Extended Accessibility

The books can be read without previous scientific qualifications. And the books' message is not an attempt to present Moses' "curriculum vitae", nor is it "documentary fiction", or a historical account distributed by fashionable writing.
          Annotations have been left out in favour of coherence and legibility. Instead, annotations have been continuously included in the reading-matter. References of sources are given directly on the spot and may, as you like, be passed over or used in further documentation, just like to do with Summaries and Appendixes.
          The intentional lack of other current annotation is compensated for by a comprehensive bibliography with further substantiation of the information given in the books. The bibliography has been divided into various fields of subject in order to facilitate verification.

All the five volumes can be read independently  of the series: 

C.A. Reitzel Publisher and Booksellar, Ltd.

Established 1819 - Soeren Kierkegaard and Hans Christian Andersen's original publishing house - The oldest bookstore in Denmark.
          Ove von Spaeth's five-volume series, "Assassinating Moses", was first published by C.A. Reitzel Publishers, Copenhagen, beginning at May 1999. The plan was to publish the entire series within a few years, - and the series was completed by the last volume (Vol. 5) in March 2005.
          Publishers who want to publish editions of these books in English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese and other languages may use this address:  info@moses-egypt.net

C.A. Reitzel Publisher and Bookseller Ltd., Norregade 20, DK-1165 Copenhagen
has new owners from 2009 now continuing by another concept  -  cf.: wikipedia ,

          - therefore, after 2008:  Ove von Spaeth's Moses-series books, please order at
online store:  Lemuel-Books, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark - www.lemuelbooks.com
          - or:  online bookshop:  Bog & Mystik, Valby Langgade 82A, DK-2500 Valby,
Denmark, - phone +45 3672750,  kontakt@bog-mystik.dk,  web www.bog-mystik.dk

¤   How do we know that Moses was not a mythical figure, and that the Exodus has at all taken place?

::  OvS's reply.   Continuous and from the very beginning of the creation of the work, such questions are being made about its main subjects. This questioning is often influenced by the circulation of for instance the doubts of certain theological schools as to whether Moses did exist as a historical person.
         Often the hypotheses in question seem to stem from the fact that the Moses research has been done on a dubious dating, which convincingly must be erroneous dating. In this way he is dated approx. 250 years too late often in official history - at 1200 BC - instead of 1400-1500 BC. Consequently no traces have been found of either Moses or the Israelite exodus from Egypt. Based on this defective condition, it is being claimed that the biblical Moses narrative is a national-romantic myth created only 2,300 years ago by ingenious priests in order to create a glorious Jewish pre-history.

          Especially in Egyptian and Jewish sources, however, considerable amounts of evident, historical traces can be found. To a wide extent these traces have been ignored by the opponents due to an unbalanced insistence of the much too late dating and of the myth hypotheses, thus reducing the most spectacular personality of the origin of biblical culture and the Jewish self-understanding to being only a fictive figure.
          This feature is actually proving to be an impossible historical construction. Definitely, this would also have been a complete and unacceptable absurdity for Jews of the past. "... Nobody would take an interest in something that has not happened to anybody, who has never existed ...". This quotation, presented by Helene Hanff (in her book, "84, Charing Cross Road", about another situation) is also placed as a motto in volume 1 of the Moses-series and still being valid in the current perspective supported by the existence of the many relevant historical sources about Moses.
          A considerable number of these sources are presented in the work where, for the first time, so many of them have been related to modern archaeology and astronomic dating. The overwhelming material proves it absurd to deal with a mystical figure; on the contrary, the historical and biblical information on this historical person is being thoroughly confirmed even much more than before.

¤   Is it sufficiently reliable that also a number of older, scientific works have been used in the examination?

::   OvS's reply.    Unfortunately, it has often become a more general practice - somewhat automatically - to anticipate in the media and the academic world that the latest published research book/paper almost inevitably also has to be preferred among the best. This is an unqualified underrating of the foundations hitherto. Instead, in the present book-series on the historical Moses, the only reasonable procedure has been to use the best of recent information as well as the best of the scrutinized earlier date materials. But strangely enough - that is not how it hitherto has been to the researchers in question.
           For example, concerning the disciplines of astronomy-mathematics it is worth mentioning that one of the oldest contributions in modern research still in use today, is a piece of work, in French, by Delambre from 1819 about Ptolemy's astronomy. Another example is the incomparable Hebrew expert August Dillmann's works from the late 1800's.
          In the period of 1885-1935, generations of scientists appeared with a so far unknown, demanding, classical and modern educational background. Great researchers, of a capacity second to none, among which many later emigrated from the Nazis and the war in Europe. Often they became catalysts in their line in the American world of universities and researchers. Their students passed on great parts of the heritage, but later the distance to the roots became noticeable - both in USA and Europe. It became more difficult to dig sufficiently deep into the already founded knowledge and simultaneously in the enormous amounts of the new times' flowing in of information for the different fields of research.

          In early 1930ties for instance, an English translation of the Rabbinical Writings was finished - editor Louis Ginzberg's "The Legends of the Jews" (vols. 1-7, Philadelphia 1908-1934) - by the way so outstanding in form and notes that it could hardly be surpassed today; however, later editions of this body of the old Rabbinical Writings have not been made.
          Today, we can often observe less appreciation of this timeless material - and a lack of experience as to the fact that a lot of it could be used as exact data - although the writings in question - printed long ago - definitely cannot be called obsolete. (Information about the Rabbinical Writings: for instance, in the Moses series, vol. 1, Chapter 7; and vol. 4, Chapter 12-13).

¤   Important access to the old works (in our rapidly changing culture)?

::   OvS's reply.   Also quite indispensable is Pauly-Wissova's German encyclopedia with a fabulous survey and documentation of ancient history and conditions, presented by the most outstanding researchers through almost 100 years - altogether 84 volumes started in 1894 and terminated with the last of many supplements in 1980. A sad day when in the beginning of the 1990's, due to lack of space, The Royal National Library of Denmark, down-graded this collection of classical knowledge, by removing it from immediate access in a place, which was at that time an unmatched reading room and for many years being an important work place for Ove von Spaeth during his research prior to the book-series on Moses.
          And in addition the problem with short disposal time when lending books from libraries in other countries, caused the necessity of creating a special book collection of important books which have been out of print for generations. To this purpose, through several years, a great amount of such important books were xerox-copied for more than 150.000 DKK, in the 1980's a considerably heavy sum (almost 2 years' salary for a working man) for an independent researcher to provide from own means.

          Besides, it was essential to Ove von Spaeth's investigations that he had access to one of the world's greatest collections of older Hebrew texts and literature in Denmark's Royal National Library. - Some of the best hours of my life I spent there (see a kind of similar impression here: Librophiliac Compendium of Beautiful Libraries). In a fortunate period prior to the big rebuilding of the Royal Danish National Library after the year 2000, I was able to use its old and immensely abundant reference library, a most paradisiacal reading room which, furthermore, was for a long time in reality Denmark's greatest open interdisciplinary forum (now expired) where many prominent researchers met.

          Still in the first part of the 20th century, many decisive historical and anthropological discoveries took place not least in the Middle East - in a world which as far as culture is concerned had not been very much different for many thousands of years up to the time of the revolutionary changes after World War II. Then much ancient Oriental "living history" disappeared hastily, for example when it could be observed that the Oriental caravan people began using a strange, modern world's transistor radios on their more than 5,000 year-old routes.
          Concerning much of the collected, unusual knowledge we are in debt to the élite experts from the early period of researches. Therefore, many of their works are priceless which is why that whole annual volumes of, for instance, German scientific journals dating back to 1920's have later been photographically reprinted - often by American universities publishers.

¤   Which special values do old discoveries have with today's elaborated research?

::   OvS's reply.   The fact is, however, that in many finds discovered in the late 1800's and forward to today's research hypotheses arose on these findings about possible or not possible relationships to an understanding of the history of the Bible. The hypothesis had in many cases gradually built up a huge apparatus of literature around them. After which later generations were confronted with a still going on generated system of comments' comments and theses new students often got the uncritical impression that several of these hypotheses could be regarded as being the authoritative truth.
          The analysis performance in question, and which is the very basis of the book-series on Moses, required in many cases the necessity of going back all the way to even the sources brought to light by the earliest generations of researchers. This was done in order to achieve the best possible immediate knowledge of the discoveries and of the way the research results had been brought about.
          So, instead of only taking the later elaborations for granted, it was often necessary during the work on the Moses research, to analyse the very starting points in relation to newer finds and discoveries. Thus, for instance, when there is a need more than a survey on a certain subject and it is possible to have valuable original knowledge picked up from "old" original excavation reports of archaeology in Egypt or other Near Eastern sites, instead of a sometimes illusionary "easy way" by using the younger but "second hand" quotations as a base for a research work.

¤   How did the work get the unusual title?

::   OvS's reply.   It is not, not any longer at least, quite as unusual to name a scientific work in this way. - Among the some early examples is an American researcher of the history of mathematics, Robert R. Newton, who, in 1977, published his thesis about ancient astronomer Ptolemy's alleged non-precise observations. These were by Newton hint at as being fraud - then giving his book on this subject a somewhat drastic title, "The Crime of Claudius Ptolemy".
          Likewise, a title of a book by the English anthropologist Richard Leaky raised attention. With a pun inspired by "West Side Story" being the name of Leonard Bernstein's at that time new world-famous musical, Leaky got his thesis (American Scientist 64:174, 1976) -about the earliest human beings so unexpectedly discovered in Rift Valley at Africa's east side - subsequently made his book about this titled "East Side Story, The Origin of Humankind".
          When the English philosopher of science, Dr. Jacob Brunowski published his book (1973) with his television series on the history of science, he gave it this title, "The Ascent of Man" - thus playing on another famous book, by Charles Darwin, "The Descent of Man" (1871) - however, both about man's development.

          In the present case, the name "Assassinating Moses" being the collective title of the book-series on the historical Moses was formed out of a concrete historical basis, in which special information is found, this being hitherto unknown to most people! Thus by this also, inevitably it would raise more attention.
          Through times it has been attempted to destroy unwanted parts of our history. Such kind of result of "murder on history" has been disclosed by the books' in fact exiting material from the investigation of "Assassinating Moses".
         Thus, the book-series' title was created with reference to the historic exact conditions that through three eras it was tried to delete the existence of Moses: - the first time by the Egyptians, who already in his own time tried to delete his names and other memories in order to make him non-existing. - Later, the priestly editors of the Bible reduced his special Egyptian background and status. - And finally, several of today's theological schools are rejecting the existence of Moses, and are designating him as a freely invented, mystical figure. This modern myth has revealed itself as obviously without any serious basis now as a consequence of the huge amounts of evidence material presented by the books in question.

¤   Is the Masonic history rooted in the mystery cults of the Ancient Egypt?

::   OvS's reply.   As an introductory help to such questions the following books can be recommended - although they have no immediate sources about the beginning of the Masonic activities. Yet, the writer of the Moses series - with observed neutrality - cannot be considered a special guarantee for the contents:
          For instance, among older works of relevance are those by C.W. Leadbeater, the Theosophist. Related and connected information can be found in a book by Christopher McIntosh, i.e. "The Rosicrucians".
          Among English classics is "The Rosicrucian Enlightenment" by Frances A. Yates, the great researcher (Routhledge & Keagan Paul, London 1972); and "Who was Hiram Abiff" by J.S.M. Ward (Baskerville Press, London, 1925)
          Among later books or reprints, Leadbeater's "Freemasonry and its Ancient Rites" (Gramercy Books, New York) was published in 1998. "The Hiram Key" by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas (Barnes & Noble, New York, 1996) should also be mentioned.

¤   What is known concerning Egyptian influence of philosophical ideas?

::   OvS's reply.   Additional information can be found in the impressive examinations of special conditions in relation to the hidden knowledge of the Knights Templar - originally collected in the Middle East and often also with Egyptian roots. This is mentioned in "The Templar's Secret Island" by Henry Lincoln & Erling Haagensen (Windrush Press, Moreton-In-March, 2000). For instance, an advanced geometry on an impressive scientific level is revealed, and the forgotten, genius methodology is being reconstructed. See also web-site www.merling.dk .

          Later, a number of unusual texts were later to be of great importance to the Renaissance break up with the Catholic church and for the new thinking as well as for the simultaneously awakening development of science, by which in all branches started on a religious-philosophical basis. Namely, an Egyptian-Greek work called "Corpus Hermeticum" or "The Hermetic Books".

          Another recommendable scientific work about Egyptology and the European understanding of - and the influence from - the Ancient Egypt is "The Myth of Egypt and Its Hieroglyphs" (1961) by a Danish authority of Egyptology, Erik Iversen, Ph.D.,h.c., Professor, formerly at The University of Copenhagen. This book was independently recommended by, and reprinted by, the Princeton University (Princeton U.P. 1993).
          And finally, "Egyptian Hermetic Doctrine" (Tusculanum, Copenhagen, 1984), a unique treatise by Erik Iversen, which demonstrates the deep roots of "Corpus Hermeticum" in Egyptian history 4000 years ago.

¤   Is the writer himself connected with the Freemasonic ideology?

::   OvS's reply.   A number of special information in the book-series on Moses have made readers recognize a few relations to freemasonic pre-history - especially in vol. 1, vol. 2, and vol. 4.
          The writer is grateful for many valuable statements about having contributed to inspiration. However, his research is focused in another direction:  He is not a member of any organization and has not strived for a thorough knowledge in that particular field. But he has only brought to light, and passed on, some basic, often forgotten features with certain exact resemblances with well-known historic relations to Egypt and the Middle East. In this respect this book-series have been found so important that the "Freemason Information", the great Danish Freemasons' Magazine, which hitherto had not very often presented reviewing of books, has given the books due press coverage when the books eventually were being issued. And the books have been purchased, too, for the book collections and libraries of the Freemasonic centres.

¤   The questions about looking up relevant issues within this huge area?

::   OvS's reply.   The ancient initiation cults mentioned in the books on Moses have brought about different questions from the readers, even about possible, cult related guidance. Again, it can be said that such subjects are not in the focus of the writer, and he refrains from authoritative insight in the subject. Nevertheless, the above mentioned literature may probably be of interest and some help for the readers to look deeper into the subject, for instance, with a new view on certain parts of the "spiritually" related geometry previously mentioned.
          Cf. also the presentation of certain excerpts, also published in OvS's web site articles like  "Pattern, Universe, and Ancient Knowledge" (both on present web-site's Zenith files  or www.thirax.dk/artikler/OveSpaeth/Ove4/index.html ).
          It may also be mentioned, that some of what an inquirer within the huge area in question possibly can add to his/her knowledge, may be what the inquirer can find out by himself/herself - as an individual task. In this field especially the Egyptian inspiration may be a supplement and a perspective to the subject. This being an extension of what, for instance, the book-series on Moses have pointed out also about Egyptian spiritually based architecture, ancient mystery plays and ritual traditions.

¤   Would the material have been easier accessible to many readers, if the plot had been written as a novel?

::   OvS's reply.   Over and over it is asked if the very dramatic, historic material of the books should not rather have been presented as a novel.
          From time to time several researchers have had such inquiries from readers, who would very much like to have the exciting information, but would prefer this through fiction by its well known communication abilities.
          Some readers see a reference to sources as a convenient guarantee for the quality of information or an interesting, extra information along the way, while others - quite understandable - see it as too many traffic lights, which will too frequently slow down the speed.

          Many scientists have used the novel story form, when they have wanted to introduce or try out new thoughts - for ordinary reading an handy, but also more responsibility-free, communication form.
          The present work is focusing openly upon basic elements to a new understanding of the background of Moses and of important circumstances within our old history. Such a project has never been made before - and might possibly be understood as less useable in practice or for serious evaluation, if the presented discoveries had been described in a way that simultaneously made them less accessible to check up.

¤   What was the reason for examining the special subjects concerning Moses?

::   OvS's reply.   The re-evaluation of the identity of Moses and his background was necessitated by the fact that a lot of new knowledge had not been related to a number of relevant, ancient sources.
          In some cases the new knowledge had not been examined further as when, for instance, Egyptologists and archaeologists are seen to perform - often more prestigious-giving - new initiatives and excavations, rather than using the increased knowledge of their professional field to give an important, necessary, and most valuable finishing study to many of the previous discoveries.
          Often, also many ancient sources have not been thoroughly tested, because they may appear as "alienated" compared to hitherto "canonized" knowledge. The impression of this shortage was confirmed to the writer during his contact with many of the involved scientific areas.

          An early founded interest by Ove von Spaeth for history and astronomy lead to the acquaintance of the world's oldest star map. Gradually (around 1980), related data from several areas of research made it obvious that it dated from the times where Moses could be living. This observation together with the fact that further relations to Moses could be established, was manifested shortly after in a printed edition as a preliminary and brief version.
          On-going studies to investigate the historical circumstances of Moses were soon disclosing the existence of much of the research groups' internal confusion about this figure.

          Without in-schooling of theological hypotheses about Moses, which could pull the study into a certain direction, an all-over free view was maintained from the beginning. And also without any idea of the vast extent of the subject, Ove von Spaeth worked systematically with the disclosure of all the relevant, and often rare, material about Moses - and about chronology.
          The intense research proved to last for years - and by this the tremendous Moses bibliography was born; also the Egyptian star map was dated for the first time. This has now been published separately as a scientific treatise in the "Centaurus International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology" (vol. 42¸3, 2000, pp 159-179), as well as in a version published as an appendix to the book-series' volume 2.

          The contributing experts, of course, have no responsibility at all for the use of their information. The researchers in question have been acknowledged individually in the prefaces of the volumes, on which they have been of help by consultancy, argumentation, criticism, or in other ways. They have often been very courageous when because of their support to the book-series on Moses they had been facing their colleagues' the disapproval in the academic world.
          The summary of material to an extent - never seen before - in connection with the Moses research implied that the thus inter-disciplinary work hardly would have been made without the help of the many competent and interested researchers.

          Ove von Spaeth