Did Moses Exist?

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zenith15

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I just came from the grocery store where I was paging through a special edition copy of Newsweek which was all about the Bible. In it, there was an article about Moses which said, among other things, that there is no source outside the Bible that Moses ever existed. I have also read in other places that there is no evidence that the Hebrews leaving Egypt wandered in the desert for forty years, etc and that there should be physical evidence left behind in that area if such a thing occurred.

Thoughts?
 
He did appear with Christ at the Transfiguration. Good enough evidence for me. 👍
 
Your Question: Did Moses Exist?

Short answer: Yes.

Long Answer: Yes, he did exist. 👍
 
zenith15 said:
I just came from the grocery store where I was paging through a special edition copy of Newsweek which was all about the Bible. In it, there was an article about Moses which said, among other things, that there is no source outside the Bible that Moses ever existed. I have also read in other places that there is no evidence that the Hebrews leaving Egypt wandered in the desert for forty years, etc and that there should be physical evidence left behind in that area if such a thing occurred.

Thoughts?
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My thoughts are that you shouldn’t give credibility to newspaper articles that try to shake your faith.
 
zenith15 said:
I just came from the grocery store where I was paging through a special edition copy of Newsweek which was all about the Bible. In it, there was an article about Moses which said, among other things, that there is no source outside the Bible that Moses ever existed. I have also read in other places that there is no evidence that the Hebrews leaving Egypt wandered in the desert for forty years, etc and that there should be physical evidence left behind in that area if such a thing occurred.

Thoughts?
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Do you exist?
 
Apparently there is no concrete proof the Caesar crossed the Rubicon either - yet it is accepted as historical fact and a turning point in history.
 
DaddyGirl said:
Yes, I’ve read that too…many current archaeologists, Egyptologists, and biblical experts do indeed dispute his existence, saying that biblical inconsistencies, new archaeological and historical evidence (or lack thereof) show he may not have.
Also, they note, some of the events are linked to other myths in the Canaanite culture --so they may have been inspired by other earlier stories.

I’m not sure on the details of this, though, not having much experience with the old testament. I’m guessing you can find info on the internet from solid sources.
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The problem with linkages is that they only prove a linkage.
 
Give little credence to antisemitic and anti-Christian writers. Millions of people did not conspire to invent Moses or Jesus.
 
zenith15 said:
I just came from the grocery store where I was paging through a special edition copy of Newsweek which was all about the Bible. In it, there was an article about Moses which said, among other things, that there is no source outside the Bible that Moses ever existed. I have also read in other places that there is no evidence that the Hebrews leaving Egypt wandered in the desert for forty years, etc and that there should be physical evidence left behind in that area if such a thing occurred.

Thoughts?
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For the sake of believers in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, I surely hope so!
 
zenith15 said:
That seems rude and rather unnecessary.
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It only seems so currently since there is proof that you exist. It will be less so in about a hundred years when there is less historical evidence that you existed. It will be deemed a valid question by some random academic in about a thousand years when there is no historical evidence you existed.
 
zenith15 said:
I just came from the grocery store where I was paging through a special edition copy of Newsweek which was all about the Bible. In it, there was an article about Moses which said, among other things, that there is no source outside the Bible that Moses ever existed. I have also read in other places that there is no evidence that the Hebrews leaving Egypt wandered in the desert for forty years, etc and that there should be physical evidence left behind in that area if such a thing occurred.

Thoughts?
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First, there’s no reason for there to be any “source outside the Bible” that Moses existed. Go back and understand Scriptural history and you’ll see Moses was written about by different people in two different Kingdoms and then those writings were redacted together. That became part of the sacred scrolls of the Hebrew people and then incorporated into the Canon of Scripture that is included in the Bible (when you find a complete one.) Who else would be writing about him?

Why should that mean he did not exist? It indicates to me that he did.

As to parting the Red Sea a la Charleton Heston, what evidence would you expect to find at the bottom of the sea after 2000 years? The bodies would have floated up and been carried away and the wood debris rot and the metal rust. If there were anything left it would be quite expensive to mount a marine archaeology expedition to dig in those sediments. Also, I suppose you can go wander around the Sinai and look for artefacts, though what people who travel with tents would leave that would be distinguishable from any other desert-dweller, I don’t know, but I believe it has always been a good way to get shot.

I personally think it’s more legend than anything, but there is plenty of mythology around someone like George Washington, yet, we don’t think that because he didn’t chop down a cherry tree or throw a dollar across the Delaware it means he didn’t exist, do we?
 
There is strong archaeological evidence for the existence of Jesus, but finding such evidence for Moses would be highly unlikely considering that (1) He migrated for the majority of his life (2) He was a traitor to the Pharoah, so he may not have been recorded as much as an Egyptian hero (3) Moses lived in the very ancient past…many things have been wiped away by the stretch of time.

Aside from living in the Pharoah’s palace, Moses spent the rest of his time living as a shepherd or walking around with a crowd of ex-slaves. What evidence do you expect to find, besides recorded Jewish history?
 
NovusAugustus said:
(1) He migrated for the majority of his life (2) He was a traitor to the Pharaoh, so he may not have been recorded as much as an Egyptian hero (3) Moses lived in the very ancient past…

Aside from living in the Pharaoh’s palace, Moses spent the rest of his time living as a shepherd or walking around with a crowd of ex-slaves.
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…a rather depressing depiction of his life 😃
 
zenith15 said:
I just came from the grocery store where I was paging through a special edition copy of Newsweek which was all about the Bible. In it, there was an article about Moses which said, among other things, that there is no source outside the Bible that Moses ever existed. I have also read in other places that there is no evidence that the Hebrews leaving Egypt wandered in the desert for forty years, etc and that there should be physical evidence left behind in that area if such a thing occurred.

Thoughts?
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There is no evidence for most of the things that happened in the past. Yet they did happen. In 2000 years there may not be evidence you and I ever existed. The point is, I can write an article claiming there is no evidence that St Peter’s tomb is of St. Peter the apostle. Or an article that says that there is no evidence that the Blessed Mother ever visited Elizabeth. Or an article that say that there is no evidence that an Angel appeared to Mary.

In fact, generally speaking, we have so little evidence overall about many things that happened in the past. That doesn’t mean they didn’t happen.
 
NovusAugustus said:
There is strong archaeological evidence for the existence of Jesus, but finding such evidence for Moses would be highly unlikely considering that (1) He migrated for the majority of his life (2) He was a traitor to the Pharoah, so he may not have been recorded as much as an Egyptian hero (3) Moses lived in the very ancient past…many things have been wiped away by the stretch of time.

Aside from living in the Pharoah’s palace, Moses spent the rest of his time living as a shepherd or walking around with a crowd of ex-slaves. What evidence do you expect to find, besides recorded Jewish history?
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Maybe the skeptics would be satisfied if a photograph of Moses along with a blood and stool sample could be provided.
 
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