The Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism (2018)

have had his head in a moment. This would make it more likely that Ipuwer is addressing the chief deity in the land to bemoan the total disaster that had befallen the country. INDICATIONS OF THE PLAGUES AND THEIR AFTERMATH IN THE IPUWER PAPYRUS If we look at the poem as a whole, we see that it describes an Egypt that is in total chaos and ruin. People are thirsty and desperate for something to drink because the river is blood. The rich are poor and the poor are rich. There is famine, with even the high-born and officials lacking food to eat. There is barrenness of fields, no trees, no crops. The dead are being buried everywhere. Servants have rebelled against their masters. Maidservants wear valuable necklaces. The wealthy have been turned out of their mansions. There appears to be no central authority in power. Travelers on the roads are robbed and killed. Farmers are carrying shields to defend themselves. Enmarch (2008) aptly titles his book, A World Upturned … (ironically he does not believe that the Ipuwer Papyrus refers to the Exodus). Ipuwer’s description of this total collapse of Egypt is the kind of situation that we might expect to find if the ten plagues described in the Exodus had taken place. In Table 1 we list some details in the Ipuwer Papyrus that parallel the biblical narrative. DISCUSSION 1. The question of dating the Ipuwer Papyrus events Ultimately, we need to be able to place the events described in this papyrus at the time of the Exodus. The sole extant copy of the manuscript dates to the 13 th century BC (secular); however, scholars are quite sure that it is a copy of a much earlier original. Although most agree that the text was written at the end of the 12 th Dynasty, they are divided on the question of when the events described in it occurred (if they believe these events really did occur). Gardiner (1972, pp. 109─110) says that it is “indisputable” that the papyrus describes events during the First Intermediate Period, immediately after the 6 th Dynasty: “…the condition of the country which it discloses is one which cannot be ascribed to the imagination of a romancer, nor does it fit into any place of Egyptian history except that following the end of the Old Kingdom.” Erman (1966 p. 93) concurs, saying that it is as if Egypt was suddenly blotted from our sight at that time. Hassan (2007) also takes the firm view that Ipuwer is describing real historical events at the end of the Old Kingdom. On the other hand, Velikovsky (1952, pp. 66─67) argues that the events must have happened at the end of the Middle Kingdom, at the time of the Exodus, just before the entrance of the Hyksos into Egypt. Stewart (2003, pp. 255─256) agrees, because Ipuwer writes as if the events have just happened, and the end of the Middle Kingdom is when Stewart believes that the Exodus took place. See also Van Seters (1964, pp. 13–23), who argues for the later date. The conventional Egyptian chronology shows a total collapse of Egypt twice: at the end of the 6 th Dynasty (end of the Old Kingdom) and then again at the end of the 12 th Dynasty (end of the Middle Kingdom). In the standard view, the same series of unusual events in the same order took place at the end of both of these two dynasties. Secular scholars have noticed this peculiarity, but do not seem to realize how unlikely this is. For instance, see Gardiner (1972, p. 147): …it will be well to note that the general pattern of these two dark periods is roughly the same. Both begin with a chaotic series of insignificant native rulers; in both, intruders from Palestine cast their shadow over the delta, and even into the Valley; and in both relief comes at last from a hardy race of Theban princes, who after quelling internal dissention expel the foreigner and usher in a new epoch of immense power and prosperity. A total collapse of Egypt would have resulted from the 10 plagues that preceded the Exodus, described in Exodus 7–12. As argued by Habermehl (2013), the likelihood that the 6 th and 12 th Dynasties ran concurrently and ended at the same time because of the Exodus plagues is very high. We will take the view here that all the scholars are right about the dating of the Ipuwer Papyrus events with respect to the Egyptian historical timeline, because the Exodus took place at the end of both the 6 th and 12 th (concurrent) Dynasties. If two dynasties were running concurrently, how could two pharaohs be ruling Egypt at the same time? The answer to this would appear to lie with the concept of two Egypts, Upper and Lower, that goes back to the very earliest times. As Habermehl says (2013): It is possible that the two divisions of Egypt may have been far more important historically than has been realized, and Egypt may have often been divided into two parts under two pharaohs. It is likely a myth that Egypt unified Habermehl ◀ Ipuwer Papyrus and the Exodus ▶ 2018 ICC 3 Statement from Ipuwer Papyrus Inferred Biblical Reference and Text 1. There’s blood everywhere… Lo the river is blood (p. 151). 1. …all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood (Exodus 7:20). 2. …one…thirsts for water (p. 151). 2. And the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river (Exodus 7:24). 3. Lo, trees are felled, branches stripped (p. 153). 3. …and the hail brake every tree of the field (Exodus 9:25). 4. Lo, grain is lacking on all sides (p. 155). 4. …and the flax and the barley was smitten (Exodus 9:31). 5. Birds find neither fruit nor herbs (p. 154). 5. Ex 10:15 …they (locusts) did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left (Exodus 10:15). 6. Groaning is throughout the land, mingled with laments (p. 152) 6. …and there was a great cry in Egypt (Exodus 12:30). 7. Lo, many dead are buried in the river, the stream is the grave, the tomb became stream (p. 151), and He who puts his brother in the ground is everywhere (p. 152). 7. For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn (Numbers 33:4). 8. All is ruin! (p. 152) 8. Egypt is destroyed (Exodus 10:7). Table 1. Comparison of statements from the Ipuwer Papyrus and statements in the Bible. Quotes and page numbers in the left column are from the Lichtheim (1973) translation.