Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition

Rating:
Summary: The dogs that did not bark in the night.
Review: Do not read this book if you are looking for a fair-minded examination of all the evidence on the topic. It is not that. Rather, it is the author's best shot at proving what he believes is the TRUTH of the Hebrew Torah. Yet if you also are looking to confirm religious beliefs this is not the book for you either. For the bottom line, as the author acknowledges repeatedly, is that there is NO evidence confirming ANY part of the Exodus story. None. Not a shred. Lacking such evidence, the author sets out to show that the stories are at least plausible.

The first thing that Hoffmeier must do is deal with the lack of evidence. There is a wealth of evidence on all aspects of Egyptian life written on papyrus and stone and if a million or so slaves (out of a population estimated at 5 million) walk off the job, cause numerous calamities, destroy Pharaoh and his army, then one might expect some notice to be taken and recorded. There is nothing. If a rampaging army storms through Canaan destroying city after city one would expect that the remains of those cities would show appropriate destruction layers and that the diplomatic archives of the surrounding countries would notice. There is nothing. Hoffmeier deals with this problem by denouncing the minimalists for engaging in the "Fallacy of Negative Evidence"--since "negative evidence" is no evidence it cannot be used to support inferences. This is, of course, nonsense. Hoffmeier compounds this nonsense by insisting on his own fallacy--if he can demonstrate the plausibility of the sorts of things that Exodus describes then it will be up to the minimalists to prove that they didn't happen historically. That a negative cannot be proved doesn't seem to occur to him.

In showing plausibility Hoffmeier devotes chapters to proving such undisputed topics as that there were Semites in Egypt from time to time. If Semites visited Egypt, then why not Joseph? And the cities Joshua destroyed? Just hyperbolic bragging, not to be taken seriously. The sun standing still? Well, he doesn't get into that.

I think those determined to maintain their religious beliefs would be well-advised to stay away from Biblical archeology in general and Hoffmeier in particular.

Rating:
Summary: The Israelite Exodus: The "evidence" is not convincing
Review: I picked up a copy of Hoffmeier's extremely well researched work directly after I finished reading Finkelstein and Silberman's: _The Bible Unearthed_. What a contrast!!! In _The Bible Unearthed_, the authors flatly refute the Exodus tradition with one foul swoop. Their knowledge of archaeology is very impressive and they convincingly show that there is no physical evidence for an Exodus.

Enter James K. Hoffmeier. Prof. Hoffmeier states from the very beginning of his book that there is in fact no archaeological or physical evidence to prove that the Exodus tradition is true. However, he continues to say that he is able to provide indirect evidence that is indeed convincing. Hoffmeier begins his book by first explaining to the reader the types of Biblical Scholars/Archaeologists that exist. Firstly there is the "maximalist" camp. This group ascribes a high level of confidence to the biblical narrative and hence is convinced that much of its content is historical. Conversely, the "minimalist" camp treat the bible as a collection of stories with little or no hitorical significance. Hoffmeier claims that the "minimalist" camp has been destructive and has introduced far too much skepticism into the area of Biblical Archaeology and Scholarship. Hoffmeier then contends that his book is a beacon amongst the sea of skepticism with particular focus on the Exodus tradtion.

Although Hoffmeier's research contains hundreds of references, it seems that his position is not a scientific one. At no point does he criticise or point out the short-comings of the biblical stories but rather he assumes that they are accurate and hence he builds a fortress of speculation around them. His indirect evidence includes Egyptian writings and inscriptions. He asserts that Joseph could have existed and risen to power in Egypt based on the fact that there are a number of Egyptian writings that confirm foreign leadership in Egypt. He claims that most plagues expressed in Exodus may have occured "naturally" as a result of the periodic flooding of the nile. He claims that the inundation could have easily explained the first five plagues reported in Exodus. This is wild speculation and has never been reported elsewhere in history or to this very day. Hoffmeier also conveniently skips over the problem of Moses leading 600,000 men plus an inordinate number of women and children through the wilderness undetected by the enemy and able to sustain themselves for forty years. Finally, Hoffmeier doesn't even dare go into detail about the parting of the Red (Reed) sea and the many problems surrounding this event.

Overall, I believe that Hoffmeier is gravely concerned about the amount of evidence that is currently being accumulated which discredits the historicity of the Bible. His attempt at presenting convincing evidence for the Exodus tration is weak at best. There is no doubt that his book is well researched, however it fails to deal with many issues that are very problematic with respect to the wanderings of the Israelites. As far as readability is concerned, Hoffmeier's book is very dry and I would be hesitant to recommend it to a lay person with little experience in the areas of Biblical Archaeology and Scholarship. I believe that the true value of this book is in its presentation of the "other side of the coin" when dealing with the Exodus tradition. I would therefore recommend that enthusiasts read it along side _The Bible Unearthed_ and reach their own conclusions with respect to this contentious topic.

Rating:
Summary: No Rear Guard Action
Review: James Hoffmeier has no doubts that he is not writing this book as a read guard action to stem the tide of the "minimalists." In his preface he concedes that "direct evidence for the events and figures of Genesis and Exodus remains elusive."

However in recent decades, "Egyptology has developed into a discipline in its own right" and Hoffmeier intends to show "Egyptian material that does shed light on ... questions raised by the historical minimalists." The reader should bear in mind that Hoffmeier has no intentions of answering _all_ questions concerning the historicity of Genesis and Exodus.

Hoffmeier writes in a lucid style while engaging his opponents. For example, the story of Moses as an "exposed child" has often been compared to the "Legend of Sargon." Hoffmeier cites the study of Donald Redford (sic) which shows that the story of Moses and Sargon are not even in the same category.

This book is scholarly, easy to read, and engages in the issues. Hoffmeier needs to be read.

Rating:
Summary: interesting support for the Exodus
Review: This relatively slim but heavily footnoted volume by Professor Hoffmeier constitutes one of the most recent additions to the ongoing debate on ancient Israel's origins. The author begins with the proposition that while no direct archæological evidence for the Exodus has been discovered to date, indirect indications show the events transcribed to be plausible and therefore potentially historical--not to be dismissed merely because of the theme in which such stories are recorded emphasizes a religion which has many adherents even today.

The book begins with a critique of currently fashionable scholarship which minimizes the historical relevance of any portions in the Hebrew Bible relating to periods prior to the return from Babylonian exile. The first chapter explains the attractive fallacies in modern historical analysis such as the double standards applied regarding credibility of descriptive scriptural texts in contrast to the reception afforded to the supernatural bombast on official records of egotistical rulers.

Hoffmeier notes that scholarship tends to match the political tenor of the times--and that the current skepticism with authority leads to condescention regarding biblical texts. His brief overview of Joshua's conquest demonstrates that the paucity of late Bronze age dwellings with unambiguous burning does not contradict the accounts in Joshua 6-11.

Hoffmeier devotes the remainder of the book to address the particular intersections of Egypt and the period covered in Pentatuch. The text on the Merneptah stela identifies Israel for the first time as a people rather than a nation--indicating the early settlement period of a nomadic group and not indigenous cultural transformation among Canaanites. His explanation of the reference to Israel in the stela illuminates a distinction between the unpronounced hieroglyphic determinative of pre-monarchial Israel as a people and not as a settled land, hence negating the contention of biblical history being merely an ethnic fantasy concocted by post-exilic priests. The story of the patriarchs being among the many Semites who went to Egypt to procure food has many parallel references in Egyptian literature. Even Joseph's tale of a Semite rising to high rank does not lack precedence: the vizier "'pr-el" was only recently discovered from the late New Kingdom which was better documented than the late Middle Kingdom of the patriarchal period.

Most scholars agree that Semitic peoples lived in Egypt during the New Kingdom, and that forced labor by war prisoners in state corvées was extensive, supporting the Penta-tuch claim that Hebrews were oppressed while they sojourned in Egypt subsequent to their arrival. Identification of the "'barê mishkenôt" or "store cities" (Exod 1:11) had been an obstacle to acceptance of this story. But the discovery of Pi-Ri'amses at Qantir in the Nile Delta verifies extensive brick-construction during the 13th century BC. Central to the Exodus strides the figure of Moses. Hoffmeier explores the origin of the "exposed child" narrative and expounds on Egyptian policy of introducing foreign princes at court in the New Kingdom. Moses could have been a "hrd n k3p" or "Child of the Nursery" and thereby received an education reserved for the elite. The plagues provide a backdrop for skepticism of the J and E source-criticial theory, since the devastation inflicted on Egypt forms a more coherent depiction of events than a composite from separate sources would indicate. Except for the death of the firstborn at the finalé, the plagues register a logical sequence of natural events, albeit more intense than commonplace for the Nile valley. Thus, despite the Israelite interpretation for divine intervention, the tenor of the events described does not stretch credulity to the extent that its historical value should be à priori discarded.

The final chapters concern the canal at the eastern frontier in the New Kingdom and the probable route out of Egypt. The northern coastal road is rejected by contrary citation (Exod 13:17) and because of Egyptian military fortifications which the Israelites would have bypassed to forestall pursuit. Rather, Hoffmeier evaluates the etymology of place-names along the derek hammidbbar or "Way of the Wilderness", and enters the debate that has long surrounded the probable location of the Re(e)d Sea crossing at yam sûp. He suggests that the Gulf of Aqaba extended farther north in ancient times and had been connected to the Bitter Lakes, which were joined to Lake Timsah. Future excavation at the eastern frontier may shed additional light on this matter. That no Egyptian records of the escaped slaves have been found is not surprisingany such reports would have been written on papyrus and not likely to be preserved given the dependence on success for the pharaohs to maintain legitimacy. Hoffmeier summarizes his evidence in a concluding chapter, asserting that to deny the Israelite references while accepting the traditions of other peoples denotes an inconsistency that scholars should eschew. Spiritual overtones were prevalent in many ancient documents, but while Near Eastern pagan deities are no longer worshipped (except among New Age narcissists), the continued adherence to monotheistic theology by many has led to a denigration in modern academia of any ancient records that would lend credence to such faith. Hoffmeier's contribution to the understanding of the Genesis and Exodus sojourn accounts regarding the Israelite tribes' early origins provides a coherent and brief apology for greater acceptance on the historical accuracy of the general outlines in Old Testament narratives. Israel in Egypt is a valuable library addition to anyone interested in early biblical period.