Lecture 8. Exodus: From Egypt to Sinai (Exodus 5-24, 32; Numbers)

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (RLST 145) with Christine Hayes

This lecture traces the account of the Exodus (and the origin of the Passover festival as a historicization of older nature festivals) and Israel's liberation from bondage under Pharaoh. The story reaches its climax with the covenant concluded between God and Israel through Moses at Sinai. Drawing heavily on the work of Jon Levenson, the lecture examines Ancient Near Eastern parallels to the Sinaitic covenant and describes the divine-human relationship (an intersection of law and love) that the covenant seeks to express.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Passover as a Historicization of Earlier Ritual Practices
06:51 - Chapter 2. The Exodus as a Paradigm for Collective Salvation
19:59 - Chapter 3. The Mosaic Covenant between God and Israel at Sinai
39:15 - Chapter 4. Patience with the Israelites: Towards the Promised Land

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu

This course was recorded in Fall 2006.