"Scholarly consensus" sees Moses as a mythical figure?

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There is a documentary on Netflix about this subject called Patterns of Evidence. I think it makes sense to say the Exodus was dated in the wrong era. It probably occured in what was the middle kingdom 2050BC - 1710BC in Egypt. There are different arguments dispite the little archeological evidence that point toward the existance of the Exodus.
 
Myth can be a difficult idea. It does not neccesarily imply “not historical.” It is used that way in the wiki article.

Consider: Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, claiming that there are universal human laws, and other laws that sometimes should be disobeyed. That is essentially a factual statement. If I use those facts to make a political argument — Thomas Jefferson broke the law in order to become an American, just like so-called “illegal aliens.” — i have turned the factual statement into something that contains meaning in our modern circumstances. It has become a myth because it has meaning.

That is essentially what happened with Moses. His story was told, is told, not as a factual statement, but in order to convey meaning. That does not mean his story is not factual. It is a story that defines who Israel is.

The question raised here is not “is Moses a myth?” Yes, undoubtedly, because his story is told to give meaning to our lives. Rather the question is, did Moses in fact live and do what is told of him? Different people answer that different ways.
 
I think in the Thomas Jefferson example you gave, the word used normally today would be “narrative” rather than “myth”.

“Myth” to the general public symbolizes fantasy or tall tales.
“Narrative” would be portraying a historical figure in a certain way to fit a certain agenda.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
“Myth” to the general public symbolizes fantasy or tall tales.

“Narrative” would be portraying a historical figure in a certain way to fit a certain agenda.
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I think that’s the difference, too, between myth and legend. A myth is a tale that is not meant to be believed in literally, such as the myths of the Greek gods and the labors of Hercules. Legend is a story that has been built up on the basis of a historical event, something that happened, or may have happened, in an identifiable period, such as the Trojan War or the reign of King Arthur.
 
Most moderns scholars do hold the story of the Exodus to be mythological and have followed in the footsteps of scholars in the likes Mark S. Smith for example. This isn’t to say there is no core historicity behind the narrative, I certainly believe there is and so does the Church. But it doesn’t have to be taken literal in every detail I suppose. As said, the Revised Kenite hypothesis that I cited seems to be the most favored hypothesis about Israelite origins and I think it fits best with the Biblical narrative historically wise. Don’t worry over this, because God certainly knows.
 
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It is common to reference a mythical figure. You probably referenced Santa Claus hundreds of times in your life.
 
To add, I found the Wikipedia page the OP sites, and it does site valid sources, here’s one:
William G. Dever ‘What Remains of the House That Albright Built?,’ in George Ernest Wright, Frank Moore Cross, Edward Fay Campbell, Floyd Vivian Filson (eds.) The Biblical Archaeologist, American Schools of Oriental Research, Scholars Press, Vol. 56, No 1, 2 March 1993 pp.25-35, p.33: ‘the overwhelming scholarly consensus today is that Moses is a mythical figure.’
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The page says:
The story of his discovery picks up a familiar motif in ancient Near Eastern mythological accounts of the ruler who rises from humble origins: Thus Sargon of Akkad’s Akkadian account of his origins runs;

My mother, the high priestess, conceived; in secret she bore me
She set me in a basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed my lid
She cast me into the river which rose over me.[35]

The tradition of Moses as a lawgiver and culture hero of the Israelites may go back to the 7th-century BCE sources of the Deuteronomist, which might conserve earlier traditions. Kenneth Kitchen, described as a distinguished but lonely voice among British Egyptologists on the subject,[36] argues that there is an historic core behind the Exodus, with Egyptian corvée labour exacted from Hebrews during the imperialist control exercised by the Egyptian Empire over Canaan from the time of the Thutmosides down to the revolt against Merneptah and Rameses III.[37] William Albright believed in the essential historicity of the biblical tales of Moses and the Exodus, accepting however that the core narrative had been overlaid by legendary accretions.[38] Biblical minimalists such as Philip R. Davies and Niels Peter Lemche regard all biblical books, and the stories of an Exodus, united monarchy, exile and return as fictions composed by a social elite in Yehud in the Persian period or even later, the purpose being to legitimize a return to indigenous roots.[39]
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Jesus speaks about Moses.

John 5:46

New International Version
If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.

New Living Translation
If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.

English Standard Version
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.
 
40 years is a cultural and literary device.
Hebrews thought of any number in 4’s as referring to earth.
Earthly problems.
“wandering 40 years” refers to being without a rudder, if you will. no teacher, no Messiah.
We do not read the Bible literally in every instance. This is one of the many instances where the use of numbers is significant, but not for the reason you are thinking.
 
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Santa Claus is a reference to Saint Nicholas actually. A real. historical person.
 
Well if you want to split hairs let’s say Superman or the Easter Bunny.
 
My point is what I first stated: It is normal to make reference to mythical figures so your point about Jesus making reference to Moses is not evidence Moses was a real person. In your life you make reference to mythical or fictional figures all the time.
 
Was there a man that led the people of Israel out of Egypt? Yes.

Was his name Moses? Could be, also. Tradition says so. I believe it.

But if we are to look for him in secular literature, we ought to find out his Egyptian name.
 
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I do remember watching a history channel or national geographical show where archealigest went to mount sini and they found the 3 places where water came out of the rocks.
 
uhhh its called Moses and the exodist being real and historic… duh.
 
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