Dating of the Exodus
Question 4, Feb 17, 2011 Assignment Two Silva Redigonda
When examining and studying scripture, one major factor is to determine what period of time the writer is referring to. How is this gleaned? How does one know if the information is reliable and to what extent? There are always differences in perspectives from studying the same material. How does one know who to believe or trust? This paper will provide arguments used to support the dating of the Exodus in the 15th and the 13th centuries from Ceresko’s[1] and Bright’s[2] texts.
Bright indicates that there is no “extra-Biblical evidence” of the Exodus (Bright, p 122). Ceresko reveals that the information he provides from scholars regarding the arguments to venture a date of the exodus is “ambiguous”. He adds that even the definition of the Exodus can be questioned (Ceresko, p 80). So what is the Exodus? Let’s begin there.
The Exodus is identified with the escape of the slaves and defeat of Pharaoh’s army through the sea. Earlier tradition spoke of the Exodus in terms of going out from, or Yahweh bringing Israel out from Egypt, identifying the Exodus as the flight from Egypt following the death of the first born, before the rescue of the sea (Ceresko, p 81). Since many of the places mentioned in the Exodus are difficult to identify, the exact location of the Exodus is uncertain as well (Bright, p 122). The sources of what actually constituted the Exodus – the escape from Egypt or the rescue at sea differ among sources. With regard to the rescue at the sea, none of the available sources provide a complete and coherent account of what occurred. There is also a possibility of combined memories of more than one group, involving several successful escapes at various times (Ceresko, p 84). None the less these arguments need to be examined if only to fulfill our curiosity for truth.
The 13th century B.C.E. was the last century of the Late Bronze Age which coincided in Egypt with the New Kingdom or Empire Period. A new dynasty, the Nineteenth came into power in 1305 B.C.E. The first pharaoh, Ramses I, reigned a few months prior to his son Seti I (1305-1290 B.C.E.) who transferred the capital from Thebes, in central Egypt, north to the city of Avaris. Avaris was renamed, the House of Ramses by Seti I and his son Ramses II. Both “conducted ambitious building programs there.” These building projects support Exodus 1:11 which refer to the pharaoh who “built the store cities, Pithom and Ramses” using slave labor (Ceresko, p 80). Ceresko adds that scholars who venture to assign a date to the escape of the Moses group from Egypt includes the building projects of Seti I and Ramses II employing slave labor in the late fourteenth and early thirteenth centuries B.C.E. and this mention of an Israel in Canaan by Merneptah in 1220 B.C.E. are key pieces of evidence (Ceresko, p 81). If Hebrews labored at Avaris, then they must have been in Egypt at least in the reign of Sethos 1 (ca. 1305-1290) (Bright, p 123).
Numerous texts from the 15th century onward provide evidence of the presence of ‘Apiru in Egypt. ‘Apiru were brought as captives as early as 1438-1412, if not prior to that period (Bright, p 121). Sethos 1 collided with the ‘Apiru in the mountains near Beth-shan “almost on the eve of the Exodus”. One can conclude that ‘Apiru (Hebrew) elements established there and became absorbed in the structure along with other groups. Israel came into being by a complex process with a tribal structure filled with strains of diverse origin (Bright, p 136,-137).
Archaeological evidence depicts that a major upheaval engulfed Palestine as the Late Bronze Age ended. Numerous towns, a number of them in the Bible which were said to have been taken by Israel, were actually destroyed at that time. Many scholars have seen in this evidence that the Israelite conquest took place in the 13th century. However, it must also be noted that there is no trace of such a destruction surviving (Bright, p 130).
The Bible states (1 Kings 6:1) that it was four hundred and eighty years from the Exodus to the fourth year of Solomon (ca. 958). According to this information we could accurately place the Exodus as occurring in the fifteenth century. But this would deem that the conquest took place in the Amarna period, which has generally been abandoned because of the difficulty to harmonize this information with other evidence. It could also be that the four hundred and eighty years is a round number for twelve generations (Brown, p 123).
Ultimately at this time we cannot reconstruct the details of Israel’s wanderings in the desert, because actual events were more complex than the Biblical narrative and because none of the places mentioned can be identified with certainty (Brown, p 124).
Arguments indeed have been provided to determine the actual date of the Exodus as occurring during the 13th century. However though, the general consensus is the 13th century, there is enough doubt raised to extend this prior to the 13th century and perhaps up to the 15th century. What must be kept in mind is the importance of the canonical text, accepted as scripture. It is the ” revelation” contained in the story, which is the proclamation of God’s saving love and power on behalf of this people (Ceresko, p 84) that has remained steadfast throughout the centuries. With new findings such as more manuscripts or more archeological revelations, we may be able to be more accurate in supplying a date for the Exodus.
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