SUMMARY: The new film Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle will be asking some profound questions about the journey of Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt and across a sea on their way to Mount Sinai.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so. – Exodus 14:1-4 (ESV)
The Red Sea Miracle: Dramatic Portrayal of Epic Biblical Miracle
This is the second update in a series leading to the February 18th, 2020 release of Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle. This much anticipated follow-up to the first two Patterns of Evidence films (The Exodus and The Moses Controversy) will be featured in over 800 theaters across the US. The film delves into key questions related to the most important miracle connected to the Exodus – the Red Sea crossing.
In considering the Exodus event, however, scholars have long been divided over key questions. These include: “Was the Red Sea crossing a ‘small’ miracle that can be explained by naturalistic causes, or a ‘big’ miracle, devoid of naturalistic explanations?” Similarly, “Was the sea crossing through a small body of water such as one of the shallow lakes on the edge of Egypt’s Nile delta, or was it far from Egypt and across an incredibly deep sea such as the Gulf of Aqaba?”
Still other questions include, “How many people were actually involved in the Exodus? Was it a small number in the tens of thousands, or a large number in the millions?”
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle frames these issues and then turns to the biblical account to see which views fit the narrative best. The film dramatically recreates the biblical events, travels to the actual locations that have been proposed, and interviews leading scholars and personalities involved in the debate; testing claims from all sides.
The Red Sea Miracle: A Long Journey
This film is part of a long journey taken by investigative filmmaker Timothy Mahoney. It started back in 2002 when he traveled to Egypt to search for the route of the Exodus out of Egypt, looking for the site of the Red Sea miracle. Mahoney has been investigating this foundational biblical event ever since.
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. – Exodus 14:27-28 (ESV)
See this new clip from the upcoming release of Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle in theaters for a single evening Fathom event on February 18, 2020.
The Red Sea Miracle: The Two Approaches
During the investigation Mahoney was introduced to a broad range of opposing perspectives. Over time, he recognized that the differing views can be categorized as two basic approaches, but with varying degrees of overlap. The first perspective is what Mahoney refers to as the “Egyptian approach,” due primarily to its emphasis on Egyptian connections for biblical place-names.
In the Egyptian approach, the events of the Exodus are seen as happening on a small scale. This includes a relatively small number of Israelites, a crossing at a swampy lake near Egypt’s border, and involving naturalistic forces such as strong, but fully natural wind. In other words, this perspective sees the event as a small miracle. Mahoney notes that among scholars, this is by far the majority view.
The second perspective is what Mahoney refers to as the “Hebrew approach.” This approach tends to focus more heavily on the Bible’s full description of events, and on Hebrew meanings of biblical place-names. The line of thinking for these proponents is that since the Bible is written in Hebrew, and the story is of God’s deliverance of the Hebrews, it is natural to focus on the text as understood by the Hebrews.
The Hebrew approach involves an exodus out of Egypt of a vast amount of people numbering in the millions, traveling much further away from Egypt, and through the impossibly deep waters of the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba. This approach requires a big miracle only explainable by the intervening power of God. It sees all the events of the Exodus as occurring on a much larger scale. While not endorsed by mainstream scholars, this view is held by many conservative Bible believers.
Interestingly, there are a number of scholars that hold to a combination of both views! The question for Mahoney is, “Should the biblical narrative and the names of the locations be understood from an Egyptian or Hebrew perspective?”
The Red Sea Miracle: The Players and their Positions
Something that may be surprising to viewers of the two previous Patterns of Evidence films is that some scholars may line-up in categories different than what they have anticipated. For example, David Rohl is back once again. While Rohl has taken what many consider unorthodox or maverick positions in the last two films, in this one he will be arguing for a conventional view of the Exodus sea crossing. Although Rohl believes the Bible represents historical events, he doesn’t accept spectacular miracles.
Another example is archaeologist Bryant Wood from Associates of Biblical Research. Based on his proposals for the destruction of Jericho seen in the first film, viewers might expect Wood to hold to a more extraordinary “Hebrew” perspective. However, in his discussion with Tim Mahoney, he explains that he arrives at a smaller number of Hebrews, more consistent with the Egyptian perspective.
To help make sense of this interpretation, Mahoney seeks help from Old Testament Professor Jason S. DeRouchie, co-author of A Modern Grammar for Biblical Hebrew. DeRouchie clarifies the differences of interpretation in terms of the motivations involved in the different approaches. Some of his discussion touches on issues outlined in our previous Patterns of Thinking series. (See part 1 of the Patterns of Thinking series on biblical paradigms)
The Red Sea Miracle: Thinking Patterns and Helpful Reminders
The differences in perspectives serve as a reminder that viewers need to be on the lookout for problematic patterns of thinking. Even when a general approach is right, the details of a particular person’s view may have varying degrees of validity. As Thinkers, it is helpful to remember that we cannot simply categorize scholars as reliable or unreliable.
We should be striving to assess each idea on its own merits and not primarily on the personalities presenting it – whether they have a certain reputation, are likable, fit our favorite category, are connected or disconnected to our preferred tradition, etc. Thinkers need to be open to evaluating ideas based on criteria for sound thinking.
Mahoney believes that at the end of the day, the full account of the Bible has information that is often overlooked by many. But, when you deeply explore the events of the Bible and give it a chance to speak for itself, it might surprise you with the pattern it reveals.
We encourage all of our readers to be sound thinkers, and to join us at theaters one night only on Tuesday, February 18th for the release of Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle, the first part of a 2-part series. Invite your family, friends, small group, Bible study and congregation to experience an inspiring evening with never seen before Bible-affirming evidence. Tickets are available now. As the day approaches, let’s Keep Thinking!
Top Image: Timothy Mahoney and crew filming in Egypt. (© 2002 Patterns of Evidence, LLC.)
