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'''The Exodus Decoded''' is a 2006 documentary created by Jewish Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, in which new evidence regarding the escape of Hebrew slaves from Egypt is explored. It is partially narrated by film director James Cameron, and also features input by Charles Pellegrino, author of ''Unearthing Atlantis''. Jacobovici suggests that the Exodus took place around 1500 BCE during the reign of pharaoh Ahmose I, and coincided with the eruption of Santorini that most scholars believe ended the Minoan civilization. In the documentary, the plagues that ravaged Egypt in the Bible are explained as having resulted from that volcanic eruption, and a related limnic eruption in the Nile Delta. While much of Jacobovici's archaeological evidence for the Exodus comes from Egypt, a surprising quantity comes from Mycenae, on mainland Greece.
The documentary made extensive use of computer animation and visual effects made by Gravity visual effects from Toronto. It ran for two hours and was first aired in Canada on April 16, (Easter Day) 2006 (''Discovery Channel Canada''). Shown in the US on August 20, 2006 (''History Channel US''), UK on December 23, 2006 (''Discovery Channel UK'') and Spain on December 25, 2006 (Cuatro).

Contents

Egyptian archaeological evidence

Mycenaean archaeological evidence

Scientific conjecture

Previous research

Theology

Criticism

See also

References

External links

Egyptian archaeological evidence

★ 'The Hyksos Expulsion', contemporaneous Egyptian records of the departure of the mysterious Semitic Hyksos people. Jacobovici suggests that the Hyksos and the Hebrews were one and the same, a thesis he supports with Egyptian-style signet rings uncovered in the Hyksos capital of Avaris (30°47'14.71"N, 31°49'16.92"E) that read "Yakov/Yakub" (from ''Yaqub-her''), similar to the Hebrew name of the Biblical patriarch Jacob (Ya'aqov).

★ 'The Ahmose stele', a stone tablet unearthed in Karnak by Henri Chevalier at an unknown exact date over 100 years ago.^[1] In it, an unknown god, incurs one of the same plagues described in the Biblical account (darkness, also described as "a great storm"). The ''Exodus Decoded'' official website quotes the stele, "How much greater is this the impressive manifestation of the great God, than the plans of the gods!"

★ 'Ahmose I'. Jacobovici suggests that the name of the Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus may have been a pun (paronomasia). Jacobovici states that in Hebrew, the Egyptian name Ahmose would mean "Brother of Moses". The documentary also examines the mummy of Ahmose's son, Sapair, who appears to have died at the age of twelve. In the Bible, the pharaoh loses a son to the Plague of the Firstborn, although Jewish tradition says that the son of Pharaoh survived.

★ 'Serabit el-Khadim turquoise mine', a labour camp in the Sinai with a Semitic alphabetic inscription that reads "O El, save me from these mines." The use of "El" suggests that it was written before the revelation at Sinai, supporting the thesis that Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt, although this inscription was undated.

Mycenaean archaeological evidence

★ 'Gravestones'. Jacobovici suggests that three of the stones marking the wealthy tombs of Grave Circle A in Mycenae depict the parting of the Sea of Reeds. The stones show a man on a chariot in pursuit of a man on foot carrying a long, straight object. Archaeologists, Jacobovici explains, have typically interpreted the scene as a chariot race, with the long, straight object being a spear or sword. Jacobovici suggests that, instead, the man on the chariot is Ahmose I, the man on foot is Moses, and the long, straight object is the staff of Aaron. Above and below the scene are rows of swirls which, in the Jacobovici's interpretation, represent the parting waters.

★ A 'Gold ornament' excavated from one of the tombs in the Grave Circle is believed by Jacobovici to show the Ark of the Covenant against a background of the tabernacle altar. However, when you compare the photo of the gold ornament to the Biblical story of God telling Moses how to build the Ark, the descriptions differ in several ways. Jacobovici suggests that members of the Tribe of Dan may have emigrated to Mycenae after the Exodus. This, the documentary suggests, is why Homer refers to the buried at Mycenae as "Danaoi". The Greek myth states, however, that the Danaoi were descended from the Argosites under the matriarch Danae.

Scientific conjecture

Jacobovici suggests that the Biblical Exodus took place shortly after the eruption of Thera (now known as Santorini), which is thought to have happened some time between 1650 BCE and 1600 BCE. The dates are disputed, depending on the use either of archaeological dating results (1600 BCE to 1550 BCE), or of radiocarbon dating results (1650 BCE to 1600 BCE). Jacobovici accepts a date around 1500 BCE. He goes on to explain how each of the Mosaic plagues, and even the parting of the Sea of Reeds, could be explained by earthquakes, faulting and a limnic disaster, all caused by Santorini.
One possible scientific conjecture of the past has referred to a spot on the western end of a now-dried lake where it has been observed in the past to turn to a sandbar and facilitate foot travel when a low tide and a strong eastern wind coincide. Jacobovici refers to the possibility of the bed of the reed-filled lake rising out of the water due to geological movements, leaving the water on the sides and below the bed. The text of the story of Exodus 14:21-22, however, states that there were literal walls of water on either side, making this explanation incomplete.

Previous research

★ The ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus suggested in his work ''Contra Apion'' that the Hyksos were, in fact, the ancient Hebrews.

★ Many of the theories explored by Jacobovici were previously published in the 1998 international best-seller ''Act of God'' written by British historian Graham Phillips, and/or in the 2000 work ''Tempest & Exodus'' by Ralph Ellis.

Theology

The documentary notes that most historians consider the Exodus a "fairy tale", while others reject scientific explanations that are not explicitly miraculous. Jacobovici reminds that God, according to the Judeo-Christian description, can control nature, having an intimate understanding of it. His miracles may therefore be efficient and exploit natural cycles and logic.
The documentary ends by posing the question of whether the Exodus was just a natural event or "the Hand of God", implying it is for the viewer to decide.

Criticism

Detailed criticism of Jacobovici's assertions can be found on the Web site of the Biblical Archaeology Society. The site, for example, includes a review of ''The Exodus Decoded'' by Dr. Ronald Hendel, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.^[2] As Dr. Hendel writes in his review, "The made-for-TV documentary, ''The Exodus Decoded'', begins with some excellent special effects and a short excerpt from the Steven Spielberg-George Lucas thriller, ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''. This introduction sets the stage for a fast-paced show with high production values and dramatic footage. Unfortunately, unlike the Indiana Jones movie, this film presents itself as non-fiction. Watching it is reminiscent of an expensive infomercial, in which the actor-salesman makes increasingly exaggerated claims for his product—it makes you lose weight, adds muscle, and makes you rich to boot. In this case, the actor-director is selling a highly dubious bundle of theories about the historical and scientific veracity of the Biblical Exodus".
The History channel discussion boards about ''The Exodus: Decoded'' contain criticism of nearly all of Jacobovici's archaeological evidence. Several of the translations from Egyptian are disputed. Discussion board contributers claim that the Ahmose stele, for example, references "wine," not "parting water."^[3]
Contributors also state that the Serabit el-Khadim mine had a solely Egyptian (non-Hebrew) labour force.^[4]
Criticism of the scientific side of Jacobovici's argument can also be found on the History Channel discussion board. There, a person claiming to be a geologist states that the calcite deposits-aspect of the theory is purely impossible.[4]

See also

★ The Exodus

★ Book of Exodus

★ Moses

★ Passage of the Red Sea

★ Mount Sinai(modern) (for the actual historical mountain see Biblical Mount Sinai)

★ Thera (Santorini) eruption Association with the Exodus

★ Plagues of Egypt

★ Digging For The Truth, showcased a similar special in 2006 concerning the inhabitants of Atlantis.

★ Lost Worlds

References

1. http://boards.historychannel.com/thread.jspa?threadID=800013531&tstart=0&mod=1156859232351
2. http://jewishstudies.berkeley.edu/faculty.html#hendel
3. http://boards.historychannel.com/forum.jspa?forumID=800000048
4. http://boards.historychannel.com/thread.jspa?threadID=800013655&tstart=0&mod=1156914779686

External links

★ ''The Exodus Decoded'' Official Website

★ ''The Exodus Decoded'' at Higgaion - 16-part scene-by-scene review

★ The Official Graham Phillips Website - Act of God