The Moses Legacy

Chapter 83

‘Maybe we should wait until they come back,’ said Daniel.

He sensed that the high priest was letting him continue, maintaining a stoic bearing even in the face of what must have been the most horrendous revelations in his eyes. But the fact that this old man had to face it on his own somehow made it all the worse. Here was a man who had devoted all his life to a belief system – already having confronted many who denied his people’s history and their suffering.

Yet now he was having to face an attack on his ancestral history from a different perspective. Instead of the long-standing Jewish denial that his people were true Israelites, he found himself confronted by evidence that the ancestors of the Israelites were not as good a people as their self-penned history had implied.

And it was the ancestors of the Samaritans in particular who were being singled out. Not Judah, from whom the Jews claim descent, but rather Joseph and Ephraim. Moreover, whilst Joseph was being portrayed as a forerunner to the modern-day political spin doctor, Ephraim was being portrayed as a Machiavellian schemer who resorted to murder to get his way, and who was ready to sacrifice his own daughter to save his own miserable skin.

Strictly speaking, this did not impact directly on the Samaritan priests, because they were a separate branch who officially descended from the tribe of Levi. But this thought gave neither the high priest nor Daniel any comfort. Indeed, what made it worse, in Daniel’s eyes, was that he had become the agent of this revelation. Circumstances had caused him to be the one who was inflicting this mental anguish on this kind and gentle man who had agreed to share the innermost secrets of his ancient sect with this outsider. Daniel felt as if he was betraying a sacred trust by revealing these awful secrets.

True, he hadn’t known when he set out on this venture what these ancient texts would reveal, and as a man of the ivory tower of academia, his ultimate duty was to the truth. And now he had already told the priest the painful facts, as recorded in this papyrus. He could not take it back. Perhaps if he had translated it in writing first and then had to decide whether or not to reveal it, he would have acted differently. But now it was too late.

‘I don’t think either of them are ready to hear the rest just yet,’ said the elder.

‘Then maybe I should just stop.’

‘No!’

The interruption was Gabrielle’s. He could see the look in her eyes: the academic fervour and thirst for knowledge. To him, the ultimate duty to the truth was a painful reality that as a scholar he had to accept. To her it was a passion – a bludgeon to beat down the wishful thinker or a steamroller to drive over the sceptic.

A final glance at the priest… a final nod from the priest… told Daniel to continue. Then Tutankhamen died in his illness. But before Horemheb, the chief of the army, claimed the throne, Neferayim married the widow of Tutankhamen, though she was his own granddaughter and daughter, and claimed the throne for himself. Now Neferayim wanted to restore worship of Aten, the disk of the sun, and forbid the worship of the old gods. But he was an old man and he was weak and the priests of the old gods were strong and Horemheb was strong and Neferayim knew that he could not impose his will upon them. So he allowed the worship of the old gods. And he chose his son to be his heir. But when he died, Horemheb claimed the throne by force with the aid of his soldiers and killed the son of Neferayim and he forbade the worship of Aten and he punished those who had worshipped him. But to those who worshipped the old god Amun he gave great rewards and he appointed them to the highest ranks in the land. And he struck the names of the pharaohs who had worshipped Aten from the names of kings so that their names were forgotten and their memory was cursed and their tombs were defiled. But the tomb of Tutankhamen was spared because he had appointed him to be his heir and because he was loved by the people.

‘That’s all pretty much well documented,’ said Gabrielle. ‘Apart from the actual blood relationships, which has always been a bone of contention between scholars.’

‘Holy shit!’

‘What is it?’ Gabrielle said, realizing that Daniel was responding not to what she had said but to what he had just read.

‘The… the next bit-’

‘What does it say?’ asked Gabrielle impatiently. Now Horemheb knew not Joseph…

It was just five simple words. But they had as devastating an effect on Gabrielle and the priest as they did on Daniel. Because they echoed some of the most ominous words in the Bible: Now there arose a new king over Egypt which knew not Joseph.

It was a portent to the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt. They had encouraged and supported monotheism and now that it was completely rejected by the new pharaoh, they were going to pay the price in sweat and toil – as slaves to the Egyptians. They had been loyal to the pharaohs who came before Horemheb, but all of that was forgotten. They were tainted by being associated with the wrong side. Now, with a change of regime and a change of policy, they were to be perceived as the enemy.

Gabrielle looked at Daniel; Daniel and the priest looked at each other.

But before anyone could speak, the door swung open and a tall and powerful man burst into the room. Daniel recognized him immediately. It was the man from the aeroplane.