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Nano-Historical Research Paper

The enslavement of the Jews in ancient Egypt is a very controversial topic in todays
world. The topic is so controversial that many people have gone on to say that the Jews were
never even actually enslaved. Most people would find that assumption completely insane since
the book of Exodus has a dozen chapters explaining that it did happen, but there are definitely
doubts surrounding the topic and what actually happened.
Recently many biblical scholars have been casting doubts on whether or not the Jewish
people were actually enslaved in Egypt, claiming the history may be wrong. The so-called
"Minimalists" deny that any of the biblical texts describing pre-Hellenist events are really
historical. The mere fact that Exodus describes this period at length offers no proof to the
skeptical mind (Carasik). According to the historical text, the beginning of the oppression started
after Joseph and his brothers along with Old King Pharaoh died and the children of Israel
multiplied. Because of the death of the king, a new king had ascended the throne. This new king
had no sympathy or love for the children of Israel and because of this decided to take action
against the growing influence of these people. He called his council together, and they advised
him to enslave these people and oppress them before they grew too powerful. This information
is provided in the Torah, actually the Torah devotes more than four books to the proposition that
the Israelites came to Canaan after having been subjugated in Egypt for generations, yet there is
no archaeological evidence to support they were ever even in Egypt (Sperling). A prolonged
Egyptian stay should have left Egyptian elements in the material culture, such as the pottery
found in the early Israelite settlements in Canaan, but there are none. In short, the traditions of
servitude in Egypt, the tales of the Israelites wandering in the desert, and the stories of the
conquest of the promised land all appear to be fictitious (Sperling). So the truth of whether or not

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there ever was Jewish enslavement in Egypt is one we do not know, we only know the stories
that have been written down in the Torah.
Biblical historian Robert Carroll has explained the discrepancy by pointing to a "northern
tradition of the Exodus," which was virtually unknown in the south. Between 920 and 720
B.C.E., the land of Israel was divided into two separate kingdoms, Judah in the south with its
capital at Jerusalem, and Israel in the north with its capital at Samaria. With the fall of Samaria to
the Assyrian rulers of Northern Iraq in 720 B.C.E., many northern Israelites found refuge in
Judah, bringing with them their native literature and traditions, among them the traditions of the
Exodus, which depicted the Israelite people as foreigners invading from Egypt. At the moment of
the Israelites' actual enslavement, the Pharaoh "who knew not Joseph" cites the first, political
reasonthat they are "more numerous and mightier than we." But this "current events"
explanation is treated so casually, in a verse or two, that it seems relatively unimportant. Instead,
it looks as if the author of Exodus took enslavement to be the inevitable consequence of the
stories in Genesisor, rather, the necessary background for the story of the plagues and the
deliverance that he knew must follow (Carasik). The belief of the enslavement is definitely a
strong one, but the evidence is just not there. Historically we have been told that the Jewish
people had gone through this exodus and struggle, but these explanations have only come from
religious texts. The evidence is not strong enough because really, there is none.
The only evidence we have relating to the Jewish enslavement is evidence stating that it
never happened. Associated Press Writer CAIROEgypt displayed on Monday newly
discovered tombs more than 4,000 years old and said they belonged to people who worked on
the Great Pyramids of Giza, presenting the discovery as more evidence that slaves did not build
the ancient monuments (Kratovac). The discovery of these tombs have pushed Egypts

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archaeology chief Zahi Hawass said that discovery and the latest finds show that the workers
were paid laborers, rather than the slaves of popular imagination. This statement and discovery is
only one piece of evidence placing the Hebrews away from Egypt and takes way from the theory
that the Jewish people actually were enslaved in Egypt. It is still an on going debate in todays
world and probably will continue to be for awhile to come. The people who believe in the
religious texts will most likely believe in the stories told in it, just as people who do not believe
the religious text will not believe the story especially because of the minimal and almost no
evidence to support it.

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Annotated Bibliography
Carasik, Michael. "Jewish Ideas Daily Daily Features Were the Israelites Enslaved in Egypt?"
Jewish Ideas Daily Daily Features Were the Israelites Enslaved in Egypt? N.p., n.d. Web. 21
Feb. 2016.

This source provides information relating to the question on whether or not the Jews were
enslaved in Egypt. Providing reasonings on why it could be true and why it could be
false. Michael Carasik, the author, is a professor of Biblical Hebrew at the University of
Pennsylvania making this a credible source.

Sperling, S. David. "Were the Jews Slaves in Egypt? | ReformJudaism.org." Reform Judaism.
N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.

. This source provides information on why the Jews were never slaves in Egypt, stating
that it is all fictional and gives reasonings in support. David S. Sperling is a Rabbi and
professor in New York at Hebrew Union College and works specifically in the academic
field of bible and cognate studies making this source a credible one.

"Israel's Enslavement." - Jewish History. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.

This source provides information regarding the story of the Jewish enslavement in Egypt
and the reasonings for it. Chabad.org is a credible source because it focuses on everything
relating to Judaism and the Hebrews.

Kratovac, Katarina. "Egypt: New Find Shows Slaves Didn't Build Pyramids." N.p., n.d. Web.

This source is a news story posted by the U.S. News reporting of proof on how slaves did
not build the pyramids in Egypt and that the Jews were never even in or around Egypt at

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the time. This is a news source making it credible.