The Attack on Israel You May Be Unaware of

As I am sure you are aware, Israel has been in the headlines lately. Many are greatly concerned and praying for the situation in the middle east. Our work here at The Biblical Chronologist and Truth in Time is necessarily intertwined with the nation of Israel in a big way.

While we have witnessed the attack on Israel in recent weeks, there is another attack on Israel that has been happening for almost a century that many are not even aware of. This attack is more subtle and even more devastating than the physical attacks that have taken place against this nation. It is the attack on their history. Israel has had their history robbed from them, and at this point, it has been completely obliterated.

That may not seem like a big deal at first glance, but in actuality, it is a very big deal for a number of reasons. Israel’s history is the most ancient, most detailed history of any culture or people group in the world. It is recorded in the most ancient documents in the world—what we call the Old Testament—within the canon of Scripture. It begins with Abraham in the book of Genesis, carries on through the narrative of the book of Exodus, into the conquest of Canaan in the book of Joshua, and so on.

Most scholars today agree that Israel’s history was invented, contrived, dramatized, and fabricated in an attempt of the Jews to create their own history. Here is just one example of this prevalent view by Rabbi Yair Hoffman:

“…there was no organized mass emigration, but rather a constant flow of thousands of people from different Semitic tribes who left Egypt, roamed the desert, slowly infiltrating the land of Canaan where they eventually formed a single nation.” ¹

The consensus of mainstream scholars and historians now is that Jewish history is anything but actually historical. Israeli archaeologist Ze’ev Herzog states:

“Exodus is a history that never happened.” ²

I will not continue with the examples, but you are free to do an internet search on the subject if you are in any doubt. For those in academia, this is not a new subject to place on the table and have a discussion about. This is settled, and has been buried for a long time. Anyone who mentions terms like “Genesis” or “Exodus” or “Moses” when referring to Israel’s history are immediately disregarded and even mocked.

Why would these scholars and historians be saying these things?

This attack not only affects Israel’s history, but it also deals a major blow to their faith and their identity, which is, of course, inseparable from their history.

Unfortunately, this situation goes from bad to worse.

The loss of Jewish history has not only negatively impacted Judaism, but also Christianity, and even Western Civilization as a whole. The Judeo-Christian ethic—based upon God’s law given to Moses at Sinai—now seems to be standing on thin air. John Van Seters (scholar of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East) says:

“The quest for the historical Moses is a futile exercise. He now belongs only to legend.” ³

If you don’t have a Moses, it is hard to have a Sinai. If you don’t have a Sinai, you don’t have the Ten Commandments and the law of God. If you don’t have God’s law, you don’t have the Judeo-Christian moral ethic. If you don’t have a Sinai, you don’t have the Old Covenant God made with His people. If you don’t have the Old Covenant, you don’t have the New Covenant… it’s pretty easy to see where this is going.

This quickly leads to questions such as: does the Judeo-Christian ethic, undergirding our very civilization, have any factual basis at all? If the Old Testament accounts are not factual history, then what do we do with the New Testament writers who actually believed these Old Testament accounts? I could go on.

Why are we in such a mess? What can be done about it? Answers are certainly needed. I hope you will listen in to the podcast as we discuss this important topic, and present real answers based on a real-world data, a desperately needed apologetic.

Let me lastly mention that we have introduced a new music feature in this month’s podcast. Music has always been an integral part of our family and ministry, and we love to sing the old hymns of the faith, full of Old Testament imagery. Two of our daughters join us in the studio to share the old familiar hymn, A Shelter in the Time of Storm.

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Footnotes

1. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/exodus-history-or-mythic-tale/
2. Quoted in Matthew Sturgis’ It Ain’t Necessarily So, pg. 74
3. Van Seters, John. “Moses.” The Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Eliade, Mircea. New York: Macmillan, 1987. 116.