History in the OT

[dagda]

I find it incredibale that a text writen at least 1000 yrs after the event and only past down trough an oral tradition can be so acurate. Despite some exaguration or understatements, the OT quite accuratly records the history of the Hebrews.

For instance, the Exodus is relitivly accurate at recording the escape of Hebrew slaves form Egypt and even records the political leader who leads them to freedom, Moses. A real man. Ofcourse, Gods involvment is not apparant in the historical records.

[Tiberius]

Surely if we know it is accurate then we must have another recording from the time of what went on. A primary source is always more reliable than a secondary one, so how do you the OT wasn't simply a rewrite of the original source?

Pardon me if my knowledge of Biblical history is a little off.

Anyway, the entire Genesis story has no record in actual history other than in the imagination.

[StewartP]

There is an issue in that there is no heiroglyph Egyptian account of the exodus.

Christers say it is because it was a humiliatin to the Pharoah and sp expunged from the records Soviet style.

I'm still amazed that such upheaval as the plagues, death of all firstborn and the exodus of the labour force left no record.

[Brick-top]

For instance, the Exodus is relitivly accurate at recording the escape of Hebrew slaves form Egypt and even records the political leader who leads them to freedom, Moses. A real man. Ofcourse, Gods involvment is not apparant in the historical records.

I got told there was no evidence to suggest that Jews we're slaves.

[StewartP]

or historical, archeological evidence for the existance of Moses

[Brick-top]

or historical, archeological evidence for the existance of Moses

Or any evidence in the Bible for that matter regarding almost everything

[StewartP]

There's a fascinating bit of archeology on a vid, where the archeologists were investigating the cities destroyed in Canaan by the hebrews under Joshua.

It turns out that most of these cities had been destroyed long before the supposed date of the exodus.

here is a National Geographic debate over who destroyed Hazor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRl5ipS45C4

[dagda]

'I got told there was no evidence to suggest that Jews we're slaves.'

They were not called Jews at the time as not untill the mid-15th century bc when, it is belived a man named Kamose brought Him out of the desert. At that time they were known as Hapiru, of which there is much evidence to suggest these were slaves in Egypt. 'Circa 1270 bce: the leyde papyrus, concerbing the reign of Ramesses 2, mentions the Hapiru being used as hard labour to make repairs to a temple in Memphis'(The Moses Legacy, Graham Phillips)

'or historical, archeological evidence for the existance of Moses'

Kamose appears on several monuments of the reign of Tuthmosis and mentioned in the tomb of Tutmut, his tutor and all but a Queen of Egypt. However, around year 40 of the same reign, Kamose disapears in discrace and his eventual werabouts are unknown, although we do know that he had dealings with the Israelites, who do not worship there one God at this time.

The Exodus happened around a century after Kamose and was lead by a man named-some think-Tuthmoses, in about 1360. The similarity in names-the Tuth and Ka almost certianly being dropped by both men to distance themselves from Egypt-could have been confussed down the line.

[StewartP]

The Moses Legacy, Graham Phillips

His own website describes him as:

Graham Phillips has been described as an historical detective, a modern-day adventurer and a real-life Indiana Jones. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, Graham’s findings are always original and thought provoking and his books make an exciting read.

Here are some of his other books:

I urge you to read the descriptions and then ask yourself if he is as reliable a source as Dan Brown.

The End of Eden – US and UK edition: Bear & Company 2007.
3500 years ago strange things suddenly began to happen throughout the world - bizarre, simultaneous events that have never been explained. After living in relative peace for centuries, civilizations across the earth - in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas - were suddenly overwhelmed by an epidemic of mass violence. Some civilizations, such as the Harappans of the Indus Valley and the Megalithic culture that built Stonehenge, mysteriously ceased to exist entirely. At the same time old gods were abandoned and new religions abruptly appeared. What was happening around 1500 BC? The End of Eden reveals the comet that changed civilization and irrevocably altered the course of history.

Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World – US and UK edition: Bear & Company 2005.
Historical evidence for the existence of Merlin and a Dark Age sea voyage to North America. In Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World, Graham presents compelling evidence that the legend of Merlin was based on the life of an historical figure – the last of the Romans to rule the island of Britain. Ultimately, Graham examines the legend that Merlin sailed off to Avalon, a mystical land said to lie far across the western seas. In an eighth-century Irish manuscript, he finds evidence that this story was based on an historical sea crossing to North America a thousand years before the time of Columbus.

The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant – US and UK edition: Bear & Company 2004.
According to the Bible, the Ark was both a means of communicating with God and a terrible weapon that was used against the enemies of the ancient Israelites. The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant is Graham’s personal quest to discover the truth about the Ark of the Covenant. He not only proposes that the biblical story of the Ark of the Covenant was an historical account based on real events, but also reveals where the sacred artifact was eventually hidden and the extraordinary truth about its legendary power.

Alexander the Great: Murder in Babylon – English edition: HB Virgin Publishing, 2004.
In 323 BC Alexander the Great died of a mysterious illness at the very height of his power. What killed him has remained one of history’s most enduring mysteries. In Alexander the Great: Murder in Babylon Graham presents new forensic evidence to show that Alexander was poisoned by a member of his own court. In this real-life historical detective story, he presents a dramatic murder mystery of conspiracy, power-play and sexual intrigue, finally revealing the identity of the assassin.

The Moses Legacy - UK editions: HB Sidgwick & Jackson 2002, PB Pan 2003. US edition: 12 Tribes, 10 Plagues and the 2 Men who were Moses, Ulysses Press 2003.
According to the Bible, Moses and the ancient Hebrews first communed with God on the mysterious Mount Sinai - also called the Mountain of God. It was here that Moses saw the burning bush, received the Ten Commandments and learned the secrets of the Ark of the Covenant. The Moses Legacy is the search for the historical Moses and the forgotten location of the Mountain of God.

The Marian Conspiracy - UK editions: HB Sidgwick & Jackson 2000, PB Pan 2001. US edition: The Virgin Mary Conspiracy, Bear & Company 2005.
Do the Vatican’s secret archives contain evidence of a medieval cover-up concerning the final days of the mother of Jesus Christ? This is the quest to solve one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in Church history: the true location of the tomb of the Virgin Mary.

Act of God - UK editions: HB Sidgwick & Jackson 1998, PB Pan 1998. US edition: Atlantis and the Ten Plagues of Egypt: Bear & Company 2003.
Compelling evidence that the biblical plagues of the Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea were real historical events - the result of the largest volcanic eruption in the history of civilization.

The Search for the Grail - UK editions: HB Century 1995, PB Arrow 1996. US edition: The Chalice of Magdalene, Bear & Company 2004.In 1995 Graham Phillips’ discovery of an artifact that may have been the true Holy Grail created headlines around the world. This is the inside story of the remarkable adventure leading to that discovery.

Robin Hood: The Man behind the Myth (with Martin Keatman) - English edition: HB Michael O’Mara 1995.
Since the Middle Ages Robin Hood has been exiled to the realm of myth. Now Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman reveal that the famous outlaw really existed but in a different time than he is depicted in the popular legend.

The Shakespeare Conspiracy (with Martin Keatman) - English editions: HB Century 1994, PB Arrow 1995.
William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright in history - but his private life remained a closely guarded secret. The Shakespeare Conspiracy reveals sensational evidence that William Shakespeare also worked as a government spy.

King Arthur: The True Story - (with Martin Keatman) - English editions: HB Century 1992, PB Arrow 1993.
For centuries King Arthur has remained a mystery - the site of his fabled Camelot long forgotten and the true location of his final resting place shrouded by the mists of time. Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman go in search of the historical King Arthur, his Camelot and ultimately his lost tomb.

[dagda]

What's your point? The subject matters may be on the edge of mainstream history but hardly unbelivable or unintresting.