Moses Essay ⋆ History Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

If Abraham symbolizes the beginning of Israel through a covenant between the God of the Bible and Abraham’s descendants, then Moses symbolizes a second beginning for Israel through another covenant, more comprehensive and constitutional, between God and a coalition of Hebrew tribes. Moses is quite different from the earlier Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, and Joseph: He is a unique and towering figure, singularly set apart from the rest of Israel. Moses dominates the writing at the beginning of the Jewish scriptures. He is the leader of the “children of Israel” on their way to freedom from Egyptian slavery; he is the redoubtable consolidator of the motley band of Hebrew tribes; he is the mediator of the aforementioned covenant; he is the founder of biblical religion because of his knowledge of monotheism and the unique name of the God.

Yet for all of these monumental achievements history does not project an unequivocal image of him. Although scholars no longer routinely deny his existence, there is no evidence for him outside the Jewish Bible. Even within the Bible the picture of Moses is conflicted because perhaps it relies on complicated and ancient sources. It is best to consider his story a legend with historical roots that must be carefully sifted through. He is a difficult and ambiguous hero, according to the written accounts. He was a solitary leader, set apart from his very birth. His birth was strangely similar to other ancient heroes (Cyrus II of Persia and Sargon of Akkad): thrown into the river, miraculously rescued, adopted, and raised by powerful rulers. His genealogy shows his Hebrew origins and family, yet his very name is derived from Egyptian religious sources. The first part of his life shows privilege and education.

The second part of his life continues to show his alienation. His own first efforts to free the Hebrew slaves were rebuffed by his own people and prosecuted by the Egyptian oppressors. He was forced to flee to the land of Midian where he took a foreign wife and family and adopted a foreign way of life. (Paradoxically, Moses’ last public act in life would be to order the extermination of this people.)

The third part of Moses’ life involves a summons by God to return to the Hebrew people in Egypt. Much like other biblical prophets, Moses at first was reluctant to be a spokesperson for God but finally accepted. He parleyed many times with the Egyptian leader, called the pharaoh, apparently his former foster father. Ten times Moses demanded the release of the Hebrew slaves, and each time Moses made good on his threats against the Egyptians in the form of plagues and blights. Finally Moses won the release of the “children of Israel,” and they celebrated with a ritual meal called Passover at Moses’ command. Pharaoh again reneged on his word and pursued Moses’ people. When the water separating Egypt from the outside world trapped them, Moses worked a miracle. The Hebrews escaped, but the Egyptians drowned in the water.

Moses enters the fourth phase of his life as supreme tribal chief for the throngs of refugees in the desert on the other side of the water. He again showed his separateness from the people by face-to-face dialogues with the God of Israel. He was summoned to ascend Mount Sinai to receive the laws of the covenant that would hold Israel together, something like a religious constitution. He had almost unlimited access to the presence of God, and his people were afraid to draw near to him because of his divine brilliance. Even in his defects he was shown superior: His “meekness” in the face of criticism was said to be greater than any other human being’s.

Moses failed to persuade his people to enter the land of Canaan when they had the opportunity shortly after the covenant was given at Mount Sinai, so the people were forced to wander for 40 years in the desert as a punishment. Moses continued as their chief until they were ready to enter; but, as if to underline Moses’ uniqueness, God did not allow him to enter. Though the bones of certain Patriarchs were carried in and the new generation of Israel went across, Moses died looking at the “promised land” from afar and was buried in an unmarked grave. No wonder later generations of religious writers would speculate that Moses had been raptured and had a special place in the divine court.

Peter Machinist gives four reasons why Moses was portrayed as an outsider. First, he played the role of an ancient world hero, which meant he was like a demigod, neither completely human nor divine. Second, he symbolized the people of Israel themselves, a people that were to be different from the other nations. Third, the characterization of him in the Bible as an ambiguous person allowed the reader to focus on the God of the Bible and the covenant, not Moses. Finally, the Bible normally portrays human leaders and authorities negatively so that no cult of personality arises around any hero.

Around the turn of the Common Era, Moses was described by Josephus and Philo as a divine man, perhaps trying to persuade outsiders that he was as educated as any Greek or Roman philosopher and as ingenious as any founder of civilization. Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls depicted him as the greatest prophet. The New Testament revived his image, both as a model of messianism for Jesus (Christ) of Nazareth and as a foil representing the epitome of the Legalism representing the Torah of the Old Testament. The later rabbis, such as Yohanan ben Zakkai and others in the Mishnah and the Talmud, found in Moses a model teacher and founder for their faith: All rabbis after the Common Era were disciples of Moses.

References:

Bright, John. A History of Israel. 2d ed. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1972;
Machinist, Peter.“The Man Moses.” Biblical Review (v.16, 2000).

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