Background of Exodus

When interpreters move beyond the notion of a single author, such as MosesProphet who led Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land and received the law at Sinai More, writing in the manner of a reporter merely stating facts, then the background of Exodus becomes complicated. Some interpreters conclude that several complete narratives (now merged into one) existed behind the present composition. Such documents are given dates ranging from the early monarchy to the postexilic era. For example, the mountain and sanctuaryA sanctuary is the consecrated area around the altar of a church or temple. It also means a place of safety where one can flee for protection. In the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms, God is referred to as a sanctuary, a refuge from... More mentioned in Exodus 15:17 are understood to be Mount ZionZion originally referred to a mountain near Jerusalem where David conquered a Jebusite stronghold. Later the term came to mean a number of other things like the Temple, Jerusalem, and even the Promised Land. More and the TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More, forcing a date many centuries after Moses. Interpreters who posit an extended period of editorial activity recognize the reflection of the concerns of multiple eras in Israel. For example, the ebb and flow of leadership within the tribe of Levi is understood to reflect subsequent shifts within priestly hierarchies. In both cases the concerns of the exilic and postexilic periods for identity as the covenantal people of God are represented in the narratives in their present form. The story of the Exodus was retold to shape identity and practice in later eras and some of that recasting has entered into the canonical form of the foundational narrative itself.