This is a very good question because the three main religions of the world are all based on Moses. His story takes us from his childhood escape of the pharoah's edict that the firstborn Jew should be killed, put in a basket and sent on to be raised by the queen of Egypt and later would use the "Power of God" to free the jews from slavery.
What is your understanding of this person who would wander the desert for such a long time and not reach the "Promised Land", but after delivering the ten commandments given to him by God, would die in the desert. What an EPIC story.
What is your feeling about this man.
I will reveal the true answer in my next post.
Is Moses real or is he fiction?
Re: Is Moses real or is he fiction?
In order to understand the difference between an epic writing and an historical record is to examine the mechanisms used in writing an epic story and the methods of explaining why their are no, and I say that again, "No" archeological records of a man named Moses nor records of the Jews or "Israelites" living as slaves under the Pharoah.
Archaeological excavations in Egypt have not yielded direct evidence of a large population of Israelite slaves or of the events described in Exodus, such as the ten plagues or the mass exodus of a large population. This lack of direct evidence, however, does not conclusively prove or disprove the biblical account, as the archaeological record from this period is incomplete and ongoing research may yield new findings.
There are no contemporary Egyptian records that explicitly mention the enslavement of the Israelites or the events of the Exodus. Egyptian records from the period of the New Kingdom, which would align with the traditional biblical chronology, do not reference these events.
There is a theory that the bible was influenced and inspired by much older myths. One of the most frequently cited parallels is the story of Sargon of Akkad, an ancient Mesopotamian ruler (circa 24th century BCE). According to a later Assyrian legend, Sargon was set adrift in a basket on a river by his mother to save his life, a narrative element strikingly similar to the story of Moses being placed in a basket in the Nile. Sargon was then discovered and raised by a gardener, going on to become a great king.
Here are a couple of writing styles of ancient times:
Hero's Journey Archetype: The broader structure of Moses' story – a hero's journey involving exile, discovery of identity, a mission, and eventual triumph – is a common archetype in many cultures' myths and legends. This pattern appears in the stories of figures like King Arthur, Romulus and Remus, and even in more contemporary storytelling.
Other Near Eastern Myths: There are various other myths and legends from the ancient Near East that contain elements similar to the Moses story, including themes of rescue in infancy, a period of exile, a return to liberate or lead their people, and receiving laws or wisdom from a deity.
As you can see, it "appears" that the first five books of the old testament, the Pentateuch, could be an epic story or fiction and Moses could be a fictional character. And yet, the three main religions on the earth, Christian, Muslim and Jew could all be based on a fictional character.
What are your thoughts. Remember that mental blindness and clinging to established beliefs is very common. Imagine that you are a first time visitor to this planet and you heard these belief systems for the first time. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
What would you believe, if any?
Archaeological excavations in Egypt have not yielded direct evidence of a large population of Israelite slaves or of the events described in Exodus, such as the ten plagues or the mass exodus of a large population. This lack of direct evidence, however, does not conclusively prove or disprove the biblical account, as the archaeological record from this period is incomplete and ongoing research may yield new findings.
There are no contemporary Egyptian records that explicitly mention the enslavement of the Israelites or the events of the Exodus. Egyptian records from the period of the New Kingdom, which would align with the traditional biblical chronology, do not reference these events.
There is a theory that the bible was influenced and inspired by much older myths. One of the most frequently cited parallels is the story of Sargon of Akkad, an ancient Mesopotamian ruler (circa 24th century BCE). According to a later Assyrian legend, Sargon was set adrift in a basket on a river by his mother to save his life, a narrative element strikingly similar to the story of Moses being placed in a basket in the Nile. Sargon was then discovered and raised by a gardener, going on to become a great king.
Here are a couple of writing styles of ancient times:
Hero's Journey Archetype: The broader structure of Moses' story – a hero's journey involving exile, discovery of identity, a mission, and eventual triumph – is a common archetype in many cultures' myths and legends. This pattern appears in the stories of figures like King Arthur, Romulus and Remus, and even in more contemporary storytelling.
Other Near Eastern Myths: There are various other myths and legends from the ancient Near East that contain elements similar to the Moses story, including themes of rescue in infancy, a period of exile, a return to liberate or lead their people, and receiving laws or wisdom from a deity.
As you can see, it "appears" that the first five books of the old testament, the Pentateuch, could be an epic story or fiction and Moses could be a fictional character. And yet, the three main religions on the earth, Christian, Muslim and Jew could all be based on a fictional character.
What are your thoughts. Remember that mental blindness and clinging to established beliefs is very common. Imagine that you are a first time visitor to this planet and you heard these belief systems for the first time. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
What would you believe, if any?