The points in the views presented by me in our conversation upon the Hebrews and their Exodus, of which you requested a written exposition, are, condensed, these:
Assuming that the Hebrew records, as we have them, are in the main true, _i.e._ historic, a careful search must reveal some one topic concerning which all the passages relating to it agree at least substantially. Such a topic is the genealogies, precisely that which Philippsohn the great Jewish Rabbi, Dr. Robinson, of the Palestine researches, and all the Jewish and Christian commentators—I know no exception—with one accord reject! Look at these two columns, A. being the passages containing the genealogies, B. the passages on which the rejection of them is based:
A. │ B. 1. Genesis xxiv. 32, to xxv. 25 │ 1. Gen. xv. 13. (Births of Jacob’s sons). │ │ 2. Ex. xii. 40, 41. 2. xxxv. 23–26 (Recapitulation of │ 3. Acts vii. 6. the above). │ 3. xlvi. 8–27 (List of Jacob and │These three give the 400 and the his sons when they came into │ 430 years of the supposed bondage Egypt). │ of the Bene Jacob, but are offset │ by Gen. xv. 16 (four generations) │ and Gal. iii. 17 (Paul’s │ understanding of the 430 years). 4. Ex. vi. 14–27 (Lineage of Aaron│ and Moses). │ 5. Numb. xxxvi. 1–2 (Lineage of │ 4. The story of Joseph, beginning Zelophehad). │ Gen. xxxvii. 2, gives us the │ dates in his life; viz., 17 │ when sold, 30 when he becomes │ Prime Minister, 40 when his │ father joins him. 6. Josh. vii. 17–18 (Lineage of │ Achan). │ 7. Ruth iv. 18–22 (ditto of │ David). │ 8. 1 Chron. ii. 9–15 (ditto). │ 9. Mat. i. 2–6 (ditto). │ 10. Luke iii. 32–37 (ditto). │ 5. 1 Chron. vi. 1–15 (Lineage of │ Ezra’s brother Jehozadak, │ abounding in repetitions and │ worthless). 11. Ezra vii. 1–5 (ditto of │ Ezra). │ The lists of Princes, heads of │ tribes, the spies, the │ commission to divide │ conquered Palestine contain │ names that can be traced │ back, and all coincide with │ the above. │
1. As between the two, the column A. is in my opinion more trustworthy than B.
2. By all the genealogies of the Davidian line we have Judah No. 1, Solomon No. 12. By Ezra’s genealogy of his own family we have Levi No. 1, and Azariah (Solomon’s High Priest) No. 12. They agree perfectly.