Oral History in Egypt

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darinhouston
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Oral History in Egypt

Post by darinhouston » Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:35 pm

I just heard a sermon which made the point that the Israelites in Egypt had only a smattering of oral tradition about God and History and that they really knew no better than to follow the gods and ways of the Egyptians. And further that this basic ignorance was what Moses was "writing" into.

At least with respect to Genesis, I have always understood it to have been a rich oral tradition that was maintained strictly by the Israelites in their captivity, that they were at least trying to keep their faith in God and that Moses was mostly documenting that oral tradition.

That much of its structure and rhythm, etc., was designed to be used orally.

Thoughts?

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Homer
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Re: Oral History in Egypt

Post by Homer » Tue Oct 04, 2022 4:08 pm

Hi Darin,
I just heard a sermon which made the point that the Israelites in Egypt had only a smattering of oral tradition about God and History and that they really knew no better than to follow the gods and ways of the Egyptians. And further that this basic ignorance was what Moses was "writing" into.
What evidence was cited to support the theory in the sermon?

Homer

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darinhouston
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Re: Oral History in Egypt

Post by darinhouston » Tue Oct 04, 2022 10:35 pm

Homer wrote:
Tue Oct 04, 2022 4:08 pm
Hi Darin,
I just heard a sermon which made the point that the Israelites in Egypt had only a smattering of oral tradition about God and History and that they really knew no better than to follow the gods and ways of the Egyptians. And further that this basic ignorance was what Moses was "writing" into.
What evidence was cited to support the theory in the sermon?

Homer
It was a typical sermon. So, it was declaratory statement without evidence.

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mikew
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Re: Oral History in Egypt

Post by mikew » Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:52 pm

Somewhat contrary to the Israel people taking on the gods of Egypt, there is the Song of Moses that says in part about Jacob:
Deuteronomy 32:10–12 (ESV)
10“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions,
12the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him.

It seems that was an aspect God was trying to do for their initial move into the promised land. Being out shepherding in the earliest years gave them some isolation. Just late on they could have been exposed a bit more to the Egyptian religions, but maybe not with full access.

They did not know much about God yet but they had some history to cling to. They likely had knowledge of various details of history, even to the time of Adam, but possibly not fully accurate.

Anyhow, I had read this verse recently but had lost track of it. This discussion helped me track it down again.
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