Ridley Scott recreates ancient Egypt, perhaps fudging or blundering the dates of Jewish enslavement there, and pits Christian Bale as Moses vs. Joel Edgerton as Pharoah, with Ben Kingsley as the one who recognizes “The Chosen One.” Or in this case, the “First” chosen one. “Exodus” looks pretty good, even if it covers the same ground as earlier films.
“Perhaps fudging or blundering the dates of Jewish enslavement there”….
Well, no. The story of Jewish enslavement and liberation from Egypt is not an historical event,supported by any external evidence, but a founding myth, probably written during the Babylonian exile::
To quote wikipedia,
“The purpose of the book is not to record what really happened, but to reflect the historical experience of the exile community in Babylon and later Jerusalem, facing foreign captivity and the need to come to terms with their understanding of God.[14]
For a rabbi exploring this subject and why he doesn’t think it tmatters::
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Judaism/2004/12/Did-The-Exodus-Really-Happen.aspx
Yes, thanks. I read Simon Schama’s “The History of the Jews” after posting that, based on the trailer.