Wisdom of Amenemope

by Scriptural Research Institute

The Wisdom of Amenemope (also called the Wisdom of Amenemopet, Instruction of Amenemope, or Instructions of Amenemopet) is an ancient Egyptian text that has mostly survived to the present, dating to sometime between 1550 and 1350 BC. Egyptian wisdom literature served as an inspiration for several ancient Israelite books, including the Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Wisdom of Joshua ben Sira. The most significant influence of Amenemope on the Israelite texts is found in the book of Proverbs, which appears to be directly influenced by Amenemope. The Wisdom of Amenemope was lost for over 2000 years, however, in the late 1800s, several copies were found by Egyptologists both on papyrus and tablets. The various copies all dated to the 21st through 27th dynasties of Egypt, circa 1170 to 500 BC, meaning the Wisdom of Amenemope was in circulation for over 600 years before being lost. It is not clear when exactly it was lost, but it was no longer in circulation by the time the Septuagint was translated at the Library of Alexandria circa 250 BC, and there is no evidence the Library ever acquired a copy of it.If the biblical story of Solomon is essentially accurate, then his Egyptian wife would have almost certainly given him a copy of the Wisdom of Amenemope, as it carried the name of her father. This was not the Amenemope that wrote the Wisdom of Amenemope, however, it still would have made a good present to a barbarian king she would no doubt want to Egyptianize. The influence of Solomon's wives over his beliefs is a central aspect of his story within the biblical narrative, with the Levites that wrote the surviving versions of the books of Kingdoms (Samuel and Kings) ultimately describing the downfall of the unified kingdom of Israel (Judea and Samaria) as being because of his actions. Yet, he was described as building the first temple in Jerusalem, and so continued to be revered by the Levites.Whether Solomon existed or not, the Book of Proverbs was compiled by someone who ascribed it to him. This person drew on many ancient sources but clearly had a copy of the Wisdom of Amenemope in his possession. The fact that the author of Proverbs translated texts directly from Amenemope is not in doubt, and almost all major Christian denominations have recognized the preeminence of the Wisdom of Amenemope in the compilation of Proverbs.

Genres: Egypt, Religion

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2020

Reviews

[Sense of History]

I found this one of the less appealing books of Egyptian wisdom literature, especially when compared to the The Instruction of Ptah-hotep And the Instruction of Ke'gemni, which is at least 500 years older. The Instruction of Amenemope dates from the New Kingdom (1550-1070 bce). It is a longer text than usual in this genre, and it mainly consists of a long list of commandments and prohibitions. The underlying values touted are those of austerity, moderation and restraint. “Better, then, is poverty in the hand of God/ Than riches in the storehouse;/ Better is bread when the mind is at ease/ Than riches with anxiety.”

A frequently recurring contrast is that between the ill-tempered man and the taciturn man, with the latter always being praised. Of course, the morality is based on that of the gods, but this is done in such a way that it is very reminiscent of formulations that we know from the Jewish Bible. For decades, scholars have debated whether the book of Proverbs was based on Amenemope's, or vice versa. There is now consensus that the Egyptian book came long before that of the Hebrews, but at the same time there is still discussion about the question of borrowing, because many turns of phrase are very similar. I'm not an expert, but I'd be careful here, especially keeping in mind that at that time (the second half of the second millennium BCE) there were very many versions of wisdom literature circulating in the Ancient Near East, and there was a continuous interaction between Egypt, the Levant and Mesopotamia, in which mutual influence can hardly be reconstructed.