Stengel 1
Noah Stengel
Professor Skelton
Introduction to the Old Testament
23 October 2014
The Bible Versus Hollywood Throughout the Bible, there are various different stories and experiences with which society is enamored. For example, Christmas and the story of Easter are very well known, and in fact, celebrated in today’s society. Yet, maybe the most exhilarating of them all is the narrative of the Parting of the Sea in Exodus 13:17-14:31. Due to the cinematic nature of this particular event, many in Hollywood have taken their shot at recreating this development, specifically the movie, Moses that made this attempt in 1995. One source described the marvel as, “Enough to make a movie mogul’s mouth water. ” Due to attempting to appeal to…show more content… Within the Bible it is explained that, “I (The Lord) will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they go in after them (Israelites). And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army through his chariots and his horseman. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” This point is also echoed in the biblical commentary, Exodus articulated via Terrence Fretheim in the words, “The objective is to bring the Egyptians, indeed the entire world, to the point of knowing that Israel’s God is The Lord of all the earth.” The idea of God being praised by all nations may seem obvious but was surely not the case during the times of the Exodus. Just as is present in today’s society, there was a litany of religions being practiced, including many that neglected or opposed the Hebrew faith. It is explained then by way of the Bible that in order to change the minds of those who opposed God, he must actively convince them. In contrast, none of this pertinent information is displayed within the theatrical presentation of Moses. This is done in all likelihood to please the audience; the movie creators may have reasonably perceived that this was a gallery looking for entertainment and not for an indictment of their respective…show more content… “At the divine level, continuous with 13:17-22, the narrative emphasizes God’s strategizing.” Initially the words “divine level” is a direct allusion to God himself as well as the explicit mention of God proceeding. Despite the movie’s dictation, Moses receives celestial assistance. As the movie accurately demonstrates (surprisingly), Moses stretched his hand over the sea and all that night The Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land allowing for a passage to form. Opposed to what the movie depicts, Moses is more similarly an earthly extension of God rather than himself a divine creature. The motion picture most likely characterized the scene this way to provide an exaggeration of Moses’ powers, and to therefore entice the moviegoers by overstating the greatness that Moses himself