Biblical Egyptology

ULC Seminary Moses and Bible Chronology By Robert J. Heyer Many persons dismiss the stories of Moses and Exodus as mythology. It seems that the secular press is quick to accept these so called experts and assume that there is no archaeological and scientific evidence to support the Biblical accounts of Moses and the Exodus. When a person takes the time to examine the facts they will see there is actually quite a bit of evidence to support both the existence of Moses and the Exodus. In fact, there is no evidence to be found that would prove the Biblical accounts to be false. What follows is a brief examination of how the study of Bible chronology affects the understanding of Biblical accounts of Moses and the Exodus. Many of the problems that are commonly cited to discredit the existence of Moses are related to dates. Biblical chronology has always been problematic and been a prime source of citation for Bible skeptics and detractors. The best starting point for Biblical scholars would be to rethink many of the oldest chronologies that are currently in use. For many years scholars have been working backwards, assigning dates and then looking for the archaeological evidence to support the timelines. The opposite method should be used, letting the archaeological evidence create a new and useful chronology. Numbers are the main problem with our understanding of the Bible. We hear accounts of men that lived what seems to be impossible ages. We also see measurements that make accounts seem unlikely, Noah's Ark is a good example of this. Modern engineers are quick to point out how unlikely it would have been to build Noah's Ark to the dimensions listed in the Bible. Many seize on this fact and say that scientists dispute the existence of Noah's Ark. When however the measurements are looked at scaled down some we see that what would have resulted would have been a highly stable and seaworthy craft. It seems more likely we have interpreted the measurements wrong in our many translations and handing downs of such an ancient story. The same can be said for measurements of time. For many years scholars have been trying to assign a timeline to events of the Bible. Almost all of these accounts rely totally on the Bible for starting points and time markers. The problem with this approach is that if we are using dates and numbers that are incorrectly understood, then all the measurements we make with them are erroneous.  Most chronologies are based on the passage in 1Kings 6:1 where it states that  the Exodus from Egypt occurred 480 years before the fourth year in the rule of King Solomon. This places it somewhere near 1445 B.C.. This has been the starting point in the search for archaeological proof for the Exodus. But, what if we assume that the number 480 is not an actual number.  Instead, it might be a symbolic number that represents a certain number of generations.  Or even more possible what if the real number was lost in oral passing of the stories and changed with written down for the first time.  This would mean we have been looking in the wrong place for archaeological evidence. My suggestion is that we let the archaeology tell the story instead of trying to bend it to fit.  The sad fact is it may be decades between relevant archaeological finds that relate to Exodus.  So it is only natural that scholars, in their haste, have tried to set the timeline to their own needs.  Perhaps there is plenty of archaeological evidence there we can use to get the actual dates of Exodus if we just look for it.  Let's start with an examination of the events most likely to be preserved in the archaeological evidence. It doesn't seem likely there would be much written about the great exploits of Moses in ancient Egyptian writings.  We know of very few people that were not directly related to the rulers of Egypt and their continuation of their religious practices.  There is little popular literature available, especially when it comes to news of common people. We must remember that the written history left for us by the Pharaohs is what they wanted us to know and believe.  They went to great lengths to extinguish the writings of their forebearers so there is very little chance they would memorialize an enemy of the state like Moses.  There are some events that would, however, be preserved.  One would be proof that there were indeed Jews in Egypt.  Another might be for evidence that young Jewish males were ordered put to death.  The finding of these events in the written or archaeological record would seem a good place to date the life of Moses. Of all the Biblical events involving Moses, the ten plagues would seem the mostly likely to have left both written and archaeological evidence.  We would expect to find some type of political accounts of such suffering as caused by the plagues.   A large scale dying of young male children would also leave some strong physical evidence behind for some lucky archaeologist to stumble on.  We should be looking for these types of evidence to use as time markers for finding the true date  for the life and exploits of Moses.  Other archaeological markers could be looking for evidence for settlements in the desert for the wanderings of the Jews.  There should be physical evidence left behind from all their wanderings.  Not only will their discovery be useful in the dating of Exodus, but will also be invaluable in the plotting of the actual routes taken. In Summary, it seems to me that many of the issues with proof of the existence of Moses and the Exodus revolve around an incorrect Bible chronology for this time.  There is a tremendous amount of archaeological evidence to support the events when one steps away from the currently used chronologies.  A good review of this evidence can be seen in the Universal Life Church Seminary course on Biblical Egyptology by  Rev. Nick Federspiel.  Another less conventional, but highly interesting account of archaeological evidence, is presented by Simcha Jacobovici in his documentary on the subject.  When the erroneous current timeline is removed there is little reason to doubt the Bible accounts.  It is hoped that further archaeological evidence will help clarify the timeline to better fit the available artifacts. ******************************************** Use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! Ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now. 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Biblical Egyptology

Biblical Egyptology Final Essay By Richard A. Helmersen             The question about the existence of evidence supporting the Biblical Exodus was dealt with exhaustively in this course.  When I underwent theological training thirty years ago, I was taught that there was absolutely no evidence outside of the Bible supporting the Exodus.  That was the prevailing view among intellectuals of the day, but Dr. Federspiel has done a good job of updating my knowledge on the subject, and I would have to agree with him that there is indeed substantial evidence supporting aspects of the Biblical account.  He did not give absolute proof of the Exodus, but there is certainly a preponderance of evidence that something approximating the Biblical account took place nearly three thousand five hundred years ago.             Although I was told there was no extra Biblical evidence supporting the Exodus, I accepted its existence as both a matter of faith and with the knowledge that the Bible was not written as a fictional account but was attempting to be factual and was taken very seriously by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.  Though I had been taught that the first eleven chapters of Genesis were essentially tribal myth and not to be taken literally, from Abraham on there was extra Biblical support and archeology has supported the facts quite well.  Numbers may have been exaggerated or numerological schemes, but there was support for the existence of the people and places discussed in the text.  Because the Exodus is included in the part of the Bible dealing with history and was taken by the Hebrew people as factual, I have always accepted the basic facts of the story.  That does not mean that I accepted all the events as literally true, as they were recollections of people passed down through the centuries, of a heroic past.  We in the modern world often exaggerate the exploits of our ancestors, and I expected no less from the Children of Israel, however in the basic facts, I always thought there must be general truth, which would include their arrival in Egypt several hundred years before the Exodus, and the leadership of a person named Moses to take a group of Semitic people out of that land.  It didn't need to look like the Hollywood version of the story to be generally true.  There may have been a relatively small number of Jews leaving Egypt and settling in Palestine for the story to be true in my mind.  Dr. Federspiel has convinced me that my assumption was indeed correct and something indeed happened.  Furthermore, although it appears that a great deal of Egyptian history was lost to internal squabbling, fighting, wars, and natural disasters, enough circumstantial evidence exists to support the presence of quite a large number of Semites in Egypt who arrived in Jerusalem.             I was interested to discover that a staff was found in Jordan of Tuthmoses IV –Moses II inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphic writing and Graham Phillips presumed it belonged to Moses.   Though it is not proof, it is an interesting theory which I feel needs further study.  Certainly it proves that Egyptian and Semitic people had contact with each other in the area of modern day Israel .              One thing that appears certain is that Moses was a real person.  He is referenced by both Manetho and Artapanus.  Manetho states that the Egyptians "troubled by calamities, in order that the divine wrath might be averted, expelled the foreigners…their leader said to have been Moses."  If a pagan Egyptian priest living three hundred years before the Common Era has a record of a person named Moses who was kicked out of Egypt to appease the gods, Moses probably existed.   Moses is a popular Egyptian name, not Hebrew.  It is doubtful that the Hebrew authors of the story would have made up the name from thin air.  Just the fact that they were able to come up with an Egyptian name for their hero suggests some knowledge of Egypt .  To have an Egyptian pagan priest confirm the basic facts of the story is more than an interesting coincidence.  It suggests that the basic events of the story actually took place and had a significant impact on Egypt.       Remember that Manetho was remembering an event that took place more than a thousand years before his time.  We don't remember trivial events that long.  Something significant must have taken place.  As a matter of fact, with the evidence of an Egyptian priest, I am convinced that the Exodus was more significant an event than I had originally thought.  My expectations for the Exodus were small.  I figured a small number of people left Egypt and settled in Palestine .  I really downplayed the plagues in my mind, being the recipient of a liberal theological education.  After looking at the evidence submitted by Dr. Federspiel, I am forced to accept the possibility that even the plagues and miracles may have some validity.   If the plagues were recorded and remembered for a thousand years in Egypt, they must have happened and Moses must have been credit for them.       Furthermore, it seems quite likely that the military defeat in the " Reed Sea " may have happened too, as that would be significant reason the remember Moses.             It is too bad that a fire destroyed the Alexandria Library and anti pagan fervor during the Christian era, lead to the destruction of so much material in Egypt.   It is also too bad that early European Archeologists collecting samples from ancient Egypt were so sloppy that they destroyed priceless papyri codices and fragments.  Because so much material has been forever lost, we will never have the full picture of Moses and the Exodus, however to say there is no evidence that survives today appears to be far from the truth.  We have a great deal of circumstantial evidence preserved by Josephus and Eusebius.  Furthermore, there is possible archeological evidence being unearthed today, though our understanding of the hieroglyphs makes it very hard to interpret.  With time and further work on interpreting of Egyptian Hieroglyphs, it seems certain that the existence of Moses will be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.        ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link. 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