Moses: More than Myth?

The simple answer is no. Like many of the figures found in the Bible he cannot be found anywhere outside of scripture. Despite bogus claims to the contrary there is no historical evidence for his existence. But, as many are aware, life is not always that simple. As a legendary figure Moses has had a huge impact on society throughout history. For that reason I was not surprised to find Moses listed in the current special issue of Time's The 100 Most Influential People Of All Time.

I tend to read any number of their special editions despite having cancelled my subscription years ago. Magazines like Time, Newsweek, etc.. really are not about history or anything resembling research. They are pop-culture magazines. Douglas Brinkley, as an editor for the issue, implies as much in the introduction:
      "But how do you determine that Louis Armstrong is more significant than Duke Ellington? Or that Steve Jobs is more revolutionary than Bill Gates? The answer is, gut instinct and a belly full of hubris. While such lists serve no essential high purpose and can sometimes distort the past, they're great fun to compile - and worth doing."
With that in mind I am willing to cut them some slack on being oversimplified and in some instances borderline erroneous. It is fun to read and is not a bad place to start. I encourage people to read them as a way to stumble across individuals (or in the case of other issues; events, concepts, etc.) you may not have been aware of previously. Then find other sources on any you find interesting enough to bother with.

In regard to Moses, there were a few thing that annoyed me enough to further comment on. As I have already stated, there is no factual basis for his existence. The brief write-up implies the exact opposite. It portrays him in a way that would suggest to an uninformed reader that not only was he real but that we know a great deal about him. It is also notable that he is not in the "Beacons of the Spirit" section despite being an expressly religious figure. Instead Time chose to put him in the "Leaders of the People" section.

This leads into my second major issue with the Moses figure. He was not a good leader! Suggesting he was sets up a horrible model for leadership. It isn't just that, according to scripture, he was reluctant. he was also somewhat incompetent and little more than a puppet. If you actually read the Bible he generally did not accomplish anything on his own. You could even argue that he actually did not accomplish anything. Basically, it was God using him as a proxy. God sent the Jews into bondage and it was through God's power/manipulations that they were freed again (in point of fact there was no mass influx or exodus of Jewish slaves in Egypt). Whenever God leaves the stage Moses loses control. He couldn't lead himself let alone groups of people. Yet, he is included as a leader of people.