Exodus: Myth or History?

by David Rohl

An Archaeological and historical investigation into the biblical legends of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt, the Exodus from Egypt, and the conquest of the Promised Land.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Christian, Archaeology, Science, Religion

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Rohl's book Exodus: Myth or History? isn't solely about dating the Exodus to an earlier time in Egypt's history; it also concerns itself with other contacts between Israel and Egypt; such as the arrival of Israel in Egypt in the lifetime of Joseph, exciting archaeological discoveries at the ancient Asiatic (Semitic) city of Avaris in northern Egypt's land of Goshen, and Israel's conquest of Canaan after the Exodus, as described in the Old Testament.

Rohl is a perfect fit for this argument; he's agnostic - neither a believer or disbeliever - but a brilliant, keenly astute, highly degreed Egyptologist, historian, scholar, author, and lecturer whose professional and academic credentials make the fictional character Indiana Jones look like a gifted amateur. David Rohl is prominently featured in Tim Mahoney's film: Patterns of Evidence: Exodus.

Rohl argues Egyptian chronology, regarded by academia as the gold standard of human history, has been misdated in various archaeological periods, and Biblical Archaeology has become a taboo subject in academic circles.

However, the burning questions about the accuracy, veracity, and precision of biblical chronology is again become one of the hottest topics in the field of Archaeology, Egyptology, and human history today. David Rohl answers many of those questions in Exodus: Myth or History?

Mainstream academia claims the bible is an unreliable compilation of myths and fables. David Rohl asserts the bible has, and still is, proving itself an accurate, reliable resource and record of human civilization. As an archaeology correspondent stated in an issue of the U.K.'s newspaper The Daily Mail: "The bible, it seems, is back in business".

In this book, David Rohl reinterprets archaeological discoveries to argue his viewpoint that the events of Israel's arrival and later slavery in Egypt, the biblical Exodus out of Egypt, and Joshua's conquest of the cities of Hazor, Jericho, et.al., in Canaan were actual historic events and Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and Pharaoh Shishak, mentioned in the bible, were genuine, historical, biblical characters.

Unfortunately, due to the established Egyptian chronology, still rigidly and sacredly held today in academic circles, archaeological evidence is misinterpreted and their historical significance is dismissed. Rohl points out that Archaeologists are looking for evidence in the right places, but they're looking in the wrong times.

To loosely paraphrase Rohl: "If you look into Egypt's past for a total collapse of their civilization, there you will find Moses and the Exodus." Rohl makes perfect sense if one ponders the devastating impacts of the biblical plagues visited upon Egypt, the sudden departure of northern Egypt's slave labor, Israel's looting and plundering of Egypt as they left, the destruction of Pharaoh and his army, and the ensuing social, military, & economic collapse that would have been sure to follow.

David Rohl posits that the biblical accounts of the Old Testament; particularly Israel's exodus from Egypt, appear to be dated to the wrong Egyptian chronological timeframe and actually took place much earlier; near the end of Egypt's 13th dynasty in the Middle Kingdom period.

Much of the confusion seemingly stems from a mistranslation of an Egyptian Pharaoh's name by French linguist Jean-Francois Champollion in 1828; subsequently placing the biblical Exodus at a much later period of Egypt's history.

David Rohl breaks from the academic status quo when he succinctly points out:
-Champollion's mistranslation had been identified and corrected by 1888.
-Pharaoh Shoshenk is not the Pharaoh Shishak mentioned in the bible.
-Pharaoh Shishak has been identified as Ramesses II: who plundered Solomon's Temple during the reign of Solomon's son, Rehoboam. Therefore, Pharaoh Ramesses II couldn't possibly be the Pharaoh of the Exodus, contemporary with Moses, if one follows biblical chronology.
-Champollion's chronology also relied upon a 3rd century B.C. kings list complied by a Ptolemaic Egyptian priest named Manetho, which has been problematic; i.e.:
A. Some of the Pharaohs names can't be found in known history.
B. Manetho lists different names for some of the same pharaohs.
C. The list doesn't take into account periods when different pharaohs were co-rulers at the same time.

I have found this book a comprehensive, informative, sometimes astonishing, and very satisfying read; filled with references, photographs, charts, and illustrations meticulously documented. Exodus: Myth or History? is an eye-opening, fact filled, academic powerhouse for all serious students of human history.

Akin to exercising muscles that haven't been used in a long time; reading Exodus: Myth or History? might hurt a little at first, but the contents of this book are too compelling and makes to much sense to dismiss. To learn more about the author and his other works, visit: http://davidrohl.blogspot.com

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly recommended revision of Egyptian-Israelite-Canaanite historical chronology based on archaeological, astronomical, and historical evidence. Rohl, an agnostic himself, argues that the currently accepted chronology (which denies the accuracy of the Biblical narrative) is based almost entirely on two erroneously interpreted Bible verses--one interpretation is that a certain king is actually a certain pharaoh of a similar name and the other is that the city of Ramses was actually called that at the time of Moses, rather than having been updated (to the city's current name) for the reader centuries later. Once these two pillars are removed (and Rohl gives better interpretations in each case), the entire chronology from Joseph to Joshua can be shifted a few centuries earlier to where the Biblical narrative fits the physical evidence perfectly and comprehensively. It's a sad state of affairs in archaeology, though, that the majority are so invested in the older theories that they still vehemently insist, ironically, on the truth of two Old Testament verses taken out of context in order to establish that the rest of the Old Testament is a myth.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Rohl sets out his theories and evidence in a fascinating and accessible way, clearly explaining his proposals over locating the biblical exodus in both time and place.

[Randall Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows that when you look at the correct time for evidence of the Exodus the evidence is all there, all in order and exactly as described in the Bible.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Rohl wrote a book as a follow up to the documentary he was in, Patterns of Evidence. The documentary is very good, I recommend watching it, a couple times even! He wrote this cause he had more to say and I'm glad I read it!

The Joseph section in particular was very interesting. And he gave more details on how he found dates for his New Chronology.