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do, "Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, . . . according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled only in the throne will I be greater than thou." (Genesis xli. 38-40.) We find here a recognition, on the part of a heathen king, of the God of Joseph, as the only true God, and distinct from the idol gods of Egypt. Now, an Egyptian papyrus in the British Museum, supposed to have been written circa B.C. 1400, tells us that this Pharaoh Apophis, for some cause or other, was not a worshipper of the usual Egyptian gods. A translation of the papyrus reads as follows:-"When the land of Egypt was held by the invaders, Pharaoh Skennen was ruling in the South, and Pharaoh Apophis was in his palace at Avaris. . . . . Pharaoh Apophis had set up Sutech for his Lord; he worshipped no other God in the whole land. . . . . While Apophis was celebrating the dedication of his temple to Sutech, the King of the South prepared to build a temple to the Sun in opposition."

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This notable fact of Pharaoh Apophis being devoted to the worship of Sutech is confirmed by a recently discovered granite statue of colossal size at Avaris, which has on its right shoulder the two names of Pharaoh Apophis, accompanied by the title of "worshipper of the god Sutech." Hence Dr. Brugsch, in his valuable Histoire d'Egypte, observes,-" The mention of this god in combination with the Shepherd King proves most clearly what is stated in the papyrus concerning Apophis being specially devoted to the worship of this god, to the exclusion of all the other deities of the whole country."

The question then arises, Who was this Sutech whom Pharaoh Apophis made the sole object of his worship? Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian, contemporary with Julius Cæsar, and who wrote largely on Egypt, relates that when "Antiochus Epiphanes had conquered the Jews, he entered into the Temple of God, where he found the image of a man, with a long beard, carved in stone, seated upon an ass, which he supposed to be Moses, who built Jerusalem." The Egyptian name for the ass, Iao, is the very same word as the Greeks employed to designate the God of the Hebrews. And thus the fable connecting the Jewish worship with an ass, traces of which appear in the story of Antiochus Epiphanes, is explained by the ass having been the hieroglyphic sign of the god Sutech, who was worshipped by the Shepherd king Apophis, and who subsequently was regarded as the special god of the Egyptian strangers, and as the evil deity for themselves. We can thus understand that Sutech came to be admitted into the Egyptian Pantheon in the same way as Tiberius proposed to the Senate to recognise Christ as one of the Roman deities. Hence Dr. Birch, of the

British Museum, has interpreted the name Sutech to mean "God, the true God, the one only God, as distinct from all other heathen deities." This interpretation serves to explain an inscription of the time of Pharaoh Manepthah, who reigned fully four centuries after Apophis, and who is represented as worshipping, together with other Egyptian deities, "the god Sutech of Avaris," which in reality signified "Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews." Ewald, a distinguished biblical critic, asserts that "Avaris" means, philologically, nothing less than the "city of the Hebrews."* And the Vicomte de Rougé, an eminent Egyptologer, considers that "Avaris" is the same as "Zoan," which is said, in Numbers xiii. 22, to have been built seven years later than Hebron; and that the Hebrew word "Zoan," which signifies "motion," is equivalent to the Egyptian "Hawar," which means "the place of departure."+

A recent discovery at the ancient Zoan, now called Tanis, seems to throw further light on the connexion between Pharaoh Apophis and the god Sutech. Not long ago, M. Marette found a stela in the ruins of the great temple at Tanis, remarkable as bearing a date "of the year 400." This date, the earliest instance on record of any recognised era, refers to that of Pharaoh Noubti, and the stela, or monument, appears to have been set up by Ramesses the Great, in honour of "Sutech, the God of the Shepherds." The Vicomte de Rougé, who has given a full account of this interesting discovery in the Revue Archéologique for 1864, considers that "Pharaoh Noubti belonged to the dynasty of the Shepherd Kings, and that Ramesses the Great liked to trace back his genealogy to him;" adding, "the word 'Noubti' is the Egyptian name for the god 'Sutech."" Assuming this last observation to be quite correct, we find in it a singular confirmation of the truth of Scripture history. The era Noubti or Sutech would naturally commence with Apophis's recognition of Sutech as "the God of the Hebrews," when he made Joseph viceroy of Egypt. As this occurred, according to Scripture chronology, nearly a century before the rise of "the king who knew not Joseph," i.e., Amosis, the chief of the famous 18th dynasty, and conqueror of the Shepherds, who preceded Ramesses the Great by three centuries, we can understand the meaning of a date in the reign of the latter as the 400th year of the era Sutech or Noubti.

As the fact of Pharaoh Apophis having been a worshipper of the "God of the Hebrews" supports the ancient tradition that he was the patron of Joseph, so an incident in the time of Pharaoh Assa, the last of the Shepherd kings, affords additional confirmation of this view. According to Genesis 1. 26, "Joseph Ewald's Geschicte des Volkes Israel, p. 450. + Revue Archéologique, 1861, p. 250.

died, being one hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." In Exodus i. 6, 8, we read that, immediately after the death of Joseph, and the last of that generation, "there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph." As there is ample proof that this can refer to none other than Pharaoh Amosis, who conquered the Shepherd Dynasty, and expelled it from Egypt, it is clear that Joseph must have died during the reign of Assa, who appears to have been second in succession from Apophis, and was in all probability his grandson.

Some recent discoveries in Egyptology afford very strong confirmation to the truth of the Scripture statement respecting Joseph's age at the time of his death. By means of the papyri, or written documents of Egypt, as well as by the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the monuments, we can trace through a course of several centuries repeated references to the number 110 years; which in all the instances known seem to point out that such was considered amongst the Egyptians as the extreme limit of old age. And since these references can be traced no further back than to the time of Pharaoh Assa, in whose reign Joseph died, it is fair to assume that the age of the Patriarch, who had been so great a benefactor to Egypt, was the origin of what became proverbial amongst the Egyptians in respect to the longevity of man.

Our limits will not allow more than two or three of these inscriptions, which will, however, sufficiently show the mind of the ancient Egyptians on this subject. On a monument in the British Museum there is a funereal inscription belonging to a court officer of Ramesses the Great, who reigned in the fourteenth century B.C., named Raka, which reads as follows:"Adoration to Onnophris, who grantest to me the fair Amenti (i. e. repose in the tomb) after 110 years upon earth." Egyptologers do not regard this as necessarily implying that Raka lived to the age of 110 years, but that it is understood as a figure of speech, meaning that he had attained a good old age, the extreme limit of which was placed by the Egyptians at 110.

In the Munich Museum there is a statue of Baken-Konson, high-priest of Ammon, at Thebes, during the reign of Pharaoh Seti I., and therefore about a century earlier than the lastmentioned case. The visitor at the tomb of this priest is addressed according to a common custom amongst the Egyptians in the following terms:-"O child, or married man, whosoever thou art in this life, place thyself behind me, since I have been from my youth even unto hoary old age in the sanctuary of the Temple of Ammon, in the service of my God. Oh! that He may grant me the happy life of 110 years!”

Another inscription to the same effect is found on a tablet in the British Museum of the twenty-first year of Pharaoh Amenophis III., and therefore a few years after the Exodus of the Israelites had taken place. But the most interesting notice of this reference to the limit of old age amongst the Egyptians is found in a papyrus of the "Bibliothèque Imperiale" at Paris, which the internal evidence shows to have been written during the time of Pharaoh Assa, in whose reign the patriarch Joseph died. M. Chabas in France, and the Rev. D. Heath in England, have both attempted translations of this ancient record, which must be dated near the close of the eighteenth century B.C. The translation of the papyrus by Mr. Heath is published in a small work entitled, "A Record of the Patriarchal Age; or the Proverbs of Apophis," who appears to have been the son of Pharaoh Assa, and the namesake and probably great-grandson of the Apophis who befriended Joseph. The passage in question reads as follows:-" Verily a son is pleasing unto God, who pays attention to that which is said to him by his master; who does what is right, who gives heed unto his ways. So shalt thou have thy limbs sound, and the king's approbation in all things. Thou shalt attain 110 years of life in the king's court among the nobles of the land."

A review of these inscriptions, extending over a period of several centuries, and terminating in the reign of Pharaoh Assa (for no reference to 110 years has been discovered of an earlier date), warrants us in believing that this supposed limit of human longevity which became proverbial amongst the Egyptians, arose from the fact of their great benefactor Joseph having attained that age, according to Scripture. As such, it may be regarded as one of the many confirmations, which are continually appearing, of Egypt's testimony to the Bible; and it affords a sufficient reply to the infidel remark of Bishop Colenso, that "the first writer of the story in the Pentateuch never professed to be recording historical truth."

Scripture states that when "Joseph died, being 110 years old, they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." In this state the body of Joseph must have remained 144 years, the interval between the time of his death and the Exodus of the Israelites, according to the Hebrew computation. It is natural to conclude that during the period which elapsed between his death and the expulsion of the Shepherd dynasty, the immense blessings which Joseph had bestowed upon Egypt would have been gratefully commemorated by the reigning Pharaoh with a magnificent tomb. Osburn, in his "Monumental History of Egypt," has called attention to the fact that there are still in existence at Sakkara, opposite Memphis, where the Pharoahs of the Shepherd Dynasty held their Court, the

ruins of a tomb belonging to some distinguished person whose name accords with that of "Joseph." Osburn remarks that "it was either a cenotaph constructed for Joseph, or it has been the tomb of the successor to his offices, who, out of respect to his memory, took his name as well as his titles. The idolatrous allusions contained in its inscriptions seem to favour the latter opinion. In the archæology of any other ancient kingdom such an identification would be a marvel all but incredible. In that of Egypt it scarcely rises above the level of the ordinary results of investigation."

The name, which is still legible on the tomb, is written in hieroglyphics ei-tsuph, signifying "he came to save;" and alludes intelligibly to the good work which Joseph accomplished for Egypt during the seven years of famine, besides embodying the sounds of his name. The title under which Joseph was first inaugurated, abrech, "bow the knee" (Gen. xli. 48), appears on this tomb; and is the only instance of such a title having been discovered in Egypt. It is written in hieroglyphics hb-resh, "royal priest and prince," which titles were peculiarly applicable to Joseph when he married "Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest or prince of On." Amongst other titles found on this tomb there is one equally suitable both to the person and office of the Jewish patriarch. He is called "Director of the Granaries of the Chiefs of both Egypts." The "full and the empty channels of irrigation" are described on this tomb as having once been under the charge of its occupant, so that it agrees with what is said in Scripture respecting Joseph being "over all the land of Egypt" in regard to provisioning of the land, and comports exactly with the inspired narrative of his elevation.

More evidence might easily be adduced from recent discoveries in confirmation of the story of the Exodus as recorded by Moses, which some writers in the present day are so vainly attempting to deny; but enough has been said to show the perfect agreement between Scripture history and what is recoverable from the monuments respecting the fact of Joseph in Egypt.

B. W. S.

ON THE UNWORTHY CONDUCT OF OUR STATESMEN IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH POPERY.

STATESMANSHIP in theory is an honourable profession, but in practice it is the very reverse. Its tendency is to steel the heart against every thing that is noble, generous, and patriotic. The longer it is followed, the more the conscience becomes