Osarseph
Legendary Egyptian priest equated with Moses in Manetho's account.
Last updated
Manetho's account, as preserved by Josephus, states that near the story's conclusion Osarseph adopted the name Moses.[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Also known as
- Osarsiph
- Role
- Egyptian priest from Heliopolis
- Associated pharaoh
- Amenophis
- Equated with
- Moses
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Pharaoh Amenophis confined 80,000 lepers and polluted people to Avaris, the former Hyksos capital.[2] The Osarsephites then allied with the expelled Hyksos, who returned from the region later associated with Jerusalem.[1][2] Together they drove Amenophis and his son Ramses into exile in Nubia for a 13-year reign of religious oppression.[2] After the lepers and Hyksos were driven out, Amenophis and his son Rameses came back to reinstate the traditional Egyptian religion.[2]
What the cited sources add
TheTorah.com account states that Osarseph had previously served at the temple of the sun god in Heliopolis.[3] It reports that when attacked, Osarseph sent messengers to conscript a militia and approached the Hyksos in Jerusalem.[3] The account notes that Osarseph changed his name to Moses after the Hyksos arrived from Canaan.[3] The stele claims that by his second year, Setnakhte had emptied Egypt of enemies and restored proper worship.[3]
Israel Knohl proposed identifying Osarseph with Irsu, a Shasu who took power after Queen Twosret's death.[4] A stele of Setnakhte, unearthed in 1971, recounts how he rescued Egypt from chaos and purged it of adversaries.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Osarseph" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Josephus, "Against Apion", Loeb Classical Library, 1940 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Osarseph" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shmuel Safrai, Shemuel Safrai, M. Stern, (eds), "The Jewish people in the first century" (Van Gorcum Fortress Press, 1976) p.1113 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Exodus: The History Behind the Story - TheTorah.com", www.thetorah.com. facts only, no text reused. thetorah.com
- Wikipedia, "Osarseph" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Exodus: The History Behind the Story - TheTorah.com", www.thetorah.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Osarseph (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Osarseph (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced