3. The Exodus and the (I'i/f/crHrM.— The Exodus was the natural revolt of a pa.storal people against compulsory brick-making and building, against a • C(. On 1S1» J (AbrahimiV aJ*" J (Im*c). 37" J (Jacob).
system which involved a reckless expenditure of the lives of the work ' '" . - .
p. 47511'. In tho ear leader is Moses, in the later (P) his leadership ia
men ; cf. Erinan, A nc. Egypt, 9. 47511'. In tho earlier sources (JE) the Israefita
somewhat obscured by the fact that Aaron is con- stantly co-ordinated with him. The plagues, eight in number in JE (the lice c"; kinniin or CiJ kinnCim, Ex 8'" [8'- Heb.], and the boils JT.y shiltin, 9", being due to P), are the means of forcing Pharaoh s consent. It is noteworthy that Foreign War is not reckoned among the plagues. The theory, therefore, that the Libj-an invasion in the reign of Merenptah facilitated the Exodus, receives no support from the bililical accounts.
With the pas.sage of the ' Ked Sea' (see ExODUS AND JOUKNEV TO CANAAN, vol. i. p. SO'J) we arrive at contemporary history. In Ex 15''""(Mo8es'Song) ' we seem,' ace. to Dillm. and Driver (/.O7'''30), ' to hoar Moses himself speaking ' ; and the latter, while p<jinting out certain redactional additions, writes, ' Probably the greater part of the song is Mosaic' The Passage of the Sea must retain its place among the best attested facts of history ; no argument drawn from the silence of later docu- ments can weigh against this contcnipo'iry attestation. Moreover, as Kittel well iioints ouc (Gesihiehte, i. 206), this event lends support on the one side to the story of a sojourn in Egypt, on the other to the story of Wilderness wanderin><.
Early accounts (Nu 14^ JE, cf. Am o') reckon the period of the Wandering at forty years. Of the events which marked it very little is known. One thing, however, is clear. Israel was not ready at the Exodus for the immediate conquest of Canaan (Ex 13" E, Nu 14^- *"■ JE, Ut 1'-'').
The Mosaic Religion. — During these forty years some organization based on religion, and mainly of a religious character, was given to Israel (Ex Igat. 193_04» E and J). A 'covenant' was made between J" and the people, and the foundation stone of Israel's nationality was thereby laid (Ex 34H)--.-7 Y, or J). Israel professed Isltlm (resignation to God) and prepared lor a Jihad (a war of con- quest undertaken in the name of God). Moses was a pre - Christian Mohammed with a more fruitful revelation in his hand.
So far all is clear, what, however, were the exact contents of the revelation given by Moses ! The two passages of Exodus referred to at>ove (iy-24'* and 34'"-'') contain very ancient (probably Mosaic) material, but the relation between the two passages is uncertain (cf. Driver, LO'l"* jip. 39, 40), and the limitj* of what is ancient are subject to much dispute. Critics are not even agreed as to the identity of the Ten ' Command- ments' (:"!" dihhdriiii, 'wonis') which seeiu to be the foundation of the written I^iw, and Well- hausen has discovered in Ex 34 ' Ten Words ' of mainly ceremonial contents to dispute tho title of ' The Ten Words ' with Ex 20""".
Two ' Words,' however, are found in both the rival Decalogues: (1) Jehovah alone is Israel's God ; (2) molten images may not be made. It seems most rea.sonalile to say that the principles of the Mosaic religion were .Monotheism (a per- sonal relation of one God to Isiael), and a Hepudiation of image - worship as likely to en- tangle the peoiile in [Kilytheism like that of EgJ'pt. (See, further, Kittel, 'iijnhiehit, i. 246 11.).
4. The I 'viiiiU'Vt of C'un/mii.— That Israel ob- tained a linn looting cast of .Ionian liofore enter- ing Western Palestiiio is generally acknowleilgtHl. The war against Silion, however (Nu 21"-* JE, according to some E, cf. Dt 2*"-). ba.-* U'cn oues- tiimed, and the ancient stmg (Nu 21''-*) hius l>ecn referreil to a war of Isniel against Moab in th« 9th cent. It is imire natural, however, to lind ii the song early testimony to » victorious war tJ
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ISRAEL, HISTORY OF
ISRAEL, HISTORY OF
the Amorite against the Moabite, followed by a war of retribution waged by Israel, Muab's kins- man, against the victor. Such a war as the latter could have taken place only iu very early times such as those of Moses. (See G. A. Smith, IIGIIL, Appendix III.). The war against Og, the king of Bashan (Nu 21'"'-, Dt S'-"), is not equally well attested. See also Jair, Havvotii-Jaiu.
Of the conquest of Western Palestine we possess two early accounts. The lirst of tliese is con- tained in Jos •2'-ll'; it is the narrative of JE (J and E cannot, be accurately separated) broken and expanded by additions from a Deuteroiioiiiic Redactor (D-) and Irom P. This naiTative of .IE contains all the well-known features, such as the reception of the spies by Kahab, the drying up of the waters of Jordan, the capture of Jericho, the tresjiass of Achan, the two attacks on Ai, the treaty with the Gibeonites, and the battles of Betli-horon and of the waters of Merom. Joshua appears as the successor of Moses and as the leader of the whole people. The conquest is re- presented as the work of united Israel, and its course, save for the repulse at Ai, is uniforml}' successful. On the other hand, generalizing passages, e.q. \0'^'" ('all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time,' v.^-') and Ijio-a (<go Joshua took the whole land. . . . And the land rested from war,' v.*') are assigned to D-.