Exodus Ed... · Title: Exodus Author: Spaeth Created Date: 3/17/2015 10:10:58 AM

A Guide for the Perplexed:

Exodus

Deacon Mark Koscinski

St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church

Hillsborough NJ

March 15, 2015

Why Do We Read the OT?

These things happened to them

as examples and were written down

as warnings for us, ...

So, if you think you are standing firm,

be careful that you don't fall!

- 1 Cor. 10:11,12 NIV

Source: somehelpful.info/OT/Exodus.ppt

Why Do We Read Exodus?

We are Byzantine

Catholics. Why do we look

at Exodus?

We see the Face of Christ

in the Old Testament.

He is present in this Book.

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Christ in Exodus

The Cross—Moses holding out his arms in the

form of the cross during the battle with Amalek

and the parting of seas.

Baptism-coming up out of the water to new life.

The Temple and ritual--Our churches resemble

the Temple.

The proper reverence of sacred icons.

Timeless law that we must obey.

What does Exodus Mean?

Exodus means departure or leaving.

For the Israelites, it was departure

from the Slavery of Egypt.

For us, it is the departure from the

Slavery of Sin.


The Pentateuch

1. Genesis –The Beginning

2. Exodus—the Delivery from Slavery

3. Leviticus—the Book of Laws

4. Numbers—A history of the Wandering

5. Deuteronomy—the farewell discourse of Moses

Was it really forty years in the desert? Forty is used in the

Bible to mean a long time. For instance, it rained for forty days

and forty nights; Jesus was in the desert for forty days, etc.

The First Five Books of the

Bible Cover….

From the Creation

Until Moses’ death

Moses was not allowed to enter

the Promised Land

There is a Jewish tradition he was

taken directly to heaven

Which is why he appears with Elijah at the Transfiguration.

When was the Exodus?

No one is completely certain.

Estimates are from 1500 BC to 1200 BC

Important tidbit:

Jews were given leeway in the practice

of their religion since it was an ancient

as the Roman religion.

Rome was founded in 753 BC. The religion of the Jews

predated even the Roman Republic and their false Gods.

When Do We Read

Exodus?

It is integral to our preparation for

the Paschal season.

Exodus is read during Holy Week.

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Exodus Outline

Ex. 1

Slavery of the Israelites

A new pharaoh

Ex. 2-4

• Moses

He has an Egyptian name

A truly human figure

Sometimes strong, sometimes weak

Unsure of his speaking ability

Outline source: somehelpful.info/OT/Exodus.ppt

Exodus Outline

Ex. 5-12

10 plagues

1st Passover and the exodus

Ex. 13-18

Journey from Egypt to Mt. Sinai

Where is Mt. Sinai?

There is a monastery on the traditional

site

But in truth, no one is quite sure

The Monastery on Mt. Sinai is St. Catherine’s.

Exodus Outline

Ex. 19-31

The Law given on Mt. Sinai

The beginning of the nation of Israel

Ex. 32

Idolatry (golden calf) and punishment

Are there Ten Commandments? Actually, no. The first five

books of the Bible have 613. In fact, there are two different

versions of the Ten Commandments. Can you find them?

Exodus Outline

Ex. 33-34

Regiving of the Law on Mt. Sinai

Ex. 35-40

Moses instructs Israel

Tabernacle constructed—the beginning of

the Temple.

Priestly robes and other ritual objects made

The Ark of the Covenant was contained in a tent like structure.

This was the Tabernacle. Later, Solomon built the Temple for

it.

Schematic of the Tabernacle 14

source: somehelpful.info/OT/Exodus.ppt

What commands to obey

Timeless moral commands (mentioned in

both the O.T. & N.T and reaffirmed by

Jesus.

Other revealed commands (unique to the

N.T., but given by Jesus and the apostles)

Exclude obsolete O.T. commands

(those not repeated in the N.T., like

circumcision, animal sacrifices, visiting

Jerusalem three times each year, not

working on Saturdays, etc.)


Falsehood of Idolatry

Most of the 10 plagues made one or more

Egyptian gods lose face

This helped both Israelites and Egyptians

see that Yahweh was the one true God

Golden calf incident in Ex. 32


Plagues attack on gods

Plague Egyptian god attacked

Nile turned Khnum: guardian of the Nile

to blood Hapi: spirit of the Nile

Frogs Heqt: frog god

Plague on cattle Hathor: cow god

Apis: bull of god Ptah

Mnevis: sacred bull




Hail Nut: sky goddess

Isis: goddess of life

Seth: protector of crops

Locusts Isis: goddess of life

Seth: protector of crops




Darkness Re, Aten, Atum, Horus

(all Sun gods of sorts)

Death of firstborn The deity of Pharaoh

Osiris: the giver of life


Science Says…

There are explanations for all of

these plagues.

The River Nile turned red

occasionally due to contamination.

It caused the frogs to leave the

water. They died and insects began

to feed on the frogs….

The miracle was not so much the

event, but the TIMING.

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Moses and Icons

The Ark of the Covenant

Cherubim on the Ark

Manna and his Staff

The Tablets of the Commandments

Images on the Curtain

The Bronze Serpents

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Special Thanks to….

somehelpful.info/OT/Exodus.ppt

Several of the slides were adapted from this outstanding website. We are indebted to the author for his outstanding scholarship.

Suggestions? [email protected]

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Exodus Ed... · Title: Exodus Author: Spaeth Created Date: 3/17/2015 10:10:58 AM