The Exodus has become a core tradition of Western civilization.  Millions read it, retell it, and celebrate it.  But did it happen? Biblical scholars, Egyptologists, archaeologists, historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, and filmmakers are drawn to it.  Unable to find physical evidence until now, many archaeologists and scholars claim this mass migration is just a story, not history.  Others oppose this conclusion, defending the biblical account. Like a detective on an intricate case no one has yet solved, pioneering Bible scholar and bestselling author of  Who Wrote the Bible?  Richard Elliott Friedman cuts through the noise — the serious studies and the wild theories — merging new findings with new insight.  From a spectrum of disciplines, state-of-the-art archeological breakthroughs, and fresh discoveries within scripture, he brings real evidence of a historical basis for the exodus — the history behind the story.  The biblical account of millions fleeing Egypt may be an exaggeration, but the exodus itself is not a myth. Friedman does not stop there.  Known for his ability to make Bible scholarship accessible to readers, Friedman proceeds to reveal how much is at stake when we explore the historicity of the exodus.  The implications, he writes, are monumental.  We learn that it became the starting-point of the formation of monotheism, the defining concept of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Moreover, we learn that it precipitated the foundational ethic of loving one’s neighbors — including strangers — as oneself.  He concludes, the  actual  exodus was the cradle of global values of compassion and equal rights today.   “ The Exodus displays, yet again, the unique gifts of Richard Elliott Friedman, whose work always embodies the mastery of an accomplished biblical scholar, the eye of a literary detective teasing out the mysteries from an ancient text, and the skill of a born storyteller. A page-turner.” - Jonathan Kirsch, author of The Harlot by the Side of the Road “The Exodus displays, yet again, the unique gifts of Richard Elliott Friedman, whose work always embodies the mastery of an accomplished and distinguished biblical scholar, the acute eye of a literary detective who is capable of teasing out the deepest mysteries from an ancient text, and – above all – the irresistible skill of a born storyteller. That is why The Exodus is one work of scholarship that is best described as a page-turner.” - Jonathan Kirsch, author of The Harlot by the Side of the Road “Richard Elliott Friedman has the rare ability to make biblical scholarship widely accessible and exciting.  This gripping read integrates a careful interpretation of the biblical text with the latest archaeological discoveries, yielding a compelling argument in favor of the Exodus.” - Jodi Magness, senior endowed chair in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “A treasure! When Richard Elliot Friedman thinks Bible, new light shines. The Exodus  is not only an argument for the reality behind the Exodus story, but is itself a revelation. Let Richard Friedman guide you from slavery to freedom, and teach a transformative Biblical lesson along the way.” - Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson, American Jewish University “A treasure! When Richard Elliot Friedman thinks Bible, new light shines. The Exodus  is not only an argument for the reality behind the Exodus story, but is itself a revelation.” - Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson, American Jewish University “[Friedman] does a magnificent job of bringing important ideas from the academy to a broad readership. Friedman upends widely repeated but erroneous beliefs about the origin of the Israelites.” - Jewish Review of Books “A historical detective story. In fluent prose . . . Friedman makes a gripping and persuasive case that it was the Levites who escaped Egypt and carried the story of the Exodus into Canaan, teaching us one of Judaism’s foundational ethics: not to oppress the stranger because we were once oppressed.” - New York Times Book Review “Sensational and profound. An eye-opening study of perhaps the single most consequential event in the biblical narrative and one of the touchstones of both Jewish and Zionist aspiration.” - Jewish Journal “A study to not only help those who wonder how much is mere ‘story’ and how much can be supported with real evidence, but also what we can glean by its teachings, and how that has so broadly shaped the world as we know it.” - Southern Jewish Life Magazine “With his engaging style, supported by superb scholarship and straightforward thinking . . . Friedman has succeeded in writing one of the most enjoyable books that I have read in a long time. I won’t be alone in this opinion.” - Biblical Archaeology Review “For anyone interested in the Bible, Richard Elliott Friedman’s new book is a game changer. Friedman makes a credible and convincing case for the historical truth of a story that has been wid