Quote:But, as long as you are on that topic, where DID the Israelites come from and what were they doing during the time they allegedly lived in Egypt?
Archaeology indicates that the groups which LATER coalesced into the Israelites arose at the end of the Late Bronze Age ( c 1200 BCE) in the Eastern Hill Region of Canaan. There are two main ideas for where they came from. Either indigenous pastoral nomads who were forced to settle down after the Sea People onslaught destroyed their agricultural trading partners, or, refugees fleeing the coastal regions which were being attacked.
For the first concept - read Israel Finkelstein's "The Bible Unearthed." For the second, try William G. Dever's "Who Were The Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From." Both dismiss Exodus as later propaganda.
