Hero and Villain: An Outline of the Exodus Pharaoh in Artapanus

This chapter explores the possible identification of Chenephres, the first opponent of Moses in the story of Exodus as told by the Jewish-Hellenistic historian Artapanus, with Khaneferra, the royal name of Sobekhotep IV of the XIII dynasty. Sobekhotep was perhaps the last great “king of Upper and Lower Egypt” before foreign dynasties, the so-called Hyksos, took control of the whole country. The missing link between the historical king and Artapanus’ character may have been a piece of fictionalized history that exalted Sobekhotep beyond his real merits, for example crediting to him the reconstruction of Amun’s temple in Karnak (Diospolis; Praep. Ev. 9.27.11), that took place during the XII dynasty. After an examination of some sources from Sobekhotep’s times, the chapter will consider the Egyptian historical and pseudo-historical literature, searching for a likely date for this biography of Khaneferra. Finally, the chapter will discuss the place and meaning of this hypothetical source in Artapanus’ polemical response to Manetho’s version of the Exodus from Egypt.