Did Moses Really Exist? Filmmaker's New Archaeological Exploration Examines Historical Merits of the Exodus

Filmmaker Tim Mahoney's mission to objectively explore whether the events surrounding the Exodus are historically verifiable will be unveiled for the nation to see when his documentary, "Patterns of Evidence: Exodus" is released for a one-night-only event Monday evening in more than 600 theaters.

Mahoney, who for more than a decade has been studying whether the Israeli people were truly delivered from slavery in Egypt under Moses' leadership, told TheBlaze that he became especially interested in further exploring the paradigm when he heard that there could be new information worth looking at.

And he said he found himself particularly stunned when he heard some critics state that the Israelis were never really in Egypt — a claim that, if true, would turn the Bible on its head.

So, Mahoney set out to look for clues to finding the route the Israelis would have taken to exit Egypt and head toward the promised land.

"In 2001, I had learned about these things and had started to become interested," Mahoney said, noting that he at first thought it was "crazy" to go into the Middle East following the September 11, 2001, attacks, though he did it anyway. "In 2002, we were able to go ... into Egypt and started the process of going to the locations."

But he said it was a long exploration, as he spoke with scientists, geographers and others who were looking at the Exodus through fresh eyes. In the end, their perspective had an impact on him.

After conducting extensive research and formulating it into "Patterns of Evidence," Mahoney said he now has more confidence in the Bible.

"Most of the people who say there's no evidence [for the Exodus] are looking at a particular time frame," he said. "When they look at that time frame they don't see any evidence of the Exodus and so the case is closed … and what the film does from talking to other scholars is say, 'Wait a minute. This isn't a closed case, this is a situation where people haven't asked the right questions."

As for whether he believes Moses was a real man as documented in the Bible, Mahoney said that Egyptologists told him there would have had to have been someone who fits Moses' description based on the information that is currently known.

All this in mind, the filmmaker said that he tried to take a middle-of-the-road approach by investigating throughout the documentary process as any journalist would. While he grew up in a Christian home and personally aligns with the theology, he said he wanted to explore the issue free from any biases.

In the end, he, too, believes Moses' existence was highly likely.

"It's not easy to find a specific character like Moses in the investigation, but you can find the events that support the story of Moses and Exodus," he told TheBlaze.

PatternsOfExodus.com

Mahoney also noted how important he believes the Exodus is to holding up, verifying and tying together the rest of the biblical narrative.

"If you eliminate the story of Exodus and Moses from the Bible … then it basically disqualifies all of the rest of the story," he said. "Jesus Christ talked about Moses and the Apostle Paul as well. The whole thing is woven. If Moses didn't exist, then the whole thing is a house of cards."

In the end, Mahoney said that his faith is stronger as a result of exploring the Exodus and making the film, claiming that he's "found matters of evidence that match the story."

"I think it's very likely that these events happened," he added, claiming that it's important for believers to find "historical credibility" for the things they hold true.

Read more about the film here.