by
Damien F. Mackey
Part One:
The singular greatness of Moses
That explains why a
disgruntled Hebrew would bark at him (Exodus 2:14): ‘Who made you ruler and
judge over us?’ For Moses, as Vizier, was indeed “ruler”, and, as Chief Judge, he
was indeed “judge”.
Introduction
That Moses became a man of great standing in ancient Egypt is apparent
from Exodus 11:3: “… the man Moses was very great in the land
of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people”.
And this is supported by Acts 7:22: “Moses was educated
in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and
deeds”.
The priest Moses would also become supreme amongst the prophets in the eyes
of the Israelites. Deuteronomy
34:10: “There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the
LORD knew face to face”.
Historically
Moses was, as we have found, the highly successful, and highly literate,
military commander of the Sixth Dynasty pharaohs, Weni. He was Chief Judge
and Vizier of Egypt. See e.g. my:
The Bible
Illuminates History & Philosophy. Part Six (ii): Moses Chief Judge and
Vizier
This
identification would account for why a disgruntled Hebrew barked at him (Exodus
2:14): ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’
For
Moses, as Vizier, was indeed “ruler”, and, as Chief Judge, he was indeed “judge”.
It would stand to reason, then, that a man so mighty and influential as
Moses became would have been picked up, and appropriated, in the myths and legends
of the nations.
One of these ‘echoes’ of the real Moses was - as will be suggested in
this series - the Buddha.
I am by no means the first to have recognised that the Buddha, who cannot
possibly have been a genuine historical character:
Historicity of the Buddha doubted
has much in common with Moses.
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