Abstract
The article shows, that the stories of the Patriarchs as well as the Exodus-story are allochthonous traditions of origin. We find comparable stories in the neighboring cultures of Israel. Egypt as origin of human culture was of utmost importance in the Levant. Herodotus reports a myth of origin of the Phoenicians which is of particular interest in this respect. As far as it can be seen there are affinities between this tradition and the Exodus motif from the Hebrew Bible. This raises the question if we should read the Biblical traditions as part of the comprehensive cultural context of the Levant.
Highlights
The biblical texts are today far more cautiously used for the reconstruction of the origins of Israel than 50 years ago
We find comparable stories in the neighboring cultures of Israel
Egypt as origin of human culture was of utmost importance in the Levant
Summary
The biblical texts are today far more cautiously used for the reconstruction of the origins of Israel than 50 years ago This is the case in the realm of the Exodus tradition. Even the earliest extra-biblical mentioning of Israel (1209 BC) in the stele of Pharaoh Merneptah refers only to a group of people resident in Palestine (see Weippert 2010:170) without suggesting a former relationship to Egypt. Another problem with the biblical information about the Exodus is its diversity:. Rather, to add more problematic aspects to the inconsistent testimonies which advise more caution in identifying the Exodus motif with concrete historical situations
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