Book Review - The Exodus by Richard Elliott Friedman

Issue 14

Author: Petros Koutoupis

For nearly two decades, I have been a fan of biblical scholar, Richard Elliott Friedman, and his work. So, when I found out about his most recent publication, The Exodus, I needed to obtain a copy and read it.

In order to appreciate this book, you need to be somewhat familiar with the Documentary Hypothesis. The Documentary Hypothesis is one of a few models used to describe the authorship of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Instead of the tradition where Moses wrote all five books, the Documentary Hypothesis proposes that the Pentateuch is a compilation of four independent documents over the span of multiple centuries: the Yahwist (J), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D) and Priestly (P) sources. Friedman has spent a long part of his career working with and adding to this hypothesis.

Switching back to his The Exodus publication, relying on the independent sources, Friedman closely examines the story and events of the Exodus. Each author or source pushes their own agenda and this is more apparent with Friedman’s research.

The author begins by giving the reader a recap of the Exodus story, followed by the history and the archaeological evidence surrounding it. From there, he sifts through the known literary and archaeological evidence for clues and from those clues be begins to build a theory. That theory is introduced early in the publication. The rest of the book puts that theory to the test by examining it through the lens of the Documentary Hypothesis (a high level explanation of the hypothesis is provided).

The author ends his research with a message: the ethical consequences of how to interpret the Exodus story in light of filtering it through the Documentary Hypothesis and the archaeological evidence. The most important message being: to treat aliens (i.e. outsiders) fairly for the Israelites themselves were once aliens in a foreign land.

Why? Why focus on something so specific as the Exodus of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land in Canaan? For both Jews and Christians, it matters. Every year, Jews all over the world observe their freedom from Egyptian slavery with a Passover celebration. To Christians, it marks the beginning of the most defining moment of Jesus Christ’s life. The story of the Exodus shapes both Jewish and Christian identity. Many themes in the Exodus story are present in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and offers an interesting and new theory on the history of the Exodus. This would make a great addition to any biblical scholar or student’s collection.

You can purchase a copy of The Exodus at Amazon.