Shroro

The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest - January, 2005

Bible Study - Matthew Chapter 2
Commentary: Egypt

V 13-15 “Flee into Egypt”

From the message of the Angel we should understand that one who is submitted to God would have the guidance from God.

Egypt
It was around BC 1450-1440; The Israelites left Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The Persians invaded and ruled Egypt in B.C 527. In B.C 405 Egyptians gained independence and were ruled by native kings. . But in BC 345 the Persians conquered and subdued Egypt. In BC 332 Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. He founded a new city on the shores of the Mediterranean, Alexandria. . When Alexander died in 323 BC, his general Ptolemy (TA-low-mee) took over Egypt as his own territory. He and his successors (all called Ptolemy) ruled Egypt for a long time. During the Greek rule many Jews migrated to Egypt. They built a beautiful temple at Elephentina, which was like Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. It was at this time the Old Testament books in Hebrew were translated into Greek. These books are the famous Septuagint. . Queen Cleopatra VII was the last of the Ptolemaic rulers who reigned under the protection of the Caesar with whom she had a son. With the assassination of Caesar, Mark Anthony arrived in Egypt and fell in love with Cleopatra, living with her for 10 years and helping Egypt retain its independence. The fleets of Octavian Caesar destroyed the Egyptian navy in the battle of Actium, driving Anthony and Cleopatra to suicide and Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire. It was at this time that the Holy Family reached Egypt. The “Gospel of Infant Jesus Christ has many stories about their stay in Egypt. When they reached Egypt, all the statues fell down and broke. Another one is involving a priest of those gods. His son was demon processed. When one of the clothes of the infant Jesus put out in sun for drying fell on the demon processed child, the demons left the child.

V 15: “And he was there, until the death of Herod; that so might be fulfilled that which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, From Egypt have I called my son “ The prophecy referred here is Hosaea 11:1