Moses - what does archeology say?

Pekka Mansikka Moses - what does archeology say? GGKEY:NHS0C3F0RUT 1 Intruction This man has sparked many controversies. Countless scholars who place a lot of weight on the archaeological confirmation of events have a negative attitude to the things that the Bible tells about Moses. A big reason for this is undoubtedly the miraculous events that Exodus tells about that time. Let's look at a few archaeological sources here. The use of Egyptian words in the Bible narrative Let us first consider the non-archaeological evidence. What can be found in the words used in the Bible? The most famous of these words is 'Moses'. It is an admittedly Egyptian name. The word msi or msy is connected to its root. It means birth. The same Egyptian word is in the name Thutmose, which means 'born of Thoth'.1-1 This naturally raises the question: Why would a prominent Israeli prophet have an 'invented' Egyptian name, if it is just a myth, as many researchers believe? Second, Exodus tells about the Nile River in a few passages. In a few places, the word 'river' is used for it. However, in these places, the Hebrew word for river is not nahar, but a word that is believed to be a transliteration from the Egyptian language. In addition, there are a few other words referring to Egyptianness in the Exodus narrative.1-2 This might be surprising if the entire narrative were a mere figment of the imagination. On the other hand, this would be very understandable if the Israelites had lived in Egypt for hundreds of years. Then it would be natural that they would have accumulated some Egyptian loanwords, which they changed to 'fit their mouths'. Did the Exodus take place in the 13th century BCE? Many scholars believe that Ramesses II was the pharaoh of Egypt during the time that the story of Exodus happened in the Bible? Did the archaeological findings bear out that assumption? Merenptah Steela gives an interesting answer to this. He was the king after Ramesses II in the 13th century BCE. Since the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, it would be unlikely that they would have had time to fully inhabit the conquered land of Canaan if they had left Egypt during the era of Ramesses II.2-1 Another thing against this is the chronology of the Bible. The exact year, month and day when this departure took place can be calculated from it. Were there Semites in Egypt before the Exodus? This is answered by an Egyptian papyrus, which is estimated to be from the 13th Dynasty, around 1700-1600 BCE. This is used under the code name ‘Brooklyn 35.1446’. This papyrus mentions a noblewoman named Senebtisi who had 95 servants. These servants are listed by name and it can be noted that he had 40 servants with Semitic names. (The Israelites were Semites). There are several names in the group that may be Hebrew. Archaeologist Titus Kennedy believes that this is evidence that the Israelites lived in Egypt before the Exodus.3-1 Of course, many can say that perhaps these were the Hyksos who were from some vague where. However, it fiction does not negate the possibility that they may well have been Israelites. 2 Changes in Egyptian administration during the Exodus. Many have missed the very drastic changes that the Exodus brought to Egypt's top leadership. According to the biblical account, the Pharaoh of Egypt died violently.4-1 This naturally led to the need to appoint a new king. But in addition to this, the Bible tells us that the firstborn of the pharaoh, i.e. the heir to the crown, died. One could assume that it caused difficulties. In the worst case, the next king could be very young. Is there any archaeological evidence for this? Thutmose III was crowned king when he was only two years old. His stepmother Hatshepsut was the manager of Egypt. This was very unusual. Using available information on Egyptian chronology and biblical history, it is noted that Thutmose III became king at the 9th day of May in 1513 BCE.4-2 References 1-1 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses 1-2 James K. Hoffmeier, Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 138–39. 2-1 answersingenesis.org/archaeology/merneptah-stele/ 3-1 Titus Kennedy, “Hebrews in Egypt before the Exodus? Evidence from Papyrus Brooklyn.” APXAIOC, accessed September 18, 2021 4-1 Bible, Psalm 136:15 4-2 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thutmose_III 3