I am not sure why you think that a lot of Hebrew beliefs originated in Egypt through Moses.

This idea is not supported by the biblical record:

Moses was brought up in Pharaoh's palace and learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians, which must have included reading, writing and speaking Egyptian, as well as understanding the Egyptian calendar.

Firstly, it should be noted that Moses did not adopt the Egyptian calendar with its ten day week and thirty day month, but preserved the seven day week and lunar months of the calendar of Israel.

Secondly, Moses killed an Egyptian, and then fled Egypt, living away from Egypt for forty years - under the influence of his father-in-law, Jethro, who was priest of Midian. I presume this was another religious influence on the life of Moses.

Thirdly, the real mother of Moses became his nurse after adoption by Pharaoh's daughter, so he had little chance to forget that he was actually an Israelite. And he didn't forget - choosing to suffer affliction with the Israelites rather than enjoying the pleasures of Egypt.

Fourthly, Moses gave a specific command to the children of Israel, as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy:
'...beware of looking up to the sky and then, as you see the whole host of heaven, the sun and moon and stars, letting yourselves be allured to bend in worship of them. The Eternal your God has allotted them for worship to all nations under the broad sky, but the Eternal took you and lifted you from the iron furnace of Egypt, to be a people of his own ...'

The biblical record notes that the Israelites worshipped a golden calf, defying the commandments that Moses had given them ie some Israelites wanted to worship idols, just as they had seen in Egypt, but this was not due to Moses the man of God.

Mark



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2011 01:26PM by Mark Heaton.