The history of Judaism. Book One: A living God

By Charles Andrew

A Living God is the story of the Hyksos, forbears of the Hebrews. A people who called Egypt home for more than four hundred years. In the 14th Century BCE the Egyptian monarchy strove to remove the remaining Hyksos tribes from their land, and return it to the native Egyptians .
The Prince Thutmohsis was next in line to the throne, of Hyksos descent himself, he knew that his people would suffer the bigotry of the Egyptian ruling classes if he were to take the throne.
Fleeing Egypt under cover of darkness, he leaves his younger brother, the future King Ahkenaten to quell the hatred towards the desert tribes.
In doing so he sets in motion a path of events that will resonate down the centuries, and leave a lasting mark on both his country and his people.
Based on four years of research by the author and written over four books, "A Living God" raises the explosive possibility that an ancient Egyptian king, through political expediency, became the founder of Judaism and Israel, and became the God still worshipped around the world more than three thousand years later.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Andrew
• Release date: Aug 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476174532

Charles Andrew

Charles Andrew served in the British Army from the mid 1980's until 2002. Since retiring he has nurtured a passion for biblical history and archaeology. "A Living God" is the first book of his "Book of Amen" trilogy. Charles lives in Gloucestershire, England, with his wife, four children and a similar amount of cats.

Book preview

A Living God

Charles Andrew

Copyright 2012 Charles Andrew

Smashwords Edition.

A Living God

Book One

Chapter 1.

The two boys ran side by side through the dusty street, followed by the indignant cries of traders as they barrelled through fruit stores and wine sellers stalls. The Royal guard who pursued them struggled to keep up, the midday heat and the weight of ceremonial armour, slowing them as they fought their way through the twisting alleys and packed market stalls. Horeb, the captain, shouted at them breathlessly to stop. But the youngest boy just laughed and made the sign of an imbecile towards him as he weaved through the crowds.

The youngest guard saw where the boys were heading and shouted to his commander to go left into one of the small worker’s houses that lined the market square. The heavily clad soldiers crashed through the door of the house and into the darkened space inside, overturning furniture and crockery as they went. A woman was screaming at them in the old Hyksos tongue as they made their way clumsily through the house towards the rear yard. A small dog hurtled through the door and sank its teeth into Horeb’s calf as he reached the door, bringing him crashing down heavily in the courtyard. The remainder of the guard struggled through the doorway and clambered over their commander as he wrestled with the creature, before making there way out into the deserted alleyway behind the house.

The soldiers arrived together in the alley just as the two boys careered round the corner from the main street, colliding with the lead man before they had a chance to stop. The guard grabbed both boys by the arm and turned as the injured yelp of a dog issued from behind the wall and Horeb emerged from the gate of the courtyard, limping and cursing under his breath.

A good run this time young Princes. The old captain barked. But your Father will see to it that there will be no more for a while.

Sorry Horeb. Said Mohsis, in mock deference. He and the captain had a deep respect for each other, but Mohsis knew when he had overstepped the mark, and this time he and his brother had gone too far. Hiding from his Father and his bodyguard was one thing, leading them on a chase through the lower districts of Thebes, especially when so many were opposed to the Pharaoh was quite another.

Tonight you are to become your Father’s Sem priest, if we had not found you the process would not be completed. You know what that means?

Yes Sir, I do.

Right, well, my guard will take you back to the palace. Looking at you it would be well to bathe before you visit your Mother, she will smell the streets on you, and then we may all need a Sem priest.

Yes Uncle, I am sorry.

Mohsis fell in behind the leading guard and his little brother Amen followed after him. As they passed the gate Amen looked into the courtyard. A little girl was cradling a small dog, its hind leg bloodied where it had been bitten. They made their way back to the palace in silence, Amen worrying about his father’s punishment, Mohsis planning his next escape.

They drew a lot of unwelcome attention as they marched back to the Royal House. The guard was never seen in the city unless they accompanied the King or one of his viziers. To see them escorting what appeared to be two dirty street boys caused consternation and shouted insults from a people, suspicious of the royal family and disenchanted with the burden of taxes and state work being laid upon them by the King’s ambitious programme of building.

The time gave young Amen a chance to reflect on the evenings coming ceremonies, and on his elder brother’s rebellious attitude, not only towards their father, but towards his responsibilities as the oldest son of the Pharaoh. Mohsis had little interest in becoming King, and even less in becoming his father’s sem priest. It was his task as heir apparent to prepare Pharaohs mortuary temple, and, when his Father died, to perform the final opening of the mouth ceremony which would allow the King’s Ka or soul to take its rightful place in the heavens, where he would follow the sun across the sky for eternity.

These responsibilities weighed heavily on Mohsis, who had argued long and hard with his father that Amen, as the son of the Chief Queen, Tiya, had a more solid claim to the throne. He argued that although he was the eldest son of the King, the fact that his mother was not Egyptian should discount him from accession. Amen agreed with his half brother and although he loved him dearly he felt that a foreign King could only cause more damage to a country still recovering from the excesses of the Hyksos king Apepi almost three centuries earlier. For the King of Egypt to be descended from him would be disaster.

The Pharaoh had dismissed Mohsis’ arguments and forbidden him to discuss the matter again. So Mohsis had become belligerent and rebellious, going out of his way to provoke the King. Unfortunately he often dragged Amen into his internecine struggles with their Father, at only nine years old compared to his brother’s fourteen, he was ill equipped to stand up to their Father.

Amen’s reverie was broken by their arrival at the palace gates. The Guard broke off from them and made their way to the barracks to prepare for the evening’s duties. Horeb ushered them into a secluded corner of the court yard and scanned the area for any sign of the King or his advisors, seeing that he was not being watched he turned to the boys.

Mohsis, I cannot continue to shield you from Pharaoh He spoke quietly so that none would overhear him.

I was a young man once, though none would believe it to see me. But I had to learn to answer for my actions. The old man looked drained and his exasperation was evident in his tone.

Mohsis answered in his usual overconfident and laconic manner.

Horeb, Horeb, my great protector. Your loyalty to me and my brother is welcome as always but have you not yet realised? I have no need of a shield from my father.

Horeb closed his eyes and sighed deeply, he had heard all of this before.

I have no intention of taking the throne of Egypt; I am no more a pharaoh than the Hyksos Prince that sired my Mother. I would sooner rule sheep than these people, who have no ambition other than to grow fat off the work of foreign labour, and who scrabble with each other to gain higher position.

The old guard smiled weakly as he looked from Mohsis to Amen and then back. The older Prince stood before him wearing only his leather kilt, streaked with sweat which had mingled with the dust and filth of the market place. His eyes were bright blue like his Mother’s and he had the strong jaw and cheekbones that marked him as a descendant of the Shepard Princes that had once ruled Northern Egypt.

Horeb understood the boy’s feelings. He was proud of the lad’s conviction and although he