Official Digital Archive
Jewish Independent
April 23, 2004

No Exodus from Egypt?

Letters

Editor: Eugene Kaellis' article makes for interesting reading, except that it is not a "Scientific look at the plagues" (Bulletin Opinion, April 9) and runs counter to the conclusions of modern biblical scholarship using up to date research methods.

What is taught in liberal Jewish and Christian theology schools – based on the work of archeologists, historians and egyptologists – is that it is highly unlikely that the Exodus narrative has any basis at all in history. That's right – no Jewish slaves in Egypt, no plagues, no tumbling down of walls in Jericho and so on. It seems that Judaism developed as a religion within the territory then known as Canaan. A fascinating story, nevertheless.

Marcia Goldberg
Vancouver