Is The Bible is Wrong About History?

Humanists say the exodus never happened! And that proves the Bible is wrong!

THE HUMANIST'S CLAIM: The book of Exodus claims to contain a historical record of the escape of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. But historians and archaeologists have been unable to verify any of the events described in the book. No known Egyptian records refer to the biblical Moses, the devastating plagues God supposedly inflicted on the country, the escape of the Hebrew slaves, or the drowning of the Egyptian army. Further, White tells us the records contained on Egyptian monuments show that the pharaoh ruling at the time of the alleged escape of the Jews was certainly not overwhelmed in the Red Sea.

I can't help but notice that White is referenced again... and can be ignored When it comes to Andrew White, historical facts and the truth are nowhere to be found.

Principles of Human Behavior

When you have an absolute monarch who desires to be known as an infallible god... and he is the one commissioning the writing of the historical records of his reign (he rewards or beheads the historians, based on what they write), what do you get? A very favorable historical record.

So, if you lose a battle, no record is made of that battle, unless, of course, the winning side makes a record (Israel did make a record of the Exodus).

If you make a bad decision... no record is made of that decision... unless, of course, someone else makes a record (Israel did make a record of the plagues that came on Egypt).

If a certain group of people causes a lot of embarrassing incidents... you wipe them out of your records and all past records, and no one knows they ever existed... unless, of course, those people make a record of their own (Israel did make a record of their time in Egypt).

What we have is an Egyptian absolute ruler with every incentive to eliminate all evidence that Israel ever was in Egypt. AND eliminate all Egyptian records of the exodus. Of course, he is likely to miss some records (and he did), such as records of slave sales that include a lot of Hebrew names. However, the pharaoh had the ability to wipe the Hebrews out of Egypt's history.

The purpose of ancient records was not to record history. Their purpose was to glorify the current ruler, and intimidate potential enemies. Accuracy and completeness were not part of the plan.

Principles of Archeology

When the Hebrews came into the land of Egypt they were given land in Goshen. What is Goshen like?

Dry places are best for preserving artifacts, especially written records. Goshen is located on the eastern side of the Nile delta. It is wet, so archeological objects, in particular papyrus, deteriorate relatively quickly, The Hebrews made their buildings from mud bricks, which do not survive (without regular maintenance) in wet environments. However, some Hebrew style buildings (four rooms with a courtyard) have been discovered in Goshen.

It makes sense that there is not much physical evidence. However, even a total lack of evidence in our present time would not prove the Hebrews were not in Egypt as described in the Bible. A lack of available evidence may be because the evidence did not survive the millennia. However, that is not the case. There is sufficient evidence the Hebrews were present in Goshen around the time of the Exodus. For more information go to the All About Archeology web site.

In addition, the Hebrews were not known as Israel nor even as "Hebrews" at that time. When they entered Egypt they were a family of 70 people from Canaan. They were not a nation and just barely a tribe. It appears the Egyptians just lumped them together with Canaanites and Asiatics, with little to distinguish Israel's family from other Canaanites.

Egyptians Were Not Originally Called Egyptians

People living in what we now call Egypt were not originally referred to as Egyptians. They were Mizraim.

Mizraim is named as the progenitor of the Egyptians. Thus, it is not surprising that the present local name for Egypt is “Misr” which is derived from Mizraim. So today in Egypt we have the Misr Bank, the Misr Insurance Company, and the Misr Travel Agency. - Quote From Answers in Genesis

Who was Mizraim? He was the son of Ham and grandson of Noah. The grandson of Noah founded Egypt, and that means all of its history completely takes place after the global flood.

Was Pharaoh Killed?

Since Andrew White is the source of the claim that the Pharaoh at the time of the exodus was not killed in the Red Sea, I was just going to ignore this claim. However, let’s look at what White wrote:

These modern researche[r]s have also shown that some of the most important features in the legends can not possibly be reconciled with the records of the monuments; for example, that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was certainly not overwhelmed in the Red Sea. As to the supernatural features of the Hebrew relations with Egypt, even the most devoted apologists have become discreetly silent. (page 375)

He does not name the “modern researchers” to whom he is referring. There are no references. Nothing to show his sources for this information. It is all pulled out of thin air.

However, here’s an important question we should ask: After reading this far, you should have thought of this. What does scripture actually say? Does the Bible say Pharaoh was drowned in the Red Sea? Here is what Exodus 15:19 says

When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them…

The Bible does not say Pharaoh was killed, nor does it say anyone else (for example, foot soldiers) was killed. Just those leading the charge, the horses and horsemen. The humanist’s claim, based on Andrew White, is a false statement. It is a strawman attack against something the Bible never said. Remember if it comes from Andrew White do not trust it. And never neglect to start by checking what scripture actually says.

Conclusion:

A claim that Noah's flood did not happen is wishful thinking on the part of evolutionists and humanists. Deep time without a global flood are required for evolution to be true. However, both the Bible and the physical evidence support the fact that Noah's global flood was real.

NEXT CLAIM about errors in Biblical history:

The book of Esther purports to describe how a young Jewish girl named Esther was chosen by the Persian king Xerxes I to be queen after he had divorced Vashti. Although historians know a great deal about Xerxes I, there is no record that he had a Jewish queen named Esther or was married to Vashti.[54]

Additionally, the book of Esther describes the Persian empire as having 127 provinces, but historians maintain there was no such division of the empire.[55] Also contrary to the book of Esther, historians assure us Xerxes did not order Jews in his territories to attack his Persian subjects.[56]

Esther and Daniel are two books that are most commonly attacked by humanists. Why? Because they provide such powerful evidence God is real. Click here and we'll take a look at Esther.