The Classical WorldIdeas & Belief
Hebrew Bible and monotheism
c. 550 BCETurning pointContested
During and after the Babylonian exile, Jewish scribes compile the Torah, grounding a faith in one God that shapes Christianity and Islam.
Contested history
Consensus: The Hebrew Bible was compiled from older traditions, mostly between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE.
The Exodus happened largely as describedMinority view
There is no archaeological evidence of 600,000 men and their families in Sinai or of a sudden conquest of Canaan.
Israelites emerged mainly from within CanaanEstablished
Settlement patterns in the highlands suggest Israel grew from local Canaanite populations.
A smaller group from Egypt shaped the Exodus memoryDebated by scholars
Some scholars think a small group's experience became a national story.
Community notes
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