After receiving a PhD from UC–Berkeley in 1938, Hugh Nibley fought in World War 2 as a member of military intelligence for the 101st Airborne Division. (Photo from hughnibley.net) On his blog John Gee has some comments on the legacy of Hugh Nibley, the godfather of modern Latter-day Saint scholarship of the ancient world. Among … Read more
Detail of an image inside the tomb of Sennedjem, discovered at the necropolis of Deir el-Medina and dating to the 19th dynasty. Here Sennedjem is accompanied by his wife Lyneferti and wields the “sekhem-scepter, a symbol of power.” (Image and description via Tour Egypt.) The German Egyptologist Jan Assmann has some interesting observations about the ancient … Read more
This is a follow-up to my last post. In reading the Introduction to the Loeb edition of Manetho, I encountered this: Of the two chronographers, the founder of Christian chronography, Sextus Julius Africanus, whose Chronicle came down to A.D. 217 or A.D. 221, transmits the Epitome in a more accurate form; while Eusebius, whose work … Read more
Anyone familiar with Ptolemaic Egypt, or indeed the study of Egyptian history at all, knows the name Manetho. Something really interesting that I stumbled upon in Manetho’s Aegyptiaca this morning is the following. Now, if you care to compare these figures with Hebrew chronology, you will find that they are in perfect harmony. Egypt is … Read more
The temple of Edfu, completed in 57 BC. Latter-day Saints since Primary are taught that reverence for God (especially in sacred space such as the temple) includes a softness of voice. Rev’rently, quietly, lovingly we think of thee; Rev’rently, quietly, softly sing our melody. Rev’rently, quietly, humbly now we pray, Let thy Holy Spirit dwell … Read more
While I was stomping around in Vienna last spring, I paid a visit to the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek located in the Hofburg palace. Inside the library (which, after getting lost in more than once, my friends and I agreed is the most Kafkaesque library in existence) is a fabulous papyrus museum that houses Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, … Read more