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 There is additional evidence from southern Egypt. A papyrus dated to the Middle Kingdom (c.2000-c. 1600 B.C.E.) contains name of slaves who worked in a household in southern Egypt. More than 40 of those names are Semitic. These slaves, or servants, worked as cooks, weavers, and laborers. Hoffmeier observes: " Since  over forty Semitic were attached to this single estate in the Thebaid [southern Egypt], the number across Egypt, especially in the Delta, was likely considerable." 

Archaeologist David Rohl writes that some of the names of the slaves on the list "leap straight out of the pages of the Bible." For instance, the fragments contain names that are similar to such names as Issachar, Asher, and Shiphrah.  (Exodus 1:3, 4, 15) "This is real evidence for the time when the Israelites were in Egypt as slaves," conclude Rohl. 

Dr. Bimson states: "The Biblical traditions of the bondage in Egypt and of the Exodus have a firm historical basis." 

Next time: Questions From Readers/Who were the Jewish temple police? What were their duities?

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