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Did the Exodus actually happen or is it just another myth?

Somerville

Somerville

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The archaeological evidence does not support the tale of the Exodus that one may read in the Bible.

If the story of the Hebrews living in Egypt, their escape from slavery in Egypt and the subsequent invasion and takeover of Canaan is a myth; would it affect your religious beliefs?
 
Somerville said:
The archaeological evidence does not support the tale of the Exodus that one may read in the Bible.

If the story of the Hebrews living in Egypt, their escape from slavery in Egypt and the subsequent invasion and takeover of Canaan is a myth; would it affect your religious beliefs?
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Not at all. Why would archeology affect my religious beliefs?
 
Most of the bible is myth. And those stories that stared out true were probably retold so many times that by time someone got around to writing them down they didn't look anything like the original story.
 
Josephus apparently thought it was real...

According to Jewish historian Josephus, the Hebrews were “pursued by 600 chariots along with 50,000 horsemen and heavy infantry to the number of 200,000.”​—Jewish Antiquities, II, 324 [xv, 3].

Manetho, an Egyptian priest who evidently hated the Jews, wrote in the Greek language about 280 B.C.E. The Jewish historian Josephus quotes Manetho as saying that the ancestors of the Jews “entered Egypt in their myriads and subdued the inhabitants,” and then Josephus says that Manetho “goes on to admit that they were afterwards driven out of the country, occupied what is now Judaea, founded Jerusalem, and built the temple.”​—Against Apion, I, 228 (26).

While Manetho’s account is in general very unhistorical, the significant fact is that he mentions the Jews as being in Egypt and as going out, and in further writings, according to Josephus, he identifies Moses with Osarsiph, an Egyptian priest, indicating that, even though Egyptian monuments do not record the fact, the Jews were in Egypt and Moses was their leader. Josephus speaks of another Egyptian historian, Chaeremon, who says that Joseph and Moses were driven out of Egypt at the same time; also Josephus mentions a Lysimachus who tells a similar story.​—Against Apion, I, 228, 238 (26); 288, 290 (32); 299 (33); 304-311 (34).

But as to your question, I don't need archaeological proof to believe...I believe because the Bible, which I believe to be inspired of God, is truth and it tells me it really happened...
 
Skeptic Bob said:
Some people take the Bible literally, word for word.
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These people of whom you speak would also have to take archeology literally, word for word, to be faced with an exegetical dilemma.
 
Angel said:
And you believe you know what reality is, yes?
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And you believe over two million jews could wander a small part of a desert for 40 years and not leave a single trace of their journey.

Then you have no clue about reality.
 
Angel said:
These people of whom you speak would also have to take archeology literally, word for word, to be faced with an exegetical dilemma.
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Bull**** this is purely evidence based. Not one single bit of evidence has ever been found to support the idea of 2 million jews wondering a small part of a desert for 40 years. Impossible that they could not have left even a single item of their journey.

Please actually try and understand what archaeology is instead of pretending that it has anything in common with a faith based ridiculous book of fairy tales.
 
soylentgreen said:
And you believe over two million jews could wander a small part of a desert for 40 years and not leave a single trace of their journey.

Then you have no clue about reality.
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I don't know whether two million Jews wandered a small part of a desert for 40 years and left not a single trace of their journey, or not; nor do I care either way. Nor do I know whether the stories of archeology are true or not; nor do I care.

But since you seem to have a clue about reality, I wonder if you would kindly share that clue with the rest of us?
 
Angel said:
I don't know whether two million Jews wandered a small part of a desert for 40 years and left not a single trace of their journey, or not; nor do I care either way. Nor do I know whether the stories of archeology are true or not; nor do I care.

But since you seem to have a clue about reality, I wonder if you would kindly share that clue with the rest of us?
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Sigh! So you have not even read the bible on this. Typical ignorance of a theist

Exodus 12:37-38 Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, [a]along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

6,000,000 and then counting women and children the number rounds to about 2 million.

The bible also states they wondered for 40 years. You really need to read the book if you want to look credible in this debate.
The Exodus: Does archaeology have a say? - Opinion - Jerusalem Post
The short answer is “no.” The whole subject of the Exodus is embarrassing to archaeologists. The Exodus is so fundamental to us and our Jewish sources that it is embarrassing that there is no evidence outside of the Bible to support it. So we prefer not to talk about it, and hate to be asked about it.
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I understand why you do not care. It is the only response you can give towards the fact that once again the bible is shown to have made up a fabrication, a fairy tale, an untruth.
 
Angel said:
These people of whom you speak would also have to take archeology literally, word for word, to be faced with an exegetical dilemma.
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Archeology is physical evidence, not merely a story. Of course it is taken literally.
 
devildavid said:
Archeology is physical evidence, not merely a story. Of course it is taken literally.
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Archeology offers stories about the history of the physical world. So? Am I supposed to do a cartwheel?
 
Angel said:
And you believe you know what reality is, yes?
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I do. It is a convenient fiction (or set of facts) agreed upon by enough of us to make it so. If all of us were schizophrenic and having vivid hallucinations, reality would be different. Or would it?
 
soylentgreen said:
Sigh! So you have not even read the bible on this. Typical ignorance of a theist

Exodus 12:37-38 Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, [a]along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

6,000,000 and then counting women and children the number rounds to about 2 million.

The bible also states they wondered for 40 years. You really need to read the book if you want to look credible in this debate.
The Exodus: Does archaeology have a say? - Opinion - Jerusalem Post


I understand why you do not care. It is the only response you can give towards the fact that once again the bible is shown to have made up a fabrication, a fairy tale, an untruth.
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Every story mankind tells itself, from the religious stories right through to the science stories, are fabrications. So what? Truth itself is a fabrication, a story. And fairy tales are some of the best.
 
Somerville said:
The archaeological evidence does not support the tale of the Exodus that one may read in the Bible.

If the story of the Hebrews living in Egypt, their escape from slavery in Egypt and the subsequent invasion and takeover of Canaan is a myth; would it affect your religious beliefs?
Click to expand...
Based on the archaeological evidence, it's a myth.

I'm sure there is some sort of historical reality behind it, e.g. an early tribe of Jews was most likely driven from their homes, and wandered the desert briefly looking for a new settlement.

The archaeological/historical reality doesn't change my views.
 
<alt>doxygen said:
I do. It is a convenient fiction (or set of facts) agreed upon by enough of us to make it so. If all of us were schizophrenic and having vivid hallucinations, reality would be different. Or would it?
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This brain in a vat salutes your brain in a vat.

Namaste.
 
Angel said:
These people of whom you speak would also have to take archeology literally, word for word, to be faced with an exegetical dilemma.
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exegesis

If your teacher gives an explanation of a difficult text you are reading, she is giving you an exegesis on it. An exegesis is a critical look at a text.

Exegesis comes from the Greek word for interpret and it's often used in connection with the Bible. Often times, religious rules are based on an exegesis of a text. For instance, some Jewish people do not eat meat and dairy in the same meal based on an exegesis of a law in the Torah that says you should not eat a calf cooked in its mother's milk.
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So those who take archeology, the evidence of actual physical stuff in the ground, as true would be faced with having to look at the text version in a critical way.

Where is the dilemma??

The use of a weird word to make out that you are more clevfer than you are and thus achieve the effect of intimidating the other side.

Does not work on the internet when we can all look up things on google.
 
Elvira said:
Josephus apparently thought it was real...
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That's because Josephus was a Jew, who wrote at a time when archaeological (let alone genetic) information was not available, and when history was not exactly a real discipline.
 
Angel said:
Every story mankind tells itself, from the religious stories right through to the science stories, are fabrications. So what? Truth itself is a fabrication, a story. And fairy tales are some of the best.
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Should this person be allowed t vote or sit on a jury?
 
Angel said:
Archeology offers stories about the history of the physical world. So? Am I supposed to do a cartwheel?
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No, it does not offer stories. It offers physical evidence and descriptions of the past based on the physical evidence. Archeologists don't just write stories. They find and examine physical evidence of the past and draw conclusions from that physical evidence.
 
Angel said:
Every story mankind tells itself, from the religious stories right through to the science stories, are fabrications. So what? Truth itself is a fabrication, a story. And fairy tales are some of the best.
Click to expand...

And we realize that some stories are fiction. Science does not tell stories.
 
devildavid said:
No, it does not offer stories. It offers physical evidence and descriptions of the past based on the physical evidence. Archeologists don't just write stories. They find and examine physical evidence of the past and draw conclusions from that physical evidence.
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All theories are stories.

devildavid said:
And we realize that some stories are fiction. Science does not tell stories.
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All stories are fiction.
 
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