Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Walter R. Mattfeld" <mattfeld12 AT charter.net>]

Chuck Wynn wrote:

"I've been reading with much interest the dialogue about the date of 
Moses/the Exodus.  I have my own thoughts concerning the issue, but my 
question has to do with finding some resources. I've been trying to locate a 
book or books that deal specifically and extensively with Egypt's 18th 
Dynasty, which covers the early 16th-late 14th centuries B.C. of Egypt's 
history.  I would be interested in finding literature that deals with what 
we know based on archeological information as well as literature from the 
period.  It would also be helpful to understand the gaps or holes in our 
knowledge of this period in Egypt's history."

The "finest" book on ALL the various dates proposed for the Exodus is in my 
estimation, Professor William H. Stiebring Jr's. _Out of the Desert ? 
Archaeology and the Exodus/Conquest Narratives_. Amherst, New York. 
Prometheus Books. 1989. (available in paperback at www.prometheusbooks.com). 
He notes the archaeological problems for EVERY proposal ever made, by 
professional scholars, both Conservative and Liberal, as well as informed 
amateur scholars.His bibliography is extensive, citing not only books but 
articles as well in professional journals.

For an Exodus ca. 1446 BCE as favored by many Conservative scholars on the 
basis of 1 Kings 6:1, I recomend an "out-of-print" book, Professor Charles 
F. Aling. _Egypt and Bible History From Earliest Times to 1000 BC_. Grand 
Rapids, Michigan. Baker Book House. 1981, reprinted 1984 (paperback). He 
critiques other scholarly proposals and advances his reasons for favoring a 
1446 BCE Exodus. You may be able to obtain this on an Inter-library loan 
(ask your librarian), or perhaps purchase a used copy via the many book 
dealers advertising used books on the internet.

For an in-depth argument for a Ramesside Exodus under Ramesses II by an 
Egyptologist, cf. Professor James K. Hoffmeier. _Israel in Egypt, the 
Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition_. New York. Oxford 
University Press. 1996 (paperback). Another Egyptologist on the same subject 
is Professor Kenneth A. Kitchen. _On the Reliability of the Old Testament_. 
Grand Rapids, Michigan. William B. Eerdmans. 2003. (Hardback).

For views both pro and con for an Exodus, cf. Ernest S. Frerichs & Leonard 
H. Lesko, editors. _Exodus, the Egyptian Evidence_. Winona Lake. Indiana. 
Eisenbrauns. 1997 (Hardback). This is a series of papers presented by 
professional scholars at a symposium arguing for and against an Exodus based 
on their understandings of the archaeological evidence within Egypt for the 
event.

If what you want is _strictly_ data on ONLY the 18th Dynasty you will have 
to study it in bits and pieces from various books written by Egyptologists 
exploring various aspects of culture, architecture and religion. I, myself 
would be interested in knowing if a book exists "exclusively" on the 18th 
Dynasty in ALL its aspects. James Henry Breasted's _History of Egypt_ (1912) 
although dated, has a lot of  info on the 18th Dynasty from a historical 
point of view. The 3 volume _Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt_, edited by 
Donald B. Redford is excellent for ALL things Egyptian, but it is not 
exclusively 18th Dynasty (New York. Oxford University Press. 2001).

By the way, I summarize the findings of all of the above books, which I have 
in my personal collection, in various articles on the Exodus at my website, 
www.bibleorigins.net under the OT Menu and the Geography Menu.

For me, Steibing says it best, "There is NO PERIOD from Early Bronze Age to 
Iron I (Egyptian Dynasty 6 to Dynasty 20)that "in toto" archaeologically 
supports the Exodus. EVERY proposal is faced with numerous archaeological 
anomalies, which he covers in detail.

Regards, Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld y de la Torre, M.A. Ed.
mattfeld12 AT charter.net