Exodus Decoded

[Rush Limbaugh]

Anyone else see this show?

Exodus Decoded

Exodus Decoded
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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. In the documentary, the plagues that ravished 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.

Contents [hide]
1 Egyptian Archaological Evidence
2 Previous Research
3 Mycenaean Archaological Evidence
4 Scientific Conjectures
5 Theology
6 Previous Published Research
7 External links



[edit]
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 that read "Yakob," the Hebrew name of the Biblical patriach Jacob
The 2A Ahmose stele, a stone tablet unearthed in Karnak by Henri Chevalier in 1947, the only Egyptian tablet ever found which mentions "GOD" in the singular. In it, "God" incurs some 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!"
Ahmose. Jacobovitch suggests that the name of the Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus may have been a paronomasia. 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.
6A 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 when the Bible says they were.
[edit]
Previous Research
Ralph Ellis, 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. Much of this evidence suggests that the Bible is precise and literal.
El was known prior to the exodus by the slaves, never forgotten.Bold text

[edit]
Mycenaean Archaological Evidence
Gravestones. Three of the stones marking the wealthy tombs of Grave Circle A in Mycenae 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 but which Jacobovitch suggests is Moses' miraculous staff. Above and below the scene are rows of swirls which, in the Exodus interpretation, represent water.
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 alter. 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 "Dani."
[edit]
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 1450 BCE. The dates are disputed, depending on whether you prefer to use archaeological dating results (1500 BCE to 1450 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 the Red Sea 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 sea of reeds 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 states that there were literal walls of water on either side, making this explanation incomplete. "21 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, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left." In order for there to be literal walls of water caused by natural geological processes, they would have had to be either supported by accurately placed geysers or fisures, causing the water to be held back or recede in the fisures. This would have had to have continued for enough time to pass for a million people to cross, then colapse and fill in at just the right time to kill the Egyptians. This would have been a miracle in and of itself. (Should egyptian chariots be excavated from the bed of the sea of Reeds, it would be a major archeological discovery.)

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[edit]
Theology
The documentary claims that historians who do not believe in God refuse to see the clear evidence that the Exodus happened and dismiss it as a fairy tale, while some believers reject scientific explanations that are not explicitly miraculous. Jacobovich postulates that God can control nature, and that there should be a scientific explanation for all miracles in the Bible. The ending voice-over is "Was the Exodus just a natural event or was it the hand of God? We'll leave that for the viewer to decide."

[edit]
Previous Published Research
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.

It pretty much explained everything that happened in the bible as fact. Pretty interesting stuff.

Oooops maybe wrong forum.

An even better site.

'Exodus Decoded' seeks 'plausible explanation' for Biblical events

Did Moses really part the Red Sea like it says in the Old Testament? What about the Nile turning blood red or the plagues that finally compelled Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery? Did those things actually happen?


These are among the questions Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici attempts to answer in "The Exodus Decoded" which premieres Aug. 20, 8-9:30 p.m. (check local listings) on cable's History Channel.

Challenging opinions that dismiss those events as myth, the thought-provoking documentary uses investigative journalism aided by modern science to examine archaeological and geological evidence in separating historical fact from fiction.

Jacobovici believes that archaeology does support the Bible, though his arguments are based on a rethinking of the events and some chronological tinkering.

[removeduser_487563287433]

It is almost certain that the Exodus has a basis in history, like most legends do. Just where they fit into history is the problem. One school of thought is that the Hebrew migration is one of the causes for the ancient dark age of 1200BC.

[imb39]

I was under the impression that Exodus happened about the same time as Ramses the Great was around. The biblical references to the pharoah have strong links to his name (Shishak was supposedly a nickname and derived from the way his name was presented in heiroglyphic form).

As Ferrets pointed out many legends have a basis in history.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Attributing the biblical Pharoh to Ramesses II (reigned 1279-13BC) backs up the historical theory that the Hebrews were one of the causes of the 1200BC catastrophe.

[shenmueguru]

They pit the exodus at the same time as the Hicksaus (sp?) exodus, which would land them 1500 BCE. Explanation was that the predicted times for both were too close to write off. I didn't see too much of the program, though I did see some interesting tidbits. They tried to explain the plagues, such as the Nile turning to blood being a gas leak under the faults, which creates a blood red color. The next plague was the frogs, which would result of the toxicated Nile killing all creatures exept the frogs who could hop out. Interesting.

[God]

The earlier date of the Exodus proves key to Jacobovici's thesis, as it places it at the time of the cataclysmic eruption of the volcano on the Greek island of Santorini, the linchpin to many of the theories proposed.

Ive heard this volcano theory before. I remember it sounded quite far-fetched and as if they got to certain points, realised they had no explanation and made it up as they went along. But I did hear about it a long time ago, I can't really remember it. It probably wasn't that bad in reality...

[removeduser_487563287433]

Actually the date of the Thera eruption is heavily debated because of conflicting archaelogical and radiocarbon dating evidence. The range of suggested dates is two hundred years.

[AngryTitusPullo]

We revealed to Musa: "Travel with Our servants by night. You will certainly be pursued." Pharaoh sent marshals into the cities: "These people are a small group and we find them irritating and we constitute a vigilant majority." We expelled them from gardens and springs, from treasures and a splendid situation. So it was! And We bequeathed them to the tribe of Israel. So they pursued them towards the east. (Qur'an, 26:52-60)

So We revealed to Musa, "Strike the sea with your staff." And it split in two, each part like a towering cliff. And We brought the others right up to it. We rescued Musa and all those who were with him. Then We drowned the rest. There is certainly a Sign in that yet most of them are not believers. Truly your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (Qur'an, 26:63-68)

As revealed in the Qur'an, the two communities met at the edge of the sea following this pursuit. Allah divided the sea and saved the Prophet Musa (as) and the believers with him, destroying Pharaoh and his people.

In connection with this subject, the following account has recently been found in papyruses from the time of Pharaoh:

From Amenamoni, head of the protective books of the white room of the palace, to the scribe Penterhor:

When this letter reaches you and has been read point by point, surrender your heart to the sharpest pain, like a leaf before the storm, when you learn of the sorrowful disaster of the drowning in the whirlpool…

Calamity struck him suddenly and inescapably. Depict the destruction of the lords, the lord of the tribes, the king of the east and the west. The sleep in the waters has made something helpless out of something great. What news can compare to the news I have sent you?

Archaeological investigations have established not only the path taken to the Red Sea after leaving Egypt, but also that the place where Pharaoh and the Prophet Musa (as) and his tribe met was one surrounded by mountains.

Following a great deal of study and investigation taking this as the starting point, scientists came to striking conclusions with regard to how the sea was divided into two. These conclusions are in full agreement with those revealed in the Qur'an.

Naum Volzinger and Alexei Androsov, two Russian mathematicians, proved that the Prophet Musa (as) could indeed have parted the sea. Unlike those scientists who concentrated on the probability of such a miracle, the Russian mathematicians investigated the conditions that might have led to the miracle.

According to the study which was published in the Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there was a reef, which was close to the surface in the Red Sea at that time. From there, the scientists set about establishing the speed of the wind and the strength of the storm needed to leave the reef high and dry at low tide. As a result, it became apparent that a wind speed of 30 metres per second would have caused the sea to retract, leaving the reef exposed. Naum Volzinger, of the Institute of Oceanography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that "if the [east] wind blew all night at a speed of 30 metres per second then the reef would be dry." He also said that "it would take the Jews-there were 600,000 of them-four hours to cross the 7 kilometre reef that runs from one coast to another… then, in half an hour, the waters would come back."

In addition, Volzinger said that he and his colleague Androsov studied the issue strictly from Isaac Newton's point of view. As he put it, "I am convinced that God rules the Earth through the laws of physics."

It must not be forgotten that there is always a possibility of this natural phenomenon taking place. If Allah so desires, this miracle can take place again when the requisite conditions-such as windspeed, time and place-are met. However, the truly miraculous aspect here is the fact that these events took place just when the Prophet Musa (as) and his tribe were about to be vanquished. The fact that the waters withdrew just as the Prophet Musa (as) and the community with him were about to cross them-not to mention the way that the waters returned just as Pharaoh and his army were crossing-is a clear example of the aid that Allah gives to the faithful. Indeed, the way that the Prophet Musa (as) relied on and trusted in Allah is an example of the most pleasing moral values:

And when the two hosts came into sight of one another Musa's companions said, "We will surely be overtaken!" He said, "Never! My Lord is with me and He will guide me." (Qur'an, 26:61-62)

LINK

[Zuwxiv]

I don't understand why religion is so exclusive to science. If God made a huge wind and a low tide that allowed a sand bar to form, isn't that good enough? Why does God have to act all magical, when it is scientifically possible?

I don't see why God couldn't have made people through evolution, why He couldn't have made everything that happens happen through feasable means.

[shenmueguru]

I don't understand why religion is so exclusive to science. If God made a huge wind and a low tide that allowed a sand bar to form, isn't that good enough? Why does God have to act all magical, when it is scientifically possible?

I don't see why God couldn't have made people through evolution, why He couldn't have made everything that happens happen through feasable means.

Of course, there are christians who believe this. Personally, I don't know. Further, I really don't think it affects us that much at all if we believe He caused these events through scientific means or by His own hand.

[Rush Limbaugh]

I don't understand why religion is so exclusive to science. If God made a huge wind and a low tide that allowed a sand bar to form, isn't that good enough? Why does God have to act all magical, when it is scientifically possible?

I don't see why God couldn't have made people through evolution, why He couldn't have made everything that happens happen through feasable means.

In the documentary they say that god didnt over rule nature but that he manipulated it and they gave scientific explanations for everything that occured.

Archaeological investigations have established not only the path taken to the Red Sea after leaving Egypt, but also that the place where Pharaoh and the Prophet Musa (as) and his tribe met was one surrounded by mountains.

According to this documentary and others Ive seen he didnt part the Red Sea. That was a mistranslation. Moses actually parted the Reed sea.

[shenmueguru]

According to this documentary and others Ive seen he didnt part the Red Sea. That was a mistranslation. Moses actually parted the Reed sea.

Heard this, though have not seen any proof/articles. Got one?

[Rush Limbaugh]

The Red Sea or the Reed Sea?

The Red Sea or the Reed Sea?
For many years scholars have disagreed over the identity of the sea the Israelites crossed and thus the site of the drowning of Pharaoh's army. Three routes for the Exodus have been proposed and continue to be debated.

Some believe that the Israelites' path took them north to the coast and that the "sea" they crossed was part of Lake Sirbonis, an arm or bay of the Mediterranean, after the crossing of which they turned south into the Sinai Peninsula.

Others have adopted the idea that the Israelites took a central route and crossed a shallow lake north of the Red Sea called the Reed Sea. The term in Hebrew is yam suph. Yam means "sea," and suph is generally thought to mean "reeds," "rushes" or possibly "seaweed." That is why some versions of the Bible call it "the Sea of Reeds" or "Reed Sea" instead of the Red Sea. (See Exodus 15:4 in the Revised Standard Version, New American Bible and Jerusalem Bible.)

Some scholars prefer the translation "Reed Sea," noting that lakes north of the Red Sea are abundant with reeds. They usually designate one of these shallow bodies of water as the site of the Israelite crossing but say that the Egyptians, with their heavy chariots, got bogged down and somehow drowned

In the documentary they went to the sea of reeds and found an egyptian monolith thrre that spoke of the seas parting and how the evil ones got away. The lake that is still there is called the sea that devours in arabic and is fed by the spring of Moses. Most of the sea of reeds is now dry because of the Anwar damn.