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Af
OVE VON SPAETH
Copyright © 2002
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www.moses-egypt.net
New discoveries with interesting findings about the
enigma of Moses are re-establishing important historical coherence. All being
presented in the book-series “Assassinating Moses”. In these books a unique
material is vitalising the both fantastic and dramatic background for Moses in
Egypt. Moses belongs to the most well-informed and spiritual personalities of
our early history.
The vast amount of new, exciting information about the fate and
mystery of Moses were found after thorough investigations lasting many years.
The great uncovering was executed by tracking down the many, often repressed
sources and relate them to the recent conquests of research.
Since the publication of the first of the five volumes of the series,
many inquiries have been received as to the creation of the books and the
procedures used by the writer. The present article will inform about relevant
features of a sequence of events lasting several years, with special detours and
important milestones - a personal introduction to the writer's reasons for being
occupied with the subject, and about the objective of the unusual project.
.
The Eternal Question
The fact that Cosmos, the huge space with stars and planets and the sun, our
eternal vigorous source, is of so decisive importance for each of us as
individuals, irrespective of our different ways of living, - is being valid also
if we live in places where the sky can rarely be seen, and even whether we are
conscious at all of the existence of these circumstances. These celestial
conditions have become so natural to us that they are often receding into the
background now for the benefit of things of more relevance usually occupying
most of us.
Much from all this I realised at a rather early stage, but the space with its
oceans of stars remained more often in my consciousness than the daily events of
the neighbourhood. I started to read about other peoples’ understanding of these
conditions through times and also about our historical relations to astronomy
and the influence of this on our religions and the ways of thinking. In other
words, the mystery of existence in a cosmic perspective relating to our ways of
beliefs in western religions - would it be possible to combine these elements at
all?
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” - the biblical Commandment so well
known, is by many people related to the learning of Jesus. But Jesus was quoting
Moses! (from Leviticus 19;18). This very commandment has been considerably
influential through times. So, who was this Moses, who lived almost 1,500 years
prior to Jesus? - Moses was the earliest known historical person, who initiated
a religion. A religion which became a deep inspiration to the three main
religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. And simultaneously a religion
which for posterity based itself in its own special book, the Bible, the world’s
most wide-spread and read book, the oldest parts of which especially Moses has
written, according to the tradition.
In several parts of the Bible can be found a number of serene rules of conduct
and ethical claims, but also - according to modern times concepts - robust and
cruel features. How can this be compatible - did the same person write both
parts?
And almost 3,500 years after the works of Moses - how could it be meaningful at
the present that some groups are trying to live according to the most severe,
literal “understanding” of these texts? Especially when such disputed ways of
understanding also can be experienced so destructively used in connection with
huge, political and ethnic-religious problems of our era?
Since then and along the way - could something have happened to the texts late
after they were created? Many questions like these had been “aroused” in me,
when I, independently, started a number of special studies.
The World’s Oldest Star Map
Through my early founded interest on history and
astronomy - 20 years before my first book on Moses was published - I got
acquainted with the world’s oldest star map. It is a beautifully made, ancient
Egyptian survey of the sky designed in a special form, much different from our
way of doing these things. The map was made by that time’s most gifted person,
Senmut (or Senenmut), minister-in-office of Queen Hatshepsut. After having
studied, independently, several subject lines like history, religion-traditions,
astronomy, old star lore, the myths of Antiquity, etc, I gradually realised,
that this star map dates from the epoch specific of Moses. The map proved to
describe a certain constellation in the sky in 1534 BC.
The relation was supported, furthermore, by indications
from the historians of Antiquity concerning the chronology connecting to Moses.
However, by closer investigating the historical events of Moses, I soon
discovered that within existing research there is a lot of internal confusion
about this important figure.
Without having been first introduced to theological hypotheses about Moses -
capable of drawing investigations in a certain direction - I tried from the very
beginning to maintain a broad view all around. But also without an idea about
the extensiveness of the subject, I worked methodically uncovering everything
relevant, i.e. often rare material about Moses and chronology. This was to last
for many years.
It was during these investigations that the star map
was dated. In July-August 2000 the result was published as a scientific treatise
in the “Centaurus International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science,
and Astronomy” (Vol. 42). Prior to this I was fortunate enough to have my
discoveries about the historic Moses accepted by C.A. Reitzel Publishers,
Copenhagen, a tradition-ridden publishing house, and was also comfortable with
the fact that this was the original publishers of Soeren Kierkegaard and H.C.
Andersen.
The
huge material turned into becoming the book-series, “Assassinating Moses”; and
in its second volume a Danish edition of star map treatise was included. Also, I
had the pleasure of being a referee/reviewer with the “Isis Journal of the
History of Science”, the world’s oldest and biggest international
science-history magazine.
During these long-lasting studies, also the enormous Moses bibliography was
established (reproduced in the books). And it was encouraging, too, that for
instance the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem had started to
buy this series of books (in Danish to begin with, translation is on its way).
Bound To the Mysterious Traces of
Moses
Without realising it from the beginning I had started a completely new project
only by originally wanting to write a by-line to a picture of the star map. All
of a sudden the text took up one whole page. And very soon also a complete
article. Based on many years of intensive work with the relevant historic and
spiritual subjects, it proved that actually I knew a lot, which I had not
realised at that time. This knowledge and connection were within me, but at a
kind of stage like the toy of a transparent glass ball with shakeable snowfall.
Where was I to start and to end?
The fortunate decoding of a certain date of the star map proved to be the very
first exact dating of this map. When this also appeared to be a tool in
determining the time of Moses, all the pieces found their right place. The
positive consequence of this was that here - exactly on the right track - the
material itself could easily show the way. Now the text became a complete book.
And quickly two books. Soon also three. Extending gradually even to five books -
at one point, even six - so I disciplined myself very much to getting this truly
incredible and lively material into a more limited scale - preferably without
loosing anything. The entire work took almost twenty years, besides some years
of preliminary studies which were then crystallizing.
One fine day I discovered that in reality I was on a mission. Like in the old
days when captains were sent out on dangerous and strange expeditions with
sealed orders to be disclosed at the open sea only, i.e. after a long time
without landfall, and being unable to reach land for instance by fleeting using
a row boat. No escape possibilities. The way out is the way through - and here -
to bring back the existence of Moses into the consciousness of history.
A lot of essential conditions which became of importance in our culture even
today, stem from Moses and his time. To incorporate numerous pieces of the
wide-spread material of sources appeared to be an incredibly hard and lengthy
work. By being so immensely fascinated, I could not let it go. And despite of
all the external resistance and problems and deep personal privations, I
discovered it to be inescapable; I was simply bound to do this, no matter what.
Working with this huge writing the strangest things happened - several peculiar
inconveniences got in the way together with strange and positive events. For
instance - often “in the last minute” - I had inestimable help from experts in
Egyptology, Hebrew, Ancient Greek, etc. This was often only shortly prior to the
passing away of several of these personalities after long lives of research and
experience. Also in the fortunate period prior to the rebuilding of the Royal
Danish Library, I was able to use its old and immensely abundant reference
library, a most paradisiacal reading room which, furthermore, for a long time
was in reality the only open inter-disciplinary forum (now expired) in Denmark.
There - and also by means of foreign libraries - for some years, I borrowed and
copied more than a thousand very important books, besides articles and documents,
exactly those I should use, until the introduction of taxes or fees - all
straining for independent researchers - on foreign book lending and copies. And
later even normal help from specialist librarians closed down together with
other specialist library services (thus for instance hampering source-searching
concerning old works not registered electronically) - in reality it would have
made it nearly impossible to continue the unusual extent of research which was
being conditioned by the creation of the book-series on Moses.
Facing the Wide-Spread Wrong Dating
How do we know that Moses is not a myth figure, and if the Exodus, when Moses
and the Israelites left Egypt, did at all take place? Continuously - and from
the very beginning of the work - such questions are being asked about the main
subjects. Often this wondering proves to be influenced by the spread of several
theological (and other) schools’ doubts as to the existence of Moses as a
historical person.
The theological hypotheses concerned seem to stem from for instance the fact,
that the research on Moses has often been done on the basis of a wrong dating
placing him approx. 250 years too late in history - at around 1200 BC instead of
at 1500-1400 BC. Consequently no traces have been found either of Moses or of
the Israelite Exodus. On this inadequate basis it is often claimed today, that
the biblical Moses narrative is a nationalistic-romantic myth created by
inventive priests approx. 2300 years ago in order to provide the Jews with a
glorious pre-history.
However, especially Egyptian and Jewish sources relating to Moses provide a
considerable number of evident, historical traces. To a wide extent these have
been ignored, often due to a rigid insistence on the much too late dating - and
on the myth hypothesis, as mentioned, which reduce this the most important
personality behind the origin of biblical culture and of the Jewish
self-understanding to be only a fictional figure. This is not acceptable,
because the allegation of Moses being a myth proves to be an impossible
historical construction, likewise it already would be a complete absurdity for
Jews of the past.
It is an object of continued wondering why traditional, academic research does
not to a wider degree use the latest 120 years’ (forward to the new millennium)
of numerous, although wide-spread, archaeological and textual references to
events of the times of Moses.
Already when the first volume was published, some indignant university people
started to use less polite measures. One researcher became angry in particular
because I quoted his attacks correctly and word by word. In the media some of
his colleagues said: that they would “fight with these books for many years”.
Many readers saw this as a compliment - i.e. that the books appeared with a
certain class by “being able to have shaken the academic officials”. But some
from these groups found it to be desirable to categorise the discoveries like in
books of adventurers and dreamers, which made other academics outside the
research lines in question, and even without having read the books, to use the
same designations.
Yet our knowledge of the past is much more abundant and also more accessible
than usually assumed. Ironically enough, so many data about what we call myths
can be found at libraries and museums around the world collecting dust, almost
without being known or studied.
A considerable amount of the exactly in reality existing and relevant, historic
sources about Moses is included in the books. Most of them for the first time
related to modern archaeology and astronomical dating. The extremely
considerable material about Moses makes it pointless to claim that he should be
a mythical figure - on the contrary, historical and biblical information about
Moses as an exact figure is emphasised thoroughly and substantially.
Exciting Findings Re-Considered
An unrealised problem is the fact, that text research started before archaeology
was scientifically established. Along the way from the many seminal text
discoveries, and soon more firm conclusions from mid-1800 and up till present (around
year 2000) research, hypotheses appeared about the possible and non-possible
relations of these findings - in attempts to understand the history behind the
Bible.
Thus, hypotheses were constructed especially about “Moses as a myth”. And in
many cases, later, they had got established a huge, surrounding literary devise.
Consequently, later generations are being confronted with a still up-generated
system of comments’ comments. In this way new students are often uncritically
given the impression that the hypotheses are to be considered the authoritative
truth.
Therefore, in the actual analysis work, which is the foundation of the Moses
book-series, it was necessary for me in many cases to go all the way back to
sources of previous generations of researchers. I did so in order to get the
best possible direct knowledge (even also from excavation reports, for instance)
about the findings as well as the way the results of research had been obtained.
So instead of only taking for granted the later further extension, it was often
decisive to have the very starting point analysed in relation to later findings
and discoveries.
The synthesis of material of the books - not seen previously to this extent in
the Moses research - implied that this inter-disciplinary work would hardly have
been produced without the help of many competent and interested researchers.
Also other capable helpers deserve my sincere thanks.
Novels or Facts?
During times several researchers have had inquiries about novel writing, from
their readers who would like to have a look into the exciting information,
however, preferably via fiction as being the well functioning way of
communicating. To some people source references are a pleasant confirmation of
quality of information or an interesting extra information along the way -
others, however, understandably, see this as too many traffic lights, hampering
the reading velocity a little too often. Many scientists have used the novel
version, when they wanted to launch or try out new ideas - all of which, for
general reading, is a handy but also more responsibility-free communication.
A project like this about a new understanding of the special background of Moses
has not previously been carried out - and might easily be understood as less
usable in practise as well as in serious consideration, if the discoveries
presented had been described in such a way, that they would be less accessible
for control. Therefore - no novel, but some given subjects of the most important
relevance - and also engaging by virtues of their own. By themselves they even
contain further perspectives - which also concern new thinking which, in the not
so long-term, will be necessary within the actual religions.
The Spiritual Dimension
In these books about the rediscovered background of Moses, the very history
concept is in practise being extended to the effect, that a number of magical
and spiritual conditions are mentioned equally with other historical events. The
history of Moses and Egypt can not possibly be understood if these elements -
when really belonging to history - are without being shown attention.
Also on this background, the books, therefore, brings to light for instance the
mystery plays of ancient Egypt, ‘masonic’like rituals, magic, ritual healing,
astrology, religious royal power. And for instance also inscriptions about the
magic used by ancient kings and generals. In addition, oracles, divine
conception, star knowledge mythology, and cosmology. Sublime impressions from a
culture comprising penetrating spirit - thus having here found its expression in
spiritual architecture and art, surpassing most of what is known from any known
civilisation. When we meet it now, several thousand years later, it still
affects us.
In the books, among some of the information - also with new angles to mysteries
and ancient initiations cultures - several readers have recognised masonic and
similar groups’ early-history circumstances. That is where these books have
tried to pass on some fundamental, often forgotten features still bearing exact
resemblance with historical events known from the world of Antiquity. Not least
the Egyptian inspiration is supplementing and putting into perspective the
subject and our understanding - and in this context the books are focussing on
these spiritually founded conditions in the Egyptian past and from there
bringing to light several, also general traces behind present culture and
history.
A reviewer expressed his understanding of the books like this, “Moses was born
to become a pharaoh in what was at that time the mighty Egypt, and was initiated
in the ancient, esoteric wisdom - and concerning intelligence he was by far
surpassing his contemporaries. Obviously, he was a highly advanced soul meant to
lead human beings one step further into evolution”.
On the Internet it is now possible to read more about some of the many
discoveries and about their inspiring reception via the presentation in the
books. And also about the critic necessary to all new research - together with
an occasional, peculiar resistance - to put it mildly. Essential to a colourful
beginning. See for instance information about the books on their own homepage,
www.moses-egypt.net
The Repressed Information
The Bible as well as the ancient Rabbinical Writings and several of the ancient,
learned writers mention that Moses was known as the son of pharaoh’s daughter.
My books about Moses got their unusual title, “The Assassination of Moses” on
the background, that three times in history it was attempted to destroy Moses: -
First, by the Egyptians, who rejected him as their heir to the throne and
already in his time removed his names and other memories about him, in order to
making him non-existent. - Later, by the clerical editors of the Bible, for
instance Ezra in approx. 300 BC, who reduced the Egyptian background and status
of Moses. - And finally, as mentioned, many contemporary, theological schools
reject the existence of Moses and designates him as an imaginary, mythic figure.
Consequently, some circles are considering the books strongly controversial,
even heretic.
By means of a reconsidering of the identity and background of Moses, his fate
and mystery, the books are bringing to light the replaced and repressed,
historic existence of this personality of early history, who to us represents,
or even by himself is constituting, the boundary between history and pre-history.
By this context the first volume of the series - commencing publication in 1999
- was named “The Suppressed Record” (C.A. Reitzel Publishers and Booksellar,
Copenhagen). Each of the five books of the series are independent volumes and
can be read individually.
They present new information, and here also for instance with perspectives for
research so far and now being on its way to transformation. And in the religious
learning and comprehension for the present, cosmological insight will have to be
included again. With his advanced initiation and education in Egypt many
indications appear concerning Moses carried with him several religious ‘secrets’
on his and the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. Apparently, now is the time for
many of the exciting questions to be solved and several riddles will be facing
their solution.
Ove von Spaeth
Copyright © 2002
Writer, Historian, Independent Researcher - www.moses-egypt.net
Author of the book-series about the historical Moses,
”Assassinating Moses”
( C.A.Reitzel Publisher and Booksellar, Ltd., phone +45 3312 2400 -
info@careitzel.com )
Further information:
www.moses-egypt.net
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