One of the most devastating errors is something that is almost universally believed but “not true.” David Roll has the courage to challenge the orthodox views of Egyptology and has a clear reason to bring new thinking to the subject. The results are spectacular and highly controversial.
In his book The Test of Time: The Bible—From Myth to History and related Channel 4 documentaryRöhl exposed the circular reasoning that underlies Egyptology. Specifically, he proved that:
- Egyptologists Used the Bible to Date Biblical History
- They used the unique connection between the Bible and Egyptian history to date Egypt.
- They then used that chronology and the archaeological system that grew out of it to discredit the Bible.
This highly irrational thinking is at the heart of Egyptian, and indeed all ancient archaeological, research, because all other nations in the records of the Ancient Near East tend to be dated with reference to Ancient Egypt. Rohr identifies the source of the error with Ancient Egypt's Third Intermediate Period, a turbulent period with multiple rulers and overlapping reigns, and points to an erroneous correlation between the biblical record and the archaeological record as the crux of the problem.
In this discussion, David Roll examines the work of leading Egyptologists. Kenneth Kitchen; the history of Ramses II, who was not the Pharaoh of the Exodus, the important events of Jericho, the Exodus, and the history of Joseph in Egypt.
Rohr argues that the Exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Israel, if dated precisely to the Middle Bronze Age (MBIIa), is clearly visible in the archaeological record.
He also describes the reaction of scholars, churches, and other institutions to his challenge to orthodox views. With the exception of a few younger scholars, the reaction has been largely negative, dismissive, and often hostile. But David Rohr's ideas have resisted such attacks and continue to inspire new thinking, new research, and new interest in the subject.
