The Exodus Event. A talk by. Gary Auker. To Springfield Park Baptist Church United House Group. Tuesday 4 th November 2008 By Gary Auker

Transcription

1 The Exodus Event A talk by Gary Auker To Springfield Park Baptist Church United House Group Tuesday 4 th November

2 The Exodus Event : Overview This talk will consider : 10 Plagues Where did the Israelites cross the Red Sea? When did the Exodus happen? What was the Pillar of Cloud & Fire? Putting the evidence for the Exodus together Concluding remarks 2

3 מכות מצרים The Exodus Event : The 10 Plagues ד ם 7:25) (Ex. 7:14-1. Blood צ פ ר ד ע 7:26-8:11) (Ex. 2. Frogs כ נ ים 8:15) (Ex. 8:12-3. Gnats ע ר וב 8:28) (Ex. 8:16-4. Flies ד ב ר 9:7) (Ex. 9:1-5. Livestock 3

4 מכות מצרים The Exodus Event : The 10 Plagues 6. ש ח ין 9:12) (Ex. 9:8 - Boils 7. ב ר ד 9:35) (Ex. 9:13 - Hailstorm 8. אר ב ה 10:20) (Ex. 10:1 - Locust 9. ח וש ך 10:29) (Ex. 10:21 - Darkness מ כ ת ב כ ור ות 12:36) (Ex. 11:1-10. Death of 1 st born 4

5 The Exodus Event : crossing which sea? Red Sea (Yam Suphim) Original Hebrew manuscript use phrase Yam Suph in י ם-ס וף Hebrew: Yam Suph means Sea of Reeds The translation "Red Sea" is simply a traditional translation introduced into English by the King James Version through the second century BC Greek Septuagint and the later Latin Vulgate. At the time of Exodus there would have been Reed Marshes on the Northern Coast of Egypt next to the Mediterranean Sea. 5

6 The Exodus Event : Possible Exodus Route Ex 12:37 Pi-Ramesses to Succoth Ex 13:20 Succoth to Etham Ex 13:21 - Pillar Cloud / Fire ahead Ex 14:2 Israelites turned back & camped near Pi- Hahiroth opposite Baalzephon Ex 14:19 Pillar Cloud moved from front to behind Ex 14:28 Waters flowed back & covered Egyptians Pi-Hahiroth? Pithom Succoth? Migdol = Avaris = Pi-Ramesses 6

7 The Exodus Event : Pillar of Cloud & Fire As we shall see later the account of the Pillar of Cloud by Day & Fire by Night in Exodus is key to placing the Exodus Event in History. 7

8 The Exodus Event How do we view the Exodus account described in the Bible? Is it : God intervened by entirely Supernatural means that cannot be studied by Archaeological or Scientific study. OR The description in the Exodus is based on how God employed both natural & supernatural events. If the Exodus account records some real natural events occurring at the time evidence may still be around today that can be open Scientific investigation. 8

9 The Exodus Event This talk will take the 2 nd view God employing natural as well as supernatural events. After all God created nature so he can command nature as he wills. We cannot hope to find evidence outside the Bible for all the things in the Book of Exodus. 9

10 The Exodus Event : Detective Work Begins Like all good detectives our first step in finding out what happened is to find out when it happened. Agatha Christie s Belgian detective character Hercule Poirot 10

11 The Exodus Event : Archaeological Periods Middle East Roman Ptolemaic / Greek Persian Babylonian Iron Age Late Bronze Age Middle Bronze Age Jesus 1 AD Alexander the Great Daniel Solomon Ramesses II 500 BC 1000 BC 1500 BC 2000 BC Britain Roman Iron Age Late Bronze Age Middle Bronze Age Early Bronze Age Early Bronze Age Great Pyramids 2500 BC Stone Henge 3000 BC New Stone Age New Stone Age 3500 BC 11

12 The Exodus Event :Great Pyramids not built by the Israelites The Great Pyramids at Giza were already around 1,000 years old when Moses was born. 12

13 The Exodus Event : When was the Exodus? Traditional Exodus dated c.1440bc from 480yrs (1 Kings 6:1) before Solomon s Temple c.960bc but no archaeological evidence for Israelites in Egypt at that time. Is 480 yrs actual years or 12 (community) x 40 (generation) = Meaning end of generations of Israelite community in Egypt. A real generation is nearer 25 yrs x 12 = 300 yrs. Other date c.1260bc if Pharaoh was Ramesses II since Ex 1:11 talks about Israelites building Pi-Ramesses & Pithom Cities. City Pi-Ramesses refers to its name when Exodus written down (c.600bc) and not at time of Exodus event itself. City name could have been different during time of Exodus itself. 13

14 The Exodus Event :Which Pharaoh? Pharaoh of Egypt Reign BC, 19th Dynasty But Ramesses II invaded many parts of Israel in his reign ( BC). So the Israelites could not have escaped Ramesses II by crossing the Sea. 14

15 The Exodus Event : Israelites in Egypt? Ramessess II ( BC) was not the Pharaoh of the Exodus. No evidence that Israelites were in Egypt in Late Bronze Age ( BC). Some Archaeologist began to think the Exodus account was a myth. However if we look at the Middle Bronze Age we do find very strong evidence of Semitic Peoples living in the Land of Goshen in the Lower Nile region. The Egyptians called these people the Hyksos. The Hyksos were so well established they had their own Kings and their Capital City was Avaris during the 2 nd Intermediate Period. 15

16 The Exodus Event : Exodus Pharaoh A look at all the archaeological evidence shows that the best fit is to identify the Exodus Pharaoh with the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt around BC, this was in Pharaoh Ahmose I reign. Ahmose I The most credible candidate for the Exodus Pharaoh Ahmose I chases the Hyksos from Egypt 16

17 The Exodus Event : Upper & Lower Egypt 17

18 The Exodus Event : Archaeology shows the Hyksos / Israelites lived in Egypt circa ( BC) We know that Pharaoh Ahmose I waged war and regained Egyptian control of the whole of Egypt (Upper & Lower) But what about the Pillar of Cloud and the Plagues? Is it plausible that the Pillar of Cloud & Fire was a volcanic ash cloud? If so it could also fit some of the accounts of the Plagues of Egypt. 18

19 The Exodus Event : Pillar of Cloud Mt. St. Helens volcanic ash column 1980 Darkness covers the land 19

20 The Exodus Event : Volcanoes start Lightening & Hailstorms Indonesia - : Mount Rinjani - A smaller outbreak in

21 The Exodus Event : But wait a minute there are no active Volcanoes in Egypt. 21

22 The Exodus Event : nearest Volcano Santorini Santorini (Thera) Volcano Possible Sea of Reeds site 22

23 The Exodus Event : Santorini Volcano very powerful Greek Island of Santorini (Thera) Central Lagoon ~ 8 x 4 miles across 23

24 The Exodus Event : Dating the eruption Charred Olive branch found in 1 st phase ash deposit was Radiocarbon Dated to BC 24

25 The Exodus Event : Putting it all together 10 Plagues of Egypt could have started after 1 st phase of eruption Major Volcanic eruptions can reduce African monsoon reducing flow of Nile. This would mean effluent dumped in the Nile would not have been diluted as much as normal resulting in a Physteria blooming the cause of the 1 st plague. 10 mm Red Tide La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA & Dead fish in Carolina USA 25

26 The Exodus Event : Putting it all together The 10 Plagues of Egypt Major Volcanic eruptions can reduce African monsoon reducing flow of Nile. This would mean effluent dumped in Nile would have not been diluted as much as normal resulting in a Physteria blooming the cause of the 1 st plague. 1. Water turned to Blood (Ex 7) "Physteria". This dyno-flagellate algae dissolves the still living fish, making the water toxic. This fitted the Exodus description perfectly. 2. Frogs - Toads, no fish to eat tadpoles, population explosion. Toads try to escape toxic river, die due to toxins already ingested. 3. Gnats - Dead Toads provide abundant food for Gnats and Flies that causes them to have their own population explosion. 4. Flies - Stable fly: bites both livestock & people. 26

27 The Exodus Event : Putting it all together The 10 Plagues of Egypt Major Volcanic eruptions can reduce African monsoon reducing flow of Nile. This would mean effluent dumped in Nile would have not been diluted as much as normal resulting in a Physteria blooming. 5. Livestock - midge "coolacoidees", 6. Boils - Glanders bacterium carried by the stable fly, which only has a range of 1 mile. 7. Hailstorm - Volcanic Eruptions are known to induce massive hailstorms, Laki Locust - Devoured crops after flattened by Hailstorm 27

28 The Exodus Event : Putting it all together The 10 Plagues of Egypt 9. Darkness - Sandstorm ("cashimh ) or Volcanic Ash cover grain stores 10. Death of 1 st born "Stachybotrys atra, from Locust droppings, a black water loving mould that grows on cellulose produces mycotoxins on it's spores, which causes haemorrhaging of the lungs. People would die within hours with no outward cause of death visible. Israelites grain did not get covered by fall out from Darkness Plague so no incubation of Locust droppings carry mould. 28

29 The Exodus Event : Moving Cloud Pillar Pi-Hahiroth? Migdol = Avaris = Pi-Ramesses Pithom Succoth? Santorini (Thera) Volcano Possible Sea of Reeds site (Yam Suph) Mt. Pinatubo eruption 1991, Philippines; VEI=6 29

30 The Exodus Event : Waters draw back Tsunami Wall Painting, Akrotiri village on the Island of Santorini This is probably the oldest picture of a tsunami in the world (over 3,500 years old). 30

31 The Exodus Event : Waters draw back Asian Tsunami, 26 Dec 2004 First the waters recede THEN The waters return with great force sweeping away tens of thousands of people 31

32 The Exodus Event : Concluding Remarks The essential elements of the Exodus account are credible based on archaeological & geological evidence. The 10 Plagues could have been started by the Change in Climate induced by the 1 st phase of Santorini Eruption (largest Volcanic eruption in the Northern Hemisphere in the last10,000 years). Tsunami from final stages of eruption caused waters to draw back then return 1 2 hours later. The date of eruption c 1600BC is close to but not exactly the same to when the Pharaoh Ahmose I chased the Hyksos from Egypt c. ( BC). God s timing used the eruption to free his people from Egypt. 32