We've been looking at how different writers tried to explain the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt. Last time, we dug into Manetho's version, and now we're going to look at Cheremon's account, as Josephus describes it in his book Against Apion. Get ready, because it's a wild ride.
Josephus, defending the Jewish people against slander, wastes no time in pointing out the inconsistencies. He basically says, "Look, if there were any truth to these stories, they wouldn't contradict each other so much!" And he's right. The discrepancies are glaring.
Manetho, for instance, claims the expulsion of the "polluted people" (that's the Israelites) happened because the king wanted to see the gods. But Cheremon? He says it was all because of a dream sent to the king by Isis. Different motivations, different divine sources. Already, we're off to a shaky start.
Then there's the matter of who foresaw this whole "purgation of Egypt." Manetho names Amenophis, while Cheremon throws out the name Phritiphantes. It’s like they're not even talking about the same event!
And the numbers? Oh, the numbers are a joke. Manetho says there were 80,000 people expelled. Cheremon? A cool 250,000! As Josephus sarcastically notes, they "agree exceedingly well." (That’s some ancient shade right there!)
The details of the expulsion itself are just as muddled. Manetho writes about the Israelites being sent to work in quarries and being given the city of Avaris to live in. He even says they started a war with the Egyptians and then invited the people of Jerusalem for help. Cheremon, on the other hand, says they just wandered out of Egypt and bumped into 380,000 men near Pelusium who had been abandoned by Amenophis. Together, they invaded Egypt, and Amenophis fled to Ethiopia.
But here's the real kicker: who are these 380,000 men? Cheremon doesn't say! Are they native Egyptians? Foreigners? We have no idea! And why wouldn't the king let the "leprous people" into Egypt in the first place? Cheremon conveniently forgets to explain that too.
It gets even more absurd. Cheremon claims Joseph was driven out of Egypt at the same time as Moses. Josephus is quick to point out that Joseph died four generations – roughly 170 years – before Moses! This is a major chronological blunder. According to the timeline presented in the Torah, the math simply doesn't add up. (Josephus estimated a generation at that time as around 42-43 years, based on his own calculations elsewhere in his writings. Fascinating, right?)
And the confusion doesn't stop there. Manetho's version has Ramesses, the son of Amenophis, as a young man fighting alongside his father. But Cheremon says Ramesses was born in a cave after his father died. Then, according to Cheremon, Ramesses defeats the Jews in battle and drives them into Syria, but he neglects to mention what happened to the 430,000 people from earlier. Did they die in battle? Did they join Ramesses? Who knows?!
To top it all off, Cheremon never clarifies who he's even calling "Jews." Is it the 250,000 "leprous people" or the 380,000 near Pelusium? It's a complete mess.
Josephus concludes that it's almost silly to even bother refuting such a self-contradictory account. The inconsistencies are so glaring that they practically debunk themselves.
So, what are we to make of all this? Well, it shows us how history can be twisted and distorted, especially when it's filtered through prejudice and misunderstanding. These accounts, as flawed as they are, remind us to be critical of the stories we hear, to question the sources, and to look for the truth beneath the surface. It also shows us that the stories we tell matter, and that the way we tell them can have a profound impact on how they are understood. The Exodus story, as told in the Torah, carries a message of liberation and hope. These alternative accounts, filled with inaccuracies and biases, serve as a reminder of the importance of preserving and understanding the original narrative.