Dear sir,
Good luck to all those involved in the ‘Joseph and the amazing dreamcoat’ production.
It may interest those involved in the production to know that the Joseph on whom the production is based did not wear a multi-coloured coat at all. The original Hebrew description means long-sleeved. Furthermore, he was the son of Rachel and his father was Jacob, a man who became as rich and as famous as a king. Joseph’s name means ‘may He add”, given to him by his mother just prior to her journey to Shalem and then Bethel.
Joseph was a Hebrew, who lived about one thousand seven hundred years BC, at a time when many civilizations were just beginning to settle and expand. Egypt at this time was not as dry and hot as it is today. The Bible describes it, only a few years earlier, as green and well-watered (See Genesis 13:10) This was only about two generations before Joseph arrived in the area. Obviously global warming was already beginning to dry out the planet.
The dreams implied in the title of the production about Joseph were originally dreamed not by Joseph, but by Nebuchadnessar, the king of Egypt. He foresaw seven years of good weather followed by seven years famine but neither he nor his advisors could explain the dreams. God showed Joseph what the dreams meant and as a reward he was subsequently promoted to overseer and second in command of Egypt.
An inscription in a tomb at El-Kab describes the seven year famine, thus pinpointing the date and verifying the Bible as accurate.
As with all other details in the Bible, not one is in error, in fact the whole Bible stands or falls on its accuracy in geography, culture, manners, customs, and any other fact it provides.
I hope that those who take part in the Joseph production will consider the deeper and more serious implications behind this promising piece of entertainment.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Gunther