Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition

In his pathbreaking Israel in Egypt James K. Hoffmeier sought to refute the claims of scholars who doubt the historical accuracy of the biblical account of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt. Analyzing a wealth of textual, archaeological, and geographical evidence, he put forth a thorough defense of the biblical tradition. Hoffmeier now turns his attention to the Wilderness narratives of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. As director of the North Sinai Archaeological Project, Hoffmeier has led several excavations that have uncovered important new evidence supporting the Wilderness narratives, including a major New Kingdom fort at Tell el-Borg that was occupied during the Israelite exodus. Hoffmeier employs these archaeological findings to shed new light on the route of the exodus from Egypt. He also investigates the location of Mount Sinai, and offers a rebuttal to those who have sought to locate it in northern Arabia and not in the Sinai peninsula as traditionally thought. Hoffmeier addresses how and when the Israelites could have lived in Sinai, as well as whether it would have been possible for Moses to write down the law received at Mount Sinai. Building on the new evidence for the Israelite sojourn in Egypt, Hoffmeier explores the Egyptian influence on the Wilderness tradition. For example, he finds Egyptian elements in Israelite religious practices, including the use of the tabernacle, and points to a significant number of Egyptian personal names among the generation of the exodus. The origin of Israel is a subject of much debate and the wilderness tradition has been marginalized by those who challenge its credibility. In Ancient Israel in Sinai, Hoffmeier brings the Wilderness tradition to the forefront and makes a case for its authenticity based on solid evidence and intelligent analysis.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Kenneth A. Kitchen Abbreviations Chronological Charts The Wilderness Tradition The Wilderness Tradition and the Historian of Religion Sinai: The Great and Terrible Wilderness The Geography of the Exodus: Ramesses to the Sea The Location of the Re(e)d Sea The Mountain of God From Egypt to Mt. Sinai: Traveling and Living in the Wilderness The Sinai Legislation Israel's Desert Sanctuary Egyptian Personal Names and Other Egyptian Elements in the Exodus-Wilderness Narratives The Wilderness Tradition and the Origin of Israel Notes Index Photo gallery

About the Author :
Professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology, Trinity International University. He is the author of Israel in Egypt (OUP 1997).

Review :
"Egyptologist and ancient Near Eastern scholar, James K. Hoffmeier, has produced an important work for the ongoing study of Israel's wilderness traditions. It is an excellent example of the integration of archaeology, philology, religion, history and biblical studies by a scholar who has demonstrated over the years his outstanding abilities in all these matters. While it gives an up-to-date accounting of what is known about Israel's wilderness traditions, it makes important contributions to the study of the toponymy and history of ancient Egypt's eastern frontier, as well as that of ancient Sinai. There can be no doubt that this volume will become the standard work in these areas for years to come." --K. Lawson Younger, Jr., co-editor of Mesopotamia and the Bible: Comparative Explorations "Biblical Scholarship and Egyptology are brought together with uncommon skill in this important study. The book contains a wealth of evidence which is as fascinating as it is well-researched." --Richard H. Wilkinson, Professor and Director, Egyptian Expedition, The University of Arizona "As the director of numerous archaeological surveys in North Sinai and current excavations at Tell el-Borg, James Hoffmeier is one of the world's foremost authorities on Egypt's northern border defenses during the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069 B.C.). Any new work of his will be read with interest by Egyptologists and biblical scholars alike." -- Ellen F. Morris, Department of Classics, Ancient History, and Egyptology, University of Wales Swansea "Hoffmeier furnishes a sophisticated fresh approach to the Biblical Exodus traditions filled with detailed Egyptological background, and utterly indispensable because of its basis in recent, and in many cases as yet unpublished, archaeological data. This is a virtual encyclopedia of the Exodus." -- Baruch Halpern, Chaiken Family Chair in Jewish Studies, Penn State