101 Myths of the Bible: how ancient scribes - Conscious Evolution TV

Myths of the Founders 181
After Joseph’s brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites (or was it the Midianites—the
story gets the two confused), his purchasers in turn offered him to an Egyptian official
named Potiphar. Joseph’s new master put him in charge of the household and he performed
well, greatly increasing the family wealth.
Potipher’s wife took a liking to him and tried to seduce him, but Joseph thought it
wrong and a betrayal of his master. While the biblical account clearly shows Joseph
blameless, his resolve may have benefited from the presence of nearby witnesses.
Apparently, he continued to avoid her charms even as she removed his clothes. When
he fled her room, he left his clothes in her hand. She panicked at the thought that
someone might find her with his garment clutched to her bosom—witnesses were
apparently about to enter the room—and she cried rape. Potiphar, faced with the
dilemma of either calling his flirtatious wife a liar or having to punish his innocent servant,
took the expedient political route. He jailed Joseph.
The name Potiphar provides a clue as to when this story may have been written.
Not only is Potiphar the name of Joseph’s first master, a variant, Potiphera, is the name
of his father-in-law, the chief priest of the temple at Heliopolis. The Egyptian name
Potiphar is used sporadically prior to the tenth century B.C., and doesn’t come into
general use until at least the seventh century. A story having two such characters with
that name, both in important positions, indicates a very late authorship, seventh century
or later. This would be consistent with a post-Psammetichus (see Myth #70)
authorship of the main narrative.
The story of a young hero rejecting the wiles of a jealous woman was a frequent
theme in ancient myths. One of the most famous versions appears in the Egyptian
story known as The Tale of the Two Brothers. The story’s origins may go back as far
as the third millennium.
The Egyptian text tells of two brothers, Anubis, the older one, and Bata, the
younger. The younger lived with his brother and brother’s wife. The story describes
Bata as “a perfect man” who performed most of the household and field chores. One
day, Anubis’s wife came upon him and confessed her desire for carnal knowledge. He
rejected her advances, saying she and the brother were like parents to him. He promised
to say nothing of her actions. The wife, afraid of being found out, arranged to look