What Does Akhnaton Mean to Christianity?

Public seminar hosted by Cybek, Inc. of New York

March 21, 1999

Following paper based on the lecture given by:

Charles N. Pope

JudeoRoots, Inc.

Orlando, FL

http://members.aol.com/judeoroots

posted March 25, 1999

last revised April 11, 1999

Copyright 1999

Mother of Moses, Mother of Gods!

Abstract

A previously unnoticed correspondence between the name of Moses' mother in the Bible and that of the mother of King Oedipus in Greek traditions leads to a convincing new proof that both women were one and the same as historical Queen Tiye, mother of the sensational and mysterious Egyptian 18^th Dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaten. The mother of Moses is named in the Bible as Jochebed ("nobility of Jo/Yah"). The Hebrew name Jochebed is identical to that of Oedipus' mother, which is given in the Sophocles plays as Jocaste. Jocaste also translates from the Greek as "nobility of Jo/Yah." The mother of Akhenaten has been established by archaeology as the Queen Tiye. Tiye was in turn the daughter of the Prime Minister "Ya" (Vizier Yuya) who governed Egypt during the reigns of Pharaohs Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III. Ahmed Osman has previously established the relationship between Yuya and the Biblcal Joseph. Both names, Yuya and Joseph/Yuseph, derive from the deity Yahweh/Jehovah. Therefore, Tiye as the real life mother of Akhenaten, was quite literally of the "nobility of Ya" as well!

This triple correspondence is entirely reasonable. However, the controversy involves the emphatic assertion by Sophocles and other Greek writers that Oedipus also sired heirs through a dynastic marriage with his mother. Surprisingly, a fresh investigation of relevant passages in the Bible and the Talmud also indicates that Zipporah, the wife of Moses and mother of his two sons, was also considered by ancient Jews to be Moses' own mother. Pseudonyms were used to separate the two roles of Tiye. As mother of Akhenaten she is Jochebed, and as his wife Zipporah. Moreover, there is strong circumstantial archaeological evidence attesting to a dynastic marriage between Akhenaten and his mother Tiye. This does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that Akhenaten (Moses/Oedipus) actually did produce royal heirs by his mother Tiye (Jochebed/Jocaste). It does lead to the conclusion that, right or wrong, this is what reliable and independent textual sources are explicitly and implicitly telling us. DNA testing of 18^th Dynasty royals, which is presently underway at Brigham Young University may help resolve this emotionally charged issue.

Introduction

In the modern era, Sigmund Freud was the first to explore an association between Akhenaten and Moses. His study was published in 1939 under the title "Moses and Monotheism." However, Freud rejected the suggestion of his protégé Karl Abraham that Akhenaten was also reflected in the Greek traditions of Oedipus memorialized by Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus. The connection between Akhenaten and Oedipus was not seriously pursued again until Immanuel Velikovsky published "Oedipus and Akhenaten" in 1960. This work is still extremely valuable, and presents archaeological evidence that is not found elsewhere in the published literature. Unfortunately, Velikovsky's bizarre chronology led him to reject the possibility that Akhenaten and Moses could also have been contemporaries and potentially coincident.

It was not until Ahmed Osman's 1990 title "Moses: Pharaoh of Egypt" that the correspondence between Akhenaten and Moses was brought once again under scholarly consideration. However, by this time Velikovsky's research had fallen into obscurity along with the largely discredited main corpus of his work. The third generation Freudian Psychoanalyst William Theaux has revived Velikovsky's unique investigation of Oedipus and has called for a new synthesis of Oedipus with Moses, and with the archaeology of Akhenaten. Furthermore, Dr. Theaux has identified the need to integrate the separate traditions of Hermes Trismegistus, which embody attempts from previous centuries to perform this very same synthesis of Akhenaten, Moses and Oedipus.

Proof that Biblical Zipporah was Both Mother and Wife of Moses.

The mother of Moses is named in the Bible as Jochebed, which means "nobility of Jo/Yah." This Hebrew name has an identical meaning to the Greek name of Oedipus' mother, which is given in the Sophocles plays as Jocaste (also "nobility of Jo"). The mother of the historical Akhenaten is confirmed by archaeology to be Tiye. Tiye was the daughter of the Prime Minister "Ya" (Vizier Yuya of 18^th Dynasty Egypt, see Note 1 at bottom). Therefore, the historical mother of Akhenaten, Tiye, was literally of the "nobility of Jo/Yah" as well.

Yuya is regaled by numerous titles in his tomb. Surprisingly, a large percentage of these titles emphasize personal "friendship" with the King and with God. Included among these are, "Great Friend," "Sole Friend," "First of Friends," "Confidant of the Good God," "Confidant of the King," and "First Among the King's Companions."

The first name given for Moses's father-in-law is Reuel. Reuel is also named explicitly as the father of Zipporah, Moses' wife. Amazingly, this name Reuel literally means "Friend of God." Based on these stunning associations alone, the subject proof could logically end at this very point. That is Yuya (as Biblical Joseph/Reuel) was the father of Tiye (as Zipporah-Jochebed/Jocaste) who was the mother and wife of Akhenaten (as Moses/Oedipus).

Nevertheless, to quote Sophocles, "Judgments formed too quickly are dangerous." This is a delicate matter and certainly of critical importance to Theology and the personal faith of millions of people worldwide, therefore additional background material will be respectfully explored.

In Exodus Chapter 2, Reuel is named as the father-in-law of Moses. Starting abruptly with Chapter 3, the father-in-law is named as Jethro. Although, Jethro is not named as the father of Zipporah, he is commonly presumed to be one and the same as Reuel. But is he? One form of the name Jethro (Heb. Yithrow/Yether) is given in the Hebrew as "Ithra." This form is obviously Egyptian in origin, and literally translates as "increase of Ra." In the Oedipus play, the brother of Jocaste and uncle/brother-in-law of Oedipus is named as Creon. This name can be literally translated as "increase of On." Of course, On (Heliopolis in Egypt) was the cult center of the sun god Ra. Jethro and Creon are therefore equivalent names, and correspond to the historical person of Aye, the brother of Tiye. Aye followed in his father Yuya's footsteps and became a leading vizier in Egypt. He later became Pharaoh in his own right upon the death of Tutankhumun. The characterization of Creon is very strong in the three Oedipus plays and confirms that he correspond's to Tiye's brother Aye.

Archaeology has identified three children of Yuya. They are Tiye, Aye and Aanen. Incidently, another son of Reuel is mentioned in the Bible in Numbers 10:29. His name is Hobab, which means "to hide." Hobab is possibly related linguistically to Aanen, who was appointed to the highly influential post of second priest of Amun. Amun was the "hidden God" of Egypt, and the source of the ending to Christian, Muslim and Jewish prayers, i.e., "Amen." Sophocles records that Oedipus (Akhenaten) was hidden in the hills of Kith-Airon [Aanen] as a child. As a son of Reuel, Hobab (Aanen) would also be the brother of Zipporah (Yiye) and Jethro (Aye). The Bible also states in Judges 4:11 that Hobab is the brother-in-law of Moses. This further establishes Akhenaten's dynastic marriage to his mother Tiye.

Whether one is prepared at this point to accept the exact relationships proposed, there can be little doubt that we have identified the historical family of Moses, that of Akhenaten. The Bible states that the father of Moses was not Joseph, but Amram. However, Akhenaten acknowledged "Imram" to be his divine father (See Note 1). Therefore, Amram, which is equivalent to Imram and a close variant of Abram, may have been an alias which represented the deified Yuya/Joseph. The hands of Yuya's mummy were posed in an unusual manner, and indicate that he himself was the intended object of worship. The Bible also states that Joseph ruled Egypt as Pharaoh's "double," was subordinate to Pharaoh only in the throne, and that Egyptian subjects were commanded to "bow the knee" before him. In Oedipus, Yuya corresponds to the character of Laius, who is said to be a deceased ruler. The name Laius and his characterization can indicate a high "official," i.e., a prime minister, one who ruled in a civilian capacity. Therefore, the textual and archaeological sources are telling us that Akhenaten was not the son of Amenhotep III (and he never claims to have been), but the son of Yuya (Imram/Amram). See additional detail in the Note 1 following the essay.

There are two leading women in the life of Biblical Moses. One is his wife Zipporah who is the mother of his two sons. The other is his sister Miriam. Miriam corresponds far more closely to Akhenaten's sister-wife Nefertiti. (Meryre/Merit was the generic name in Egypt for the royal heiress.) Nefertiti had initial status, as did Biblical Miriam, but was later disgraced. Biblical Miriam was stricken with leprosy for objecting to Moses' Cushite wife (see discussion below), and according to the Biblical account was not even mourned by the Israelites upon her death. This was in spite of her inspirational role in leading the Israelites in celebration after their escape through the sea.

Nefertiti features prominently in all of Akhenaten's temples, both in Thebes and at Akhet-aten. However, upon the death of Amenhotep III in Year 12 of Akhenaten's coregency, Nefertiti is subordinated to Tiye - so much so that some Egyptologists have concluded that she may have even died at that very same time. Nevertheless, she is identified in a mural depicting the funeral her daughter Mekataten in Akhenaten's year 14. In the Bible, Miriam is still very much alive after the Exodus and after the departure from Mt. Sinai.

There is some agreement among Egyptologists that Aye was the father of Nefertiti, and therefore the father-in-law of Akhenaten by virtue of his marriage to Nefertiti. The Bible would confirm this by naming Jethro as (a second) father-in-law to Moses. The historical Nefertiti corresponds closely to the Biblical Miriam, the "sister" of Moses, and not to Zipporah. Moreover, when we superimpose the textual accounts onto the historical genealogy of Akhenaten, it is clear that Reuel and Jethro are two different persons. Reuel (Yuya) is the father of Zipporah (Tiye), and Jethro (Aye) is the father of Miriam (Nefertiti). Jethro (Aye) is also the brother of Zipporah (Tiye).

The Bible states that Jochebed bore Miriam, Moses and Aaron "FOR" Amram. According to Israelite custom, they were not necessarily all sired BY Amram. Miriam (Nefertiti) may have been produced by Jethro (Aye) on Amram's behalf. The Biblical requirement for a male relative to "produce offspring for a dead brother" must be understood in order to fully appreciate the subtlety of the Bible's wording. In the royal court, this protocol extended to living "brothers" who were not able to produce both male and female heirs through their sister-wife, because they too closely related. These "sterile" or "barren" couples certainly could produce children through unrelated partners, but not always through each other.

The wife of Aye had the same name as Tiye, and may very well have been Tiye herself. Egyptologists spell her name as Tey to avoid "confusion" with Tiye, however there is no difference in the Egyptian forms of their names. The polyandrous role of Tiye in the royal court of that time has not been the least bit suspected. Therefore, it is the Egyptologists who have been confused by the sterile archaeological data. Without the cultural context, it is not possible to correctly interpret inscriptions that served primarily as propaganda, i.e., to dispel rumors, etc. Egyptologists are prone to take inscriptions at face value, and assume that the family relationships of the 18^th Dynasty were conventional. They were far from it.

Family relationships are rarely ever provided on public or even in private inscriptions. In those cases in which they were made public, we should be highly suspicious. For example, Thutmose III is stated in an inscription to have been the son of Thutmose II, however we know that it was necessary for him to have been "adopted" at the temple of Amun before gaining kingship. The phrase that a person was a "king's son of his own body" should be taken more seriously. However, it reveals that a king's designated heir was not necessarily his own natural son, but often that of a close male relative. Compare the Biblical account of Abram (Gen. 15: 4) in which "the Lord" promises Abram that "a son coming from your own body will be your heir."

By superimposing archaeology, the Bible, and the Greek traditions the following scenario is proposed in which Tiye was provided with as many as five or more consorts, viz., Amenhotep III, Aanen, Aye, Yuya, and Akhenaten. As a child she was married to Amenhotep III upon his coronation as Pharaoh. When Amenhotep III was unable to produce a set of heirs through Tiye, her brothers Aanen (the eldest) and Aye in turn sired Meryre/Merayu (Biblical Aaron, see Note 2, below) and Nefertiti (Miriam) through her. The eldest royal son Thutmose V did not survive to adulthood.

After Tiye and her brothers were not successful in producing additional heirs, Tiye's own father Yuya sired Amenhotep IV (later renamed as Akhenaten). Finally, Tiye (as archetype of Athene and center of her universe), became the vessel of honor used for a daring religious practice (see Archaeological Evidence, below) undertaken to safeguard Egypt in a time of devastating plague. This was a dynastic liaison between Tiye and her son Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten). Regardless of how shocking this may sound, the DNA analysis of the royal mummies may prove or at least point to this relationship. Therefore, we are wise to prepare ourselves for that possibility despite the repugnance that it evokes today.

The subject plague is known from archaeology to have ravaged the entire Near East, and had struck Egypt especially hard. Recovering from its destruction was the main preoccupation of the final four Pharaohs of the 18^th Dynasty. In order to protect Egypt from the growing evil that may have claimed the heir Thutmose V, the youthful mother Tiye was compelled (by Yuya and possibly other family members) to become the consort of her own son. As the plague raged on they produced two sons, Semenkhare and Tutankhamun, and possibly a daughter Beketaten. The plague did not abate. Ironically, Yuya, Tiye and particularly Akhenaten were ultimately blamed for bringing on its "judgment" as a result of the very same sacrificial measures they employed to end it. (See additional notes below under the Archaeological Proof.)

Nefertiti and Akhenaten are known to have had at least three daughters. Miriam is not presented as Moses's wife in the Bible, because she did not bear any male heirs for him, and was thoroughly dominated by Zipporah who had. In a historical sense, this was entirely unfair due to the fact that two of Nefertiti's daughters did become the Royal Wives of the three Pharaohs who followed Akhenaten. Nevertheless, the Biblical and Egyptian custom was to refer to minor wives and concubines (regardless of their nobility) as maidservants and slave women, and sometimes not as wives at all. Such was the case for Abraham's wife Hagar.

It was in Year 12 of his coregency that Akhenaten's predecessor Amenhotep III died. At this time there is a sudden demotion of Nefertiti and a corresponding elevation of Tiye to the status of Great Wife of Akhenaten. Had Semenkhare and Tutankhamun been Nefertiti's sons, Tiye would have been relegated to the status of Queen Mother upon the death of her husband. Had Amenhotep III been the father, it would not have been necessary for Tiye to be identified as the consort of Akhenaten.

Akhenaten clearly wanted sons through Nefertiti. After the fateful Year 12 of his co-regency with Amenhotep III, he continued his desperate attempts to produce a son through the daughters of Nefertiti. The death of the second eldest daughter Mekataten in Year 14 is generally considered to have been caused by the delivery of a daughter born to Akhenaten.

Evidence from the Talmud

The Talmud relates that Moses traveled to Ethiopia and came to the assistance of a Queen "Aten-it" whose husband had died. Moses vanquished the Queen's enemies, and reigned along side her. Later, Moses was compelled to abdicate in favor of one of the Queen's sons by the previous king. Egyptologist Ahmed Osman states that the term "Ethiopia" does not refer exclusively to Africa, but is also used to indicate Upper Egypt, i.e., "the South," which included Thebes. Moreover, the name Aten-it (Athene) further confirms the time period of Moses to that of Amarna in the 18^th Dynasty. Therefore, this account in the Talmud corresponds closely to the return of Akhenaten to Thebes upon the death of his predecessor Amenhotep III. Tiye assured Akhenaten's succession, and he reigned beside her as sole king until his year 17. Nefertiti enters into almost complete obscurity during this period. Now we can understand that Miriam's objections to the "Cushite woman" refers to Moses' marriage to Zipporah (Tiye)!

The Talmud account indicates that upon the abdication of Akhenaten in his Year 17, the throne was occupied by a son of Tiye and Amenhotep III. However, the phrase "previous king" may be a later interpolation, or simply a subtle way of indicating Akhenaten became the previous king upon his abdication, and the sons were his through Tiye.

Back to the Bible

The Bible indicates that the successors Semenkhare and Tutankhamun were the sons of Akhenaten and Tiye. Semenkhare is related linguistically to the son of Zipporah and Moses named Eliezer. The roots Semen and Elie (Etio) are equivalent, with "zer/zar" being a corruption or intentional adaptation of "khare." Gershom, meaning "foreigner" corresponds to Tutankhamun born to Akhenaten in exile at the city of Akhet-aten.

Careful study of the Biblical passage reveals that Eliezer is the elder son, and Gershom is actually the younger. Gershom (meaning "foreigner") is born after the exile. This corresponds to the birth of Tutankhamun in year 9 of Akhenaten. Beginning with his year 5, Akhenaten lived in exile in Middle Egypt (Biblical "Midian"). His exile is evident by the boundary markers at Akhet-aten that establish it as a "city of refuge." Akhenaten vowed to never leave the city. Upon Moses' return to Egypt (Akhenaten's return to Thebes after the death of Amenhotep III, the Pharaoh that sought to kill him?), the Bible states that Moses and Zipporah have two sons. The naming of Eliezer reflects that he was born before Gershom during the time of Moses' trouble in Egypt. If this is the case, Eliezer would have been circumcised according to Egyptian tradition before Moses had killed "an Egyptian" and was required to flee, because "Pharaoh sought to kill him."

Like so many Biblical brothers, the younger achieved greater renown than the elder. As with Ephraim and Manasseh, the younger Gershom is always listed before his elder brother Eliezer. This is not difficult to appreciate when one recognizes that Gershom represents the younger son Tutankhamen, and Eliezer the elder but more fleeting Semenkhare.

On his return to Egypt, Moses is confronted by "the Lord" because he has failed to circumcise his young son. This is a clear indication that the exile did not last a literal forty years, but lasted only about four additional years after the birth of Tutankhamun, or a total of seven or eight years all together. This is far more reasonable in human terms. The Biblical passage would not make sense if Gershom and Eliezer were middle aged men of 40. In ancient times 40 years would have represented a rather advanced age.

When Lord Laius attempts to kill Oedipus, he retaliates and kills Laius. The response of Moses to the Lord's attempt on his life is not included in the Biblical account. However, Zipporah's reaction is telling. She remarks, "What a bloody husband you are to me!" Her insolence is disturbing, and indicates that more blood than that associated with circumcision may have been shed in this encounter. It also reflects that Tiye had seniority over Akhenaten, and had herself come to resent the dynastic marriage to him. At a minimum, Akhenaten had refused or neglected to have Tutankhamun circumcised. It became necessary for Tiye to have it done to comply with Egyptian tradition and as an attempt to make the marriage more acceptable to her Egyptian subjects.

What follows next is an entirely Biblical proof that Zipporah was the mother of Moses.

Besides Gershom and Eliezer, there is only one other person in the Bible who is said to be the son of Zippor(ah). This other son of Zippor(ah) is Balak. The name Balak means "to waste, destroy, consume."

The strange encounter of Balaam and Balak is strategically inserted into the account of Moses, not only to discretely preserve the controversial family relationship, but also the unpopular politics of the Exodus. After Akhenaten abdicated in favor of Semenkhare and fled the country, a covenant was made between them. However, the tablets were broken, indicating that Semenkhare was killed at Mt. Sinai or in Egypt upon his return from Mt. Sinai. Archaeology indicates that Semenkhare only survived a short time (far less than a year) upon the end of Akhenaten's reign. Semenkhare was, in turn, succeeded by Tutankhamun. However, this succession did not occur without concessions from the Atenists (Aten is the Biblical Adon/Adonai). One such stipulation is known to have been the required change of Tutankhamun's name from Tutankhaten.

When Akhenaten (Moses) and the Israelites left Mt. Sinai early in the second year after the Exodus, Akhenaten's son Tutankhamun (Gershom/Balaam) was the reigning Pharaoh. It was to Tutankhamun that Akhenaten appealed for support in discharging his obligation to dispose of the diseased among the Hebrews and Israelites. (Not all Israelites were diseased and participated in this Exodus.) Nevertheless, Tut neither helps Akhenaten or the Israelites in their final crisis. Three times Balak solicits Balaam to curse Israel, and three times Balaam blesses them. However, his blessing is as the one denounced in the New Testament, "Be warm, and filled." Without providing physical assistance, the blessing was worthless. As a result, the Israelites are slaughtered by the Midianites. Balaam had sold them out, and Balak had finished them off.

The name Balaam has the identical meaning as Gershom, i.e., "foreigner." The name of Balaam's father is given as Beor. The name Beor carries the identical meaning as Balak. Therefore, the Bible is using a little indirection to encode that Balaam (Gershom) was in fact the son of Balak (Moses), and that both were the sons of Zippor(ah), i.e., Tiye. The name Balak/Beor reflects the destructive plagues that Moses had called down upon Egypt.

The authors of the Bible were motivated to protect the integrity of Akhenaten/Moses, even as we are today. A political decision had been made that "none of the Israelites who left Egypt" with Akhenaten/Moses would be allowed to enter the "Promised Land." After a series of "plagues," they were at last delivered over to the Midianites. Immediately after this final slaughter, a census is taken and it is declared that no one of that generation were any longer living. No doubt, this expedient fulfillment of "prophesy" was later criticized, and perceived as deceitfulness. Rather than attribute this act explicitly to Akhenaten/Moses and his son, pseudonyms were introduced into the account. However, a key was provided in order for "family" to understand the true identities of Balaam and Balak.

The Bible states that Balaam had come from and returned to his home near "the river." The river intended is not the Euphrates or the Jordan, but the Nile. A mural in the tomb of the Egyptian noble May depicts Tutankhamun and his "Cabinet members" The six men who stand behind Tut in the mural include the four generals who would follow him on the throne. They are his uncle Aye, Horemheb, Ramses and Seti (type of Biblical Satan). All four of these generals ultimately turned against Akhenaten. The persecution of the Hebrews of the Egyptian Delta by Ramses occurred before Ramses became Pharaoh, although at a time when he was very much a powerful leader and the mayor of the city Zarw (Pa-Rameses) in the Biblical land of Goshen.

Sophocles makes it clear that Aye demanded Akhenaten's abdication. Horemheb (Choragos of the Oedipus plays) also urges Akhenaten to "take the fall" for the good of the country. Nevertheless, the Biblical record of Jethro visiting Moses in the wilderness indicates that Aye was providing at least nominal support after the Exodus. Any of the four generals could have been the "Pharaoh" that chased Moses/Akhenaten to the border of Egypt. A compromise ("covenant") was negotiated between these four generals, who were to be future Pharaohs. Each of these four men were very closely related not only to each other, but to Akhenaten and his sons who succeeded him. The strife associated with the Exodus, and which ultimately brought down the Egyptian 18^th Dynasty was largely an overblown family feud.

The phrase in the Bible that a new king came to power that "knew not Joseph" simply means that this Pharaoh did not revere Joseph (Yuya) or honor his wishes. It does not indicate that Joseph was even dead. Joseph did ultimately die as do all, but not until the events of Exodus 1-4 had transpired. Starting with verse 8 of Exodus Chapter 1, the narrative is taking us back in time to reveal how it happened that Joseph came to be disrespected and met his end. This provides the missing biography of Joseph between the death of his father Jacob and his own death recorded at the end of the book of Genesis.

Velikovsky cites a hymn that was a popular practice exercise for scribes in training during the reigns of Tutankhamun and Aye. It reads,

The sun of him [Akhenaten] that knew thee not hath set, O Amun.

But he that knoweth thee, he shineth.

The forecourt [eye] of him that assailed thee is in darkness,

while the whole earth is in sunlight.

Whoso putteth thee in his heart, O Amun,

lo, his sun hath risen.

(A. Erman, The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians (1927), pp 309-310.)

[parentheticals mine]

Akhenaten knew Amun all too well. He ordered the very name to be expunged throughout the entire country. What is meant by "knew" is therefore revere, honor, worship, etc. Likewise, the Pharaoh that "knew not Joseph" was a younger contemporary of Joseph.

The accounts of the Bible were intended to be a "family" or "national" history. The Israelite elite were not ashamed of Akhenaten, or the sexual liaisons of the royal court. Neither, did they consider it wise to make explicit certain matters that would be unappreciated and belittled by outsiders. The recording of their heritage was of paramount importance. The traditions were preserved for themselves and their children, and not for a cruel and uncaring world. Unfortunately, over time the ability to interpret the subtle indirection in the Biblical accounts was lost even to the Jews. The events recorded in the Bible were not "done in a corner." At the time of their occurrence, the dynastic marriage of Akhenaten and Tiye was very widely published. The parochial names given to the Biblical actors actually represented individuals who were renowned the world over. Many were revered as living gods. The identities of these royals as well as their relationships and other actions can now be recovered, because there are sufficient archaeology findings to reestablish the original historical context.

Akhenaten would have been no more sexually attracted to his mother than you or I. The account of Sophocles makes it clear that his marriage to his mother was not for love or pleasure, but a "service to the state." Right or wrong, royalty reserved for themselves the exclusive right of human breeding for the purpose of establishing their superiority over commoners, and furthering the pursuit of the elusive divine form.

We may as well just lose our self-righteous indignation. A far more beautiful bride of genetic manipulation now lays on the bed before mankind, and the most blushing attempts of any royal court pale in comparison with what scientists will soon be able to produce through her. It is time to "gird up the loins of our minds" and to "provide things honest in the sight of all men." A "childish" understanding of the Bible is not going to protect us from the evils that lie in wait for us in the near future. We had better wake up from this deception soon before it is too late, and our ability to provide a safe world for our own natural children is lost forever.

Archaelogical Proof that Historical Tiye was both the Wife and Mother of Akhenaten

The main points made by Velikovsky are:

1) In one of the Amarna archive letters, the Babylonian (Kassite) King Burnaburiash referred to Tiye as Akhenaten's "mistress."

2) The role of Nefertiti was entirely subverted by Tiye upon the death of Amenhotep III.

3) Indications from the tomb of Tiye's steward Huya depict Tiye and Akhenaten in a marriage relationship.

a) Tiye is referred to as "Mistress of South and North, the great wife of the king, whom he loves."

b) Akhenaten leads Tiye by the hand with a daughter Bekataten trailing.

c) Akhenaten is shown dining intimately with two separate families. One is that of Nefertiti and her daughters. The other is Tiye and her daughter. Tiye's daughter is referred to as "the king's daughter of his body, beloved by him, Bekataten." Tiye's insignia are superior to those of Nefertiti.

d) Huya's title of "Superintendent of the Harem of the Great Royal Wife, Tiye" is stated as an active and not a former post. Likewise, Tiye is described as "King's Mother and Great Royal Wife."

e) Tiye is described as "sweet in her love, who fills the palace with her beauty, the regent, the Mistress of South and North, the great wife of the king who loves him, the Lady of both lands, Tiye."

Amenhotep III is deceased when the above inscriptions were made, therefore Akhenaten must be the intended husband of Tiye, and father of Bekataten and of the heirs Semenkhare and Tutankhamun.

Velikovsky documented in "Oedipus and Akhenaten" (1960) that a child born from a son and a mother was considered particularly holy in certain royal courts of the Near East, but may not have been acceptable in Egypt.

Velikovsky also notes (p. 62) that the god Amun (Amen) was revered as the "King of the Gods" in Egypt, and elsewhere in ancient times as Jupiter. Other names of this god were Zeus in Greece, Marduk in Babylon, and Mazda in Persia.

The historian "Catullus stated that a magus (a Mazda priest) is the fruit of incestuous relations between mother and son (Catullus, xc. 3)."

"Observance of it [incest, especially between son and mother] is one of the surest signs of piety in the coming days of evil it expatiates mortal sin and forms the one insuperable barrier to the attacks of Aeshm, the incarnation of Fury (Sayast la Sayast, VIII. 18; XVIII, 3f.)"

The liaison between Tiye and Akhenaten was not necessary to ensure kingly succession. The heirs Akhenaten and Nefertiti were still young and capable of carrying on the line. Amenhotep III had set up over 700 statues of Sekhmet the goddess of pestilence in order to ward off a mounting plague. The marriage of Tiye and Akhenaten was evidently ordained for that exact same purpose. Both sons would ultimately undertake ministries of restoration and reconciliation in a divided and "plague and pyre" ravaged Egypt. Their tragic deaths, and especially that of the younger Tutankhamun, were later considered to have the power to expatiate the sins of the world.

The royal court likely got the idea from the cult of Amun, however a later tradition circulated that a competing oracle had forewarned against it. It had been "prophesied" that the child would kill the king and take his throne. This may reflect a later "prophe-lie" promulgated by the cult of Amun or Re to distance themselves from the scapegoat Akhenaten, and claim that they had not ordained Akhenaten's "affairs."

Note 1: "Ya" is an abreviated form of Yuya's name, which was inscribed on his coffin in his Valley of the Kings tomb, and points to his patron god, Yahweh/Jehovah. In Ahmed Osman's 1987 book "Stranger in the Valley of the Kings" this highest ranking official in Egypt, Yuya, is strongly associated with the Biblical Joseph. In the Bible, the story of Moses immediately follows that of Joseph. However, it is commonly believed that there was a lengthy time period between Joseph and Moses. Archaeology now indicates that there was not a gap between Joseph and Moses, and that Moses was actually the son of Joseph or of a close contemporary. If Joseph (Yuya) is followed directly by Moses (Akhenaten), then this confirms that Moses was in the fourth generation from Abraham (i.e., Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses), during which the Exodus is said to have taken place. For an explanation of the dual Biblical record (contained in the same passage, Genesis 15: 13-16) of a 430 year Sojourn AND a four generation Sojourn, see Osman's "Moses: Pharaoh of Egypt." Osman also points out in this same title that Akhenaten acknowledged "Imram" in the cartouche of his god and father the Aten (Heb. Adonai). Biblical Moses is said to be the son of "Amram," the Hebrew equivalent. In this case the four generation sequence of Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses refers to a lineage that is parallel with that of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses. The Levi of this lineage would then not be the third son of Jacob as commonly presumed, but an earlier namesake. This Levi (meaning "attached") may in fact be one and the same as Isaac who was the "adopted" son of Abram and object of the second covenant with Abram (Gen. 17). Ishmael was the promised son of Abram's own body and object of the first covenant (Gen. 12 & 15). (That these were two distinct covenants will be demonstrated in a future essay.) Kohath (meaning "alliance") corresponds to Jacob who preferred to manipulate rather than fight. The correspondence between Amram and Joseph/Yuya was discussed above.

Note 2: One of three individuals in Akhenaten's court may have been the Biblical Aaron. Meryre I was High Priest of Aten, Meryre II was Overseer of the Royal Harem, and a Merayu was lector-priest (orator) and steward. There is also a Biblical Merari, who was a contemporary of Moses. The son of Aanen by the name of Meryre may have used the nickname Aaron to avoid confusion with the other prominent Meryre. This nickname also relates him strongly to Aanen. The name Merayu would appear to relate more closely to Yuya.