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¥X®J¤Î°O²¤¶ (Exodus Intro) |
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I IntroductionThe second book among the Five Books of Moses--Torah (Pentateuch), Exodus relates the story of the liberation of Jacob¡¦s descendents from Egyptian bondage and the formation of Israel as ¡§a people of God¡¨. The Hebrew word ¡§Exodus¡¨ derives from the first few words of the prologue: ¡§These are the names¡¨, clearly abridges the genealogy in Genesis. Exodus also connects with Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in that these three following books record the details of the sacred ¡§Covenant¡¨ between God and the Israelites and the ¡§Law¡¨ upon which Israelites built her national identity. II Authorship Traditionally, the author of Exodus is attributed to Moses himself. Many believed that the great ¡§oral recitation¡¨ of the great event of ¡§Passover¡¨ experience over and over again by the Israelites to their succeeding generations is the foundation of Torah. III Historical Background Most conservative scholars believe the Hebrews left Egypt about 1446 B.C.. Some believed it was much later, around thirteenth century B.C.. Although there is no commonly accepted archaeological record, especially in Egyptian¡¦s historical record, some believed that ¡§ Ramsey the Great¡¨ is the Pharaoh in Exodus. IV Structure of the Book Exodus 1) Exodus 1:1-4:31 The preparation for Deliverance 2) Exodus 5:1-15:21 The Redemption of Israelites from Egyptian by God 3) Exodus 5:22-18:27 The Preservation of Israelites in the Wilderness 4) Exodus 19:1- 31:18 The Revelation of the ¡§Covenant¡¨ at Sinai 5) Exodus 32:1-40:38 The Response of Israel to the ¡§Covenant¡¨ V Theological Consideration The book of Exodus has exercised much influence over the faith of Israel, as well as Christian theology. The Bible¡¦s entire message of ¡§redemption¡¨ grows out of the covenant relationship between God and His chosen people first described in Exodus. Later in the Gospels, the ministry of Jesus repeats many theological themes which originated in the events acted by Moses in Exodus. For example:
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