Sabbah-Secrets of Exodus-Egyptian Origins of Hebrews(2004)

This is Messod and Roger Sabbah's mindblowing book Secrets of the Exodus - The Egyptian Origins of the Hebrew People (2004) which sets out to prove a most startling thesis that the Hebrew people of the Old Testament were actually Egyptians and followers of the pharaoh Akhenaten, whose belief in one God overturned traditional beliefs in Ancient Egypt. An immediate bestseller when it came out in France, this revolutionary study by the French-Jewish authors explains why, after more than two hundred years of scientific and archeological research, no one has found in the hieroglyphs or other Egyptian historical sources any evidence of either the Biblical Exodus or the 430-year enslavement of the Hebrew people so vividly recounted in Hebrew and Aramaic scripture. The authors have based their conclusions on two decades of research, in the course of which they came across striking similarities in practices common to the Hebrew and Egyptian religions, in the Book of Genesis and Egyptian cosmology, and in the Hebrew alphabet and Egyptian hieroglyphs. Learn what Tutankhamen's tomb reveals about the people of the Exodus and why the true mastermind behind the Exodus, the "Heavenly Father" Ay, was repeatedly glossed over by past researchers and historians. This fascinating reference fuels the passionate debate about the biblical Exodus with a provocative thesis: Not only was Moses an Egyptian but so were the Hebrew people who followed him to Canaan. So, did the Pharaohs write the Bible? This fascinating book claims outright that the "Chosen People" were noone else than the Egyptians themselves and that consequently the Hebrews were the conquering rulers - not the slaves as pictured in the story. Its premise is that the Exodus described in the Old Testament was not that of Hebrew slaves, the children of Israel, but of a sect of aristocratic Egyptians. Moses was not a Jewish leader, but, in fact, the Pharaoh Ramesses I. The Pharaoh Akhenaten initiated a monotheistic cult in Akhet-Aten, the City of Gold and Light. Following his death, the High Priest Ay, guardian of the boy king Tutankhamun, returned Egypt to the pantheon of Gods we are familiar with. The Exodus, according to authors, was in reality the evacuation of monotheistic Egyptians from Akhet-Aten to Canaan, which Egypt wished to colonise - in effect a form of imperialism. The Sabbahs are not alone in equating Moses with Ramesses. No less a person than Sigmund Freud suspected that the origin of the Hebrews of the Bible was related to the story of Akhet-Aten. Through linguistic, philologic, and religious explorations, the authors prove that the "Chosen People" were not slaves from a foreign country but high-ranking Egyptian priests and the adherents of the monotheist pharaoh Akhenaton. During a counterrevolution against monotheism, his followers were forced to move to the Egyptian province of Canaan. Based on 20 years of research, revealing tales of treachery, murder, fanaticism and romance in the great kingdom of the Valley of the Nile, the authors' claims alter not only the origins of monotheism, but also places the genesis of the Hebrew alphabet in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Though a major part of the biblical story takes place in Ancient Egypt, no trace is to be found of Abraham, Joseph or Moses as described in Genesis and Exodus. How can it be that no mention of stories or eyewitness accounts have been discovered in Egyptian hieroglyphic texts about the presence of a population which lived in Egypt for 400 years, 210 of which were in slavery, under the rule of various Pharaohs? Digging deep into archaeological and historical discoveries, the authors suggest the Hebrews were never slaves in Egypt and that the "Chosen People" were Egyptian inhabitants of the holy city of Akhet-Aten. They also propose that the book of Genesis reproduces Egyptian cosmology and that historical figures of the Old Testament such as Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, Sarah and Laban in fact conceal the names of Egyptian figures. Secrets Of The Exodus is an unique and seminal contribution to Egyptology, it may contain controversial ideas, but the authors approach them rationally and are well grounded in logical methodology. Engagingly written and richly illustrated with charts, photographs, and maps, this thought provoking volume will captivate those fascinated by the mysteries behind the Hebrew Exodus, the origins of monotheistic worship, and the history of the Hebrew people. 295 pages, many pictures. A must read for everyone.