THE HAPU THREAD
In my opinion, there is only one man who could have carried out the Exodus, and this is where I would like to introduce you to my main character, the one that I suggest the Hebrew scholars use as a role model for their Moses character. He possessed all the attributes I have mentioned in previous chapters, he was well known and revered among his peers (which were few given his age), and he was also well respected by Egypt and its diplomatic neighbors due to his longevity. He was a capable explorer and great sage, having trained in the sacred halls of both Memphis and Thebes. He witnessed the passing of as many as nine pharaohs during his lifetime, an achievement that very few others could claim. He studied the great books of Thoth, mastering their secrets and collecting knowledge and wisdom beyond the stars. He was an accomplished military strategist and a battlefield veteran. He had created huge monuments to the living gods that seemed to soar into the heavens. He had transported megalithic blocks of stone that mesmerize and capture our imagination even today. He was a successful healer and great magician. He had conversed with the gods face to face as one would to a friend. He wrote prolifically and had read most, if not all, the sacred scrolls held within the great libraries of the temples of Egypt.
Amenhotep, son of Hapu, fills the sandals that no man could ever fill, and accomplished deeds that no one has accomplished since, in my opinion. However, there is little archaeological evidence about this great man before his climb to fame and fortune in Thebes during the 18th Dynasty. Born in the city of Athribis in 1440 BC in the south of ancient Egypt, his mother, Idit, later became a Hathoric priestess known as “Hathor Idit, the justified.” His father, Hapu, was referred to as “The living herald Apis.”1 It was the much earlier Pharaoh Ahmose, one of the founding fathers of the 18th Dynasty, who began bestowing hereditary titles of rank to commoners;2 Hapu’s descendants were examples of that, allowing his family to rise through the ranks of the aristocracy in the coming years. By doing so, it afforded Hapu the education that propelled him on a journey that we are still marveling at today some 3,400 years later!
John Ward with Amenhotep, son of Hapu, at the backside of the Temple of Ptah, Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor.
The Tomb of Ramose, vizier to Amenhotep III, Valley of the Nobles, Luxor.
The famed Imhotep and Amenhotep, son of Hapu, at Karnak, Luxor.
We know much of Hapu’s career through the translation of texts that adorn his statues and other inscriptions that have been dedicated to him mainly after his disappearance circa 1357 BC.3 During the Graeco-Roman period some 1,000 years later he was deified as a god of healing4 and coupled with Imhotep, the great architect of the 3rd Dynasty, who had also been deified by the Graeco-Roman community as a god of healing and magical powers. Imhotep is more famous for his architecture that has graced the sands of Egypt since the time of the old kingdom, Saqqara, and the stepped pyramid of the Pharaoh Djoser. Standing on the plateau overlooking the swollen waters of the River Nile, it must have been a wondrous sight even during the Graeco-Roman period, and one can easily understand why they felt that this man, a mortal man, should receive such endowments and glorify him. Could it be that we see here a reference to our Hebrew scholars in Alexandria? It is not presumptuous to suggest that the scribes of the Torah would have known of Hapu as this newly installed god of healing and his background. In fact, it may be that they utilized his exploits and colorful career as the main attributes of their own character, Moses.
Both Hapu and Imhotep can be seen on the exterior walls of the Ptah Temple in Karnak, where their images stand out as testaments to time. Their souls mingled as one, their power of healing acting together as one. Associated with the god Asclepius, the Greek God of medicine, they were both regarded as sons of Ptah and Thoth, both Egyptian gods that were associated with philosophy, medicine, and wisdom. Both were a magnet for pilgrims wishing to receive their miracles of healing and blessings. A dedication on the walls of the temple at Deir el Medina on the west bank of Luxor brings them both together as one:
The learned ones praise God for you,
Foremost among them your brother,
Who loves you, whom you love,
Amenhotep son of Hapu.
He abides with you,
He parts not from you;
Your bodies form a single one,
Your Ba receive the things you love,
Brought you by your son.
—Caesar Augustus5
Educated first at the sacred temples of Memphis, where he was introduced to the books of Thoth and the required skills of becoming an accomplished scribe, it is most probable that he continued his training there until his promotion to high priest of Khenti-kheti, one of the chief gods worshipped in and around the city of Athribis. Afterward, we can assume that he continued his thirst for knowledge either in the confines of the temple complex of Karnak dedicated to Amun and the Theban triad, or at one of the other numerous spiritual temples in and around Egypt, most probably utilizing the religious center of Memphis as his seat of learning.
The relief on his personal statues tells us of his achievements in battle against the uprisings in Nubia, and how Pharaoh recognized his bravery and bestowed upon him new titles.6
The Good God, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nibmare, Pharaoh Amenhotep III. I saw him fighting hand to hand upon the battlefield, while he was like Min in the year of…I recorded the numbers of his captives as subjects of the temples [missing text] & [missing text]. While I was apportioner of ointment. I was versed in her art [missing text]. and she knew it, while I was in front with my Lord, and I was great before him. I did that which men loved and Gods praised [missing text].7
The verse clearly shows us that he was adept not only in the use of holistic medicine and herbal remedies, but we also receive a hint of a man who adored his Pharaoh. Even if the inscription is that of a political nature, that is it favors the one who granted him the extraordinary achievement of erecting the characterized statues within the confines of Karnak, the most sacred of religious centers in ancient Egypt. It also provides us with a glimpse of a learned man who in his formative years graces the battle field with a subtle indication of naivety.
The following verses are translations of inscriptions from the third statue discovered in the southern courtyards of Karnak Temple by François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette, a 19th-century French Egyptologist. These translations were done by one of the fathers of Egyptology, James Henry Breasted, an American archaeologist and historian.
Introduction
The Kings scribe, Amenhotep Son of Hapu, triumphant; he saith: “I was great, at the head of the great, skilful in the divine words in the council of understanding, following the plans of the king; one whose Ka the sovereign, Life, Prosperity and health, advanced.”
First Promotion
The good God, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nibmare, Pharaoh Amenhotep III, firstborn son of Harakhte, praised me. I was appointed to be inferior kings scribe; I was introduced into the divine book, I beheld the excellent things of Thoth; I was equipped with their secrets; I opened all their passages; one took counsel with me on all their matters.
My Lord again showed favor to me; the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nibmare, Pharaoh Amenhotep III. He put all the people subject to me, and the listing of their number under my control, as Chief King’s scribe over Recruits. I levied the military classes of my Lord, my pen reckoned the numbers of millions; I put them in classes in the place of their elders; the staff of old age as his beloved son. I taxed the houses with the numbers belonging thereto, I divided the troops of workmen and their houses, I filled out the subjects with the best of the captivity, which his majesty had captured on the battlefield. I appointed all their troops, I levied [missing text] I placed troops at the heads of the way to turn back the foreigners in their places. The two regions were surrounded with a watch scouting for sand rangers. I did likewise at the heads of the river mouths, which were closed under my troops except to the troops of royal marines. I was the guide of their ways, they depended upon my command.
I was the chief at the head of the mighty men, to smite the Nubians and the Asiatics, the plans of my Lord were a refuge behind me; when I wandered his command surrounded me; his plans embraced all lands and all foreigners who were by his side. I reckoned up the captives of the victories of his majesty, being in charge of them. I did according to that which he the Pharaoh Amenhotep III said, I followed according to the things which he commanded me, and I found them excellent things for the future.
Third promotion
My Lord a third time showed favor to me; Son of Re, Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Ruler of Thebes, the Sun God is he, to whom hath been given an eternity of his jubilees without end. My Lord made me Chief of all works. I established the name of the Pharaoh forever; I did not imitate that which had been done before. I fashioned for him a mountain of grit stone, for he is the heir of Atum. I did according to my desire, executing his likeness in this his great house, with every precious stone, enduring like the heavens; there was not one who had done it the like of which since the time of the founding of his Two Lands. I conducted the work of his statue, immense in width, taller than his column; its beauty marred the pylon. Its length was 40 cubits in the august mountain of grit stone at the side of Re-Atum. I built an eight vessel, I brought it; the statue up river; it was set up in this great house, enduring as heaven. My witnesses are you, you who shall come after us; the entire army was as one under my control, they wrought with joy, their hearts were glad, rejoicing and praising the Good God; they landed at Thebes with rejoicing, the monuments rested in their places forever.8
Pharaoh Amenhotep III reigned from 1390 BC to 1352 BC. Most scholars, including me, place Hapu’s return to Thebes at the beginning of Pharaoh Amenhotep III’s ascension to the throne. In accordance with my interpretation of the various chronologies (see page 185), that would place Hapu’s age at 49 years old. So for the next 34 years he served the Pharaoh with unwavering allegiance, following him on the battlefields of Nubia to the newly opened stone quarries of Deir el Bersha and Tura to the prized sandstone quarries of Gebel el Silsila in the south of Egypt. But it is his age that defines him, already an old man in comparison to other kindred brethren within Egypt when the Pharaoh took office. Now at the grand age of 78 he is still organizing the grand festivities that celebrate the 1st Sed festival of the Pharaoh. The sheer amount of responsibilities resting upon his shoulders must have been immense. Yet he accomplished the task easily and we see his prize resting in the halls of Karnak.
At the age of 80 years old he was granted the great accolade of erecting his own personal statues within Karnak Temple, as we have already discussed. The following is an inscription upon the worn papyrus that resides in the lap of his statue, translated by Siegfried Morenz in Egyptian Religion:
You people of Karnak, you who wish to see Amon, come to me! I shall report your petitions. For I “am indeed the messenger of this God, Pharaoh Amenhotep III has appointed me to report the words of the Two Lands. Speak to me the ‘offering spell’ and invoke my name daily, as is done to one who has taken a vow.”9
Having stared at the soft and beautifully caved statues myself, I can imagine how mesmerized one would be when embraced by such strong faith and belief, his head slightly bent toward the ground in an act of reverence. Then there are the scrolls that lay open in his lap, worn smooth by the numerous pilgrims that have touched its surface, similar to the acts of pilgrimage we see today where Christians travel thousands of miles to be in the presence of saints that possess so-called miraculous healing powers, and receive prayers of those in distress. Similar to the deified saints of Christianity, Hapu endured the test of time, and even though he signifies an age-old religion that lost its tongue within the sands of time, I still cannot help but see this correlation between the these two great Prophets. The only difference between Moses and Hapu is that the latter is proven to have existed, whereas, Moses is left to Faith and faith alone.
Even as I write this, I’m stirred with an emotional draw toward Hapu; all the research and material that surround me pulls me in the direction of this great man. Could he truly have been the inspiration for the Hebraic Moses? If he was, then he has endured time, immortalized and hidden from so many within the character of Moses. Millions of Christians and followers of other belief systems have read or heard the exploits of Moses freeing the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. It’s quite solemn, really, the mixture of emotions while writing this. But I will share more of my personal insights in a further chapter.
Hapu was the only non-royal to be given the unique opportunity to build his own Mortuary Temple, more commonly known as the House of Millions of Years on the west bank of Thebes. It is located behind that of his beloved Pharaoh Amenhotep III, where he had planned and built for his highly respected Pharaoh one of the greatest palaces to adorn Thebes. Today, the great Colossi of Memnon statues reach upward toward the skies, towering over the modern concrete buildings that line the Menmon road, standing as a testament to Hapu’s glorious architectural achievements, while the remains of the temple lay scattered among the dirt behind them.
His Mortuary Temple unfortunately stands in complete ruins today, a few scanty limestone blocks lay idle and lifeless on the desert floor overshadowed by the great mortuary temple of Medinat Habu. It is said that his temple was adorned with a pyramid and fronted by a grand lake that welcomed and accepted the visiting pilgrims who wished to place offerings to him. Today, a restaurant stands where his lake would have once graced the desert floor. One can only imagine the splendor of arriving by barge along the canal systems and finally entering the lake itself, juxtaposed against its natural environment, a fitting architectural achievement by this genius. However, all was possibly lost in the Great Flood, and what remained was later destroyed either by the angry mobs of the ruined city or the Atenists who had singled out Hapu in their quest to eradicate anything and everything to do with Amun Ra and his beloved disciples. One of his mortuary texts has survived the test of time and was handed down to us, again giving us an insight into this mortal man who became a God.
The Colossi of Memnon, Luxor.
Year 31, fourth month of the first season, sixth day, under the majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the Lord of the Two Lands, Nibmare, Life, Prosperity and Health.; Son of Re, of his body, Lord of Diadems, Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Life, Prosperity and Health.
On this day, Pharaoh Amenhotep III was in the ka-chapel of the hereditary prince, count, king’s-scribe, Amenhotep Son of Hapu. There were brought in: the governor of the city, and vizier, Amenhotep, the overseer of the treasury, Meriptah, and the king’s-scribes of the army. One said to them in the presence of his majesty, Life, Prosperity and Health: “Hear the command which is given, to furnish the ka-chapel of the hereditary prince, the royal scribe, Amenhotep, called Huy, Son of Hapu, whose excellence is extolled in order to perpetuate his ka-chapel with slaves, male and female, forever; son to son, heir to heir; in order that none trespass upon it forever. It is commended to Amon-Re, king of Gods, as long as it is upon earth; he is the king of eternity, he is the protector of the dead.
As for the general and scribe of the army who shall follow after me and shall find the ka-chapel beginning to decay, together with the male and female slaves who are cultivating the field for my endowment, and shall take away a man there from in order to put him to any business of Pharaoh, Life, Prosperity and Health, or any commission, may his body be accursed. Then if another trespasses upon them, and does not answer in their behalf, he shall suffer the destruction of Amon, Lord of Thebes, he the God shall not permit them to be satisfied with the office of king’s-scribe of the army, which they have received for me. He Amon shall deliver them into the flaming wrath of the king on the day of his anger; his serpent-diadem shall spit fire upon their heads, shall consume their limbs, shall devour their bodies, they shall become like Apophis on the morning of New Year›s Day. They shall be engulfed in the sea, it shall hide their corpses. They shall not receive the mortuary ceremonies of the righteous; they shall not eat the food of them that dwell in Keret; the waters by the flood of the river shall not be poured out for them. Their sons shall not be put into their places; their wives shall be violated while their eyes see it. The nobles shall not set foot in their houses as long as they are upon earth; the leaders of the two sides shall not introduce them, nor shall they hear the words of the Pharaoh in the hour of gladness. They shall belong to the sword on the day of destruction, they shall be called enemies; when their bodies be consumed, they shall hunger, without bread, and their bodies shall die. If the vizier, overseer of the treasury, chief overseer of the estate, superintendent of the granary, high priests, divine fathers, and priests of Amon, to whom has been read this edict, issued for the ka-chapel of the hereditary prince, the king’s-scribe, Amenhotep, son of Hapu, shall not show solicitude for his ka-chapel, the edict shall touch them, and them especially.
But if they shall show solicitude for the ka-chapel, with the male and female slaves who are cultivating the field for my endowment, then all favor shall be shown them. Amon-Re, king of Gods, shall reward them with prosperous life. The Pharaoh of your day shall reward you is as he rewards. There shall be doubled for you office upon office, you shall receive from son to son and heir to heir. They shall be sent on as messengers, and the Pharaoh of their day will reward them. Their bodies shall rest in the West after a life of 110 years, doubled to you shall be the mortuary oblations likewise.
As for the officers of the Medjay, belonging to the district of the Mayor of the west side, in Khaft et-hir-nebes, who shall not protect my endowment each day, and on my feast-days on the first of the month, the edict shall touch them, and their bodies shall not escape. But if they shall hear the entire edict, issued as a command and they shall obey and shall not forsake it, good shall happen to them as to the just. They shall rest in the cemetery after years of old age.
The Mayor of the west side is he who my servants during a single day.10
Of course the one item of evidence to suggest that Hapu spent his last days in the comfort of Thebes would be his tomb, complete with his sarcophagus and funerary ware. Unfortunately it has never been located. There have been many candidates, but they have proven to be attributed to Amenhotep’s other sons. Even his Mortuary Temple sits in ruins and was never used to receive his mummified corpse in readiness to be interned within his tomb. One could argue that it is yet to be found, which does not count as the evidence to suggest that he led the surviving party across the eastern deserts of Egypt, and you would be right in saying so. But I like to sit on the fence and ask the “What if?” question. There are many “What if?” questions out there, and one can lead oneself into very hot water by asking. But the evidence points me in this direction, and therefore one has to follow one’s intuition in these matters.
The disappearance of other high-ranking officials and royal members only adds fuel to the fire of suspicion, which we will discuss later. But for now, Hapu has achieved what no other man has, yet for such a great man we have nowhere to place a flower, no marker. It is an unfortunate and unfitting tribute to such a man who truly represents freedom and expression.
He was a man of no equal; he commanded the respect of not only those he served, but also the army and its generals, where he held the grand title of Chief Royal Scribe over Recruits. All the quarry men and craftsmen saw him as the Chief Overseer of all Building Works under Pharaoh. He knew every square inch of Egypt, and was not afraid of its enemies; while in battle in Nubia earlier in his career, he fought for the Pharaoh with bravery and valor, and earned his respect and loyalty with bestowed titles and wealth.
One of the most prized accolades to be bestowed upon him was the grand title of Hereditary Crown Prince, basically stating that he had been accepted as the son of the Pharaoh in all but name. His statues and Mortuary Temple only continues to build upon this title. Similar to the birthing chambers of the pharaohs, where they present the proof of their legitimate linage in relief upon the smooth stone surface immortalizing them forever, this honor adds a whole new meaning to the phrase “written in stone.”
But this title represents even more. Is it reasonable to suggest that the survivors accepted Hapu as their new leader based not only upon his character and reputation, but more importantly his obvious acceptance by the current Living God. Even though he sat in disgrace, the Pharaoh did represent Amun-Ra. This recognition or royal approval would have been, I believe, a kind of royal stamp or seal that granted Hapu the powers to intercede and possibly even lead these sorrowful victims on behalf of the royal household. It may have been suggested that Hapu take the royal children, the rightful heirs to the safety of the eastern deserts, away from harm where they could build for themselves a new life, and return to Thebes to claim their rightful position as heads of the royal household when it was more conducive to do so.
Indeed, hidden among the chaos of Thebes, with the four groups deserting the sinking ship, it was probably wise to leave. Akhanaten was on his path of destruction, the mobs and lawlessness were increasing, and the neighboring cities were unable to offer the security and aid any longer due to the continued flow of immigrants from the capital city of Thebes that were stripping their limited resources. Therefore, migrating eastward would have been the better option—an apocalyptic migration out of necessity, an Exodus of Egyptians who felt insecure and unsafe in their own environment, seeking and desiring peace.
On page 185, I include a chronological list of Hapu based on the dates provided by Ian Shaw’s The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt and other eminent scholars within their respective fields of expertise that have contributed to the ongoing development of ancient Egyptian chronology. With added notes and theories that I have culminated into this somewhat basic but informative list, it follows the life of Hapu from his birth in Athribis to his possible death at the grand age of 120, which I have placed at this figure to correspond with the age given to Moses within the biblical scripture.
The pivotal date at age 80 is inserted, as too are the dates of his other inscriptions within his own lifetime, thus proving that he did surpass the great age of 80. But whether he continued on to the 120-year figure is pure speculation. I have merely tried to correspond with the recorded age of Moses.
East Bank of Gebel el Silsila.
The last set of inscriptions that we have as archaeological evidence of Hapu’s existence, are located at Gebel el Silsila on the eastern banks.11 Two badly damaged Naoi and several stelae that once were adorned by both Hapu and his beloved Pharaoh Amenhotep III, date to around the 35th regal year of the Pharaoh, squarely placing Hapu at the site in 1357 BC at the grand age of 83. Note that I have placed the set of the Four Exodoi between 1357 BC and 1356 BC, the 35th and 36th regal years of the Pharaoh respectively. The date of 1357 BC is also associated with the possible eighth co-regency year of Amenhotep IV prior to him changing his name, as I suggest within the chronological list.
The stone from Gebel el Silsila may have been quarried for the construction of the temples to the Aten at Karnak or for future developments for the Pharaoh. Either way, we will never know due to the severe damage inflicted upon the relief of the items at Gebel el Silsila, both contemporary with the unmerciful attacks carried out by the Atenists and later eradication at the hands of vandals.
We return to Thebes’ historical texts and archaeological evidence, which provides us with material that suggests the events and characters that were involved in the ultimate rise to power of Akhenaten, his followers (Atenists), who defiled and closed the great religious temples of Egypt, vandalizing their inner sanctums, and destroying the name of Amun-Ra in their wake.
I for one can see and understand the anger and resentment in their actions, as they squarely laid the blame for the death of thousands of Thebans directly at the gates of these vast centers of religion, worship, and great power. The old gods had failed them, and they sought revenge in their grief. Fifteen years would pass under the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his devout cult followers. From the safety and seclusion of his new City of Akhetaten, years of royal edicts declaring the eradication of the names of not only the old gods, but also those who followed them, as they had blindly carried out their orders from the living personification of Ra, the Pharaoh. This total erasure shows that Akhenaten had not only control over his flock, but also the allegiance of the army and the Royal Medjay, enabling him to carry out his devastating commands without the hindrance from the established old guard. These point to either the continuation of the supposed co-regency, as suggested by some, or the ultimate death of his father, Pharaoh Amenhotep III, thereby handing the wealth of Egypt over to him.
Although there is a historical character that is remiss from this scenario, Crown Prince Thutmose, who was the rightful heir to the throne of Egypt, he disappears from history at around the 31st regal year of his father the Pharaoh, circa 1361 BC. I propose that he did not die as many have suggested, even without the evidence to support such a theory, as his tomb has yet to be discovered, along with any historical text that proclaims his early demise.
I would like to offer another plausible scenario, in that he fled Thebes with Hapu as one of the royal representatives together with his older sister, the Princess Sitamun, leaving behind their father, Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and their mother, Queen Tiye.
Could it be that Crown Prince Thutmose and the Royal Wife and Princess Sitamun provide the extra characterizations for the brother of Moses? Could they be Aaron and his sister Miriam? Both show qualities and attributes that could be mistaken for the biblical characters as described to us by the Hebraic clergymen. It was Princess Sitamun who presented to her grandparents, either before their death or afterward, as part of their funerary ware a set of stunning gilded chairs that depict the dwarf god Bes, playing the tambourine, a musical instrument that is rarely seen depicted in pictorial relief scenes. It is a loose connection, I know, but if Sitamun was a Hathoric priestess, which was almost always the case with most royal princesses, then either the sistrum or tambourine or one of the many musical instruments of that time would have been associated with her.
The biblical Miriam, the sister of Moses, is said to have played upon the tambourine when they had safely reached the eastern shore line of the Sinai, after crossing the parted Red Sea, and began singing the song of Moses in jubilation of their achievement. I merely suggest that Sitamun left Thebes with her brother and her lifelong mentor and high vizier, Hapu, as she would have been more than familiar with both, and the stench of death in Thebes may have been a contributing factor, not to mention her marriage to her father. Plus, Sitamun also disappears from the history books after the 31st regal year of her father and new husband.
Uncanny that they both disappear at the same time, and neither tomb has yet to be discovered or located. Could it be that they did indeed leave with Hapu and the rest of the migrating Egyptians?
