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Let My People Go! – The History and Historicity of the Biblical Account of the Exodus

Khalid Elhassan May 31, 2025 17 min

4. Minimalist vs Maximalist Views

Exodus - The Exodus — The Exodus. My Jewish Learning

Biblical scholarship today is divided into minimalist and maximalist camps when it comes to the Exodus account’s historicity. Maximalist scholars give the biblical text a presumption of historical reliability, unless contradicted by external evidence. Some argue for a late thirteenth century BC Exodus in the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II. They argue that although there is no evidence that supports Exodus, future discoveries may yet confirm that it had actually happened.

Minimalist scholars treat the Bible primarily as literature and cultural expression, and require independent corroboration for historical claims. They argue that the Exodus is largely a literary construct, with little or no basis in historical events. They point to the lack of external corroboration, and anachronisms in the text. A middle position is also popular: that while the biblical story is not literally true, it is not wholly invented. Rather, it probably blends history, myth, and memory.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.