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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004106S
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00:29 In August 1799 a warship sailed away from the coast of Egypt. 00:35 On board was Napoleon Bonaparte with a small party of officers. 00:40 Little more than a year earlier Napoleon had invaded Egypt with 00:45 a powerful fleet and a large army. Napoleon had hoped to make 00:50 Egypt a French possession so that he could move on to attack 00:54 the British in India. But the British Admiral Nelson had 00:58 destroyed his naval fleet and now defeated Napoleon was 01:03 leaving his army behind. His military adventure turned out to 01:08 be an absolute disaster. It was a complete failure in every way. 01:13 Every way but one. You see while the French army was in Egypt 01:18 one of the soldiers made an incredible discovery. He found 01:23 an ancient stone inscription that unlocked the mysteries of a 01:28 long lost empire. Join me as we follow archeologists and 01:33 linguists as they decode this strange inscription and reveal 01:38 the secrets of ancient Egypt. And together we'll listen to 01:42 civilizations long dead speak with thunder tones to our 01:47 generation. And there may even be a message from the past for 01:51 you and me. 01:54 ♪ ♪ 02:10 This is the world's longest river. The Nile flows around 02:14 6700 kilometers from its source in equatorial Africa to the 02:19 Mediterranean Sea covering 1/10 of the earth's circumference and 02:23 passing through nine countries. Today, as for thousands of years 02:29 the central fact of life for the Egyptian people is this river, 02:33 The Nile. Without the Nile there would be no Egypt as we know it. 02:39 You see the land of Egypt is 96 percent desert. Less than four 02:44 percent of its total land area is productive. All the rest is 02:50 dry, barren desert. To the ancient Egyptians this river was 02:56 the source of life and civilization began along its 03:00 banks. Great religions were born here. Even the Bible story, its 03:05 first writer, Moses, was plucked from the waters of the Nile as 03:09 an infant and reared by an Egyptian princess. This mighty 03:14 River enters southern Egypt and flows past the magnificent 03:19 monuments of Abu Simbel, the majestic temples of Luxor, the 03:24 fabled Valley of the Kings with its 64 royal tombs and the 03:28 enormous pyramids of Giza. Finally, it makes a grand sweep 03:35 past the little town of Rosetta also, known as Rashid, and ends its 03:40 journey at the Mediterranean Sea Now it was here at Rosetta near 03:46 the mouth of the Nile that one of archeology's greatest 03:50 discoveries was made. In fact, one of the greatest discoveries 03:54 in all history. Here's how it happened. Napoleon Bonaparte 04:01 invaded Egypt in 1798. Accompanying his army was a team 04:06 of 175 French scientists and artists. They were there to map 04:11 the land and study the mysterious monuments of Egypt. 04:15 Strange hieroglyphic picture writing on the temple walls and 04:19 monuments looked down on Napoleon's men. This fascinating 04:25 picture writing can be seen today etched everywhere on the 04:30 huge columns and blocks of stone Yet not a person in Egypt or in 04:36 all the world, for that matter, could read these strange 04:39 inscriptions. In fact, for 15 centuries the knowledge of this 04:45 writing was lost to civilization Men had gazed fascinated upon 04:51 Egyptian hieroglyphs without understanding their meaning. 04:54 The ancient Egyptians were a mystery because no one could 04:59 read their hieroglyphic writing. But in 1799 one of Napoleon's 05:06 officers was supervising the restoration of Fort Rosetta on 05:11 banks of the Nile delta. As he was digging a trench, he came 05:16 upon an unusual stone just over a meter high, three quarters of 05:21 a meter wide and weighing 762 kilos with inscriptions engraved 05:28 on it. He immediately realized that he had discovered something 05:33 special and that it was important to the scientists 05:36 accompanying the French army in Egypt and he certainly was right 05:41 The discovery of this slab of black basalt now known as the 05:46 Rosetta Stone marked the beginning of modern archeology. 05:50 It was the key which unlocked the puzzle of ancient Egyptian 05:54 writing. In fact, the Rosetta Stone is probably the most 06:00 important archeological artifact in the world today. After the 06:09 defeat of Napoleon and the French surrender of Egypt in 06:12 1801, the Rosetta Stone was brought to London as a prize of 06:18 war and taken to the British Museum. The Rosetta Stone was 06:23 part of the decree issued by the new king Ptolemy V, King of all 06:27 Egypt in 196 B.C. The text contains a decree establishing 06:34 a cult in the temples in Evana. What is said is of little 06:40 importance. The important thing is that its message was 06:44 inscribed in three languages. Yes, the same message was 06:48 repeated three times in three different languages. At the top 06:53 of this stone are 14 lines of hieroglyphics. Then in the 06:58 middle 32 lines of a sort of Egyptian handwriting, Demotic, 07:03 and finally at the bottom 54 lines of Greek. The three forms 07:08 of writing repeated the same message. Since the Greek was 07:12 easily understood it was just a matter of matching up the Greek 07:17 against the hieroglyphs. Now this may not seem a difficult 07:22 task but try as they would no one could make progress in 07:26 reading the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Rosetta Stone 07:31 sat in the British Museum for decades. No one could decipher 07:35 it. No one could crack the hieroglyphic code. No one that 07:40 is except a brilliant young French linguist Jean-Francois 07:44 Champollion. He was just nine years old when the Rosetta Stone 07:48 was first discovered. But by then he was already an 07:52 accomplished linguist and was fluent in Greek, Latin and 07:57 Hebrew. By his mid-teens, Champollion had mastered a 08:02 further six ancient oriental languages. Then he turned his 08:06 attention to the Rosetta Stone and devoted all his energy to 08:11 cracking the hieroglyphic code. It became his passion. He was 08:17 determined to read and understand it. He worked from 08:20 the known to the unknown. From the Greek, which he knew and 08:24 understood, to the demotic and to the hieroglyphs. Suddenly 08:30 after years of exhausting and detailed study Champollion saw 08:35 the true explanation of the strange picture writing in the 08:38 autumn of 1822. Until then he had thought hieroglyphs had some 08:44 sort of symbolic meaning used as letters only to write for a name 08:50 But now he recognized that the signs were used for sounds as 08:56 well as words. The key lay in the cartouches or oblong circles 09:01 of Egyptian hieroglyphs representing the names of the 09:05 kings found throughout the Rosetta Stone. Within days he 09:10 successfully made sense of many kings' names. It was quite clear 09:15 he had deciphered the hieroglyphs correctly. And he 09:19 announced his discovery in Paris on the 17th of September 1822. 09:24 He'd done it. Finally Champollion had cracked the 09:30 hieroglyphic code, perhaps the greatest code in history. The 09:34 ancient mystery of hieroglyphs had been solved. Until the 09:39 discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the work of Champollion 09:42 no one had been able to read the ancient hieroglyphic writing 09:46 which could be seen everywhere on the walls of the tombs and 09:51 temples of ancient Egypt. We knew nothing of the ancient 09:56 Egyptians. But now the ability to read the ancient Egyptian 10:04 language as it was written in the days of the ancient pharaohs 10:07 unlocked the vast treasures of a forgotten civilization. The door 10:12 to the past was now open. And as archeologists and linguists 10:18 began to read the hieroglyphs on the tombs, temples and 10:22 monuments of ancient Egypt and as they studied the ancient 10:26 inscriptions to their amazement they found that they correlated 10:31 with the Bible record and shed light on the Bible narrative. 10:35 In fact, they found things exactly as the Bible says they 10:41 were. For example, at the Giza plateau near the great pyramids 10:46 the mysterious Sphinx is found crouching in the sand. The 10:51 Sphinx is considered to be the greatest statue on earth. It was 10:55 carved out of one piece of solid limestone bedrock. Between the 11:00 paws of the Sphinx is an impressive stone monument. Its 11:05 hieroglyph text tells of the day the Sphinx supposedly spoke. The 11:11 inscription records how Thutmose IV unexpectedly became Pharaoh. 11:17 One day when he was on a hunting expedition he stopped to rest in 11:22 the shade of the Sphinx. As he did so he claimed the Sphinx 11:27 spoke to him and told him he would become the pharaoh of 11:32 Egypt. When this came true he cleared the sand away that was 11:36 covering the Sphinx and put this memorial between its paws that's 11:40 still here today. It's an obvious attempt to legitimize 11:45 his claim to the royal throne. It's quite evident that Thutmose 11:50 IV never expected to become king His father was on the throne 11:55 and his older brother was the crown prince next in line for 11:59 the throne. However, both his older brother and his father 12:03 disappeared from the scene of action about the same time. 12:07 What could possibly have happened to the king and the 12:11 rightful heir, the crown prince? Well this inscription was placed 12:17 here about the time the descendants of Abraham, the 12:21 Israelites left Egypt. At the time of the Biblical exodus 12:25 you'll remember that 10 dreadful plagues fell upon Egypt. The 12:31 last of these plagues destroyed the firstborn child of every 12:36 Egyptian family including the firstborn son of Pharaoh. This 12:41 is how the Bible describes it in Exodus chapter 12 verses 29 and 12:47 30... 13:13 And so it seems that Thutmose IV came to the throne unexpectedly 13:19 when his older brother the crown prince was slain in the 10th 13:24 plague and his father the ruling Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea 13:28 as he chased the Israelites. It's amazing how the 13:35 hieroglyphic inscriptions and the discoveries of modern 13:39 archeology confirms the ancient Bible story. That's true of many 13:45 sites in Egypt. About 200 km south of Giza at Beni Hasan 13:50 there are 39 rock tombs that are cut into the limestone cliff 13:55 These tombs belong to nobles who ruled this Egyptian province 14:01 about 4000 years ago. Each tomb is cut out of solid rock. The 14:08 walls of these tombs are covered with magnificent paintings and 14:13 hieroglyphic inscriptions. Of special interest is the 14:17 beautiful tomb of Khnumhotep. He was the province's most 14:21 important official, the governor of the eastern desert. 14:25 A painting in his tomb shows a group of Semites from Canaan 14:31 arriving in Egypt. It shows the clothes they wore, the kind of 14:35 footwear they had and the musical instruments they played. 14:38 These tombs date back to the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 14:45 It was common for people from Canaan to visit Egypt to barter 14:50 for corn in times of famine just as the Bible says the Israelites 14:55 did in the time of Jacob. Here's what the Bible says in Genesis 14:59 chapter 42 verses 1-3:... 15:26 This painting is one of many that clearly shows that life in 15:30 ancient Egypt was very much as indicated in the Bible. Yes. As 15:36 archeologists study the hieroglyphs and uncover the past 15:40 here in Egypt, they are discovering monuments, 15:43 inscriptions, people, and places that demonstrate the accuracy 15:49 and reliability of the Bible. Further south along the Nile at 15:59 ancient Thebes, now modern Luxor a double row avenue of round 16:04 headed sphinx leads to the great Temple of Karnak. This is the 16:09 largest temple complex ever built. To enter we pass through 16:15 a gateway that's 43 meters high. And then beyond the first court 16:20 we enter the famous hypostyle hall, one of the most 16:24 spectacular sites is all of Egypt, a sandstone forest of 16:28 134 gigantic columns. The pillars are 10 meters in 16:35 circumference with architraves weighing 70 tons each. Nearby 16:41 archeologists found a fascinating victory relief 16:45 carved deep into the temple walls. It tells how Pharaoh 16:48 Shishak led a devastating military campaign against 16:52 Israel after the death of the Israelite king Solomon. The 16:58 inscription records Shishak's victory over Rehoboam the son of 17:02 Solomon and tells how he captured over 100,000 Israel 17:06 including the capitol of Jerusalem. Each conquered city 17:12 is represented by the figure of a Hebrew on whose body is 17:16 inscribed the city's name. The details of the campaign are also 17:20 recorded in the Bible. Here's what it says in 1 Kings chapter 17:25 14 verses 25 and 26:... 17:48 It wasn't all that long ago that skeptics were saying there is 17:52 no such person as Shishak. The Bible is wrong, they said. But 17:57 you know, once Champollion cracked the hieroglyphic code 18:01 these inscriptions on temple walls and tombs have proved the 18:06 critics wrong and the Bible right. It seems that the more 18:11 archeologists work the more evidence they discover to 18:15 confirm Bible history. In fact, one of the most amazing examples 18:20 of this is found right here in Karnak temple and surrounds the 18:24 story of the ancient Hittites. Now the problem with the ancient 18:29 Hittites might well be called the riddle of the ages because 18:34 you see 48 times the Bible mentions the Hittite race, its 18:39 dealings with Abraham, with Solomon, with David, with Egypt. 18:44 These Bible references picture the Hittites as one of the most 18:49 powerful of ancient empires. Yet in all the records of antiquity 18:54 aside from the Bible not a trace of them. Not a word remaining. 19:00 Only the Bible mentioned the Hittites. So scholarly critics 19:06 of the Bible said that it would be impossible for such an empire 19:10 to disappear from history without leaving a single trace 19:14 behind. Therefore, a lack of evidence was interpreted as 19:19 evidence that the Hittites never existed and were nothing more 19:24 than an ancient legend, a Bible myth. People said the Bible was 19:30 wrong. Then came the Rosetta Stone. The Egyptian inscriptions 19:35 were deciphered. The hieroglyphic reliefs and 19:38 inscriptions could be read and the great pillars, pylons and 19:43 monuments of Karnak Temple told their story and here on these 19:48 massive walls to everyone's utter amazement Pharaoh 19:53 Ramesses II describes how he went to war with the king of the 19:57 Hittites in one of the great decisive battles of history, a 20:02 battle in which the power of Egypt was tested to the limit. 20:06 In fact, the battle was so important and the Hittites so 20:12 powerful that Ramesses carved the story about them on all the 20:16 major temples of Egypt. From these inscriptions and other 20:21 archeological discoveries we now know that the Hittites were 20:26 indeed a mighty empire, one of the most powerful in the ancient 20:30 world. They were based in present-day Turkey and their 20:34 rule stretched from the Black Sea to Damascus. 20:39 The hieroglyphic inscriptions here at Karnak show that the 20:43 Hittites of Bible fame were no myth after all and the Bible is 20:48 vindicated again. This has happened at one ancient site 20:53 after another here in Egypt. Across the Nile on the west bank 21:00 we are met by the Colossi of Memnon. This impressive pair of 21:04 statues formed the entrance to a huge mortuary temple belonging 21:09 to Pharaoh Amenhotep III. They are all that remain of the 21:14 fabulous temple built from white sandstone with gold throughout 21:19 and floor and doors covered with silver. Even in their ruined 21:24 state the Colossi are impressive Just behind the Colossi Pharaoh 21:30 Merneptah, the 13th son of Ramesses II built his mortuary 21:36 temple and it was here in 1896 that the famous archeologist 21:41 Sir Flinders Petrie made an amazing discovery. He found a 21:47 black stone slab just over two meters high engraved with a 21:51 description of Pharaoh Merneptah's military victories 21:54 in Canaan in 1207 B.C. It's now known as the Merneptah stele. 22:01 To everyone's amazement it contained the name of Israel. 22:06 It's the earliest reference to Israel outside of the Bible 22:11 and the only mention of Israel in the Egyptian records. People 22:17 were surprised because skeptics said that the children of Israel 22:22 did not enter Canaan at the time indicated in the Bible. They 22:27 said the Israelites only appeared in Canaan hundreds of 22:30 years later. But the discovery of the Merneptah stele over 3200 22:36 years old and now in the Cairo Museum shows that the Bible was 22:41 right again. It shows that the message of the hieroglyphic 22:45 inscriptions and the evidence that archeologists are 22:49 uncovering is entirely consistent with the Bible 22:52 description of Israel's origin. We find this pattern continues 23:01 at the most beautiful temple in all of Egypt. Rising out of the 23:05 desert plain on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor is the 23:09 mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Ancient Egypt 23:13 produced a number of remarkable women but Hatshepsut was the 23:18 greatest of them all. She was the first woman to become 23:23 Pharaoh and wear the double crown of Egypt. But the amazing 23:28 thing is that virtually all of her statues have been smashed 23:31 and her engravings and inscriptions have been defaced 23:35 and vandalized. We know for a fact today that this was done by 23:40 the Pharaoh who followed her, Thutmose III. For some reason 23:46 he hated Hatshepsut so much that he wanted her name and memory 23:52 obliterated from the face of the earth. He wanted her erased from 23:57 history. But why? Well the Bible throws some light on this 24:03 mystery. You see it appears that it was Hatshepsut who rescued 24:08 the Hebrew baby Moses from the Nile and adopted him as her son. 24:13 And so Moses the prince who led the Israelites out of Egypt 24:18 would have been familiar with this temple and Hatshepsut 24:23 planned to put her adopted son Moses on the throne of Egypt 24:27 instead of Thutmose and Thutmose hated her for that and never 24:32 forgave her. But listen to what the Bible says happened in 24:36 Hebrews chapter 11 verse 24:... 24:46 It appears that Moses was groomed to be Pharaoh. He could 24:51 have possessed all the treasure of Egypt, but he chose rather to 24:56 be numbered with his blood brothers, the Israelites. He 24:59 turned down the throne of Egypt. And so Thutmose III seized 25:05 control. In a fit of revenge he embarked on a campaign to wipe 25:11 away Hatshepsut's memory. He chiseled out her inscriptions 25:15 and tore down her statues. It all fits together with the Bible 25:21 record as archeologists and linguists read the hieroglyphs 25:26 from the temples, tombs and monuments of ancient Egypt they 25:30 bring a message from the past to our generation and to you and 25:36 me. It's a message that echoes across the centuries stating 25:41 loud and clear, you can trust the Bible. But when you read the 25:47 Bible you are not dealing with myths and legends. Rather you 25:52 are dealing with reliable history and real people. 25:55 Wouldn't it be a tragedy to spend your life doubting and 26:00 questioning the Bible, the word of God when you could have had 26:04 it to depend on all along? You could have had it to stand on 26:08 when every other prop was swept away. The Bible really is the 26:14 right book for right now. If you'd like to know more about 26:20 the Bible and the inner peace and happiness it brings, then 26:24 I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all our 26:28 Incredible Journey viewers today It's the popular Bible reading 26:33 guide We Can Believe the Bible. This small, easy-to-read Bible 26:39 guide is our gift to you and is absolutely free. And there's 26:44 more. When you request We Can Believe the Bible we will also 26:49 include our new booklet Secrets of the Rosetta Stone. So make 26:55 sure you take this opportunity to receive the double gift pack 26:59 we have for you today. 27:01 Phone or text us at 0436-333-555 in Australia or 020-422-2042 in 27:12 New Zealand or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free 27:18 offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with 27:22 no obligation. Write to us at: 27:37 Don't delay. Call or text us now 27:39 Be sure to join us again next week when we will share another 27:44 of life's journeys together. Until then let's pray for a 27:49 trusting spirit so that we can put our confidence in the Bible 27:53 and its message of hope and inner peace. Let's pray. 27:57 Dear heavenly Father, we are grateful for the Bible and the 28:03 evidence of its reliability and trustworthiness. Please grant us 28:07 the genuine peace and happiness that it's message brings. 28:11 We thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen 28:15 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-08-24