I contacted a University Professor to ask him for some sources for a History of Egypt. I told him that I was taking a group from Harvest to Egypt to learn about the biblical narrative of Israel in Egypt, so I wanted to study the historical background of the place. His response was that there is a lot of debate over the truth of Israel being in Egypt as slaves building the cities of Ramses as the text describes. Neither archaeology nor extra-biblical history give evidence of these events. Instead, the findings so far indicate that Pharaoh didn't use slaves, nor is their any evidence that Israel left Egypt as the biblical text indicates.
So how does a Bible student handle this kind of issue: when science does not confirm the biblical story, or even seems to contradict it (a 6-day Creation vs. evolution, when history or archaeology seem to contradict the biblical story)? I have concluded that when science contradicts the Bible the Christ follower tests the science (difficult when you're not a Scientist), tests the understanding of the Biblical texts (could we have interpreted them incorrectly?), and then, having done both, wait! Yes, wait. Study, pray, wait.
I can't understand all the sciences, so its difficult for me to do a good job with step #1 (test the Science), my training is in biblical study, but my study is limited too. So the third step should come more easily, but somehow it doesn't.
I read a great article from the archives of Biblical Archaeological Review about the historical truth of the stories of the Patriarchs. We don't have any evidence outside of the Bible for the existence of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, or Joshua. So what DO we know?
The author states: "But the absence of the names of the patriarchs in the extra-Biblical historical record is, in itself, inconclusive: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. What the future {of historical or archaeological discovery} will bring we cannot know, except that it will be full of surprises."
The article demonstrates the consistency of the biblical stories with recent discoveries about the price of slaves during the time of Joseph (Genesis 37:28), the consistency with the covenants & treaties information that has been found from the Patriarchal era (e.g. Genesis 14:13). The article also sites the Geo-political situation of the era of the Patriarchs (12-1800 B.C.), the references to Egypt are consistent with the historical references. There are other areas the article mentions, but the point is that while the specifics of the stories are not confirmed by the evidence, and may never be, but when the stories are consistent with the times they claim to be from, we have a first step in extra-biblical proof.
Does faith need scientific evidence? Think about it.
