The Exodus Decoded

The Exodus Decoded
DVD cover art
Genre	Documentary Religion
Created by	Simcha Jacobovici James Cameron
Written by	Simcha Jacobovici
Directed by	Simcha Jacobovici
Country of origin	Canada Egypt Greece
Original language	English
Production
Producer	James Cameron
Running time	92 minutes
Original release
Network	The History Channel
Release	April 16, 2006(2006-04-16)

The Exodus Decodedis a 2006 documentary film by "investigative archaeologist" and filmmakerSimcha Jacoboviciand producer/directorJames Cameron.It aired on April 16 onThe History Channel.The documentary proposes naturalistic origins for theplagues of Egyptas described in theBook of Exodus.

Premise

The documentary deals withThe Exodus,the founding story of theIsraelites.While few mainstream historians would consider theBook of Exodusas a reliable narrative, Cameron and Jacobovici present a speculative question as to whether the events as described, particularly relating to theplagues of Egypt,could be explained naturalistically. Central to its thesis is the volcanic eruption ofThera/Santorini.

A suggested date of 1500 BC is made for the Exodus, during the reign of pharaohAhmose I.The "palpable darkness" described as the 9th plague, is hypothetically attributed to the cloud of volcanic ash caused by theMinoan eruption,which is identified as the events described in theTempest Stele.A conjecturallimnic eruptionin the Nile Delta, similar to that of theLake Nyos disasterin 1986, is explored as a further source of mass death.

The documentary first aired onDiscovery Channel Canadaon April 16, 2006.

Reception

As a popular history documentary,The Exodus Decodedattracted few critiques from mainstream scholars.The Washington Postdescribed the use of CGI as "stunning",a view shared byThe New York Times,which placed the documentary's content firmly in the realms of conspiracy theory.A review inThe Jerusalem Postnoted that none of the arguments made in the film were accepted by mainstream archaeology and that film-maker Jacobovici freely admitted his lack of academic credentials.

See also

• Passage of the Red Sea
• Tempest Stele(alt. Storm Stele, erected by pharaoh Ahmose I, and called Akmose/Ahmose stele in the film)
• Thera (Santorini) eruption Association with the Exodus
• Plagues of Egypt

External links

• The Exodus DecodedatIMDb