Ove von Spaeth

Ove von Spaeth
Ove von Spaeth in front of the historical Oesterlars round church on the Danish island Bornholm
Ove von Spaeth in front of the historical Oesterlars round church on the Danish island Bornholm
BornChristian Ove Wilhelm von Spaeth
(1938-02-23) 23 February 1938 (age 86)
Copenhagen
OccupationWriter
LanguageDanish and English
NationalityDanish
GenreThriller,
Mystery fiction
Website
www.moses-egypt.net

Christian Ove Wilhelm von Spaeth (born 23 February 1938) is a Danish graphic designer and writer.

Life

Von Spaeth studied graphic design at The Graphic Arts Institute of Denmark and in the decades following the 1960s became known for his psychedelic poster designs, publications and articles relating to Indian music, art, and spirituality.

In the 1970s, von Spaeth began studying ancient history, religions, and astronomy. His analysis of the earliest known star map in Egypt (the "Senenmut star-map"[1]) led to von Spaeth publishing an exact dating of its time and period in Egyptian history and of the reign of Queen Hatshepsut.[citation needed]

The Moses book series

The series of five books on the biblical figure Moses is a semi-fictional work based on ancient textual sources such as the Rabbinical writings, archaeological evidence, and astronomical data. Von Spaeth attempts to develop a historical alternative view of Moses' Egyptian background.[2] [3] [4]

In the first book of the series, The Suppressed Record: Moses' Unknown Egyptian Background (1999), von Spaeth suggests that Moses was an Egyptian prince and heir to the throne who found himself disinherited and forced into exile as a result of complex plots and intrigues at the royal court of Pharaohs Hatshepsut and Thutmose III (approx. 1500 BC).[5][6] The book had a good reception though it failed to get scientific recognition from the Danish Carsten Niebuhr Institute.[7]

The second book, The Enigmatic Son of Pharaoh’s Daughter: Moses' Identity and Mystery Re-evaluated(2000), suggests that Moses was born to Queen Hatshepsut 3500 years ago, rose to power as a high-ranking leader among the Egyptian elite, was ousted in a coup, along with his mother, and records of his existence were systematically erased. Von Spaeth devotes a significant portion of the book to drawing parallels between Moses and Queen Hatshepsut's chief consul Senenmut.[8][9] The reception of the second book was very positive, one critic calling it "especially impressive",[10] although others found it scientifically lacking, but excellent as crime fiction.[11]

In the third book, The Vanished Successor: Rediscovering Moses' Hidden War Leading to the Exodus (2001), Moses is an exiled prince who repeatedly tries to regain his claim to the throne of the pharaohs by coordinating a series of strategic uprisings in the margins of the Egyptian empire and a rebellion of Hebrew migrant workers. As the rebellion foils the workers start seeking their own land and sovereignty.[12]

Select bibliography

  • Von Spaeth, Ove (2000). "Dating the Oldest Egyptian Star Map". Centaurus. 42 (3): 159–179. Bibcode:2000Cent...42..159V. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0498.2000.420301.x.

References

  1. ^ Novakovic, Bojan. Senenmut: An Ancient Egyptian Astronomer. http://publications.aob.rs/85/pdf/019-023.pdf
  2. ^ FLEMMING CHR. NIELSEN, Jyllands-Posten (6 June 1999). "Mysteriet Moses: Var jødedommens grundlægger en egyptisk tronarving, og skulle han have været den næste Farao?" (in Danish). p. 7.
  3. ^ Steen Voigt, Berlingske Tidende (15 June 1999). "Dansk forsker fastslår Moses' fødselsdag, en fascinerende, tværvidenskabelig og sammenhængende skildring af profetens herkomst" (in Danish). p. 20.
  4. ^ Sidney Måge, Jyllands-Posten (18 July 1999). "Debat: Teologisk afvisning af Bibelen" (in Danish). p. 7 (section Indblik).
  5. ^ Peder Christoffersen, Ekstra Bladet (4 July 1999). "Gamle Moses" (in Danish). p. 16.
  6. ^ Christian Galberg, B.T. (31 July 1999). "Du milde Moses; dansk amatørforsker påstår i en ny bog, at Bibelens Moses i virkeligheden var en ægyptisk kongesøn" (in Danish). p. 18.
  7. ^ Steen Voigt, Berlingske Tidende (3 August 1999). "Moses-datering ryger på gulvet" (in Danish). p. 10.
  8. ^ F.J. Billeskov Jansen, Politiken (27 July 2001). "Den eventyrlige Moses: Den dristige historiker Ove von Spaeth fortæller spændende om Moses liv" (in Danish). p. 8 (section Kultur og Debat).
  9. ^ Lars Tjalve, Kristeligt Dagblad (7 August 2001). "Gådefulde Moses: Særdeles spændende og inciterende bog om Moses skrevet af sprænglært egyptolog" (in Danish). Bøger.
  10. ^ Birgitte Larsen, Kristeligt Dagblad (11 August 2001). "Imponerende Moses-værk: Egyptologen Ove Von Spaeths bog om attentatet på Moses er imponerende - og langt hen ad vejen overbevisende" (in Danish).
  11. ^ Jesper Høgenhaven, Jyllands-Posten (21 August 2001). "Moses: Gåder i skyggen afpyramiderne" (in Danish). p. 8 (section Kunst og Kultur).
  12. ^ Anders Klostergaard Petersen, Kristeligt Dagblad (2 October 2002). "Du vilde Moses" (in Danish). Kunst og Kultur.