Documentary on Evidence for the Exodus
This coming Monday night (January 19), in select theaters across the country, there will be a one-time showing of a documentary exploring the evidence for the Exodus. Joe Carter reviewed Patterns of Evidence for the Gospel Coalition, saying:
The film won’t convince any Biblical minimalists, and even many Bible believers will remain skeptical. But the documentary itself is quite an achievement and worthy of consideration.
Mahoney’s “pattern of evidence” suggests the events of Exodus likely did not occur in the Egypt’s New Kingdom under Pharaoh Ramesses II. Instead, Mahoney makes the case that the modern view of the chronology of Egyptian history is off by about 200 years. Once that gap is corrected, the evidence (scarce though it may be) lines up more closely with the Biblical account….
[D]espite being made for a niche audience, Patterns is one of the most well-crafted documentaries released in years. Audiences have become so accustomed to seeing low production values in “Christian” films that it’s rather shocking to see a work of such high quality. Mahoney is a filmmaker of such considerable skill that it’s almost worth watching his film simply to admire the craftsmanship.
Mahoney also shows how to present a particular point of view—even a contrarian one—in a way that is fair-minded and compelling. He allows skeptics almost equal time to explain why they disagree, and though he is convinced of his findings, he never oversells the evidence. He trusts the audience enough to let us judge for ourselves what to make of the “patterns.”
Read the rest of his review here. It sounds like the documentary argues for the earlier 1446 BC date for the Exodus (the position I hold). I heard some of the evidence for that date while I was in the apologetics program at Biola, and it was definitely intriguing.
You can search for theaters and order tickets here. The pre-show starts at 6:30, the documentary at 7:00, then they’ll show a half hour panel discussion (with Eric Metaxas, Dennis Prager, and others) afterward.
