EGYPT
from
preparing
to
add
Egypt
to
their
dominions.
Cyrus
lacked
opportunity,
but
Cambyses
easily
accomplished
the
conquest
of
Egypt
in
B.C.
527,
six
months
after
the
death
of
Amasis.
The
Persian
Dynasty
is
counted
as
the
27th.
The
memory
of
its
founder
was
hateful
to
the
Egyptians
and
the
Greeks
alike;
probably
the
stories
of
his
mad
cruelty,
though
exaggerated,
have
a
soUd
basis.
Darius,
on
the
other
hand
(521-486),
was
a
good
and
considerate
ruler,
under
whom
Egypt
prospered
again;
yet
after
the
battle
of
Marathon
it
revolted.
Xerxes,
who
quelled
the
revolt,
and
Artaxerxes
were
both
detested.
Inaros
the
Libyan
headed
another
rebellion,
which
was
backed
by
an
Athenian
army
and
fleet
;
but
after
some
brilliant
successes
his
attempt
was
crushed.
It
was
not
till
about
B.C.
405
that
Egypt
revolted
successfully;
thereafter,
in
spite
of
several
attempts
to
bring
it
again
under
the
Persian
yoke,
it
continued
independent
for
some
60
years,
through
Dyns.
28-30.
At
length,
in
345,
Ochus
reconquered
the
province,
and
it
remained
subject
to
Persia
until
Alexander
the
Great
entered
it
almost
without
bloodshed
in
332
after
the
battle
of
Issus.
Throughout
the
Hellenistic
(Ptolemaic
and
Roman)
period
the
capital
of
Egypt
was
Alexandria,
the
intel-lectual
head
of
the
world.
Under
the
Ptolemys,
Egypt
on
the
whole
prospered
for
two
centuries,
though
often
torn
by
war
and
dissension.
[In
the
reign
of
Philo-metor
(c.
B.C.
170)
a
temple
was
built
by
the
high-
priest
Onias
tor
the
Jews
in
Egypt
after
the
model
of
the
Temple
at
Jerusalem
(Josephus,
BJ
vii.
x.
3).
The
ruins
have
been
recognized
by
Flinders
Petrie
at
Tell
el-Yahudieh.]
From
B.C.
70
there
is
a
conspicu-ous
absence
of
native
documents,
until
Augustus
in
B.C.
30
inaugurated
the
Roman
rule.
Egypt
gradually
recovered
under
its
new
masters,
and
in
the
second
cent,
of
their
rule
was
exceedingly
prosperous
as
a
rich
and
well-managed
cornfield
for
the
free
supply
of
Rome.
2.
Egypt
in
the
Bible
is
Egypt
under
the
Deltaic
Dynasties,
or,
at
earliest,
of
the
New
Kingdom.
This
applies
not
only
to
the
professedly
late
references
in
1
and
2
Kings,
but
also
throughout.
Abraham
and
Joseph
may
belong
chronologlcafiy
to
the
Middle
King-dom,
but
the
Egyptian
names
in
the
story
of
Joseph
are
such
as
were
prevalent
only
in
the
time
of
the
Deltaic
Dynasties.
There
were
wide
differences
in
manners
and
customs
and
in
the
condition
of
the
country
and
people
at
different
periods
of
the
history
of
Egypt.
In
the
Biblical
accounts,
unfortunately,
there
are
not
many
criteria
for
a
close
fixing
of
the
dates
of
com-position.
It
may
be
remarked
that
there
were
settle-ments
of
Jews
in
Pathros
(Upper
Egypt)
as
early
as
the
days
of
Jeremiah,
and
papyn
indicate
the
existence
of
an
important
Jewish
colony
at
Syene
and
Elephantine,
on
the
S.
border
of
Egypt,
at
an
equally
early
date.
The
OT
writers
naturally
show
themselves
much
better
acquainted
with
the
eastern
Delta,
and
especially
the
towns
on
the
road
to
Memphis,
than
with
any
other
part
of
Egypt.
For
instance,
Sais,
the
royal
city
of
the
26th
Dyn.
on
the
W.
side
of
the
Delta,
is
not
once
mentioned,
and
the
situation
of
Thebes
(No-Amon)
is
quite
misunderstood
by
Nahum.
Of
localities
in
Upper
Egypt
only
Syene
and
Thebes
(No)
are
mentioned;
in
Middle
Egypt,
Hanes;
while
on
the
eastern
border
and
the
route
to
Memphis
(Noph)
are
Shihor,
Shur,
Sin,
Migdol,
Tahpanhes,
Pi-beseth,
On;
and
by
the
southern
route,
Goshen,
Pithora,
Succoth,
Rameses,
besides
lesser
places
in
the
Exodus.
Zoan
was
not
on
the
border
routes,
but
was
itself
an
important
centre
in
the
East
of
the
Delta,
as
being
a
royal
city.
There
are
but
few
instances
in
which
the
borrowing
of
Egyptian
customs
or
even
words
by
the
Hebrews
can
be
traced;
but
the
latter
were
none
the
less
well
acquainted
with
Egyptian
ways.
The
Egyptian
mourning
of
70
days
for
Jacob
is
characteristic
(Gn
50'),
so
also
may
be
the
baker's
habit
of
carrying
on
the
head
(40"-
").
The
assertion
that
to
eat
bread
with
the
Hebrews
was
EGYPT
an
abomination
to
the
Egyptians
(43«)
has
not
yet
been
satisfactorily
explained.
The
Hebrews,
no
doubt,
Uke
the
Greeks
in
Herodotus,
slew
and
ate
animals,
e.g.
the
sheep
and
the
cow,
which
Egyptians
in
the
later
days
were
forbidden
to
slay
by
their
reUgious
scruples.
Circumcision
was
frequent
in
Egypt,
but
how
far
it
was
a
general
custom
(cf.
Jos
5')
is
not
clear.
Prophecies
of
a
Messianic
type
were
current
in
Egypt,
and
one
can
be
traced
back
to
about
the
time
of
the
Hyksos
domination.
It
has
been
suggested
that
in
this
and
in
the
custom
of
circumcision
are
to
be
seen
the
most
notable
influences
of
Egypt
on
the
people
of
Israel.
3
.
Eeligion.—
The
piety
of
the
Egyptians
was
the
char-acteristic
that
struck
the
Greeks
most
forcibly,
and
their
stupendous
monuments
and
the
bulk
of
the
literature
that
has
come
down
to
us
are
either
religious
or
funerary.
An
historical
examination
of
all
the
phenomena
would
show
that
piety
was
inherent
in
the
nature
of
the
people,
and
that
their
religious
observances
grew
and
multiplied
with
the
ages,
until
the
Moslem
conquest.
The
attempt
will
now
be
made
to
sketch
some
outlines
of
the
Egyptian
reUgion
and
its
practices,
as
they
appear
especially
in
the
last
millennium
B.C.
The
piety
of
the
Egyptians
then
manifested
itself
especially
in
the
extraordinary
care
bestowed
on
the
dead,
and
also
in
th|
number
of
objects,
whether
living
or
inanimate,
that
were
looked
upon
as
divine.
The
priests
(Egyp.
'the
pure
ones'
or
'the
divine
fathers')
were
a
special
class
with
semi-hereditary
privileges
and
duties.
Many
of
them
were
pluralists.
They
received
stipends
in
kind
from
the
temples
to
which
they
were
attached,
and
in
each
temple
were
divided
into
four
phylw
or
tribes,
which
served
in
suc-cession
for
a
lunar
month
at
a
time.
The
chief
offices
were
filled
by
select
priests
entitled
prophets.
by
the
Greeks
(Egyp.
'servants
of
the
god';
Potiphera
(Gn
41«)
was
prophet
[of
RS]
in
On),
of
which
there
was
theoretically
one
for
each
god
in
a
temple.
Below
the
priests
in
the
temple
were
the
pastophori
(Egyp.
'openers,'
i.e.
of
shrines),
and
of
the
same
rank
as
these
were
the
choachytes
(Egyp.
'water-pourers')
in
the
necropolis.
These
two
ranks
probably
made
offerings
of
incense
and
libations
before
the
figure
of
the
god
or
of
the
deceased.
The
priestly
class
were
very
at-tentive
to
cleanliness,
wearing
white
linen
raiment,
shaving
their
heads,
and
washing
frequently.
They
abstained
especially
from
fish
and
beans,
and
were
probably
all
circumcised.
The
revenues
of
the
temples
came
from
endowments
of
land,
from
offerings
and
from
fees.
The
daily
ritual
of
offering
to
the
deity
was
strictly
regulated,
formulae
with
magic
power
being
addressed
to
the
shrine,
its
door,
its
lock,
etc.,
as
it
was
being
opened,
as
well
as
to
the
deity
within;
hymns
were
sung
and
sistrums
rattled,
animals
slaughtered,
and
the
altar
piled
with
offerings.
On
festal
occasions
the
god
would
be
carried
about
in
procession,
sometimes
to
visit
a
neighbouring
deity.
Burnt-offerings,
beyond
the
burning
of
incense,
were
unknown
in
early
times,
but
probably
became
usual
after
the
New
Kingdom.
Offer-ings
of
all
kinds
were
the
perquisite
of
the
priests
when
the
god
(image
or
animal)
had
had
his
enjoyment
of
them.
Oracles
were
given
in
the
temples,
not
by
an
in-spired
priest,
but
by
nods
or
other
signs
made
by
the
god;
sometimes,
for
Instance,
the
decision
of
a
god
was
sought
in
a
legal
matter
by
laying
before
him
a
papyrus
in
which
the
case
was
stated.
In
other
cases
the
en-quirer
slept
in
the
temple,
and
the
revelation
came
in
a
dream.
The
oracles
of
the
Theban
Ammon
and
Oater)
of
Buto
were
political
forces:
that
of
Ammon
in
the
Oasis
of
Siwa
played
a
part
in
Greek
history.
The
most
striking
hymns
date
from
the
New
Kingdom,
and
are
addressed
especially
to
the
solar
form
of
Ammon
(or
to
the
Aton
during
Akhenaton's
heresy)
;
the
fervour
of
the
worshipper
renders
them
henotheistic,
pan-theistic,
or
even
theistic
in
tone.
Prayers
also
occur-
