Was Moses indeed a King of Egypt – albeit briefly?

by Damien F. Mackey There was … Kagemni, which name occurs in both the Fourth and Sixth dynasties. Egyptologists, with their lengthy chronological separation of the Fourth from the Sixth dynasty must assume that two Viziers Kagemni are involved here. No need for that if, as I think, the Fourth and Sixth dynasties were contemporaneous. My search for the historical Moses • Phase One Initially, inspired by a legend that Moses was “a king” (was this clue from Artapanus?), I searched for him amongst whichever pharaohs I considered to be chronologically reasonable for Moses. This took up a lot of time, with no positive result. • Phase Two Much later, after I had to my satisfaction identified Moses as Vizier and Chief Judge of Egypt (cf. Exodus 2:14) - a high office, but clearly subordinate to Pharaoh - I came to reject any notion that Moses could have been a King (Pharaoh). And I decried legends that, whilst often helpful, can sometimes be highly misleading. See e.g. my article: ‘Chenephres’ drives Moses out of Egypt (6) 'Chenephres' drives Moses out of Egypt Moses was, I now confidently concluded: Sixth Dynasty: Weni (Uni), Vizer and Chief Judge; Twelfth Dynasty: Mentuhotep, Vizer and Chief Judge, and the semi-legendary Sinuhe, whose story shares “a common matrix” with that of Moses (professor Emmanuel Anati). I also liked Moses as the Sixth Dynasty’s general and trader, Iny, a name very like Weni (Uni), and who, like Weni, was nautically involved in both war and trading. • Phase Three Now, jJust in the last several weeks (late March 2025), a handful of likely Moses types has come to my notice. These were all writers and teachers of Instructions and Maxims. But, most significantly, a briefly reigning Pharaoh is amongst them. See Phase Four. There was (i) Kagemni, which name occurs in both the Fourth and Sixth dynasties. Egyptologists, with their lengthy chronological separation of the Fourth from the Sixth dynasty must assume that two Viziers Kagemni are involved here. No need for that if, as I think, the Fourth and Sixth dynasties were contemporaneous. Kagemni wrote Instructions. (Cf. Acts 7:22: “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds)”. And he, like Weni-Mentuhotep, Vizier and Chief Judge, was “Chief justice and vizier”. There was also (ii) Ptahhotep. Many, myself included, have been hypnotised by his supposed life span of 110 years, like Joseph of Egypt (Genesis 50:26): “So Joseph died at the age of 110”. And we have tried to make of Ptahhotep the biblical Joseph. But, although he is sometimes mentioned in a Third Dynasty (Joseph’s) context, he properly belonged to the Fifth Dynasty (Moses’s). Dr. Ernest L. Martin, who was absolutely convinced that Ptahhotep was Joseph, mistakenly mentioned him in a Third Dynasty context: “This Egyptian document is often called “The Oldest Book in the World” and was originally written by the vizier in the Fifth (or Third) Dynasty”: https://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d040501.htm Ptahhotep handed down wise Maxims. There was (iii) Djedefhor (Hordjedef), another wise writer of Instructions during the Fourth Dynasty. Summary of One to Three Moses, as Weni(Iny)-Mentuhotep, Vizier and Chief Judge (Fourth/Twelfth dynasties), combines nicely with Kagemni, Chief Justice and Vizier, Fourth/Sixth dynasties, also greatly strengthening my case for the Fourth and Sixth being just the one dynasty. And Kagemni, as a writer of Instructions, combines nicely with the Vizier Ptahhotep (Fifth Dynasty), a famous sage and writer of Maxims – both of these now connecting with Djedefhor (Fourth Dynasty), for all of the same reasons. Now, this is where Moses as a briefly-reigning king comes in. • Phase Four The wise Djedefhor was actually a son of Khufu, our dynastic founding “new king” of Exodus 1:8). Like Weni (my Moses), known as “the Elder” - pertaining to scholarship? - Djedefhor was called “the Old”. And like Moses, who renounced the Crown (Hebrews 11:24-26): By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter when he was grown up. He chose to be mistreated with God’s people instead of having the temporary pleasures of sin. He thought that the abuses he suffered for Christ were more valuable than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking forward to the reward …. Djedefhor disdained to become Crown Prince. And he later abdicated. Here is the Moses-like Biography of this scholarly prince: https://althistory.fandom.com/wiki/Djedefhor_I_(Pharaonic_Survival) Djedefhor I (Pharaonic Survival) …. Djedefhor, called the Old and the Scholar, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He is also known as Hordjedef. Djedefhor was the son of Khufu … and successor of Bakara, his nephew, and his mother was Meritites I. He is notable for being one of the few Egyptian Pharaohs to Abdicate …. Biography Djedefhor was a son of Pharaoh Khufu and brother of pharaohs Djedefra … and Khafra … his mother was Queen Meritites … making him a full brother of Djedefra …. The Teachings of Djedefhor, a document of which only fragments remain, is attributed to him. Djedefhor was deified after his death. …. As a prince, Djedefhor dedicated himself to scholarly pursuits, showing a profound interest in education and intellectual growth. His elder brother Kawab's untimely death left a vacancy in the line of succession. Their father, Khufu, initially intended for Djedefhor to ascend the throne, recognizing his wisdom and capabilities. However, Djedefhor declined the offer, feeling that his contributions were better suited to other roles. Consequently, his younger brother Djedefra was named Crown Prince. Djedefhor continued to cultivate his reputation as a learned and highly respected individual. His counsel was sought after and greatly valued during the reigns of his brothers, contributing significantly to the governance and intellectual climate of the time. Upon the premature death of King Bakara, Djedefhor was elected king by the Great 20 of Upper and Lower Egypt. [End of quote] A few clarifications are necessary here: Djedefhor’s presumed mother, Meritites, would likely be the same as Meresankh (Ankhesenmerire), Moses’s actual Egyptian foster-mother, “Merris” (Artapanus). His supposed half-brother, Djedefra, who reigned for a short time, would be Djedefhor himself. The names are identical, except for the altered theophoric, where ra (the Sun god, Ra) is replaced with hor (the falcon god, Horus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djedefre Djedefre (also known as Djedefra and Radjedef; died c. 2558 BC) [sic] was an ancient Egyptian king …of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He is well known by the Hellenized form of his name Rhatoisēs (Ῥατοίσης) by Manetho. Djedefre was the son and immediate throne successor of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza …. Finally, since the Fourth and Sixth dynasties were one and the same, Djedefre would be the same as the short-reigning, Userkare, who, most interestingly, was erased by Pepi (one of my versions of ‘Chenephres’ who pursued Moses out of Egypt), with the word “desert” (to where Moses fled) inserted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Userkare Userkare (also Woserkare, meaning "Powerful is the soul of Ra"; died c. 2332 BC) [sic] was the second king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, reigning briefly, 1 to 5 years, in the late 24th or the early 23rd century BC. Userkare's relation to his predecessor Teti and successor Pepi … is unknown and his reign remains enigmatic. Although he is attested in some historical sources, Userkare is completely absent from the tomb of the Egyptian officials who lived during his reign and usually report the names of the kings whom they served. Furthermore, the figures of some high officials of the period have been deliberately chiselled out in their tombs and their titles altered, for instance the word "king" being replaced by that of "desert". Egyptologists thus suspect a possible Damnatio memoriae on Pepi I's behalf against Userkare. ….