Thursday, August 23, 2012

Who Was Pharaoh's Daughter? ~ Theory #1

"And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 
And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 
Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it. 
And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water." 
~ Exodus 2:5-10

Which historical princess in Egypt was Pharaoh's compassionate daughter who rescued the child from the river? There have been some valid speculations which are very interesting to study. Today, we will focus on the theory based on the "Revised Egyptian Chronology"  (see below for more information). This group of archeologists present evidence that it may have been the Queen Sobekneferu of the 12th Dynasty who incidentally was also the first "queen" of Egypt (woman Pharaoh). Her father was Amenemhet III and had two daughters with no sons to call his own. Some historians suggest that Amenemhet III was his son but according to their findings, it is just as plausible for him to be the "recognized son" of Sobekneferu as he is quite a mysterious figure. Could he be the Moses of the Bible?

Sobekneferu heiroglyph

Some potential clues:
  • The odd Biblical account of a royal princess washing herself in the river would make sense with Sobekneferu. The fertility god of Egypt was Hapy (the river god) and she may have been observing some sort of religious ritual there in order to conceive a son. Perhaps the entrance of Moses floating in the little ark would seem to her like an answer to her plea, a gift from the gods.




  • Josephus wrote about Queen Sobekneferu, "Having no child of her own… she thought to make him her father's successor."

Queen Sobekneferu was also known as Nefrusobek 

  • There are no historical records that Sobekneferu gave birth to a son. When her father died, she assumed the throne and ruled for four years. Once her reign ended, that dynasty came to an end and was replaced with the 13th Dynasty (indicating there was no one to take her place in line and she would have been eager to adopt an orphan baby).

Fragmented Statue of Sobekneferu from the Louvre Museum

  • There were very few reigning queens in Egyptian records and being that her part in history is within the realms of the Israelite captivity (according to the "Revised Egyptian Chronology"), she seems an excellent candidate.

There is little known information about Queen Sobekneferu and the few artifacts that were found were incomplete. However, there is some interesting thoughts to ponder. We must realize that the Bible is true history and features real historical figures. I encourage you to present these kinds of ideas to your children, sisters and friends. Study the different theories. 

"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, 
for the ears of the wise seek it out."

~ Proverbs 18:15


Bring the Bible to life by breathing historical information into these events! There are so many fairy tales in this world, we don't want the Scriptures to be mistaken for one...


Information for this post was gleaned from ~ 




Visit "Revised Egyptian Chronology" for more information ~

"There is plenty evidence for Israelite slavery in Egypt–the sudden disappearance of these slaves, the devastation of Egypt by the ten plagues, the destruction of the Egyptian army–if we look for it at the right time, and time is a vital element in the interpretation of ancient history.

According to the Biblical records, the Exodus occurred 480 years before Solomon laid the foundations of his temple at Jerusalem (1 Kings 6:1). This would place the Exodus about 1446BC. God’s covenant with Abraham was 430 years earlier (Exodus 12:40, Galatians 3:16, 17) about 1850 BC. From the ages of his predecessors back to Noah, given in Genesis 12 and 13, it can be calculated that the great universal flood occurred 427 years earlier, about 2302 BC. But according to most authorities on Egyptian chronology the pyramids were built about 1550 BC, and the first dynasty of Egypt ruled about 3100 BC.23

Thus, there is a conflict between Egyptian chronology as generally interpreted and the Biblical records. Neither the first dynasty of Egypt nor the pyramids could have existed before the flood. If the Bible is historically reliable, as I believe it is, then there must be a mistake in the usual interpretation of Egyptian chronology which needs to be reduced by centuries.

The issue is clear. An acceptance of the present chronological interpretation of Egyptian history, and a rejection of the Biblical chronology, opens the door to skepticism of the rest of the early Biblical records, including the record of the Creation of the world in six days. But if Egyptian chronology can be shown to be flawed, a major obstacle to the acceptance of the Bible records is removed, and the Genesis history stands justified."

Friday, August 10, 2012

Creating with Crochet and Musings on Mentoring


One of the beautiful aspects of biblical womanhood is that of mentoring. For some it may be a spiritual mentorship while others provide a practical mentorship in skills that we ourselves do not possess. For example, crochet is something my daughter had a desire to learn. I was blessed to have a sister-in-law proficient in this art who is also a godly role model for her. Two needs were met when they spent an afternoon with a ball of yarn, a crochet hook and a desire to "worketh willingly" with their hands.


Due to certain circumstances, they were only given a few hours together but the basic skills were taught which inspired these self-created projects.  

Position of the hands and explanation of chain stitch.

Position of the hands and explanation of chain stitch.—Take the thread in the left hand between the finger and thumb, hold the needle between the thumb and first finger of the right hand, letting it rest on the second finger, in the same manner in which you hold your pen, and put it into the loop, which you hold between the finger and thumb of the left hand. Take up the thread, lying on your finger, with the needle and make your first stitch as you do in knitting, tightening the loop just enough to leave an easy passage through it for the needle. The end of the thread must be held by the thumb and forefinger. The next stitches are made by taking up the thread with the needle and drawing it through the loop. The throwing of the thread round the needle by a jerk of the wrist is called an 'over'.



If we can provide our daughters with at least a taste of handiwork knowledge, their imaginations can produce many lovely items. Furnish them with books or video tutorials on the subject and their artistry will continue to flourish. These types of skills nurture the moments of beautiful girlhood.


Even a pair of socks become special when adorned with a few simple stitches. The possibilities are limitless with only two hours of tutoring… 


The supplies are minimal for crochet and therefore economical. Balls of yarn are found in plenty at thrift stores and estate sales. Crochets hooks are affordable as well. Once these two simple materials are procured, one can spend hours crafting handmade goods.


Single stitch.

Single stitch.—Put the needle in from the right side of the work, into the uppermost loop of the preceding row, take up the thread on the needle and draw it through both loops.


The basic projects shown here are done with the knowledge of two basic stitches known as single crochet and double crochet (shown above).


Queen Victoria was knowledgable in the art of crochet. She was responsible for making crochet popular. Prior to her interest, it was deemed a poor substitute for lace. Her desire was to boost the Irish economy at the time of a potato famine and this skill helped to pave the way. (You can read more about this topic here.)


She also crocheted eight scarves as awards for a select group of veterans from the South African war when she was 82 years old (actual scarf shown above).


Victorian era writer, Elizabeth Gaskell mentions crochet (in a humorous account) in her novel, Cranford.

"When we came back, nothing would serve him but he must read us the poems he had been speaking of; and Miss Pole encouraged him in his proposal, I thought, because she wished me to hear his beautiful reading, of which she had boasted; but she afterwards said it was because she had got to a difficult part of her crochet, and wanted to count her stitches without having to talk." 
~ Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford


You will find many other lovely ideas in the art of homemaking for young ladies here.


Crochet instructions are excerpts from:
Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Finery ~ A Poem for Young Ladies

Vanity by Auguste Toulmouche


Finery

In an elegant frock, trimm'd with beautiful lace,
And hair nicely curl'd, hanging over her face,
Young Fanny went out to the house of a friend,
With a large little party the evening to spend.

"Ah! how they will all be delighted, I guess,
And stare with surprise at my handsome new dress!"
Thus said the vain girl, and her little heart beat,
Impatient the happy young party to meet.

But, alas! they were all too intent on their play
To observe the fine clothes of this lady so gay,
And thus all her trouble quite lost its design;­
For they saw she was proud, but forgot she was fine.

'Twas Lucy, though only in simple white clad,
(Nor trimmings, nor laces, nor jewels, she had,)
Whose cheerful good-nature delighted them more
Than Fanny and all the fine garments she wore.

'Tis better to have a sweet smile on one's face,
Than to wear a fine frock with an elegant lace,
For the good-natured girl is loved best in the main,
If her dress is but decent, though ever so plain.


~  by Jane Taylor (1783-1824) *


*Historical Note: Ms. Taylor is also the author of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
and the poem "Violet" featured here about modesty of character.


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Collecting Cookbooks ~ The Hope Chest

Buy at Art.com
As a young maiden, preparing for the future is very necessary. Something you can do today is start a cookbook collection. You can begin practicing new recipes on your family now and make notes on which ones were favorites and which were failures… Then, dear hubby need not be the experimental victim. These single years are an excellent time to sharpen your kitchen skills and become a culinary queen!
Buy at Art.com
Cookbooks make an excellent addition to a hope chest because they are always in "style" unlike some items you may place inside and lose interest in. If you already have a repertoire of recipes but need a storage system for them, you may be interested in making an "Inspirational Recipe Book" (free printables are included with the link).
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Some of our favorite cookbooks are:
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"When young people marry they are rarely troubled with many thoughts about the details of housekeeping. Their dreams are high above all such common place issues. The mere mention of such things as cooking, baking, sweeping, dusting, mending, ironing—jars upon the poetic rhythm of the lofty themes of conversation. It never enters the brains of these happy lovers—that it will make every difference in the world in their home life—whether the bread is sweet or sour; whether the oatmeal is well cooked or scorched; whether the meals are punctual or tardy. The mere thought that such common matters could affect the tone of their wedded life, seems a desecration.

One of the very first things they discover is the intimate relation between the kitchen and wedded happiness. That love may fulfill its delightful prophecies and realize its splendid dreams—there must be in the new home, some very practical elements. The palace that is to rise into the air, shooting up its towers, displaying its wonders of architecture, flashing its splendors in the sunshine—to the admiration of the world, must have its foundation in commonplace earth, resting on plain, hard, honest rock. Love may build its palace of noble sentiments and tender affections and sweet romances—rising into the very clouds, and in this splendid home two souls may dwell in the enjoyment of the highest possibilities of wedded life; but this palace, too, must stand on the ground, with unpoetic and unsentimental stones for its foundation. That foundation is good housekeeping. In other words, good breakfasts, dinners and suppers, a well-kept house, order, system, promptness, punctuality, good cheer—far more than any young lovers dream—does happiness in married life depend upon such commonplace things as these!"

~ Except from The Family by J.R. Miller


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