Author(s): Peter Feinman

Middle East

Did the Exodus occur? This question has been asked in biblical scholarship since its origin as a modern science. The desire to scientifically resolve this question was a key component in the funding of archaeological excavations in the 19th century. Egyptian archaeologists routinely equated sites with their presumed biblical counterpart. Initially, it was taken for granted that the Exodus had occurred. It was simply a matter of finding the archaeological data to prove it. So far, those results have been for naught.

Exodus: An Egyptian Story takes a very real-world approach to understanding the Exodus. It is not a story of cosmic spectaculars that miraculously or coincidentally occurred when a people prepared to leave Egypt. There are no special effects in the telling of this story. Instead the story will be told with real people in the real world doing what real people do.

This story of the real-world Exodus is told without reference to the Bible. It is told as if the Bible did not exist. It is told based on the archaeological record in Egypt and in nearby areas such as Canaan, the land of promise. Biblical passages are not quoted. Of course, when the archaeological data is put together it will be done so with the Exodus in mind. It would be foolish to deny the awareness of the story. But it is told from an Egyptian perspective. After all, what would expect Ramses II to say after he had been defied and humiliated? If there is an Egyptian smoking gun for the Exodus, how would you recognize it?