Was Moses Real? | Exodus and the Jewish Law with Dr. Bart Ehrman

I am joined today by the wonderful Dr Bart Ehrman to talk about the books of Moses. Are the ten commandments still relevant today? Did God really order the destruction of every Canaanite man, woman and child? Was Moses a real historical figure?
Sign up to Bart's new lecture series: Finding Moses — What Scholars Know About The Exodus and The Jewish Law to learn more!
If you register before the 12th and 13th, you can take part in the live recording and live Q&A session. Either way you get lifetime access to all 8 lectures, Q&A's and bonus materials. Bart's courses are always so fascinating, I cannot recommend them enough for anyone with an interest in biblical scholarship! Nothing helps you face down fundamentalism like knowing the bible.

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[EmmaThorneVideos]

Hello Lovely People! If you enjoy this conversation and are interested in learning more, do sign up to Bart's new lecture series: Finding Moses — What Scholars Know About The Exodus and The Jewish Law to learn more!
If you register before the 12th and 13th, you can take part in the live recording and live Q&A session. Either way you get lifetime access to all 8 lectures, Q&A's and bonus materials. Bart's courses are always so fascinating, I cannot recommend them enough for anyone with an interest in biblical scholarship! Nothing helps you take on fundamentalism like knowing the bible ;)

[BenYork-UBY]

No joke when I say that scholars like Dr. Ehrman have taught me far more about the Bible and Christian history in the last few years than any preacher ever did during my entire churchgoing childhood

[cecilnewson]

Emma, I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I admire your interviewing skills. I've seen interviews with Bart Ehrman all over the internet and many of them either ask long, complicated questions; longer than the answers, or they talk over him as he's trying to give his answer. You ask a succinct question, then you let the man talk. That's skill and class.

[SillyVixen]

I was always dubious of the Exodus story in the Bible, but Prince of Egypt will always be in my heart.

[banba]

Not only is there ZERO evidence of the events in Exodus, at that time virtually all of the Levant was part of the Egyptian Empire. In fact, Egypt stretched all the way up to modern day Turkey.

[TheBunzinator]

I was once told by an American religious type that the restriction on garments of mixed cloth didn't apply to poly-cottons because polyester was a modern invention. He didn't like it when I suggested that by the same logic, the second amendment only refers to muskets and flintlock pistols.

[DrElementary]

Odd thing to post about, but thanks for not using the auto-generated closed captioning. Some channels rely on those and they can be weird to follow. Being able to read your proper captioning is very helpful. Thank you!

[Beanits]

Bart is always a pleasure to see on this channel! His happy demeanor is contagious

[ziploc]

One question about the Exodus I've heard asked is, how did they manage to take so long and get so lost on such a short journey? A short trip down the coast and they'd have been there in a couple of weeks walking. The ones at the front would arrive before the ones at the back had left Egypt.

[goatsiahthelegend]

Every time I see Dr Bart Ehrman I get excited and there’s always something new to write down! I do love seeing the breakdown of Abrahamic mythology so eloquently.

[roiaknin]

Such interesting topic! Thanks so much for covering it!
As an Israeli who's considered Jewish (though I'm an atheist), we're brought up learning all these stories as some absolute truths, and it took me years to start learning it more thoroughly and understand how farfetched they are from reality.
I absolutely love when you have Bart on here.
Just one note, according to the book, Moses' name was given to him by the Pharaoh's daughter who rescued him and adopted him. So having an Egyptian name does make sense. Also, there's an Hebrew explanation to the name in the story, she called him that because she pulled him out of the water. (It makes sense in Hebrew because "Moses" and "I pulled him" are from the same word family in Hebrew. Why would she speak Hebrew though? No clue)

[bxoit]

In parallel with the words now referred to as "ten commandments", we also find "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

[JacyJ]

I was taught that the name Moses (Moshe) came from the Hebrew phrase “min ha mayim mishiseehoo “ (from the water I drew him). These are Hebrew words (which, oddly were spoken by the person from the kingdom of Pharaoh, ) so this was a Hebrew phrase spoken by an Egyptian. But the name Moses has a Hebrew origin

[AmericanShia]

This video is an excellent preview for the upcoming course. I've been wanting to get Dr. Bart Ehrman's take on the Exodus for years. Though raised Roman Catholic, I came to Fundamentalist Christianity at age 17 in the late 1970s. Don't ask me why! 😁 I had been fan of Science Fiction, an amateur astronomy, and a history buff previously. Later in life, at age 39, many of the things Dr. Ehrman discusses about Jesus Christ and the New Testament led me to become a 12er Shi'ite Muslim in the classic mode ... anti-Imperialist, not much interest in political or military power, defensive warfare only with limits, and no compulsion in religion. I never was talked out of my belief in one gracious, merciful, just and loving God. However, while I think there was a historical figure that became the the Moses of the Bible, I can't buy the supposed historical precision of the Bible. I believe the first five books contain some of the teachings of the historical figure Moses. But, there is a lot of added material as well.

Personally, my outlook is very Libertarian as far as personal freedoms are concerned. However, as long as the government doesn't get to big, I support social programs to help the needy and to improve their position.

Not only Jews and Christians but Muslims ought to consider Dr. Ehrman's scholarly work. Most of the nonsense in Islam comes from later traditions and imperialist takes on the Quran. The Quran itself says some passages should not be taken literally. That's why I think that Christians and others ought to learn about what the Bible really is. I believe there was a historical Moses, a historical Jesus, and a historical Muhammad. However, I don't think any of them would be happy with the state of the Abrahamic faiths today.

Have a happy holiday season. I am subscribed to your channel.

[RandyWinn]

One thing that never made sense to me is Pharoah's reaction to Moses making demands and threats over and over. Any other tyrant would have Moses beheaded at the first bit of sass. It makes for a fun story but is not plausible as history.

[russellsanders]

Curious on how people don't consider Moses being more of a title than a name. Also the similarities of Moses and Anubis as to how they were both placed in the Nile River and pulled out or saved by a foster mother figure. Also Curious is on how the mythical version of Hercules went through very similar that make you go

[jaebird]

Great stuff Emma. I like listening to Bart he seems very enthusiastic

[sofiatgarcia]

I clicked on this video the moment I saw Dr. Ehrman was being interviewed. You two do great collaborative videos. Always interesting and fun.

[today]

Yay Dr Bart is back! And on my favourite book of the Bible. Hallelujah 👏 👏 👏

[desperadox]

It's so great that Dr Ehrman takes time for people like you & me.👍