Answer - Late date (textual evidence 1) The traditional view is that the Book of Exodus was written by Moses. The main ones include Moses, who was the main character of the book of exodus. By incorporating all the aspects of the Israelites journey into Gods house, all their experiences, even the bad ones, find their place in Gods house. The Bible is Art is the website to accompany the YouTube channel that explores the literary art of the Bible. [5], Mainstream scholarship no longer accepts the biblical Exodus account as historical for a number of reasons. B. Poetry, Exodus 15. The first part of Exodus (ch. Yahweh commands the Israelites to destroy the Midianites, and Moses and Phinehas take another census. All modern scholars believe that Genesis was written in the 6th century BCE by several different writers belonging to both the priestly class (those claiming to be descended from Moses) and from the land . These potential influences serve to reinforce the conclusion that the Book of Exodus originated in the exiled Jewish community of 6th-century BCE Babylon, but not all the potential sources are Mesopotamian: the story of Moses's flight to Midian following the murder of the Egyptian overseer may draw on the Egyptian Story of Sinuhe. The Exodus is the founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four books of the Torah, namely Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Pamela Barmash argued that the psalm is a polemic against the Northern Kingdom; as it fails to mention that kingdom's destruction in 722 BCE, she concluded that it must have been written before then. [21] The laws are set out in a number of codes:[22], There are two main positions on the historicity of the Exodus in modern scholarship. In God's timing, the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt marked the end of a period of oppression for Abraham's descendants (Genesis 15:13), and the beginning of the fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham that his descendants would not only live in the Promised Land, but would also multiply and become a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3, 7). Both include a nearly identical dedication formula ("These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt", Exodus 32:8). Archaeology, unfortunately, cannot directly contribute (yet?) African Americans suffering under slavery and racial oppression interpreted their situation in terms of the Exodus, making it a catalyst for social change. Sinai, God leads his people in a pillar of fire and cloud that illumines their way. This period of years represents the time it takes for a new generation to arise (Numbers 32:13). Exodus is a journey narrative like many of the great stories from The Odyssey, to the Aeneid, to The Divine Comedy, to Pilgrim's Progress, to Lord of the Rings. For example, the text reads: Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said, (Exodus 24:4 NIV). For instance, in the courtyard there is the altar for offerings and the bronze basin for washings. What is the genre of Exodus? One strong possibility is that it is a diptych (i.e., divided into two parts), with the division between parts 1 and 2 at the crossing of the Red Sea or at the beginning of the theophany (appearance of God) in chapter 19. A lot of significant themes are present in the Second book of the Bible. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Exodus, which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses. Yahweh establishes the Aaronic priesthood and various rules for ritual worship, among other laws. 6. [60] The Books of Kings records the dedication of two golden calves in Bethel and Dan by the Israelite king Jeroboam I, who uses the words "Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings 12:28). In Hebrew the book's title is , shemt, "Names", from the beginning words of the text: "These are the names of the sons of Israel" (Hebrew: ). The climax of the book, and the thing that gets the most space is the tabernacle - the detailed instructions and then the account of the actual construction. [21], Biblical scholars describe the Bible's theologically-motivated history writing as "salvation history", meaning a history of God's saving actions that give identity to Israel the promise of offspring and land to the ancestors, the Exodus from Egypt (in which God saves Israel from slavery), the wilderness wandering, the revelation at Sinai, and the hope for the future life in the promised land. Exodus is a fiction book. Have you accepted His sacrifice on your behalf? GENRE - The book of Exodus includes four literary genres. The story of Moses and the Book of Exodus is centered around the country of Israel. God assists the Israelite exodus by parting the sea and allowing the Israelites to pass through, before drowning Pharaoh's forces. Moving one section in to the most holy place you have a lampstand that provides the only light in the dark tent just like Gods glory cloud provides light to the Israelites. Author has 11K answers and 12.2M answer views 6 y A Judahite cultic object associated with the exodus was the brazen serpent or nehushtan: according to 2 Kings 18:4, the brazen serpent had been made by Moses and was worshiped in the temple in Jerusalem until the time of king Hezekiah of Judah, who destroyed it as part of a religious reform, possibly around 727 BCE. SPECIAL TOPIC: HEBREW POETRY. That so much of the book (chapters 2531, 3540) describes the plans of the Tabernacle demonstrates the importance it played in the perception of Second Temple Judaism at the time of the text's redaction by the Priestly writers: the Tabernacle is the place where God is physically present, where, through the priesthood, Israel could be in direct, literal communion with him. [2], The consensus of modern scholars is that the Bible does not give an accurate account of the origins of the Israelites, who appear instead to have formed as an entity in the central highlands of Canaan in the late second millennium BCE from the indigenous Canaanite culture. Hamilton relates Exodus to the rest of Scripture and includes his own translation of the text. [45][46][47] Alternatively, Nadav Na'aman argued that oppressive Egyptian rule of Canaan during the Nineteenth and especially the Twentieth Dynasty may have inspired the Exodus narrative, forming a "collective memory" of Egyptian oppression that was transferred from Canaan to Egypt itself in the popular consciousness. The majority of the times this unfamiliar freedom came when the people followed and obeyed God felt uncomfortable and even painful in the initial stages. [96] The festivals associated with the Exodus began as agricultural and seasonal feasts but became completely subsumed into the Exodus narrative of Israel's deliverance from oppression at the hands of God. 4.1-3). The Israelites are soon in conflict with various other kingdoms, and king Balak of Moab attempts to have the seer Balaam curse the Israelites, but Balaam blesses the Israelites instead. [26] The biblical Exodus narrative is best understood as a founding myth of the Jewish people, providing an ideological foundation for their culture and institutions, not an accurate depiction of the history of the Israelites. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. [62] Russell and Frank Moore Cross argued that the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom may have believed that the calves at Bethel and Dan were made by Aaron. God informs Moses of their apostasy and threatens to kill them all, but relents when Moses pleads for them. [30] The geography is vague with regions such as Goshen unidentified, and there are internal problems with dating in the Pentateuch. It contains various information that is considered to be of utmost religious importance. A history of being slaves is likely to bear elements of truth. [7] Instead, they argue how modern archaeology suggests continuity between Canaanite and Israelite settlements, indicating a heavily Canaanite origin for Israel, with little suggestion that a group of foreigners from Egypt comprised early Israel. Israel complains about the food and God provides them with manna, bread from heaven. After Moses throws the wood into the water, the water becomes sweet. Israel's departure from bondage and journey through the wilderness can symbolize our journey through a fallen world and. Moses comes down from the mountain and writes down God's words, and the people agree to keep them. Pharaoh refuses to release the Israelites from their work for the festival, and so God curses the Egyptians with ten terrible plagues, such as a river of blood, an outbreak of frogs, and the thick darkness. The traditional (i.e. This theory is supported by a number of factors. [20] The covenant is described in stages: at Exodus 24:38 the Israelites agree to abide by the "book of the covenant" that Moses has just read to them; shortly afterwards God writes the "words of the covenant" the Ten Commandments on stone tablets; and finally, as the people gather in Moab to cross into Canaan, the land God has promised them, Moses makes a new covenant between Yahweh and the Israelites "beside the covenant he made with them at Horeb" (Deuteronomy 29:1). Two reasons in my opinion: 1. [26] Lester Grabbe, for instance, argued that "[t]here is no compelling reason that the exodus has to be rooted in history",[49] and that the details of the story more closely fit the seventh through the fifth centuries BCE than the traditional dating to the second millennium BCE. Yahweh commands that the Israelites observe a festival as "a perpetual ordinance" to remember this event (Exodus 12:14). What is Mark of Cain in the Bible? Purpose of Writing: The word "exodus" means depar. Four hundred years later, Egypt's new Pharaoh, who does not remember how Joseph had saved Egypt from famine, is fearful that the Israelites could become a fifth column. It is mentioned in this book that God rescues and then delivered his people while guiding them into the unfamiliar desert. Copy. As Chuck was talking, Christ was also talking to my heart. C. Law, Exodus 20-23. (Gen 4:15), Why Did Cain Kill Abel in Bible? The pharaoh then refuses to let the Israelites go. The Exodus (Hebrew: , Yeiat Mirayim: lit. Please contact us or click here to learn more about how to enable JavaScript on your browser. [25], The heart of Exodus is the Sinaitic covenant. He gives them their laws and instructions to build the Tabernacle, the means by which he will come from heaven and dwell with them and lead them in a holy war to possess the land of Canaan (the "Promised Land"), which had earlier, according to the story of Genesis, been promised to the seed of Abraham. Jacob's sons join their brother Joseph in Egypt with their families, where their people begin to grow in number. They then conquer the lands of Og and Sihon in Transjordan, settling the Gadites, Reubenites, and half the Tribe of Manasseh there. Answer (1 of 25): Here is a good overview of the book of Exodus from GotQuestions.org: "Author: Moses was the author of the Book of Exodus (Exodus 17:14; 24:4-7; 34:27).