The Exodus story
compared with Herodotus's story of
the Persian campaign against Greece
-- Biblical authors emulating Greek epic history?
Dr Jan-Wim Wesselius, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Semitic Studies in the Theological University of Kampen, Netherlands, in 2002, published The Origin of the History of Israel : Herodotus's Histories as Blueprint for the First Books of the Bible. "This book demonstrates that the Primary History, the historical work contained in the first nine books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis--2 Kings), was written as one unitary work in deliberate emulation of the Greek-language Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus (completed c. 440 bce); the diversity of its books and sections is largely a literary device. The work was most likely written in the period 440-420 bce, in the period of reform usually associated with the name of Nehemiah. Though this thesis does not directly affect questions of historicity, understanding the literary nature of the Primary History promises to open new vistas for research into the history of Israel, the Hebrew Bible in general and the history of the Hebrew language." -- dust jacket.
From Jan-Wim Wesselius' The Origin of the History of Israel ... pp.21-22
Summarized by Neil Godfrey -- VRIDAR BLOG
|
BIBLE |
HERODOTUS |
COMMENTS |
|
Moses is ordered to bring Israel to the Land of Canaan and conquer it he is reluctant but is forced to do so through divine intervention |
Xerxes is advised to conquer Greece
but is forced to do so through divine intervention |
|
|
the genealogy of Moses and Aaron is then listed |
the genealogy of Xerxes follows |
|
|
darkness |
darkness |
|
|
presents of Egyptians |
presents of Pythios |
|
|
first-born dead |
Pythios' eldest son dead |
|
|
leaving Egypt |
leaving Sardis |
|
|
(plagues of Egypt) |
thunder and lightning |
|
|
Baal Zephon |
Pergamon of Priamus |
|
|
panic among Egyptians (night) |
panic in army (night) |
|
|
murmuring of Israel at the sea |
advice of Artabanus |
|
|
crossing of sea between continents through miracle |
crossing of sea between continents over bridges of boats |
|
|
songs of praise |
words of praise |
|
|
(plagues of Egypt)* |
strange miscarriages |
*See table below |
|
murmuring of Israel at Mara |
advice of Demaratus |
|
|
no water in desert of Shur |
river Lissos dries up through drinking of army |
|
|
bitter water at Marah |
salt water at Pistyros |
|
|
people encamped at Elim |
army encamped at Therme |
|
|
murmuring of Israel in desert of Sin |
|
|
|
feeding the people |
feeding the army |
|
|
murmuring of Israel at Rephidim |
advice of Demaratus |
|
|
war with Amalek, Moses sits and stands brother Aaron and Hur support him; written record monument |
battle of Thermopylae Xerxes sits and stands brother Achaemenes and Demaratus give advice written record monument |
|
|
Mt Sinai thunderstorm |
Mt Parnassus thunderstorm |
|
|
mustering and counting of the people |
mustering and counting of the army |
|
|
prediction of Balaam |
prediction of Dikaios |
|
|
Moses not to enter Promised Land looks at it from behind river Jordan |
Xerxes not to go to Salamis looks at it from behind the sea |
|
|
Joshua crosses river Jordan through miracle |
Xerxes attempts to build bridge of boats for crossing sea to Salamis |
|
|
Moses dies |
Xerxes leaves Greece |
|
Plagues of Egypt compared with events connected witih Xerxes' army (p.20)
|
EXODUS |
HERODOTUS |
COMMENTS |
|
1. water to blood no drinking from river |
too many people no drinking from river |
|
|
2. frogs |
-- |
|
|
3.dust becomes lice |
(cloud of dust) |
|
|
4. flies |
-- |
|
|
5. murrain |
(pest of man and animal on Crete) |
|
|
6. boils |
pest and dysentery |
|
|
7. hail, thunderstoon |
thunderstorm |
|
|
8. locusts |
-- |
|
|
9. darkness |
darkness |
|
|
10. death of first-born |
death of Pythios' eldest son |
|
|
-- |
miscarriages of cattle |
|