Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Dates of Ezra and Nehemiah
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 08:07:47 +0200
----- Original Message -----
From: "K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>
Remember, over in Egyptology they are arguing whether Raamses II the
Great was the pharaoh of the Exodus or the pharaoh who sacked
Jerusalem after Solomon died, a difference of two and a half
centuries.
Dear Karl,
The above is not an Egyptological question, it is one of biblical history.
There are legitimate arguments among Egyptologists about the precise dates
of both Ramses II and Sheshonq I, within a decade or two. But since there
are no Egyptian texts of any Pharaoh that mention the Exodus, and Sheshonq
I's inscription does not mention Jerusalem, any argument about those events
are basically between biblical scholars, about whether the chronology and
known deeds of those kings best fits the background of the biblical events
in question.
Remember, we get our absolute dates for biblical chronology from Egyptian
and (mostly) Mesopotamian documents, not vise-versa.