Exodus - an Authentic Record of Events

The Bible is the inspired word of God. This page is a continuation in a series of articles about the Bible as God’s word.

Part 25  Exodus - an Authentic Record of Events

Last time we noted that the first century AD Jewish writer, Flavius Josephus wrote On the Antiquity of the Jews and Against Apion, in which he replied to several anti-Semitic accusations which had been aimed against the Jews by some earlier writers who had adopted the Greek language, culture, and mode of thought.

Among these anti-Semitic writers who produced national histories was Menander of Ephesus (early 2nd century BC) who wrote some of the Phoenician chronicles. Another was Manetho, an Egyptian priest who wrote a history of Egypt in Greek, (300 BC).

Norman Bentwich in his book on Josephus noted that “Manetho went out of his way to include in the history of his country a lying account of the Exodus, which was designed to hold up the ancestors of the Jews to opprobrium.”

We had in an earlier article taken account of the criticism by those who refuse to accept the claim written by Saul of Tarsus the former leading Pharisee, who became “an apostle of Jesus Christ” - Titus 1:1, which says:

“...from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” - 2 Timothy 3:15-17.

That criticism of “the Holy Scriptures” claims that the period of temporary residence by Jacob and his descendants in Egypt is not supported in the written (inscriptions) or physical (archaeological) history of Egypt. In reply we pointed out that a survey of ancient national histories shows that national pride has ensured that there are prominent records of victory and good fortune, but not of defeat or other sources of national humiliation.

The memory in Egypt of Israel’s presence would naturally be connected with the devastating series of plagues, followed by the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea, events that the Egyptians of those times would be happy to forget.

It is difficult to imagine why a Pharaoh would construct any national monument to commemorate that series of disasters. But that does not rule out the possibility of an individual author or poet recalling those events.

However, strong evidence for the historical truth of those events in Egypt is found in the Aegyptiaca of Manetho. This history of Egypt was written in Greek by the Egyptian priest Manetho, probably for Ptolemy I more than a thousand years after the Exodus. The author would be careful to present that history of the Egyptians in as affirmative and constructive way as possible for presentation to the eyes of the world.

This was all the more likely since Manetho’s ruler, Ptolemy I, had been the Macedonian general of Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, and appears to have commissioned the writing of the history. Even though it includes “a lying account of the Exodus” it provides powerful confirmation of the book of Exodus.