Historical evidence for Moses.

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by Michael, Sep 8, 2008.

  1. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    The Moses Myth, Beyond Biblical History

    Research on the myth of Moses may not resolve anxieties about whether Moses existed, but it does suggest that across centuries and continents, Moses has retained strong links to written tradition and polemics about group identity.


    Interesting isn't it?
     
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  3. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    What I find most interesting is that just like the Jesus question, most poeple claiming to do research on it already have a belief and are out to bolster that belief.
    Just as whatever is offered as evidence by "researchers" on either side will be accepted blindly as proof by adherents on either side, and few, if any, will be convinced of anything - except the truth of their own beliefs.
     
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  5. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    I'm not sure if I get your post?

    Researchers may have differing beliefs, which are each expressed as hypothesizes. These which are then tested and either accepted or rejected - based on the evidence that is obtained.

    You don't find religous history interesting?
     
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  7. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    What's perhaps different between researchers and say a religous fundamentalist is the research is able to stop and say, oh, so it looks like earth is a lot older than 6000 years - a hell of a lot older. Good researchers change their opinion as new evidence is brought to light, or, as new theories better explain the evidence that is present. While an individual may never change their idea, the field as a whole will and does. In this way we get a clearer picture over time of the real history behind the myths.
     
  8. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    I find it extraordinarily interesting.
    There is little I find more interesting, in fact.
    Once my wife gets through school, I plan on retiring and going to school majoring in Comparative Religion with a focus on Antropology.

    In my experience, however, most of what is touted as religious history research is little more than justification of pre-concieved notions.

    People set out to prove that Moses existed and look for evidence that he did.
    Other people set out to prove that he did not and look for evidence to prove their point of view.

    The same thing goes for people who use this "research" to bolster arguments in debate.
    They discard what disagrees with what they believe, and tout what supports it.

    Few people actually set out looking for truth.
     
  9. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    Firstly, good luck on your ambitions.

    Secondly, it may be true for some researchers that they have a story to tell and they want the peaces to fit so that they can tell that story. That's not good science. And, I think it's unfair to suggest that's how all research is done. I'm sure that many diligent researchers truely are trying to uncover the truth.

    Case in point. Really, much of the first good Biblical research was done by German Protestant Christians who were fed up with the Catholic Church and decided to go around them and to the source - so they set off to do their own research. What they were looking for was the oldest a best text for the Bible, what they found was exactly the opposite. There was no evidence for Jesus. Many became non-Religious after that. I think we can safely say that this was not the story they had set out to tell! But, Nonetheless, those were the facts. They accepted this and continued to do good research.

    So, did they set out to find the truth they found? No. But they modified their hypothesis, made new theories and tried to get as close to the truth as possible.

    And that's what this post is about. People's search for the truth.

    Michael
     
  10. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    Thanks.

    I agree, and I did not say that all research is done, i am just expressing frustration that the majority of biblical research I have come across fits this.

    I'd love a link with the details of this story.

    How did the ones who remained Protestants try to gest as close to truth as possible?
    I don't understand that assessment.
     
  11. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    It's been such a long time I'm not sure exactly where I originally read that or maybe it was a BBC documentary? If you want to look into it, in essence, after Germans split with the Roman Catholics there was a belief that the Roman Catholics had corrupted the true word of God and so they set out to find the most ancient Biblical texts for themselves.
     
  12. rockguitarist89 Registered Member

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    People that rely on the Bible as their "evidence" to support their beliefs make me sad. An old saying goes "Whoever wins the war, writes history." Knowing this, my point is to say that there is always a spin on whatever you say, write, or do. Everyone is biased in their own way. It is a process that begins from the time you are born until the time you die. Minimalists and Maximalists are going to disagree because they are biased towards opposite views.
     

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