pharoah 330.pha.002 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

Thesis Statement


In 1352 BC a Pharaoh of Egypt allowed the Habiru – mercenary warriors -- to settle in ‘the land of Goshen’ to act as a buffer between the Egyptians and any invading peoples from the East.

In 1352 BC, Akhenaten became Pharaoh and, within a few years, Akhenaten converted from the traditional ancient Egyptian polytheistic religion to his conceived religion of only one God, i.e., Aten. Technically, then, all of Egypt became monotheistic, but so many traditionally vested interests were threatened that the Habiru were called upon to serve as Akhenaten’s bodyguards. After Akhenaten’s death, Egypt –- but not the Habiru -- quickly reverted to the ancient polytheistic religion. Feeling threatened, a subsequent Pharaoh conscripted the Habiru to do forced labor and, eventually, the Habiru resolved to and did escape from Egypt and eventually settled in Canaan. The Habiru, in time, became known as the Hebrews.