The Old Testament: Exodus

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that one of the issues surrounding the Exodus is the debate as to whether it is a Late Bronze Age event, dating probably from 1560 to 1200 B.C. or during the late thirteenth to twelfth centuries BC, when the store city Ramesses was built; however, according to the Bible, there is no real Late Bronze Age evidence for the Sinai trek. The author points out that the Bible must not necessarily be treated as a history book; rather, the Exodus must be taken as an event that may or may not have happened, yet phenomenologically it is still full of meaning. The paper concludes that Exodus acts as the veritable creative agent of Israel's identity by inaugurating the religious, political and social identity of the people of Israel as being the ultimate reality, under the belief of one God

From the Paper:

"In the book, 'Exodus, the True Story behind the Biblical Account', Ian Wilson talks about the walls of Jericho, and asks, "When did the Walls tumble Down?" What he is really asking is whether or not it is wise to expect the excavations in Israel to reveal clear evidence of an expedition that may have taken place in that area many years ago, and if one does, the author states, then he is bound to be disappointed. In the same manner, the Biblical Book of Joshua, even though it contains explicit details on the stratagems that were used by the rulers of that time, must not be used as an archaeological source, and doing this may equate it to an even greater mystery than the Exodus in itself. "

More papers on The Old Testament: Exodus:

• Analytical Essay # 114472 : "The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament"
• Analytical Essay # 139360 : "History Books and the Old Testament"
• Analytical Essay # 60576 : "Historiography of the Bible"

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