Feii. 4] PROCEEDINGS. [1890.the east of the Dead Sea and the Jordan. Whilstpassingthroughthe
countryof the Philistines, Canaanites,andPhoenicians,they could
ensurethe supplies for the troops by the fleet, repelany attack from
the seaside, and supportthe operations by land. Theseandother
nations could easilybe forced to become allies, andby attacking
tribesof Hebrews, to keep them far from the coast, thussecuringto
the Egyptians theirlineof retreat. If the Exodus underMoses
took placeduring the reign of Amenophis I, the first attacks of
Hebrewsby strangers, as transmitted in the Bible, beganin the year
of the division of the land by Joshua, 45 years afterthe Exodus,
thatis, b.c. 1518. Theattack by Chusan-Risathaim (1518-1510)
had been precededby the passing of Egyptian troopsthroughSyriato
MesopotamiaunderTutmosesI and II (1557-1538; 1537-1515),
and Amenophis III (1421-1384) crossedthe country duringthe
judgeshipof Ehud (1452-1372). Thetemporarysubjectionsof the
Hebrewsby Moabites, Philistines, and Midianites are now proved
by Hebrew-Egyptian chronology to have taken place from 1470
and at different timesuntil 1148,thusduringthe reigns of Tuth-
moses III and successors until Ramses III (1260-1168) and
successors. Gideonwascontemporaryof Meneplitha (1278-1258),
and put an end to the dominion of Midianites, probablythe allies of
RamsesII (1 344-1 278),hithertosupposedto have beenthe Pharaoh
of the oppression. \
It is therefore highlyprobablethat,whilstEgyptiantroopswere
marchingnorthwardsalongthe sea coast of the Mediterranean, which
was not inhabited by Hebrews, thesedid not see a single Egyptian
beforethe time of Solomon, exceptingthe incident relatedin the
reignof David.* Forthisreasonnothingis reported by the Bible
aboutthe passages of Egyptian troops.
To the popular argumentthatthe name of the city of Raemses,
builtby Hebrew labour,directlypointsto Ramses II as Pharaoh of
the oppression, we oppose the following facts.
A Prince Ramsesbelongedto the family of Ahmes I, and already
two centuriesearlier, in the time of Joseph (1816-1706), "the
landof Ramses" wasknown. It would seem thatoriginally Ra-
meses,"theyoungRa,"or "Son of Ra," thatis, Horus, the rising
sun,wascontrastedto Pitum, the setting sun. For Ra-em-khuti
or Harmachis, whosesisterswereIsis and Nephthys, means " the
- I Sam. xxx.
163