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The Riddle of the Exodus: Startling Parallels Between
Ancient Jewish Sources and the Egyptian Archaeological Record
by James D. Long
Readers’ Comments:
...rooted in sound and, to my mind,
irrefutable evidence.
I can’t recall being as intellectually excited, as
spiritually moved, and as emotionally overwhelmed as the day I finished reading
Long’s book, The Riddle of the Exodus. Being a Rabbi and a Professor of
Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University, I certainly thought I knew what scholars
today have available as source materials and documented evidence for the period
of the time of the Hebrews in Egypt – a truly limited number of references that
have allowed many to claim the Biblical tale is no more than myth and legend.
Imagine my amazement when I realized how much a brilliant and deeply committed
archeologist like Jim Long was able to discover when he personally went back to
the land of the Pharaohs and used his investigative techniques to present us
with a totally new perspective on the events recorded in the Torah. What I have
until now accepted primarily on faith is today, thanks to Long’s monumental
work, rooted in sound and, to my mind, irrefutable evidence. Contemporary
scholars and theologians can ill afford to overlook this groundbreaking work
that casts an entirely new light on the erroneous – till now – dating of the
rule of the Pharaohs. With a revised time line that corrects commonly shared
misconceptions, the entire story recorded in the Bible is fully revealed as the
most accurate and historically reliable account of the events that shaped both
the beginnings of Jewish history as well as of western civilization.
Rabbi Benjamin Blech, NY Author of: If God Is Good, Why Is The
World So Bad?,
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism, and many others
Uncovers the surprisingly weak foundations of
modern skepticism
Long's book is a real treat to read! In a concise and logical way, he picks
apart the apparently shoddy scholarship supporting the traditional Egyptian
chronology.
Long has certainly made a prima facie case that the Exodus triggered the demise
of Egypt's Golden Age and the end of the Sixth Dynasty. Three years have passed
since this book was written. To my knowledge there has been no rebuttal. I
suspect the skeptics would prefer to ignore this powerful challenge, because
they cannot win a debate on the merits.
It is a shame that so many have allowed their faith to be shaken by the dogmatic
pronouncements of liberal "scholars" who are afraid to engage in public debate.
Amazon Reviewer: ChainO (Minneapolis MN USA)
Very interesting, provocative, chockfull
of surprises
"Is the current theophobic version of Egyptian history built on
quicksand? Has a bigoted view of the Biblical record hamstrung this important
field lo these many years?
The author's thesis seems to be on quite solid
ground ... you will feel chills down your spine when you compare the written
records of the "wrong" Dynasty alongside the Exodus account. Unless there is
some serious mistranslation going on, the parallels are eerie and unmistakable.
"The King is carried off by poor men ... the river is blood ..." (or something
quite like it) and so on. Seems a good theory to account for the sudden collapse
of this great Dynasty - something orthodox Egyptology cannot provide."
C. Soon, Gaithersburg, MD
"Long's powerful, highly readable book divulges proof of the Exodus, squaring the difficulties between archeaological theory and Biblical record."
Isaac E. Mozeson, Editor, Author, The Word: The Dictionary that Reveals the Hebrew Source of English
It belongs in all
serious history courses that purport to teach western civilization....
Dr. Eugene Narrett, Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA
My faith has been increased many-fold by the
extraordinary documentation
"I watched the video of this material last week and just finished reading the book. While I am Jewish and have always personally believed the story of the Exodus, I find that my faith has been increased many-fold by the extraordinary documentation in Riddle of the Exodus. I cannot imagine subject matter that could be any more relevant to concretizing the religious beliefs of both Jews and Christians - and my guess would be that a very large percentage of both of these groups currently believe that the story of the Exodus is mythical.
"A year ago, a Rabbi in Los Angeles told his congregation (during Passover) that there was not a shred of evidence to prove the historical reality of the Exodus - which is the cornerstone for Judaism. Jim Long has found more than enough evidence from both Egyptian and Jewish sources - and their comparative data, to satisfy hard-core skeptics! While there is no lack of Jewish Scholarship in the world and while one would imagine that proving the historicity of the Exodus would be a high piority for the academic community - it is interesting to me that this extraordinary documentation has been done by a non-Jew and a self-taught archeologist! The book is simply written, but the material is powerful enough to start a spiritual revolution."
Gerard Robins from Bellaire, TX USA (from site at Amazon.com)
Challenging the Conventional Thinking
"Since the advent of German rationalism, it has been fashionable in the academic world to poo-poo the biblical account of the Exodus (and most of the rest of the Bible as well) as not having really happened, or a sort of fantasy version of the mundane beginnings of the people of Israel. The plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the great miracles associated with them were merely literary embellishments conjured up by the religious figures of ancient Israel to aggrandize their existence and to allow them to exercise control over the people, we are told. The premise that there is no evidence in Egyptian history of the existence of Israel in Egypt is mostly due to the fact that the scholars are looking for evidence in the wrong time period - in the so-called New Kingdom Period, rather than when it actually occurred.
"But this will all be a thing of the past if author James D. Long has his way. The Riddle of The Exodus systematically debunks the house of cards that has long been the foundation of such intellectual amblyopia. Jim challenges the established mind set that pervades archeology and theology to show that there is indeed ample evidence to be seen in Egyptian history, if we look at the right time period - the Old Kingdom period.
"This book is a refreshing breath of air for those who are looking for real answers."
Wayne Simpson from Sapulpa, Oklahoma (from site at Amazon.com)
"In The Riddle of the Exodus, the author explores the biblical story of the Exodus, and successfully argues the truth of the story by examining all available sources of Hebrew and Egyptian history--including hieroglyphics, archaeological finds, biblical passages and commentaries, historians, and geographical research.
"With this subject, it would be easy to become burdened with details, but the author does an amazing job pulling his original information together in a way that is easy to understand and fun to read. I couldn't put this book down!
The author's personal knowledge and interest in this subject is impressive. To his credit, the author doesn't force his opinions on the reader--he leaves it up to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions from the material presented. The author appears to tie together and factually confirm the stories of the plagues, the parting of the sea of reeds, and the almost instantaneous fall of Egypt as a world power by comparing the ancient writings of the Hebrews and Egyptians in a way that is most convincing. The research on the timelines of the Egyptian pharaohs is fascinating.
"This book is of major historical importance, and should not be overlooked by anyone interested in the story of the Exodus."
B. Furman from Texas, USA (from site at Amazon.com)
"I have just finished reading (twice) your most excellent book The Riddle of the Exodus. I have been an aficionado of Biblical History and archaeology for more years than I care to reveal. I have a library of several thousand books on archaeology and Judaica and I can say that without hesitation that your volume, though small in size, has made a great contribution to the field of Biblical archaeology."
Rabbi Leibel Reznick, Monsey, NY
"Since its publication, The Riddle of the Exodus has caused some ripples in the world, most notably in the Jewish world of Reform and Conservative, in which belief in the veracity of the Torah's account of the Exodus has been undermined by secular thinking for the last few years. Davka as a Torah-believing Gentile, Jim is able to surprise and startle the 'unbelieving' Jew out of his slumber, to take the Torah's words seriously..."
Avraham Sutton, Orthodox Torah Teacher and Author, Israel
"Like a good detective, Jim Long presents the evidence he's collected, along with background information so that readers can judge for themselves, like any good mystery, it keeps one coming back again and again."
Len Estrin, Pittsburg, PA; Editor, Torah Fax and Weekly Sicha
"I am an Orthodox Jew and I teach Torah in a girls' high school as well as adult ed classes. As far as I can tell what you have said is amazingly knowledgeable and accurate!
"Keep telling the truth about Judaism. Remind the Jews that they have to return to Torah, and tell the non-Jews that G-d runs the world. Keep up the good work, and G-d bless you."
Toby Katz, Miami, FL
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