Egyptian Thread

The Egyptian thread traces the history of one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring civilizations, from the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 BCE through the Ptolemaic period.

Significance to Abrahamic History

Egypt serves as a crucial backdrop to biblical narratives:

• The Patriarchs: Abraham sojourned in Egypt during a famine. Joseph rose from slave to vizier, bringing his family to settle in Goshen.

• The Exodus: The defining event of Israelite identity—God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage under Moses.

• Ongoing Relations: Egypt remained a significant power throughout biblical history, sometimes as refuge (the Holy Family’s flight), sometimes as threat (prophetic warnings against alliance with Egypt).

Key Events in This Thread

Egyptian civilization provides essential historical context: the pyramids demonstrate the power of organized states contemporary with the patriarchs; the New Kingdom sets the stage for the Exodus; and Ptolemaic Egypt shaped the world into which Christianity emerged.