Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus

Foreword

Preface

Introduction: The Backstory

I. My Personal Journey
II. A Brief Overview of the Exodus Story
III. The Journey: From Idea to Film

I: Asking the Big Question

I. Vincent Bugliosi
II. Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and the New Atheists
III. Kenneth Kitchen
IV. Hershel Shanks
V. Jim Phillips
VI. Rabbi David Wolpe

II: A Change of Plans

I. Norma Franklin
II. Israel Finkelstein
III. Ze’ev Herzog
IV. Natan Sharansky
V. Benjamin Netanyahu
VI. Shimon Peres
VII. The Oldest Copies of Exodus

III: Investigating With the Standard Approach

I. Off to Egypt
II. The Wall of Time: Understanding Egypt’s History
III. The Ramesses Exodus Theory
IV. The Crisis: A Turning Point

IV: Adopting a New Approach

I. Who Was the Pharaoh of the Exodus?
II. Looking at the Text Objectively
III. Abraham: The Six Steps of the Biblical Sequence

V: Step One: Evidence of Arrival?

I. Avaris: The City Beneath Ramesses
II. Joseph: The Search for a Semitic High Ruler
III. Pharaoh’s Dreams and Joseph’s Famine Policy
IV. The Rise of Pharaoh’s Power
V. The Egyptian Tomb of Joseph?
VI. Shechem: A Place of Conflict and Promise
VII. A Lesson From the Life of Joseph
VIII. Arrival Summary and Timeline

VI: Steps Two and Three: Evidence of Multiplication and Slavery?

I. Multiplication: Semitic Growth at Avaris
II. Music in the Mix
III. Multiplication: Semitic Expansion in the Nile Delta
IV. Slavery: Mudbricks and Tomb Inscriptions
V. Slavery Clues at Avaris?
VI. Israelite Slaves on an Egyptian Papyrus?
VII. Multiplication and Slavery Summary and Timeline

VII: Step Four: Evidence of Judgment?

I. The Ten Plagues
II. Visualizing the Ancient Story
III. Death of the Firstborn
IV. Celebrating Passover
V. To Budapest With Love
VI. Aftermath of the Plagues: Egypt’s Devastation
VII. The Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage: The Ipuwer Papyrus
VIII. Objections to an Ipuwer - Exodus Connection

VIII: Challenging the Ramesses Exodus Theory

I. Devastating Judgment at the Time of Ramesses?
II. Conquest of Canaan at the Time of Ramesses?
III. A Defense of the Ramesses Date
IV. Discovering a Second Exodus Date
V. The Case Against Ramesses Builds
VI. Was Ramesses’ Son the Pharaoh of the Exodus?
VII. Merneptah Stele: The First Mention of Israel in Egypt
VIII. Berlin Pedestal: An Even Earlier Mention of Israel?
IX. The Shepherds of God
X. Moving Beyond the Ramesses Exodus Theory
XI. Reestablishing the Bible’s Timeline

IX: Step Five: Evidence of the Exodus?

I. Abandonment at Avaris
II. Another Abandonment: Kahun
III. The Only Collapse of Egyptian Power in 1,000 Years
IV. Judgment and Exodus Summary and Timeline

X: Step Six: Evidence of the Conquest?

I. Why Do Many Archaeologists Reject the Conquest?
II. Jericho: Did the Walls Come Tumbling Down?
III. Further Intrigue at Jericho
IV. Hazor: Another City Burned
V. Joshua and the Missing Conquest Evidence
VI. The Forgotten Story of the Conquest
VII. Nine Cities Destroyed in the Conquest
VIII. Shechem: A Center of Biblical History
IX. Conquest Summary

XI: A Pattern Among the Rags and Tatters

I. A Question of Time
II. A Collection of Rags and Tatters
III. Questioning Egypt’s Timeline
IV. Shifting Egypt’s Timeline
V. Six-Step Summary and Timeline

XII: How Did the Problem Get Started?

I. A Curious Problem
II. The Early Days of Egyptology
III. The Origins of Egypt’s Timeline
IV. Taking a Closer Look
V. Reevaluating a Basic Assumption
VI. Conclusion
VII. Epilogue