Exodus Decoded: Full Report - maybe after next Sunday

I taped the Discovery Channel’s broadcast of Exodus Decoded. Well, actually I didn’t but I had the Last Amazon set up the VCR to automatically tape it for me. The electronic jobs around the house are delegated as such that I do initial set-up and am called in for repairs; but all programming is the sole responsibility of the other Tribe members. They like reading manuals and I don’t. This relationship has generally worked quite well for me.

So the Last Amazon stepped up to the plate and made sure there was a tape in the VCR; and the machine was programmed on the right channel, and set to begin recording at the appropriate time. I neglected to tell her not to program the end- time as I wasn’t quite sure how long the documentary actually ran and I was too lazy to hunt around to find out. Besides, if I have to do more work than point the remote in the direction of the television, I just can’t be bothered to watch anything.

So what happened? The tape ended halfway through Exodus Decoded. I only made it as far as the 9th plague. The LA being the dutiful daughter that she is programmed the VCR to end after 1 hour. It will be re-broadcasted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 at 10:00am (EST). So if you missed it for whatever reason the first and second time around there is a third chance coming up.

Just a few off the cuff thoughts on what I did see; so far it appears very plausible once you get over a little dodgieness over the timeline but that takes a big leap of faith. Trust me, the first thought that came to mind when I read the original Globe and Mail piece on The Exodus Decoded was; why didn’t Jacobovici submit his theory for publication first and be subjected to a full peer review?

Jacobovici did mention the little bit of obfuscation he had to indulge in; in order to receive the necessary permits issued by the Egyptian authorities to have access to film at the Avaris excavation site. Apparently, using the words Exodus, ancient Hebrews or Jews is a complete non-starter in the permit department.

There was one moment in the documentary that I did see and found extraordinarily moving. It concerned the investigation of an ancient Egyptian mine. Found low on the walls of the mine was a piece of graffiti craved in ancient Hebrew script that was a plea to God.