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The biblical narrative in Exodus chapters 1-14 can not be considered historical, because most of our known historical records so clearly contradict the biblical narrative.

Exodus begins with the fear that the Israelites are outbreeding the Egyptians, so the Egyptians ordered the Israelite boys to be killed, but not the Israelite girls. Even if obeyed, this order would be self-defeating, so it is most improbable, apart from the total absence of any such order in the historical record. Moses survives and is placed in a basket and left in the Nile River, where the pharaoh's daughter finds him, in a story that resembles the ancient story of Sargon remarkably well.

There follows a fascinating story of God choosing Moses to lead the Israelites, teaching him parlour tricks to impress the Israelites so that they would know that he was chosen by God, then Moses using more parlour tricks to impress the pharoah with his magical powers. For some reason, God wanted to make the Israelites' escape as difficult as possible, so he hardened the heart of the pharaoh and then brought down seven plagues against the Egyptians. The question asks about this as a historical narrative, and it is necessary to point out that such a long and miraculous series of plagues would have found its way into the records or into the many letters written during this period, but there is not a single reference, even an indirect one, such as the inability to meet a contract for delivery of produce or livestock.

At a time when Egyptian power was actually at its height, the Israelites finally flee Egypt towards the land of the Canaanites, bringing about the destruction of an entire Egyptian army. Needlss to say, there is no mention in the Egyptian records of the economic loss that the fleeing slaves would have involved, nor of the loss of an army. The Armana letters show that as late as the middle of the thirteenth century, Canaan continued to be ruled by petty kings under the absolute control of Egypt, with no mention anywhere of a newly arrived powerful neighbour.

Exodus is a powerful biblical drama, but it is not a historical narrative.

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