Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Walter Mattfeld" <mattfeld AT mail.pjsnet.com>]

It is my understanding that the Exodus as presented in the Bible IS
FICTION, it never happened as portrayed. Please read on-

My research into the vexing question of the Exodus has revealed that FOR ANY
GIVEN TIME PERIOD, be it Egyptian Old Kingdom, 1st Intermediate, Middle
Kingdom,
2nd Intermediate, New Kingdom, etc. one can marshall archaeological
ANOMALIES that CONTRADICT Holy Writ's portrayal of events.

I have discovered
that IN ALL PERIODS, one can find cities, towns and hamlets that were either
not yet in existence, or were abandoned during the proposed Exodus, be it
Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Late Bronze or Early Iron Ages (2400-1000 BCE).
Often these proposers of a given time period for the Exodus are UNAWARE of
ALL the archaeological anomalies. They think that because they have
"successfully" identified "a few link-ups" of the biblical narratives with
archaeological findings that they have "found" the Exodus ! They fail to
realize that UNTIL ALL THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANOMALIES ARE ACCOUNTED FOR in any
given period, that their theory IS NOT SUBSTANTIATED.

As a result of my years of research into archaeological findings in
Egypt, Sinai, the Negeb, Transjordan and Canaan, seeking a link-up with the
Exodus, I have concluded that the event is FICTION, because NO GIVEN TIME
PERIOD CAN ACCOUNT FOR **ALL** THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANOMALIES.

I have, however, concluded that the Exodus is based on REAL HISTORICAL
EVENTS
occurring over a long period of time, Early Bronze II to Iron Age II
(2400-562 BCE) which have been garbled, conflated and fused together AND
REINTERPRETED AND TRANSFORMED in the service of Theology.

The archaeological evidence suggests that the Exodus account was written in
either the 7th or 6th century BCE according to archaeologists like
Finkelstein and MacDonald.

Although most Egyptologists and biblical Archaeologists do not believe the
Exodus occurred based on the lack of archaeological evidence for the Event,
in Egypt, the Sinai, Negeb, Transjordan and Canaan, some do allow for the
possibility that some kind of historical event may have occurred that has
been transformed, reformatted and embellished. Even myths very frequently
have a historical kernel buried under the later embellishments. My research
reveals that the Bible preserves two different dates for the Exodus. ca.
1560 BCE (Hyksos Times) and 1446 BCE (Pharaoh Amenhotep II). The former date
is derived from chronologies preserved in the books of Judges and Samuel
whereas the second date is derived from 1 Kings 6:1. In either case, the
Biblical narrator understands that the Exodus took part sometime during the
course of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty (the Canaanite Late Bronze Age period,
ca. 1570-1200 BCE).

Contra oft made claims by mainstream Egyptologists and
Secular Human Bible scholars, the ARCHAEOLGICAL EVIDENCE **underlying** the
Exodus narratives EXISTS in the Southern Sinai, IN A LATE BRONZE AGE
CONTEXT, AS IMPLIED BY THE BIBLICAL NARRATRIVES !!!

What is surprising though is that evidence also exists in the Sinai to
support those championing an Exodus in Ramesside times (The Exodus beginning
at city of Ramesses in Egypt, Exodus 12:37) !!!

It is my understanding that THE CONFUSION WHICH REIGNS SUPREME in attempts
to identify "a historical context" for the Exodus is due in part to various
scholars, Confessionalist AS WELL AS Secular-Humanist, each TENACIOUSLY
clinging to HIS "piece of the puzzle," hollering foul" when his peers
attempt to promote THEIR "piece of the puzzle" as the correct understanding
of when the Exodus event took place.  Confessionalists point to the text's
statement that the Exodus occurred in the 15th century BCE (cf. 1 Kings
6:1), others howl "Foul" and point to the chronologies preserved in the
books of Judges and Samuel, which suggest an Exodus in the 16th century BCE,
Still others holler "Foul," and point to the mention of the city of
Ramesses as where the Exodus began, and that it was a Ramesside event of the
13th century BCE.  WELL FOLKS, I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT ALL OF YOU ARE
RIGHT !!!  Can't believe your eyes that Walt Mattfeld, Skeptic and Secular
Humanist is declaring Confessionalist understandings of merit ? You saw it
here !

I have concluded on the basis of my research that the Exodus narratives are
drawing upon garbled memories of real historical events which occurred in
the Southern Sinai in 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasty times. These events have
been fused to events in Iron II times , the 7th and 6th centuries BCE.

JEWISH, CHRISTIAN AND SECULAR HUMANIST SCHOLARS **ALL ERR IN ATTEMPTING TO
FIND ONE HISTORICAL EVENT**  IN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD FOR THE
EXODUS---THEY
_ALL ARE UNAWARE_ THAT THE ACCOUNT IS A **CONFATION AND FUSION** OF EVENTS
EXTENDING FROM EARLY BRONZE II TO LATE IRON II, which, ironically, makes all
of you right.


Cf. the following urls for
the research-

SEE ESPECIALLY THIS ARTICLE-
http://www.bibleorigins.net/ExodusTimnaSerabitelKhadim.html

OTHER ARTICLES TO PERUSE-

http://www.bibleorigins.net/Exodusarchaeolanomalies.html

http://www.bibleorigins.net/Exodus1540BCHyksos.html

http://www.bibleorigins.net/ExodusProblems.html

http://www.bibleorigins.net/Hebrewhabiruslaves.html

http://www.bibleorigins.net/GoldenCalfnotEgyptian.html

All the best, Walter

Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld
Walldorf by Heidelberg
Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany
http://www.bibleorigins.net