The Moses Legacy - Adam Palmer [95]
The ‘book’ was in fact a papyrus scroll. This surprised Daniel somewhat as he had been expecting it to be parchment, in accordance with Jewish law. But then again, that law may well have come later. And the fact that it was papyrus suggested that the document might have some Egyptian provenance. Indeed, the very first line prompted Daniel to ask a question of Gabrielle, drawing on her expert knowledge of ancient Egypt.
‘Neferayim? Could that be a variant of Ay?’
‘I’ve never heard of him being called Neferayim.’
‘Okay, but could it have been Nefer-Ay? And then become Neferayim before becoming Ephraim?’
‘The word Nefer means “beautiful” and is a characteristic of female names in Egypt like Nefertiti and Nefertari.’
‘So you’re saying it’s only used for female names?’ asked Daniel.
‘Well no, there were a few men with “Nefer” in the name, like Neferhotep and Neferkheprure. And of course in those ancient times, they sometimes had several names.’
‘So maybe Ay could have had the alternative name of Nefer-Ay, which could then have become Neferayim?’
‘It’s possible,’ she conceded. ‘But like I said, in Egyptian writings he’s never been referred to as Nefer-Ay, let alone Neferayim.’
The priests sat there in silence throughout this exchange. They, at least, were perfectly happy to be patient. But now, the high priest leaned forward.
‘It’s consistent with what we know. Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim, so Neferayim could be an alternative name for Ephraim.’
‘Okay, well let’s put that aside for now and see what else we can find here. You must understand that because I had to leave my notes behind when I made my escape from Egypt, I’m having to rely on my memory for this translation. You’ll have to be patient with me.’
He continued to read:
Now one day Pharaoh was visiting the lands he had conquered in Syria and he went to the jail where the prisoners were kept and he saw the prisoner Joseph and he asked—
He broke off and looked at Gabrielle.
‘I’m Anglicizing the name. But just tell me one thing, does that fit the historical record?’
‘It could be true of several pharaohs. I think I have an idea which one it was, but I don’t want to say just yet. Carry on.’
Daniel looked down and continued translating, the words coming not in a flow, but almost in a burst of energy.
He asked Joseph what crime he had committed and Joseph said that he had fought against Pharaoh and was defeated. But he said that he had been betrayed by his brothers who surrendered and offered him as a prisoner that their lives may be spared. He said that they were jealous of him because he wore a coat of many colours and they took his coat away from him when they delivered him into captivity.
Gabrielle was nodding enthusiastically at this. ‘A coat of many colours was a sign of leadership. It started with a people called the Hyksos who invaded Egypt 4,000 years ago and were driven out 500 years later.’
‘According to the Bible,’ said Daniel, ‘Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colours, showing that he was the favoured son.’
‘And that made his brothers jealous,’ added one of the Samaritan priests.
Daniel carried on reading.
Then Pharaoh told him that he too was in conflict with his brother, for his brother was older and had a greater claim to the throne. And Joseph told him to say to the people that he had had a dream and that in the dream the Sphinx spoke to him and told him to sweep the sand from his feet and that if he did this he would be king.
Daniel broke off, not because he couldn’t read any further but because Gabrielle was gripping his arm.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
‘The Dream stele,’ she choked.
‘What’s that?’
‘Thutmose the Fourth, the grandfather of Akhenaten,