Historicity Moses

the tradition of moses lawgiver , culture hero of israelites may go 7th-century bce sources of deuteronomist, might conserve earlier traditions. kenneth kitchen, described distinguished lonely voice among british egyptologists on subject, argues there historic core behind exodus, egyptian corvée labour exacted hebrews during imperialist control exercised egyptian empire on canaan time of thutmosides down revolt against merneptah , rameses iii. william albright believed in essential historicity of biblical tales of moses , exodus, accepting core narrative had been overlaid legendary accretions. biblical minimalists such philip r. davies , niels peter lemche regard biblical books, , stories of exodus, united monarchy, exile , return fictions composed social elite in yehud in persian period or later, purpose being legitimize return indigenous roots.

despite imposing fame associated moses, no source mentions him until emerges in texts associated babylonian exile. theory developed cornelius tiele in 1872, had proved influential, argued yahweh midianite god, introduced israelites moses, father-in-law jethro midianite priest. such moses yahweh reveals real name, hidden patriarchs knew him el shaddai. against view modern consensus of israelites native palestine. martin noth argued pentateuch uses figure of moses, linked legends of transjordan conquest, narrative bracket or late reductional device weld 4 of 5, independent, themes of work. manfred görg , rolf krauss, latter in sensationalist manner, have suggested moses story distortion or transmogrification of historical pharaoh amenmose (ca. 1200 bce), dismissed office , name later simplified msy (mose). aidan dodson regards hypothesis intriguing, beyond proof.

the name king mesha of moab has been linked of moses. mesha associated narratives of exodus , conquest, , several motifs in stories him shared exodus tale , regarding israel s war moab (2 kings:3). moab rebels against oppression, moses, leads people out of israel, moses egypt, , first-born son slaughtered @ wall of kir-hareseth firstborn of israel condemned slaughter in exodus story, infernal passover delivers mesha while wrath burns against enemies .

an egyptian version of tale crosses on moses story found in manetho who, according summary in josephus, wrote osarseph, heliopolitan priest, became overseer of band of lepers, when amenophis, following indications amenhotep, son of hapu, had lepers in egypt quarantined in order cleanse land might see gods. lepers bundled avaris, former capital of hyksos, osarseph prescribes them forbidden in egypt, while proscribing permitted in egypt. invite hyksos reinvade egypt, rule them 13 years – osarseph assumes name moses - , driven out.