Did the Red Sea Part? No Evidence, Archaeologists Say

[bevin]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/world/africa/03exodus.html

Quote:

That prompted a reporter to ask about the Exodus, and if the new evidence was linked in any way to the story of Passover. The archaeological discoveries roughly coincided with the timing of the Israelites’ biblical flight from Egypt and the 40 years of wandering the desert in search of the Promised Land.

“Really, it’s a myth,” Dr. Hawass said of the story of the Exodus, as he stood at the foot of a wall built during what is called the New Kingdom.

Quote:

But archaeologists who have worked here have never turned up evidence to support the account in the Bible, and there is only one archaeological find that even suggests the Jews were ever in Egypt. Books have been written on the topic, but the discussion has, for the most part, remained low-key as the empirically minded have tried not to incite the spiritually minded.

/Bevin

[David Koot]

But archaeologists who have worked here have never turned up evidence to support the account in the Bible, and there is only one archaeological find that even suggests the Jews were ever in Egypt.

But as another archaeologist was quoted to say, the loss of Pharoah and his army was a disaster, and Egyptians do not record disasters. Nor is that practice so uncommon in ancient cultures, I believe.

[Woody]

Routinely ... One archaeologist does not accept the findings of another archaeologist either. So ... this archaeologist didn't find anything and didn't want to. I don't think that is the end of the story.

[Dr. Shane]

Mark Finely was preaching about hieroglyphics that mention seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. I never looked into the issue much.

I must say I was not surprised to see the secular-humanist NY Times carrying a story like this. During Holy Week they find it appropriate to publish a story to diminish the Jewish and Christian faith. They must not be hard up for new subscribers.

[Gregory Matthews]

I will suggest that there are two major issues which must be considered in regard to archaeology and the Biblical stories:

1) The date for the Exodus is soundy disputed by archaeologists that believe that there was an exodus. The disputed dates differ by hundreds of years. Just about every statement in regard to the Exodus has to be made within the context of a specific date. That statement will be governed by the date believed to be the date for the Exodus.

E.g. Recently an archaeologist has stated that there is no evidence for the overthrow of Ai, as recorded in the Bible. He could only make that statement in the context of his belief in a specific date. IOW, he could only say that there is no evidence that Ai was overthrown during this time period.

NOTE: As I recall my archaeology, I do not remember that we have evidence to support the overthrow of Ai at any of the times beleived to be the Exodus. So, we should not depend upon archaeloogy to verify everything we might believe.

2) There is a modern revisionist school of archaeology the is developing today. This school of archaeoloogy believes that there is very little of the Biblical record that is supported by archaeology. It basicly looks upon the Bible as being a fable.

From this perspective, we need to be aware, and we may need to re-think our practice of saying that the Bible is well supported by archaeology. This revisionist school may be wrong. But, it is gaining ground.

[olger]

Bill Shea &

Michael Hasel have both made major contributions to Biblical Archaeology. The spade has confirmed the book in hundreds of ways.

`G

[Gregory Matthews]

I understand, and I agree with you.

But,I will suggest that we need to be aware of thin revisionist school of arecheeology, as well as the dating problem of the Exodus.

[olger]

I understand. Revisionism is in good supply in our culture (and in our church in certain quarters).

regards,

olger