Osarseph
Legendary Egyptian priest equated with Moses in Manetho's history.
Osarseph (also Osarsiph; Koine Greek: Ὀσαρσίφ) is a legendary figure of Ancient Egypt, known from the writings of the 1st-century CE Jewish historian Josephus, who attributes the story to the Ptolemaic Egyptian priest Manetho (first half of the 3rd century BCE). According to Josephus's quotation of Manetho in Against Apion, Osarseph was an Egyptian priest from Heliopolis who led a revolt of lepers and other 'unclean' people against a pharaoh named Amenophis, allied with the expelled Hyksos, and later changed his name to Moses. The figure is significant because it has been equated with Moses and is central to debates about the historical basis of the Exodus narrative and ancient anti-Jewish propaganda.
- field
- Legendary figure / Ancient Egyptian history
- nationality
- Egyptian (legendary)
- known_for
- Leading a revolt of lepers, allying with the Hyksos, and being equated with Moses
- mentioned_in
- Manetho's Aegyptiaca (via Josephus's Against Apion)
Lore & Background
The story of Osarseph is known from two long quotations from Manetho's Aegyptiaca, preserved in Josephus's Against Apion. In the account, Pharaoh Amenophis sought to see the gods and, to do so, first cleansed Egypt of lepers and polluted people, setting 80,000 to work in stone quarries and then confining them to Avaris, the former Hyksos capital. Osarseph, an Egyptian high priest of Osiris at Heliopolis, became their leader and ordered them to abandon worship of the gods and eat the meat of holy animals. The Osarsephites then invited the Hyksos back into Egypt, and together they drove Amenophis and his son Ramses into exile in Nubia, instituting a 13-year reign of religious oppression: towns and temples were devastated, images of gods destroyed, and sanctuaries turned into kitchens where sacred animals were roasted. Eventually, Amenophis and Ramses returned, expelled the lepers and Hyksos, and restored the old religion. Toward the end of the story, Manetho reports that Osarseph changed his name to Moses.
Reader's Guide
Osarseph is a key figure in the intersection of Egyptian and Jewish historiography, as his story in Manetho (via Josephus) has been interpreted in three main ways: as a memory of the Amarna period (the religious reforms of Akhenaten, also named Amenhotep IV), as a memory of the Hyksos period, or as anti-Jewish propaganda. Each theory has supporting evidence—the pharaoh's name Amenophis and the religious conflict fit the Amarna reform; the location Avaris and possibly the name Osarseph fit the Hyksos period; and the plot inverts the Exodus story to cast Israelites negatively. However, no single theory explains all elements. Modern Egyptology treats the narrative as a composite legend rather than literal history, as the Hyksos (c. 1650–1550 BCE), the Amenhotep kings (c. 1525–1350 BCE), and the Ramessides (c. 1290–1070 BCE) belong to distinct, non-overlapping periods. Egyptologist Jan Assmann influentially suggested that the story conflates several historical traumas, notably the Amarna and Hyksos periods, into a folk memory. The figure's legacy lies in its role in debates about the Exodus and ancient Jewish-Egyptian relations.
Did You Know?
- Osarseph is said to have changed his name to Moses at the end of Manetho's story.
- The story involves a pharaoh named Amenophis, which is the Greek form of Amenhotep, possibly referring to Amenhotep II or Amenhotep IV.
- Some later interpretations suggest the Hyksos established settlements in the Levant, including the city later called Jerusalem, though this is considered legendary and unsupported by archaeology.
- An alternative theory identifies Osarseph with the historical figure Chancellor Bay, but this is usually rejected by scholars.
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