Ahmed Osman
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Osman (born 1934) is an Egypt
ian-born author. He has put forward a number of theories, some revisionist
in nature, about Ancient Egypt
and the origins of Judaism
and Christianity
.
in 1934, Osman was a law student at Cairo University
before becoming a journalist. He has a Master's Degree
in Egyptology.
Osman moved to London in 1964. He became interested in possible links between the Hebrew Bible
and archaeological discoveries in Egypt.
was the father-in-law
of Amenhotep III
, Yuya. In 1987 this claim provided the basis for his first book, Stranger in the Valley of the Kings.
Osman identified the Semitic
-born Egyptian official Joseph with the Egyptian official Yuya
, and asserted the identification of Hebrew liberator Moses
with the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten
(as did Sigmund Freud
in his book Moses and Monotheism
).
Ahmed Osman has even claimed that Moses and Akhenaten were the same person, supporting his belief by interpreting aspects of biblical and Egyptian history. He alleges that Atenism
can be considered monotheistic and related to Judaism
, and includes other similarities, including a ban on idol worship and the similarity of the name Aten to the Hebrew Adon, or "Lord". This would mesh with Osman's other claim that Akhenaten's maternal grandfather Yuya was the same person as the Biblical Joseph.
A few of Osman's positions are in conflict with some of mainstream Egyptology
, including conventional Egyptian chronology
.
Some Egyptologists have gone as far as rejecting them as unacademic conjecture while others do not consider them worth refuting. Donald B. Redford
wrote a scathing review of Stranger in the Valley of the Kings for Biblical Archaeology Review
.
In his Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion (2005), Osman claims that Christianity did not originate in Judea
but is the remnant of an Ancient Egyptian mystery cult that was suppressed and transformed by the Roman authorities.
Osman states that the reason mainstream Egyptologists do not accept his theories and the theories of others is because, "Egyptologists have established their careers on their interpretations", and that to accept other theories could give them less authority.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian-born author. He has put forward a number of theories, some revisionist
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
in nature, about Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
and the origins of Judaism
Origins of Judaism
The ancient roots of Judaism lie in the Bronze Age polytheistic Ancient Semitic religions, specifically Canaanite religion, and of the worship of Yahweh reflected in the early prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible...
and Christianity
Origins of Christianity
For centuries, the traditional understanding has been that Judaism came before Christianity and that Christianity separated from Judaism some time after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE....
.
Biography
Born in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1934, Osman was a law student at Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
before becoming a journalist. He has a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Egyptology.
Osman moved to London in 1964. He became interested in possible links between the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
and archaeological discoveries in Egypt.
Theories
His first theory was that JosephJoseph (Hebrew Bible)
Joseph is an important character in the Hebrew bible, where he connects the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan to the subsequent story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt....
was the father-in-law
Father-in-law
A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship...
of Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty. According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC or June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC after his father Thutmose IV died...
, Yuya. In 1987 this claim provided the basis for his first book, Stranger in the Valley of the Kings.
Osman identified the Semitic
Semitic
In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages...
-born Egyptian official Joseph with the Egyptian official Yuya
Yuya
Yuya was a powerful Egyptian courtier during the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
, and asserted the identification of Hebrew liberator Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
with the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten
Akhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
(as did Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
in his book Moses and Monotheism
Moses and Monotheism
Moses and Monotheism, 1939 by Sigmund Freud, ISBN 978-0394700144 is a book where Freud hypothesizes that Moses was not Jewish, but actually born into Ancient Egyptian nobility and was perhaps a follower of Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian monotheist, or perhaps Akhenaten himself...
).
Ahmed Osman has even claimed that Moses and Akhenaten were the same person, supporting his belief by interpreting aspects of biblical and Egyptian history. He alleges that Atenism
Atenism
Atenism, or the Amarna heresy, refers to the religious changes associated with the eighteenth dynasty Pharaoh Amenophis IV, better known under his adopted name, Akhenaten...
can be considered monotheistic and related to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and includes other similarities, including a ban on idol worship and the similarity of the name Aten to the Hebrew Adon, or "Lord". This would mesh with Osman's other claim that Akhenaten's maternal grandfather Yuya was the same person as the Biblical Joseph.
A few of Osman's positions are in conflict with some of mainstream Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
, including conventional Egyptian chronology
Conventional Egyptian chronology
The Conventional Egyptian chronology represents the scholarly consensus on the chronology of the rulers of ancient Egypt, taking into account well accepted developments during the 20th century but not including any of the major revision proposals that have also been made in that time.All dates are...
.
Some Egyptologists have gone as far as rejecting them as unacademic conjecture while others do not consider them worth refuting. Donald B. Redford
Donald B. Redford
Donald B. Redford is a Canadian Egyptologist and archaeologist, currently Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He is married to Susan Redford, who is also an Egyptologist currently teaching classes at the university...
wrote a scathing review of Stranger in the Valley of the Kings for Biblical Archaeology Review
Biblical Archaeology Review
Biblical Archaeology Review is a publication that seeks to connect the academic study of archaeology to a broad general audience seeking to understand the world of the Bible and the Near and Middle East . Covering both the Old and New Testaments, BAR presents the latest discoveries and...
.
In his Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion (2005), Osman claims that Christianity did not originate in Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
but is the remnant of an Ancient Egyptian mystery cult that was suppressed and transformed by the Roman authorities.
Osman states that the reason mainstream Egyptologists do not accept his theories and the theories of others is because, "Egyptologists have established their careers on their interpretations", and that to accept other theories could give them less authority.
Works
- Stranger in the Valley of the Kings: Solving the Mystery of an Ancient Egyptian Mummy (1987) ISBN 0062506749
- alternate edition: Stranger in the Valley of the Kings: The Identification of Yuya as the Patriarch Joseph (1988)
- Stranger in the Valley of the Kings (no subtitle) (1994) ISBN 0586087842
- alternate edition: Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt: The Secret Lineage of the Patriarch Joseph (2001) ISBN 0954016807 (2003) ISBN 1591430224
- Moses: Pharaoh of Egypt: The Mystery of Akhenaten Resolved (1990) ISBN 0246136650 (1994) ISBN 0586090347
- alternate edition: Moses and Akhenaten: The Secret History of Egypt at the Time of the Exodus (2002)
- The House of the Messiah: Controversial Revelations on the Historical Jesus (1992) ISBN 0586216855 ISBN 0246139064
- alternate edition: The House of the Messiah: A Brilliant New Solution to the Enduring Mystery of the Historical Jesus (1994)
- alternate edition: Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus (2004) ISBN 1591430275
- Out of Egypt: The Roots of Christianity Revealed (1999) ISBN 0712679626
- Moses and Akhenaten: The Secret History of Egypt at the Time of the Exodus (2002) ISBN 1591430046
- Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion (2005) ISBN 1591430461
- Christianity and Political Islam with Mounir Ghabbour (2010) ISBN 070437210X