Unravelling the Exodus By Dana Burkinshaw
Unravelling the Exodus
Presented by Dana Burkinshaw
Wed., May 20, 2015
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Influences on Egyptology
• Identification of Pharaoh Shishak
• Manetho’s King List
• Sothic Cycle Theory
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Identification of Shishak
“In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made.” (1 Kings 14:25-26)
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Manetho’s King List
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Sothic Cycle
“Dog Star”
Sothis (ancient Egyptians)
Sirius (modern astronomers)
every 1,460 years!
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Sothic Cycle
Censorinius (Roman writer, 3 rd century A.D.) Great Sothic Year occurred in A.D. 140
1320 B.C.
2780 B.C.
4240 B.C.
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Date of the Exodus
Early Date Late Date
15 th Century B.C. 13 th Century B.C. (1491 – 1445) (1280 – 1220)
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Date of the Exodus
“In the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD.” (1 Kings 6:1)
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Pharaoh of the Exodus
Revised Chronology: Conventional Chronology:
12 th /13 th Dynasty 18 th Dynasty
Neferhotep I/Dudimose Amenhotep II
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Pharaoh of the Exodus
Why a revised chronology is preferable to the conventional one: •Conventional Chronology results in a powerful Egypt soon after the Exodus •Conventional Chronology places the Hyksos invasion before the Exodus rather than after
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Length of the Oppression
“Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years . At the end of four hundred thirty years , on that very day, all the companies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:40-41) “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring…The law, introduced 430 years later , does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.” (Galatians 3:16-17)
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430 Years
400 Years
30 Years 60 Years 130 Years 210 Years Promises Isaac born Jacob born Jacob Exodus to Abraham into Egypt
Gen. 12:1-3 Gen. 21:5 Gen. 25:26 Gen. 47:9 Ex. 12:40 Gen. 15:13 Gal. 3:16-17
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Route of the Exodus
Location of the Red Sea Location of Mount Sinai Crossing
Gulf of Suez? Jebel Musa?
Gulf of Aqaba? Jebel el-Lawz?
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Proposed Locations of Mount Sinai
• Jebel Musa • Jebel Biggir • Jebel el-Lawz • Jebel Helal • Jebel Sin Bishr • Har Karkom • Jebel Serbal • Jebel Khashm et- • Jebel Katherina Tarif
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Number in the Exodus
The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed crowd also went up with them, and livestock in great numbers, both flocks and herds. (Exodus 12:37-38)
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Number in the Exodus
Alternatives to “thousand”: •alef = tribe, clan •alluf = captain, clan leader Cumulative total? “They recorded their ancestry by their clans and their ancestral households, according to the number of names…” (Numbers 1:18)
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