The Exodus Decoded - Misplaced Pages

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The Exodus Decoded is a 2006 documentary created by Jewish Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, in which new evidence in favour of the historicity of the Biblical Exodus is explored. It is partially narrated by film director James Cameron. Jacobovici suggests that the Exodus took place around 1500 BCE during the reign of pharaoh Ahmose I, and coincided with the eruption of Santorini that most scholars believe ended the Minoan civilisation, although this is usually dated to 1623 BCE (+/-30). In the documentary, the plagues that ravaged Egypt in the Bible are explained as having resulted from that volcanic eruption, and a related limnic eruption in the Nile river delta. While much of Jacobovici's archaeological evidence for the Exodus comes from Egypt, a surprising quantity comes from Mycenae, on mainland Greece.

The documentary made extensive use of computer animation. It ran for two hours and was first aired in Canada on April 16, (Easter Day) 2006.

Egyptian Archaological Evidence

The Hyksos Expulsion, contemporaneous Egyptian records of the departure of the mysterious Semitic Hyksos people. Jacobovich suggests that the Hyksos and the Hebrews were one and the same, a thesis he supports with Egyptian-style signet rings uncovered in the Hyksos capital of Avaris (30°47'14.71"N, 31°49'16.92"E) that read "Yakov/Yakub ," (from "Yaqub-her") similar to the Hebrew name of the Biblical patriach Jacob (Ya'aqov).

The Ahmose stele, a stone tablet unearthed in Karnak by Henri Chevalier in 1947. In it, "God" incurs one of the same plagues described in the Biblical account (i.e. darkness, a great storm). The Exodus Decoded official website quotes the stele, "How much greater is this the impressive manifestation of the great God, than the plans of the gods!" The copy, however

Ahmose I. Jacobovici suggests that the name of the Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus may have been a paronomasia. Jacobovici states that in Hebrew, the Egyptian name Ahmose would mean "Brother of Moses." The documentary also examines the mummy of Ahmose's son Sapair, who appears to have died at the age of twelve. In the Bible, the pharaoh loses a son to the Plague of the Firstborn, although Jewish tradition says that the son of Pharaoh survived. Also, the name of Ahmose I was mispronounced in the documentary. In the documentary it was pronounced "AKH-mosay", when it is actually pronounced "AH-mōs". Also, while the Egyptian mos can become Mošə in Hebrew, it cannot happen in the reverse. The Egyptian "s" corresponds to the Hebrew "š" ("sh") when transliterating from Egyptian, however, in the reverse, "š" stays the same.

Serabit el-Khadim turquoise mine, a slave labour camp in the Sinai with a Semitic aphabetic inscription that reads "O El, save me from these mines." The use of "El" suggests that it was written before the revelation at Sinai, supporting the thesis that Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt, although this inscription was undated. It has been noted, however, that Hebrews were never used in the mines, and that the labor force was soley Egyptian.

Previous Research

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus suggested in his work Contra Apion that the Hyksos were, in fact, the ancient Hebrews. His theories, however, are known to be based on false etymologies (which were, in fact, the basis of this claim), and he was also known to give much credit to his ancestors. Also, this identification was just used as a response to the anti-Semitic Exodus claim by Manetho.

This is a similar theory to that first expounded in the international best-seller Act of God written by British historian Graham Phillips. This ground-breaking book was published in 1998.

Much of this thesis has already been researched and published by Ralph Ellis. His groundbreaking work in this field is called Tempest & Exodus, which was first published in 2000. Ralph also links the Hyksos with the Israelite Exodus, and demonstrated that the Ahmose stele not only contains an account of the Exodus, but also has biblical 'quotes' engraved upon it.

Mycenaean Archaological Evidence

Gravestones. Three of the stones marking the wealthy tombs of Grave Circle A in Mycenae, Jacobovici states, appear to depict the parting of the Sea of Reeds. A man on a chariot (Ahmose?) is shown in pursuit of a man on foot (Moses?) who is holding what archaeologists have commonly referred to as a spear or sword, but which Jacobovitch suggests is Moses' miraculous staff. Above and below the scene are rows of swirls which, in the Exodus interpretation, represent water, although they are a very common Greek design with no relation to water. The common suggestion is that this scene depicts a chariot race, not a chase.

A Gold ornament excavated from one of the tombs in the Grave Circle seemingly shows the Ark of the Covenant against a background of the tabernacle altar. Jacobovich suggests that members of the Tribe of Dan may have emigrated to Mycenae after the Exodus. This, the documentary suggests, is why Homer refers to the buried at Mycenae as "Danaoi." The Greek myth states that, however, that the Danaoi were decended from the Argosites under the matriarch Danae.

Scientific Conjectures

Jacobovici suggests that the Biblical Exodus took place shortly after the eruption of Thera (now known as Santorini), which is thought to have happened some time between 1650 BCE and 1600 BCE. The dates are disputed, depending on whether you prefer to use archaeological dating results (1600 BCE to 1550 BCE), or radiocarbon dating results (1650 BCE to 1600 BCE). Jacobovitch accepts a date around 1500 BCE. He goes on to explain how each of the Mosaic plagues, and even the parting of the Sea of Reeds, could be explained by earthquakes, faulting and a limnic disaster all caused by Santorini.

One possible scientific conjecture of the past has referred to a spot on the western end of a now-dried lake where it has been observed in the past to turn to a sandbar and facilitate foot travel when a low tide and a strong eastern wind coincide. Jacobovici refers to the possibility of the bed of the reed-filled lake rising out of the water due to geological movements, leaving the water on the sides and below the bed. The text of the story of Exodus 14:21-22 states that there were literal walls of water on either side, making this explanation incomplete. "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left." Jacobovici's theories intend to provide some plausible basis for stories later embellished, thus a paucity of evidence for physical impossibilities like "walls of water" does not injure his hypothesis.

Theology

The documentary notes that most historians consider the Exodus a "fairy tale," while others reject scientific explanations that are not explicitly miraculous. Jacobovich reminds that God, according to the Judeo-Christian description, can control nature, having an intimate understanding of it. His miracles may therefore be efficient and exploit natural cycles and logic.

The documentary ends with a voiceover saying, in effect, "Was the Exodus just a natural event or was it the hand of God? We'll leave that for the viewer to decide."

External links

Category:

Television documentaries