The Passover and Exodus events depicted in the Old Testament of the Bible- texts shared by Jews, Catholics, Protestants/Non-Denominational believers- including the sparing from death of first-born males and subsequent liberation of Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt by way of parting of the Red Sea, are held by many as just “myths in the Bible.” However, with an estimated one in five Americans- more around the world- commemorating these miraculous events right now, one would not think this could ever be the case.
Did the Passover event and resulting exodus of the Isrealites out of Egypt actually occur or is it just a “story”? Further, is any of it explainable as by “just nature,” or were they a Miracle from God, or God working with Nature? Or nothing at all?
Raised as a Christian, having a crisis of faith as an adult, and wanting to root out any speculation about his faith, investigative film maker Timothy Mahoney asked the question that some might feel shouldn’t be asked- or, worse, perhaps, that some feel there is no need to ask: is what is in the Bible real?
As a Passover “series” for exploration, Mahoney and his team offer his first film, THE EXODUS, and also his THE RED SEA MIRACLE 1 and 2, and FINDING MT. SINAI. These are beautifully executed projects, engaging, educational, and downright entertaining films that, even with a longer run time, fly by.
Mahoney’s crisis of faith must have been startling since he goes so far, even, to say on his web site, as well to print on promotional materials for the Exodus-focused film “You never know where a crisis of faith will lead you…” In THE EXODUS Mahoney examined these occurrences with an investigator’s eye, traveling to Egypt, Israel, and other places around the world in which Biblical events are described as- and accepted by Modern Day authorities as- taking place. He invested twelve years in this first project- and throughout this time he interviewed, studied and worked with a sizable team of archeologists, historians, scholars of antiquity, theologians, engineers, and others- many of whom hold divergent opinions on the specifics of these subjects.
Mahoney’s documentary film series investigative protocols arise directly from the Bible as a base of exploration, and line-by-line references through scripture are offered at each new step of testing in evaluating the cultural, historical, scientific, archaeological credibility and the impact upon our Modern World. Spoiler Alert: The films report the finding of evidence matching the six major Biblical events.
The Patterns of Evidence team taps some very high-ranking individuals for these films. Appearing in interview clips and presentations in THE EXODUS are (in alphabetical order): Charles Aling, Egyptologist, University of Northwestern, St. Paul, and former US Army intelligence officer; the late Manfred Bietak, Egyptologist and the Director of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Cairo for 35 years; Clyde Bellington, Ancient Historian, University of Northwestern, St. Paul, and past editor of Artifax magazine; John Bimson, PhD tutor in Old Testament, Trinity College, Bristol, and proving his dissertation that the Exodus did not occur when it is commonly believed, but that it occurred at the end of the Middle Bronze Age; Mansour Boraik, Egyptologist and Director General of Antiquities, Luxor; Israel Finkelstein, archaeologist, Tel Aviv University and co-director of excavations at Megiddo; Norma Franklin, archaeologist, University of Haifa, Zinman Institute of Archaeology and Co-director of the Jezreel Expedition at Tel Jezreel; Rabbi Manis Friedman, biblical scholar, teacher, counselor, philosopher, lecturer, and author; Rabbi David Hartman, professor, author of multiple books, including The God Who Hates Lies: Confronting and Rethinking Jewish Tradition, and founder of the Shalom Harman Institute who sought to revitalize Judaism; James K. Homier, Egyptologist, author, and professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; Maarten Raven, Egyptologist, Curater of the Egyptian Department of the National Museum of Antiquities at Leiden Museum; David Rohl, Egyptologist, historian awarded the W. F. Masom History Research Scholarship by the University of London, author, and TV documentary film producer for “Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest; Kent Weeks, Egyptologist who is credited with finding the tomb of the sons of Ramesss II and who devised and launched the Theban Mapping Project which seeks to document every tomb and temple in the Luxor area; Rabbi David Wolpe, named most influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine in 2012; and Bryant Wood, archaeologist and director of the Associates for Biblical Research.
The film also includes clips from interviews by Mahoney with Benjamin Natanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel and Israel’s former ambassador to the U.N., and Shimon Peres, former President of Israel and 1994 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mahoney offers these films as suggestions for Passover viewing: THE EXODUS, THE MOSES CONTROVERSY, THE RED SEA MIRACLE, and FINDING MT. SINAI. Each of these takes a particular focus that seeks to investigate: did these things REALLY happen?
Why is this so important? Because, again, Western civilization has been shaped by the contents of the Bible- even our time dating is marked by the designation “B.C.” and “A.D.” What can we trust, if not scripture? As well, with the aggressions in the Middle East at this time arising from differing views of that Bible, it is perhaps even more important now than ever to know the Truth. And when even prominent Jewish religious, in particular Rabbi David Wolpe (especially during an interview with radio talk show host Michael Medved), is labeling the Exodus as “historical fiction” we need to take a closer look. Ironically, as Mahoney was trying to do just that, some of the archeological sites that are marked as key religious spots were/are locked up and unavailable as “off-limits” even for purposes of scientific scrutiny. But Mahoney persisted, and the theories that have arisen and are presented in his films- second Spoiler Alert- including one which challenges the accuracy of reporting of the timing of events in Egyptian history- are astonishing.
These films are must-see’s- if not now during Passover, then very soon- for every Thinking man or woman…
For more information, to view other trailers, and to explore more about the events and issues undertaken in the film series, please visit the Patterns of Evidence web site: https://www.patternsofevidence.com/.
All images courtesy of Patterns of Evidence LLC press assets, copyright 2014
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