Is there historical evidence for the Jews being in Egypt?
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Is there historical evidence for the Jews being in Egypt?
Archaeology and the Old Testament Ebla tablets—discovered in 1970s in Northern Syria. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. In use in Ebla was the name "Canaan," a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The tablets refer to all five "cities of the plain" mentioned in Genesis 14, previously assumed to have been mere legends. Greater proportion of Egyptian words in the Pentateuch (first five books) than in rest of the Old Testament. Accurate Egyptian names: Potiphar (Gen.39), Zaphenath-Paneah (Joseph's Egyptian name, Gen. 41:45), Asenath (Gen.41:45), On (Gen. 41:45), Rameses (Gen. 47:11), Oithom (Exodus 1:11). Finds in Egypt are consistent with the time, place, and other details of biblical accounts of the Israelites in Egypt. These include housing and tombs that could have been of the Israelites, as well as a villa and tomb that could have been Joseph's. Confounding earlier skeptics, but confirming the Bible, an important discovery was made in Egypt in 1896. A tablet—the Merneptah Stela—was found that mentions Israel. (Merneptah was the pharaoh that ruled Egypt in 1212-1202 B.C.) The context of the stela indicates that Israel was a significant entity in the late 13th century B.C. http://faithfacts.gospelcom.net/maps_a.html for more ~~~~~~~~~~ Is there historical evidence for the Jews being in Egypt? by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg There is plenty of archeological evidence that indicate that the Jews were enslaved in Ancient Egypt. Many books have been written on this topic, one of them is "Israel in Egypt -- Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition" written by James Hoffmeier. Additionally a papyrus was found in Egypt in the nineteenth century which describes in detail many of the plagues and the Exodus itself. This papyrus, which currently resides in a Dutch museum, is known as the Ipuwer Papyrus, which was written by an Egyptian who was an eye-witness to these events. Nevertheless, is there any more compelling evidence than the fact that for more than 3,000 years Jews have sat down by the Seder table and repeated the exact same story to their children? This is a chain of a direct unbroken tradition passed down from fathers who saw the events, to their children who in turn passed it down to their children, who passed it down to their children... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Traditional Passover Seder foods have deep meanings There are a number of foods eaten during the ritual Seder family meal partaken on the first two nights of Passover. Family customs may vary the items served at the Seder, but the following food items traditionally appear on the Seder plate: • Matzoh: Three unleavened matzohs are placed within the folds of a napkin as a reminder of the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt, leaving no time for dough to rise. Two are consumed during the service, and one (the Aftkomen), is spirited away and hidden during the ceremony to be later found as a prize. • Maror: bitter herbs, usually horseradish or romaine lettuce, used to symbolize the bitterness of slavery. • Charoses: a mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon, as a reminder of the mortar used by the Jews in the construction of buildings as slaves • Beitzah: a roasted egg, as a symbol of life and the perpetuation of existence. • Karpas: a vegetable, preferably parsley or celery, representing hope and redemption; served with a bowl of salted water to represent the tears shed. • Zeroah: traditionally a piece of roasted lamb shankbone, symbolizing the paschal sacrificial offering • Wine: four glasses of wine are consumed during the service to represent the four-fold promise of redemption, with a special glass left for Elijah the prophet.
YouTube | January 2, 2008
