MW-Yep. That's pretty traditional. He went south from Egypt, though. Is Hebron south of Egypt? I find it confusing, due to lack of clarity. Quibbling about directions that were made multiple millenia ago is a bit silly, I suppose, unless one has a stake in the literality of the modern Bible, which I don't, personally.
An aside, you are a giant fan of Mr. Osman, aren't you? Is he the last word on theology for some reason? Have you considered this source with cynicism, as well?
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M*W: If Abraham had gone south in Egypt, he would have ended up in what they call "upper" Egypt. This is where the confusion comes in. The Nile Delta is referred to as "lower" Egypt, even though it is the northernmost part of Egypt. "Upper" Egypt would be southward toward the Sudan. I don't know why it is labeled this way, however.
Abraham's travel itinerary as I understand it is:
He was born in Haran (in Iraq). He was told to leave his homeland and move southeastward to the Ur of the Chaldees (in Iraq). He traveled to the pharaoh's palace in Egypt by going westward towar the area of Damascus then turning southward toward Egypt. It is believed that Abraham did not have to travel beyond the city of Zarw, by the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt (again, this would more logically appear to be Upper Egypt, but it's not). His journey would have taken him southward along the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, and he didn't have to travel more than a few miles after he entered Egypt.
I am an avid reader of Ahmed Osman. Since I have all of his books, I tend to cite him. He was born in Cairo in 1934, and is the author of
Stranger in the Valley of Kings,
The House of the Messiah,
Moses and Akhenaten,
Out of Egypt,
Jesus and the House of the Pharaohs,
The Secret Lineage of the Patriarch Joseph, and
The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt. He lived in England, but I think he is recently deceased.
There are other scholars that I regularly cite:
Breasted, James H.: A
History of Egypt, NY, 1924.
Breasted, James H., ed.,
Ancient Records of Egypt, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906.
Bright, John.:
A History of Israel, London, 1982.
Ellis, Ralph.:
Jesus: Last of the Pharaohs--The Truth Behind the Mask Revealed, Edfu Books, TJ International, Padstow, UK, 1999.
Gardiner, Alan H.:
Egypt of the Pharaohs, Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, 1961.
Jackson, John G.:
Christianity Before Christ, American Atheist Press, Austin, TX, 2002.
Lang, J. Stephen.:
What the Bible Didn't Say: Popular Myths and Misconceptions About the Good Book, Fall River Press, NY, 2003.
Massey, Gerald.:
The Historical Jesus and the Mythical Christ: Separating Fact From Fiction, The Book Tree, Escondido, CA, 2000.
Maxwell, Jordan; Tice, Paul and Snow, Alan.:
That Old-Time Religion: The Story of Religious Foundations, The Book Tree, Escondido, CA, 2000.
Osman, Ahmed.:
Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus, Bear & Company, Rochester, VT, 2004.
Osman, Ahmed.:
Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion, Bear & Company, Rochester, VT, 2005.
Osman, Ahmed.:
Moses and Akhenaten: The Secret History of Egypt at the Time of the Exodus, Bear & Company, Rochester, VT, 2002.
Osman, Ahmed.:
Stranger in the Valley of Kings, Souvenir Press, London, 1987.
Panati, Charles.:
Sacred Origins of Profound Things: The Stories Behind the Rites and Rituals of the World's Religions, The Penguin Group, NY, 1996.
Petrie, W.M. Flinders.:
Researches in Sinai, John Murray, London, 1906.
Pritchard, James B., ed.,
The Times Atlas of the Bible, London: Times Books, 1987.
Wagner, N.E.:
Abraham and David. Toronto, 1972.
Weigall, Arthur.: The Life and Times of Akhnaton--Pharaoh of Egypt, Cooper Square Press, Ny, 2000.
Yahuda, A.S.:
The Language of the Pentateuch in its Relation to Egyptian. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933.
