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Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Showing posts with label Patterns of Evidence: the Exodus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patterns of Evidence: the Exodus. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2016
Shabbat Shalom! ✡ "Is the Lord Among Us or Not?" - ISRAEL365
New Film Takes on Archaeological Deniers of Biblical Exodus, Proves Story is Accurate and True By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS
(Photo: Youtube Screenshot)
New Film Takes on Archaeological Deniers of Biblical Exodus, Proves Story is Accurate and True
“The LORD said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’” (Exodus 3:7-8)
One man’s spiritual quest has resulted in a fascinating journey through time and history in search of the truth. When confronted with a religious dilemma, Tim Mahoney, a deeply religious man, began what would become a long and painful voyage in search of the truth.
Asking questions so many have asked before but have been pushed aside in fear of finding an answer that challenged their faith, Mahoney seeks to answer the ultimate question: Is the Bible, the basis of all Abrahamic religions, true? As fantastic as they sound, could the events that forged the relationship between the Hebrews and God really happen the way they were described in the pages of the Bible? If they did, then where is the proof?
Mahoney’s quest resulted in what has become a groundbreaking documentary called “Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus,” which seeks to conquer the divide between science and religion by exploring the validity of the Biblical account of the Exodus through archaeological and scientific data. Directed by Mahoney, the film explores the argument set forth by Egyptologists who claim the Exodus, as described in the Bible, never took place due to lack of physical evidence.
Mahoney’s investigation uncovers that objections to the Biblical version of the Exodus are based on a specific time-line connecting the Hebrews’ presence in Egypt to the reign of Ramses the Second, during the New Kingdom of Egypt. This is based on the verse in the Bible (Exodus 1:11) stating that the Hebrews built the city of Ramses, which archaeologists know existed only during the 13th century BCE. There is no archaeological evidence of Semitic culture in the city,archaeologists say, and therefore the Exodus, despite being a nice parable to base a sermon on, has no factual basis.
Or so they believe.
Undiscouraged and using the Bible as a guide, Mahoney follows rumors of Semitic remains in the ruins of Avaris, a large city in Northern Egypt that had a population of 30,000. Mahoney became excited when the chief archaeologist at the site, Manfred Bietak, revealed that the city had a special, elevated status, a type of free-zone. This seemed to match the Biblical description of Goshen as being separate from Egypt proper.
“And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say: What is your occupation? that ye shall say: Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers; that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.’” (Genesis 46:33-34)
Beitak described that proof of shepherding, an unusual practice in Egypt, was found around the remains of Avaris. Mahoney’s spirits dropped when Beitak said that he did not believe that Avaris is connected to the Biblical Exodus. “In my opinion, the settlement of the proto-Israelites in Canaan only happened from the 12th century BCE onwards,” Beitak explained in the documentary, adding that the city was built at least four centuries before the city of Ramses and ending before the Hebrews were thought to have arrived in Egypt.
With one of the world’s top archaeologists entirely rejecting any factual basis for the story of Exodus as described in the Bible, Mahoney was crestfallen, relating his emotions in the movie: “I was stunned…No Israelites in Egypt means no Exodus, and no Exodus means the foundation of Judaism is a myth.” This was a crisis in faith for Mahoney. “All my life I had believed the Bible stories were true. I know some people say, you don’t need any evidence; just have faith. But if there’s no hard evidence for any of it, had I been believing in a lie?”
Mahoney was being faced with prevailing scientific theory denying the basis of his belief. He related to Breaking Israel News how he turned to Professor David Rohl, an Egyptologist, asking him if the archaeologists, historians and scientists were wrong, perhaps even intentionally trying to deny the Bible. Professor Rohl reassured him.
“These are honest scholars. What they’re looking at in the ground is what they’re telling us they’re seeing. And they’re not wrong,” he said. “None of them are wrong about this. There is no evidence for the Israelites conquering the Promised Land at the end of the Late Bronze Age. That’s a fact.”
Mahoney understood that it was a matter of timelines. The scientists were looking for Joseph and the Israelites in the time of Ramses, and there was no evidence for this. But the lack of evidence for that timeline was actually a clue hinting that an earlier timeline might be the one proving the truth of the Biblical account. After some persistence and digging, Mahoney learns a new fact that may uncover the connection between Avaris and the Hebrews: Avaris ruins are from a foreign shepherding culture with architecture typical of northern Syria, the home of Abraham.
Mahoney meets with Rohl, who is convinced that Avaris is Biblical Goshen, the area Pharaoh gave to Joseph for the Hebrews to live in. At the site, remains were discovered of a palace built around 12 pillars with royal trappings. In the land adjacent to the palace were 12 impressive burial crypts. The most elegant crypt was a small pyramid containing an unusually large statue with skin painted yellow, red hair, and a multi-colored robe. Most intriguing was the fact that the crypt contained no human remains. This corresponds to the Biblical account of Joseph’s bones being carried back to Israel when the Jews left Egypt. There are indications that Avaris showed a later period of significant growth and prosperity, with artifacts of Canaanite origin that are clearly not Egyptian. These sites are still largely unexplored.
In another parallel to the Bible, a canal, built during the period of Avaris, still called the Joseph Waterway, connected the Nile to the Fayum Basin. Rohl suggested that it was constructed under the direction of Joseph in order to regulate the Nile flooding.
Mahoney also investigated the Bible’s claim that everyone in Egypt sold themselves to Pharaoh during the famine. Mahoney spoke with Egyptologist Bryant Wood about a period during the reign of Amenemhat in 1850 BCE, when Egypt switched from districts with wealthy local leaders to a period when Pharaoh became much more powerful and the local district leaders were subjugated. Rohl explained that, despite this conforming to the Biblical narrative, this is far too early for the traditional timeline of the Exodus based on Ramses in 1250 BCE.
Later periods of the dig in Avaris show graves containing skeletons with signs of malnutrition and stress. Even more shocking is an increase in infant graves, from a typical 25 percent rate to 50 percent, and an increase in the remains of females who made it into adulthood as compared to male remains. So the reduction seems to have happened on the male side, precisely as described in the Bible.
Rohl brings the Brooklyn Papyrus as further proof. The papyrus documents the domestic accounts of an Egyptian household. Nearly 100 slaves, predominantly female, are listed with Semitic names. This papyrus is not from the New Kingdom when most Egyptologists place the Hebrews in Egypt, but from the Middle Kingdom.
Mahoney then goes to the Dutch Museum in Leiden to investigate the Ipuwer Papyrus, a single page from 1250 BCE which is a copy of another papyrus from the 18th century BCE. The earlier document records details of events that corroborate the Biblical version, describing the Nile as “blood” and servants running away. It describes a famine and the destruction of all the crops: “Plague sweeps the land, death is everywhere”. In a verse almost identical to the Bible, the papyrus states, “Wailing is throughout the land…yet the poor become rich, slaves take whatever they want.” Nonetheless, any connection between the Ipuwer papyrus and the Exodus is discounted by archaeologists, because it comes from the Middle Kingdom, far too early according to classical theories.
“Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus” is a comprehensive investigation, sifting through details, considering all possibilities. The movie is fascinating and enormously informative, while at the same time well-crafted and enjoyable. An investigation of an archaeological theory, it is also the account of an honest struggle by a man of faith to reconcile these two seemingly contradictory worlds.
As director Tim Mahoney said to Breaking Israel News: “In 2002, I began a long journey to find out if the Exodus events recorded in Bible were a historical reality. To do that I used the scientific approach of looking for patterns of evidence. I was just searching for answers which meant I had to be willing to challenge the traditions of both the religious and academic community. But isn’t that what the pursuit of both science and faith should be – a search for truth?”
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Exodus Documentary: Evidence that Demands a Verdict
Exodus Documentary: Evidence that Demands a Verdict
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
JERUSALEM, Israel -- More than a decade ago, filmmaker Tim Mahoney began investigating one of the Bible's most well-known stories, the Exodus from Egypt.
Mahoney's journey led to a personal faith crisis and the award-winning documentary, "Patterns of Evidence: the Exodus."
Some are calling the film a "game changer."
Timing Is Everything
According to the book of Exodus, Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness, where they journeyed for 40 years. Following his death, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, near Jericho.
Some believe it's all just a fable, but others say this new documentary provides evidence that demands a verdict.
Mahoney's research into the Exodus and the odyssey that followed produced startling results.
"So I actually went to the location where the events were supposed to happen in Goshen, in the eastern Delta, and went to the archaeological sites. And that's what I was told, that there was no evidence for the Exodus," Mahoney told CBN News.
The film proposes that when you get the timing right, archaeology matches history.
"Six steps in the right sequence and we match the story of the Bible in all the steps and show evidence for the Bible that people have never seen before," Mahoney said.
The film features experts who share their insights into the biblical account. Some are skeptical.
"The whole thing from the beginning of Mesogenan in Egypt, the slavery, Moses in the Exodus, the conquest of the Promised Land, it's all there in one neat line, but it's way too early," Egyptologist and author David Rohl said.
"You look for a collapse in Egyptian civilization and that's where you find Moses and the Exodus," Rohl explained.
"When you put those cities side by side, the biblical account and the archaeology match extremely well," Dr. John Bimson, a tutor in Old Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, England, concluded.
Skeptics and Believers
Mahoney kept looking for answers.
"What I started to see was there is this idea that Rameses is the pharaoh of the Exodus, and I think that happens in a particular time of history," he explained. "And when everyone looks at that particular time they're actually correct that there is no evidence for the Exodus."
"But other archaeologists and Egyptologists said, 'Wait a minute, there are evidences that are earlier than Rameses that match this story,'" he continued.
The film presents both sides of the archaeological argument as to whether the Exodus actually happened.
"I hate to disappoint people, but we have no evidence of a mass migration of people from one people coming into another country," University of Haifa archaeologist Norma Franklin states in the film. "I don't believe there was a single event that we can call the Exodus."
Egyptologist Maarten Raven, curator of the Leiden Museum in the Netherlands, also doubts the biblical account.
"This person [Moses] could not have seen all this. He imagined it," Raven asserted in the film.
"I'm very much against chronicle revisionism," said James K. Hoffmeier, Egyptologist and professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.
Egyptologist Mansour Boraik, director general of Antiquities at Luxor, maintains "there's no documented evidence about the Exodus."
And Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein concludes "[The] Exodus did not happen in the way that it is described in the text."
But Mahoney believes the film's authenticity is strengthened by presenting both sides of the argument.
"The film is very, very convincing because we give both sides of it," he said. "We let you hear from archaeologists who say there is no evidence, and why, and we let you hear from these archaeologists and Egyptologists who say there is."
Why the Exodus?
Using state-of-the-art animation, ground-breaking archaeological discoveries and new interpretation, the film has already had a profound impact.
"We would show these films to people who had no understanding or interest in the story," Mahoney said. "Even atheists saw it and what they said was, 'Wow, I love this film. I love this approach.'"
"One atheist wrote, 'Well, I guess you did prove that this event might have happened, but that doesn't mean there were any miracles," he added.
Manhoney said the film is a powerful tool to reach skeptics.
"If you've got family members that [sic] don't believe in God or you have people that [sic] are suspicious or want a scientific approach, this film gives you that type of opportunity to have those kinds of conversations, which I think is the best you could ever hope for," Mahoney said.
"It's one of the most neutral and most intriguing types of films that allow you to have that opportunity," he added.
The film challenges a powerful notion that the Bible isn't true.
"Well one of the most important things is that up until now -- for the last 50, 60, 70 years -- people have been very critical of the Bible, and they said there just is no evidence," Mahoney said.
"And if the story of the Exodus isn't true, then what Jesus Christ said…about Moses and the Exodus and what the Apostle Paul said -- then those statements are false," he continued. "Because if there was no Exodus, then it starts to collapse the whole story."
"The whole Bible has a foundation in the story of the Exodus. What this film does -- which I believe it's profound -- is that it actually shows where the pattern of evidence is," Mahoney said. "And that I think has never been done before."
According to the book of Exodus, Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness, where they journeyed for 40 years. Following his death, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, near Jericho.
Some believe it's all just a fable, but others say this new documentary provides evidence that demands a verdict.
Mahoney's research into the Exodus and the odyssey that followed produced startling results.
"So I actually went to the location where the events were supposed to happen in Goshen, in the eastern Delta, and went to the archaeological sites. And that's what I was told, that there was no evidence for the Exodus," Mahoney told CBN News.
The film proposes that when you get the timing right, archaeology matches history.
"Six steps in the right sequence and we match the story of the Bible in all the steps and show evidence for the Bible that people have never seen before," Mahoney said.
The film features experts who share their insights into the biblical account. Some are skeptical.
"The whole thing from the beginning of Mesogenan in Egypt, the slavery, Moses in the Exodus, the conquest of the Promised Land, it's all there in one neat line, but it's way too early," Egyptologist and author David Rohl said.
"You look for a collapse in Egyptian civilization and that's where you find Moses and the Exodus," Rohl explained.
"When you put those cities side by side, the biblical account and the archaeology match extremely well," Dr. John Bimson, a tutor in Old Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, England, concluded.
Skeptics and Believers
Mahoney kept looking for answers.
"What I started to see was there is this idea that Rameses is the pharaoh of the Exodus, and I think that happens in a particular time of history," he explained. "And when everyone looks at that particular time they're actually correct that there is no evidence for the Exodus."
"But other archaeologists and Egyptologists said, 'Wait a minute, there are evidences that are earlier than Rameses that match this story,'" he continued.
The film presents both sides of the archaeological argument as to whether the Exodus actually happened.
"I hate to disappoint people, but we have no evidence of a mass migration of people from one people coming into another country," University of Haifa archaeologist Norma Franklin states in the film. "I don't believe there was a single event that we can call the Exodus."
Egyptologist Maarten Raven, curator of the Leiden Museum in the Netherlands, also doubts the biblical account.
"This person [Moses] could not have seen all this. He imagined it," Raven asserted in the film.
"I'm very much against chronicle revisionism," said James K. Hoffmeier, Egyptologist and professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.
Egyptologist Mansour Boraik, director general of Antiquities at Luxor, maintains "there's no documented evidence about the Exodus."
And Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein concludes "[The] Exodus did not happen in the way that it is described in the text."
But Mahoney believes the film's authenticity is strengthened by presenting both sides of the argument.
"The film is very, very convincing because we give both sides of it," he said. "We let you hear from archaeologists who say there is no evidence, and why, and we let you hear from these archaeologists and Egyptologists who say there is."
Why the Exodus?
Using state-of-the-art animation, ground-breaking archaeological discoveries and new interpretation, the film has already had a profound impact.
"We would show these films to people who had no understanding or interest in the story," Mahoney said. "Even atheists saw it and what they said was, 'Wow, I love this film. I love this approach.'"
"One atheist wrote, 'Well, I guess you did prove that this event might have happened, but that doesn't mean there were any miracles," he added.
Manhoney said the film is a powerful tool to reach skeptics.
"If you've got family members that [sic] don't believe in God or you have people that [sic] are suspicious or want a scientific approach, this film gives you that type of opportunity to have those kinds of conversations, which I think is the best you could ever hope for," Mahoney said.
"It's one of the most neutral and most intriguing types of films that allow you to have that opportunity," he added.
The film challenges a powerful notion that the Bible isn't true.
"Well one of the most important things is that up until now -- for the last 50, 60, 70 years -- people have been very critical of the Bible, and they said there just is no evidence," Mahoney said.
"And if the story of the Exodus isn't true, then what Jesus Christ said…about Moses and the Exodus and what the Apostle Paul said -- then those statements are false," he continued. "Because if there was no Exodus, then it starts to collapse the whole story."
"The whole Bible has a foundation in the story of the Exodus. What this film does -- which I believe it's profound -- is that it actually shows where the pattern of evidence is," Mahoney said. "And that I think has never been done before."
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