Dr. James K. Hoffmeier - Israel in Egypt: Do the Bible and Archaeology Agree? | Summer Seminar 2023

I just love listening to him. So interesting to hear some possibilities from archeology. Thank you Dr. H.

Having an understanding of oral tradition and oral hermeneutics helps to understand the text of scripture we have today. One could ponder what happened between the time of Jesus and the recording of the gospels. There is only one answer. It was passed down orally and then finally written.

(29 October, 2023, 06:10, p.m. EST) From comments made by Professor James K. Hoffmeier, I understand this video-taped lecture was apparently made in the Netherlands (Holland). So most of the audience are Dutchmen, who are able to speak and understand English. Apparently Tyndale is a biblical publishing House in Great Britain, sponsoring this lecture. The Dutch have a long association with the English, the American Pilgrims lived in the Netherlands for several years before migrating to Massachusetts and founding Plymouth Colony circa 1620. No doubt, Dutch silver coins circulated in early 17th century AD Plymouth, along with English coinage. Hoffmeier mentions his attending a lecture in Leiden, in Holland. I lived in Sittard, the Netherlands, from 1971-1975.

(29 October, 2023, 05:50 p.m. EST) Professor James K. Hoffmeier mentions a three part video presentation, part three being titled "Where is Mount Sinai and Why it doesn't matter?" In the part three video, Dr. Hoffmeier reviews over a dozen scholarly proposals for the location of Mount Sinai. He concludes that he is unable to identify its location! Why? He states that the sacred mount must have archaeological evidence supporting the Exodus date. He notes two Exodus dates are popular with biblical scholars: (1) Circa 1446 BC based on statements made in 1 Kings 6:1 about 480 years elapsing from the Exodus to Solomon's building of the Temple in Jerusalem. (2) Circa 1260 BC based on the mention of a city called Ramesses, built by Hebrew slaves (Hoffmeier prefers the 1260 BC Exodus). Professor Hoffmeier said he was unaware of any Mount Sinai proposal having pottery debris for either 1446 BC or 1260 BC. This absence of pottery debris evidence caused him to admit he had no idea where the sacred mount was (this includes Gebel al-Lawz in Midian, today's Saudi Arabia). Finding no site possessing pottery debris of either 1446 BC or 1260 BC, Hoffmeier concluded it really was not important as to identifying the archaeological evidence of where Mt. Sinai was. This part three video titled "Where is Mount Sinai and why it doesn't matter?" Is available elsewhere on You Tube to view. The 1446 BC date is called the "Early Exodus Date" whereas the 1260 BC date is called the "Late Exodus Date." CONTRA the claim of Professor Hoffmeier that no proposal has pottery debris for circa 1446 BC or 1260 BC, it my conviction that the Professor errs. There is one site, and only one site, in the Sinai, having pottery debris of the 15th and 13th centuries BC. That site is Gebel Serabit el Khadim. If interested in this subject google "Academia Profile Walter R. Mattfeld," where I have scholarly research papers identifying the location of Mt. Sinai based on the pottery debris Professor Hoffmeier, claims doesn't exist.

Anyone who describes themselves as a "believer" in the bible, has zero business in making statements about its historicity. Obviously. Fact is there's zero evidence of any significant Israelite population, slave or otherwise in ancient Egypt. Theology has nothing to do with actual history, or reality for that matter and should never be portrayed as anything even vaguely related to science or history.