PHARAOH'S HARD HEART.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9192, 23 March 1908, Page 2

PHARAOH'S HARD HEART.

'-- ■'■"—'■ V ■ ' ' ' CAUSED BT TOOTHACHE. It was toothache that made Pharaol treat Moses and the Children of Israe in a cruel and irrational manner, j course of conduct that brought upor the land of Egypt the ten plagues, co'neluding with the loss of the first borr and Pharaoh's own eon. as related ir the Book of Exodus iv the Bible. 11 has remained for, modern science, carefully exaroininc; the mummy head oi Pharaoh, tv> reveal to us, after thousands of yeans, the exact means employed by the Lord to '' harden hit heart." "Pharaoh" was, of course, a title for all the kings of ancient Egypt but many clergymen and Sunctaj school _ teachers have become accustomed to speak o_ this one as " King Phatraoh." His real name was Menephtah 11. A German savant has jusl made the discovery concerning hi. teeth. His mummy was recently found in the tombs of the kings at Thebes, and now lies in the great' Egyptian Museum at Cairo. It has been ascertained that Menephtah was sixty yearold when he died, in 1215 8.C., standing about sft B_in tall and quite stout. He was very bald, having only a fewgrey hairs left on his head. But most interesting of all is the condition of his teeth. They are full of cavities, in which exposed nerves must have throbbed, throwing Egypt's ruler' into savage temper — just the frame of mind in which a despot would order his slaves to make bricks without straw or to build a pyramid. It is proved, also, from the examination of this Pharaoh's body, that in life ho must have suffered from the gout, for his blood vessels and x ribs show undoubted signs of chalky degeneration. Here, then, is a very reasonable explanation of what has never been understood before — the irritable nature and fickleness of mind which characterised that Pharaoh who ruled over Egypt when the Israelites marched out after the plagues had been inflicted upon the luckless people and their king. If you Tiave ever had the toothache you can imagine the condition of Pharaoh's mind, especially as he also suffered from gout. It is not surprising that when Moses asnd Aaron went before him to ask him to let the people tof Israel go out to sacrifice he was veiy short and sharp "with these intercessors for his slaves. His phy. sical condition explains much of those chapters (vii.-xii.) of Exodus in which the changeable monarch offers to let the people -of Israel go, and then changes his mind, and refuses to allow them to leavO. That Menephtah was the Pharaoh ol the Exodus has long been accepted by scholars as proved, because the date of his reign agrees with the date of the Exodus, and because other events recorded in Egyptian liistory indicate that there was a conflict with the Israelites at this time. The fact that his mummy ha 6 been, discovered, although all his chariots were overwhelmed in the Red Sea, has been explained very sensibly. At no place does tho Book of Exodus say that Pharaoh himself was drowned in the sea, but it doesay — "Pharaoh's chariots and .his host has He cast into the sea." y This Menephtah is identified even more directly and specifically ,»by an inscription discovered by Professor Flinders-Petrie. The poor suffering old monarch was not equal to the achievements of his father, Rameses 11. The tribes of Asia revolted against, his rule, and much of his wealth went in subduing them. Tho Libyans were turbulent, and then came rthe rebellion of the Israelites, so long enslaved, who Vat last marched out through the parted Red Sea. The examination of the_ mummy shows the influence his physical condition must have had over him, and may explain his cruelty to the Israelites. Menephtah's toothache had consequences as alarming as those of Napoleon's dyspepsia. "