Exodus, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
For Pharaoh, Moses’ freeing the Israelites affects the stability of the Egyptian state.
For Marcus Aurelius, the belief of Christians affects the stability of the Roman religion, and by extension, the Roman state.
Is Pharaoh choosing to do this, or is God intervening? Plague’s rule.
Burning bush and the parting of the Red Sea. Both of these are paradoxical images that reveal the divine power: God cannot be represented by anything natural.
Why did God choose the Israelites? Some arguments: He chose Abraham, not his descendants; or he chose them because they were appropriate (oppressed, ensalved).
Not the first monotheism attempt.
14th century BCE, there existed an attempt to worship Aten, the giver of life, as the sole superior god.
Is there a superior being?
Chosen People, exclusivity to be chosen, why does God re-choose
Exodus’s effect on African Americans in the US. Liberation theologians in Latin America use it. But also used to shape the Nationalist and Colonialist context.
Text used both to liberate and oppress.
Argue that political communities are shaped by narrative: us, shared identity
Narratives are presented by dominant groups; focus on oral history?