Summary: Egyptologist David Rohl and Filmmaker Tim Mahoney discuss the two new books David has been writing under the combined title of Legendary Kings: The Real Bible Unearthed – Volumes One and Two.
The elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said, “Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” – I Sam 8: 4-9 (ESV)
Legendary Kings: The Real Bible Unearthed
TIM: It’s been a while since we sat down and had a chat, given the COVID pandemic, which has been ongoing now for considerably more than a year. So, what have you been up to since you last came to Minnesota?
DAVID: Well, I haven’t exactly been taking it easy. So much for any thoughts of enjoying a relaxing retirement! I have been busy writing two new books under the combined title of Legendary Kings: The Real Bible Unearthed – Volumes One and Two. I originally thought it would be just one volume … but it soon became clear that the material would need two volumes of 416 pages each – full colour hardbacks printed on high quality art paper with hundreds of color photos, maps, plans and charts, covering the biblical period from Judges all the way down to the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon.
TIM: What Is the current status of these Legendary Kings volumes?
DAVID: The first volume is ready to go to the printers and the second is more than half completed, as far as the writing goes, and should be ready some time in 2022.
TIM: I am assuming the contents will involve your New Chronology revision of the ancient timeline and how that relates to the Bible?
DAVID: Yes, that’s exactly it. In effect, it’s a continuation of my book Exodus – Myth or History? that Patterns of Evidence/Thinking Man published in 2015 to accompany your documentary movie ‘Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus’. I felt it was important to show clearly how the New Chronology brought biblical archaeology to life in the periods following the Exodus from Egypt … and including for the United monarchy era of Saul, David and Solomon.
TIM: That’s all very exciting. But I hear that’s not all you’ve been up to, and that there are a couple of projects in the pipeline for the next eighteen months or so.
DAVID: Yes. The first bit of news is that I have been offered a professorial teaching post at St. Petersburg Seminary and Yeshiva in St. Petersburg, Florida. I will be teaching an online course on Egypt and the Bible entitled ‘The Bible – Myth or History?’ starting this September (2021) and lasting for two semesters. It’s an online course (using Zoom conferencing) involving 27 weekly lectures followed by seminar discussions when students can ask questions about each lecture. The course is for audit, which means that there will be no exams or essays to write and no academic credit points. All enrolled students need to do is log in and enjoy the sessions … it’s open to anyone who has an interest in Biblical Archaeology and Ancient World History.
TIM: I guess we should think about providing Thinkers access to the lecture list (with topics) to see if readers of this interview would be interested in enrolling.
DAVID: That would be cool. Here is the list.
Fall Semester (2021): Section One: From Joseph to Joshua
Section Two: Egypt and its Chronology
Section One:
(1) The Israelites in Egypt (05 September 2021)
The Sojourn from Joseph to Moses. Joseph’s pharaoh. The Great Famine. The Israelite settlement at Avaris. Joseph’s palace and tomb. The slavery period. Moses as prince of Egypt. The events of Exodus. The Ipuwer Papyrus.
(2) In the Footsteps of Moses (12 September 2021)
The Miracle of the Sea. The journey to Mount Horeb. Evidence from the Sinai Peninsula. The location of Kadesh. Aaron’s tomb on Mount Hor.
(3) Hebrew Signs in the Desert (19 September 2021)
The origins of the Hebrew alphabet. The discovery of Proto-Sinaitic at Serabit el-Khadim. Deciphering the inscriptions. The words of Moses carved in stone.
(4) Conquest (26 September 2021)
The arrival of Joshua and the Israelite tribes in the Promised Land. The destruction of Jericho. The discovery of Ai. Joshua’s Long Day. King Jabin of Hazor. Joshua’s Covenant Stone at Shechem.
(5) The Great Exodus Debate (03 October 2021)
Where did the Miracle of the Sea take place and where is the Mountain of God? The Gulf of Akaba sea crossing theory. The Festival of the Unleavened Bread. Gebel el-Lawz and Gebel Makla. The Caldwell’s split rock.
(6) Against an 18th Dynasty Exodus (10 October 2021)
Why an Exodus in the mid-18th Dynasty is not tenable. Amenhotep II as Pharaoh of the Exodus. Amenhotep III as Pharaoh of the Conquest. Problems at Jericho. Cities of the Conquest.
Section Two:
(7) Ancient Egypt: An Introduction (Part One) (24 October 2021)
A background to Pharaonic Egypt’s dynastic history.
(8) Ancient Egypt: An Introduction (Part Two) (31 October 2021)
A background to Pharaonic Egypt’s dynastic history.
(9) Seeing Through the Eye of Horus (07 November 2021)
Understanding the landscape and environment of ancient Egypt.
(10) Conundrums of the Pharaohs (14 November 2021)
Explaining the Revised Chronology of Ancient Egypt.
(11) Shishak and Shoshenk: A Case of Mistaken Identity? (21 November 2021)
Who was the historical pharaoh behind the plundering of Solomon’s temple?
(12) Shiloh, Jericho, Gezer, and Shechem (28 November 2021)
Archaeological evidence for the Judges Period in the New Chronology.
(13) Who Were the Philistines? (05 December 2021)
Did the Philistines arrive in the reign of Ramesses III or, as the Bible states, much earlier?
(14) The Bible, Archaeology, and Scientific Dating (12 December 2021)
Radiocarbon Dating, Dendrochronology, and Astronomy.
Spring Semester (2022): Part Three: The Monarchy Period
Part Four: The History and Geography of Genesis
Part Five: Early Christianity in Europe
Section Three:
(15) Saul – The First King (06 February 2022)
How the Amarna Letters cast new light on the Hebrew revolt against Philistine oppression. King Saul’ reign-length. Asked for by the people. The Philistine seranim. The capture of Gibeah and Michmash. Jonathan and David. The Battle of Gilboa.
(16) The Amarna Period and Solar Yahwism in the Israelite Monarchy (13 February 2022)
Monotheism and the Light of the World. The Amarna pharaoh’s and their genealogies. Psalm 104 and the Hymn to the Aten.
(17) David – The Conqueror (20 February 2022)
The rise of Israel in Egypt’s 19th Dynasty. David’s northern conquests. The taking of Jerusalem. The Merneptah Stela. Israelite chariots in the Karnak war reliefs. David as ally of Egypt. The Battle of Kadesh and the Nearin. A marriage alliance and treaty.
(18) Pharaoh’s Daughter (27 February 2022)
Who was the pharaoh who gave his daughter to be Solomon’s queen? Solomon’s Gezer dowry. The Temple of Solomon. The palace and tomb of Pharaoh’s Daughter. The rift between Pharaoh’s Daughter and Solomon. The enmity of Egypt towards Solomon’s successor.
(19) Solomon – The Merchant Prince (06 March 2022)
The archaeology of Samaria, Megiddo, and Hazor in the New Chronology and King Solomon’s reign.
(20) The 20th Dynasty in Egypt (13 March 2022)
How a new Egyptian chronology accounts for the anomalies of the biblical Iron Age.
(21) The Divided Monarchy (20 March 2022)
From the Schism to the sack of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II. The chronology of the Israelite and Judahite kings. The Arameans. The Neo-Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians.
Section Four:
(22) In Search of Eden (03 April 2022)
The geography of Paradise and its fabled garden.
23) The Great Flood and the Tower of Babel (10 April 2022)
Mesopotamian flood traditions. The Mountain of the Descent. Nimrod and the Tower of Babel.
(24) The Dispersion of the Nations (17 April 2022)
The descendants of Noah – Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. Discoveries in Egypt’s Eastern Desert. The iconography of Mesopotamian influence in early pharaonic Egypt.
Section Five:
(25) The Way of the Cross (24 April 2022)
The arrival of Early Christianity in Rome. The site of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus. Christian refugees arriving in France. Joseph of Arimathea and the legend of the Holy Grail. Palatium Britannicum. The first Bishop of Rome. Paul and Peter and their burial places.
(26) Sangreal (01 May 2022)
The Romano-Spanish tradition of the Cup of Christ. Saint Lawrence and the Holy Grail. The Grail Castle at San Juan de la Peña. Alfonso the Battler and Anfortas Rex. Sir Percival and Rotrou the Great. The Santo Caliz in Valencia Cathedral.
(27) The Bible – Myth or History? (08 May 2022)
Course Summary.
DAVID: I should have said that the lecture sessions are on Sundays at 11am Eastern Time … is that what you call it? For me in Spain it will be 5pm (Central European Time), with the lectures lasting about an hour and with an additional thirty minutes or so for Q & A.
If a prospective students isn’t already enrolled in the seminary, they will need to email Claire R. Frisbee and she will send the necessary forms: office.stpeteseminary@gmail.com. The application fee is $25. The course fee is $360 per semester. The course names and numbers are as follows:
BIE 5853: ‘The Bible – Myth or History? – How archaeology and the New Chronology bring the Tanakh (Older Testament) out of the shadows and into the light of history, part 1’.
BIE 5863: ‘The Bible – Myth or History?’ – How archaeology and the New Chronology bring the Tanakh (Older Testament) out of the shadows and into the light of history, part 2’.
TIM: You mentioned that there were a couple of events coming up … so, what’s the other one?
DAVID: The second event is a spectacular cruise up the River Nile from Cairo to Luxor, visiting all the important sites, while I give a series of lectures, again related to Egypt and the Bible. This once-in-a-lifetime adventure involves a 13-day journey in one of Egypt’s 5-star luxury cruisers, with some amazing things to see, many with important biblical connections, which have been directly featured in past Patterns of Evidence movies and will no doubt be in your future documentary films. The cruise is scheduled for September 2022, so hopefully long after Covid-19 restrictions are a thing of the past. Needless to say, all boat staff, guides, coach drivers and travel agents will have been vaccinated.
TIM: Let us know more details in the future, closer to the 2022 cruise dates.
DAVID: Sure, I’ll send details to you.
TIM: When will you be coming back to the USA? Do you have any plans?
16: DAVID: Well, I am planning a lecture in the UK for 2023 and I am starting to put together a study tour of the Holy Land focussing on the Old Testament sites … to see first-hand, the evidence presented in the Legendary Kings books. That will probably take place in September 2023. So, I am not sure when I will be crossing the pond to visit the USA. Make me an offer of something interesting to do and I’ll consider it!
TIM: Good to talk to you again, David, … and great that we could record the conversation so that our Thinkers could have the opportunity to catch up with all your work and plans.
See David Rohl’s lecture series.
TOP PHOTO: Investigate filmmaker Timothy Mahoney and Egyptologist David Rohl on location in St. Paul, Minnesota during filming of Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus. (Copyrighted Patterns of Evidence LLC 2011)
NOTE: Not every view expressed by scholars contributing Thinker articles or being interviewed necessarily reflect the views of Patterns of Evidence. We include perspectives from various sides of debates on biblical matters so that readers can become familiar with the different arguments involved. – Keep Thinking!
