Tebah before the Old Testament

[falasha]

Just google "arc" and you will get the various understandings of TBH. Tebah could be referring to shape of arc, ability to float or coffin. But what was original meaning? When Moses left Egypt he had a mitsvah to take Joseph's coffin with them. Joseph's coffin was found IN THE NILE. This implies a water burial. Many ancient peoples had water burials or burials at sea. It usually entails ceremoniously placing the body in a boat and either sending it adrift or lighting it on fire. And we see that pre-dynastic Egypt had a boat burial culture. The boat funery culture uncovered at Abydos shows the height of this practice. In fact the very base that each pyramid sits upon is called a "tebah". Tebah must have meant the platform/boat/arc (probably woven like basket) that a body was placed to send to hereafter. There was a seat on this tebah but that is another post.

The fact that the platform that the Torah scrolls are placed on is called a Tebah leads me to believe the Hebraic tradition was developed in Egypt.

[turanclancath]

very interesting  mail about thebah.thank you for posting it.

I found this link ( see at the end of the posting ) about Tebah.( quick researching tomorrow more )
A quick reading gave me the understanding its indeed a box/coffin.

And your explation about boat burials is very historic for many cultures in many times and places.

reminds  me of the  maybe  sun boat on the so called Nebra  Disk( circa 1650 bc )discussion is about Egyptian influence.

Yes and in Egypt the sun voyaged in a boat during the night and appeared again in the morning.
( so symbolism for placing a body in a ship would be the voyage through the night towards

 eternal life/rebirth in Egyptian mythology .

And in Celtic belief/Arthurian legend   the boat with the souls departing for  Avalon(Glastonbury )


WWF: Does Ark mean Box?


tomorrow more .
turanclancath

[eliyahu hanavi]

Joseph's coffin was found in the nile? Where? When? I have heard the tradition (based on Rabbinical writings) that the coffin was put in the Nile, but I never heard of anyone finding it or verifying that tradition. Anyway, interesting post and I'll look into it. Cheers!

[falasha]

Joseph's coffin was found in the nile? Where? When? I have heard the tradition (based on Rabbinical writings) that the coffin was put in the Nile, but I never heard of anyone finding it or verifying that tradition. Anyway, interesting post and I'll look into it. Cheers!

Yes. Also, the reason the Yam Suf parted is because of the EXTRA umph God needed with the retrieval of the coffin of Joseph. This extra umph was the fact that Joseph's coffin and the Arc of the Covenant were side by side. You are correct that this was in rabbinical writings but please don't make me look it up! Also, the coffin has been found only in rabbinical sources - not archaeological ones!