The Exodus Did Not Happen. Some Christians Still Can't Accept That


A burial cave was just discovered dating back to the time of Ramos. The headline in Christian Post said the stuff found in the cave dated back to the "Time of Exodus." Anyone, Christian or Jew, who uses the Bible as a book of history is badly mistaken. There is no evidence the Exodus tale ever happened. The earliest book I happen to have doubting the Exodus story was published in the 1950's. There has been a lot of searching since then. Nothing has been found. It would both helpful and practical for all Rabis, priests and preachers to simply conclude it's a myth. 

There is a folk song, the most popular version was by Burl Ives, called, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain." Similar themes appear in other stories. That was repeated in the Moses story, God dropped bread for forty years. That's something to sing about. 

The genre of free food and reward/punishment for good or bad deeds had to have been part of storytelling long before the written word. That is appeared in the Exodus story was not an accident but an inevitability. The reward went on with the Jews, having lived to a desert for 40 years were somehow able to arm themselves and defeat those who lived in Jericho. Just like there is no evidence the Jews lived in the desert for 40 years, or lived there at all, there is no evidence of a battle for Jericho. 

The Bible has had appeal to people for a long time because its stories followed time honored themes. The themes were present in folk tales which in turn were incorporated into tales about Moses and later about Jesus. The old adage, stick with a winner certainly applies. Moses got mana from heaven then won the Battle of Jericoh. Jesus beat death. Trump beat Biden. Like the Disney fairy tales, always a happy ending. 

Is there something harmful about fairytale endings like those in the Bible? In my view, there is harm if readers cannot differentiate between the fairytale and reality. And, it is not clear how many Christians are able to do this. A common refrain is the Bible must be taken literally, either in part or in total. This is why believing in fairytales like the Exodus is not healthy.


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