck, sees a lion-like warrior, learning
it’s his uncle Esau, evoking tales of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The Bedouins
depart, and the caravan reaches Succoth by evening. Winter passes warmly, with
Rachel sharing Mesopotamian myths—of creation, a wondrous garden, a great
flood, and Dilmun’s marvels. Spring brings relocation to a plain near Shechem,
where eight peaceful years unfold. Joseph’s youth ends abruptly at Shechem’s
walls—his sister hides, brothers rage with bloodied swords, and Jacob grows
anxious. Rachel, pregnant and frail, joins a hurried exodus. During a bleak
march, she collapses, giving birth to Benjamin in a tent amid chaos. Her cries
fade, replaced by an infant’s wail. Jacob’s anguished sobs echo as Rachel dies.
A stone monument marks her grave at dusk. Joseph and Benjamin are taken in by
Bilhah, alongside Dan and Naphtali. Childhood vanishes; labor, sibling scorn,
and solitude define Joseph’s adolescence. The family roams, settling near a
cave where Joseph meets Isaac, his eloquent grandfather, whose tales lull him
into dreams. Isaac’s death two years later deepens the divide with his
brothers, whose hatred peaks over Joseph’s dreams. At seventeen, they beat him,
cast him into a pit near Dothan, and sell him to Midianite traders bound for
Egypt.
The narrative’s flow obscures details, like the
anachronistic Midianites, who rose later. The traders, crossing the Levant,
pass near Hebron, yet Joseph doesn’t flee or seek ransom, knowing Jacob would
pay. He sees Egypt as an “open window” to escape nomadic life for urban
promise. Perhaps he staged his disappearance, leaving a bloodied robe with a
stranger’s help near Shechem, who alerts his brothers. Joining the caravan,
Joseph reaches Egypt undaunted, seizing his fate. His sale to Potiphar is no
accident—he avoids quarries or fields, landing in the capital. Under the Hyksos
(circa 1675–1567 BCE), Western Asians ruled northern Egypt, easing his
integration. Likely fluent in Akkadian, he adapts swiftly, mastering the local
tongue. As estate manager, he hones administrative skills, but Potiphar’s
wife’s slander lands him in a privileged prison. There, the warden taps his
talents, assigning him to oversee jailed officials—Pharaoh’s cupbearer and
baker.
Joseph’s rise at thirty to Egypt’s second-in-command follows
years of toil. For seven prosperous years, he prepares for famine, which
strikes Canaan and beyond. At thirty-nine, as the crisis deepens, Jacob’s clan
joins him in Goshen, likely near the Suez isthmus, ideal for grazing. Jacob
travels from Hebron via Beersheba (31°14'44"N, 34°50'27"E), possibly
tracing Abraham’s path, a 250-kilometer trek manageable in half a month. He
lives seventeen years in Egypt, dying in 1583 BCE per our estimate, born around
1730 BCE. Joseph dies in 1529 BCE at 110, short of the divine limit of 120,
unlike Ramesses II’s 90 years. These ages seem inflated, possibly due to
Mesopotamian numeral systems mixing base-six and base-ten, or to elevate the
characters’ stature.
The famine likely ties to the Santorini eruption (circa
1610±14 BCE) at Thira (36°24'21"N, 25°27'25"E), disrupting
agriculture from 1602 BCE. A second eruption in 1601 BCE worsened the crisis by
1600 BCE, aligning with Genesis’s two-year escalation. Egyptian records, like
Djoser’s inscription of a seven-year Nile failure, may have inspired the
narrative. Santorini’s ash and sulfur cooled the region, decimating crops and
livestock, pushing Jacob’s family to Goshen. The Hyksos’ Avaris, a cosmopolitan
hub, welcomed migrants, explaining Joseph’s smooth ascent and Jacob’s
relocation.
A striking detail is Jacob’s Jabbok injury, a damaged “sinew
of the hip”—the ligamentum capitis femoris—diagnosed with precision rare even
today. Occurring in November 1633 BCE, per our timeline, it suggests a
physician’s input, likely the Edwin Smith Papyrus author (circa 1600 BCE), whom
we call Imhotep the Younger. This polymath, possibly tied to Heliopolis
(30°05'47"N, 31°19'35"E), shapes Genesis with scientific
rigor—evolutionary hints, surgical notes, and anatomical detail. He likely
oversaw Jacob’s embalming, examining the hip to refute divine punishment, a
materialist stance Joseph supports as a progressive leader.
Joseph’s archive, begun in Egypt, blends oral tales with records, dictated to scribes. Covering Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it draws on Mesopotamian myths and personal stories. Joseph’s storytelling, honed by dream interpretations, enlivens it; Imhotep’s edits ground it. Crafted in Egyptian between 1609 and 1583 BCE, it’s a Hyksos official’s chronicle, later adapted by Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and Ezra, finalized in 445 BCE. This epic, rivaling Greek and Mesopotamian works, fuses Nile and Fertile Crescent motifs, cementing Joseph’s legacy as a visionary whose saga endures.
Retelling done by Grok, an artificial intelligence developed by xAI.
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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