All of the components of the Biblical account are present in this inscription, except that the story has been “Egyptianized” to fit their religious beliefs. In our discussion of “Imhotep, the Physician”, we mentioned that ancient Greek texts speak of a place near Memphis where people came to worship “Imhotep” and be healed. Could this scenario have happened? They would pray to him, make offerings and then spend the night in this sanctuary, which was a sort of Lourdes of ancient Egypt. There was only one entrance into this center and there was an outside entrance into the system of storage bins. There is also a picture in the tomb of Tehuti-hetep in Bersheh which has a picture of a herd of Syrian cattle entering Egypt with the inscription: “Once you trod the Syrian sands. Yet, no one seems to think it strange that every known civilization has had some type of religious system. 4) “If you are a man of trust, sent by one great man to another, adhere to the nature of him who sent you, give his message as he said it.”. It begins with the great distress of the pharaoh: “I was in distress on the Great Throne…”. This leads us to think that Joseph would have had a royal tomb in Egypt, but that it was possibly taken over and used by someone else, we just don’t really know. Some Egyptologists place Senenmut's entry into royal service during the reign of Thutmose I, but it is far more likely that it occurred during either the reign of Thutmose II or while Hatshepsut was still regent and not pharaoh. As you exit this colonade and walk straight ahead, you come to a series of very large pits which extend deep into the earth. Does this fit the Biblical account? Since we do not fully understand the meaning of the Egyptian “hotep”, it is quite possible that the translation of Imhotep (“The voice of I AM) is identical to the Biblical name of Joseph (“the God lives; the God speaks). This was unique because the son of the pharaoh was usually the vizier. Da Vinci gained the reputation of a genius- Imhotep was eventually elevated to the status of a god. The elite is cloning persons from the past and makes them politicians and rock stars. Because of his great favor with the king, these came to be revered by the scribes and people. But first, we must set the stage. Senenmut first enters the historical record on a national level as the "Steward of the God's Wife" (Hatshepsut) and "Steward of the King's Daughter" (Neferure). There is no treatment for it. And while in Egypt, surrounded by paganism, God would not leave His people nor the Egyptians without access to His Truth. A kneeling statue of Senenmut, now in the Metropolitan Museum. Painted ceiling decoration from the tomb of Senenmut (SAE 71). [10], Some Egyptologists have theorized that Senenmut was Hatshepsut's lover. But there will always be those who simply will not see. There are examples of proverbs in many ancient civilizations, but the only ones which Solomon recorded by inspiration and today appear in the Bible are very similar to the ancient Egyptian “wisdom literature” which can be traced back to Imhotep. Joseph had given this plan to the pharaoh prior to his appointment as vizier or prime minister, and since it would be impossible for him to oversee the gathering and storing for the entire country, we know he implemented this plan. 3) “If you probe the character of a friend, don’t enquire, but approach him, deal with him alone,…”. Let’s look at a few passages from this inscription and compare them with the Biblical account, keeping in mind that this was written a millenium after the events it claims to be describing: 1. [11], Although it is not known where he is buried, Senenmut had a chapel and a tomb constructed for himself. '” Imhotep answers: “I need the guidance of Him who presides over the fowling net,…”. (verse 18, 19). Imhotep is the earliest physician whose historical records survive, and although Joseph isn’t mentioned as being a physician, the Bible gives one very important clue to this: GEN 50:2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. But one of the big mysteries for Egyptologists has been the tomb of Imhotep- they simply can’t find it although they know it should be somewhere in Sakkara. We’ll compare a few passages of Ptahotep’s writings to the Bible: PRO 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Facts that are typically cited to support the theory are that Hatshepsut allowed Senenmut to place his name and an image of himself behind one of the main doors in Djeser-Djeseru, and the presence of graffiti in an unfinished tomb used as a rest house by the workers of Djeser-Djeseru depicting a male and a hermaphrodite in pharaonic regalia engaging in an explicit sexual act. (The remaining obelisks of Hatshepsut were erected in Year Fifteen as part of her Heb Sed Festival; one still stands in the Temple of Karnak whilst the other is in pieces, having fallen many centuries ago.). There are several other items concerning Imhotep which continue to fit the Biblical account. ECC 6:2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. Surrounding the Step Pyramid, the first ever built, and its complex is a very beautiful and elaborate wall. We know from the Bible that Joseph died in Egypt and was embalmed and placed in a coffin. In the inscription, Imhotep answers the pharaoh about the god of the Nile and tells him where he lives. TT71 is a typical Theban Tomb chapel, but does not have burial chambers. [6] Senenmut's importance at the royal court under Hatshepsut is unquestionable: Senenmut's Theban Tomb 71 was started late in Year 7, "shortly after Hatshepsut's accession, the death of Hatnofer, and Hatnofer's internment with the exhumed remains of several family members", while the "excavation on the chapel seems to have continued until after Year 7" of the female pharaoh's reign. There are 11 of them, with only one containing a very elaborate stairway extending all the way to the bottom. We believe it is Sakkara to which they came- where the remains of this fantastic complex are preserved. Joseph’s main position was that of a prime minister and Imhotep appears to be the first who could boast of such a broad range of authority in ancient Egypt. When they received the grain, it was already in sacks: GEN 42:25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. They begin as Solomon’s Proverbs begin, as instructions to his son, with the admonition they are “profitable to him who will hear” but “woe to him who would neglect them”. GEN 37:20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. But when the foreign peoples came to purchase grain, we learn that they went directly to Joseph: GEN 42:6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. However, in the pharaoh’s burial complex under the pyramid, we find matching bins for the king and his family’s afterlife- and in these bins were found grain and other food stuffs. It tells of a community of shepherds from the “north” asking Egypt to allow them to pasture their cattle “as was the custom of the father of their fathers from the beginning”. The astronomical ceiling in Senenmut’s tomb (TT 353) is divided into two sections, representing the northern and southern skies. This statement indicates that the concept of a “proverb” was known to the ancient peoples. Ancient Greek writings mention a great sanctuary at Memphis where people came from everywhere to seek cures from Imhotep. Manetho wrote that “during his [Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty] reign lived Imouthes [i.e., Imhotep], who, because of his medical skill has the reputation of Asclepius [the Greek god of medicine] among the Egyptians and who was the inventor of the art of building with hewn stone.” It was this statement that caused the specialists to doubt the existence of a real man named Imhotep.