# The story of the Jews escaping slavery in Egypt and wandering the desert is fiction, right? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 18, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800 "2026-01-18T16:14:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/381 "2026-04-29T19:43:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The Armstrong Institute, part of the unaccredited Herbert W. Armstrong College, is not a “cite”. It is a bad joke. Where is _your cite_ then? Look, several of us have admitted that the Bible, pre David is myth and Legend, not historical fact. This is known by archeologists. But legends often have some basis in fact. The Kingdom of Israel is a fact, it happened. (the details are still argued and discussed of course). It came from _somewhere-_ and it wasnt aliens. > **[The Exodus: Fact or Fiction?](https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/exodus/exodus-fact-or-fiction/)** > > Explore the archaeological and textual evidence behind the biblical Exodus. Did it really happen—and if so, when? Discover insights from Egypt’s Ramesside Period. or is this Stele fake? (No one thinks it is, mind you) > **[Merneptah Stele](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele)** > > The Merneptah Stele, also known as the Israel Stele or the Victory Stele of Merneptah, is an inscription by Merneptah, a pharaoh in ancient Egypt who reigned from 1213 to 1203 BCE. Discovered by Flinders Petrie at Thebes in 1896, it is now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. > The text is largely an account of Merneptah's victory over the ancient Libyans and their allies, but the last three of the 28 lines deal with a separate campaign in Canaan, then part of Egypt's imperial possessions. It i... > The Merneptah stele is considered to be the first extra-biblical reference to [ancient Israel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Israel "Ancient Israel") in ancient history and is widely considered to be authentic and providing historical information. It’s believed to be mentioning Israel as people not as a nation,[[31]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDever200989%E2%80%9391-35)[[32]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele#cite_note-36)[[33]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele#cite_note-auto-37)[[34]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele#cite_note-38) with [Charles Krauthammer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Krauthammer "Charles Krauthammer") regarding the Stele as the earliest record of an ethnic or religious group of today.[[35]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele#cite_note-39) And note this line- > Carried off is [Asqaluni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascalon "Ascalon"); In other words, the population has been carried off into slavery. Incidentally- Egyptian records of the Battle of Megiddo, fought some 200 years prior to the Stele i mentioned above, bears no mention of Israel. There is also the Tel Dan Stele, the Mesha Stele and lots of other evidence that a Kingdom of Israel- in some form anyway- actually existed. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/382 "2026-04-29T19:48:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Czarcasm](#): > > > > The Armstrong Institute, part of the unaccredited Herbert W. Armstrong College, is not a “cite”. It is a bad joke. > > Where is _your cite_ then? My cite that it probably didn’t happen? I’m not the one making the incredible claim, and “Prove it _didn’t_ happen!” is a fool’s errand. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/383 "2026-04-29T20:56:51Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Another “Look, over there!” post. Can we talk about _this_ situation? How far can you reduce the number of Jews leaving Egypt and still keep it off the “Probably never happened at all” list? I answered this explicitly: > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think you just need a group large enough that the members don’t all know each other for it to have been written the way it was And as others have said, no this has nothing to do with the pyramids. We know they were built before Exodus is supposed to have happened. And there’s is no biblical claim about Hebrews building pyramids, it’s > [@puzzlegal](#): > > The Bible doesn’t say the Hebrews built the pyramids. It says “So they [the Egyptians] set taskmasters over them [the descendants of Jacob] to oppress them with forced labor; and they built garrison cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.” > > And it says they had to make bricks with clay and straw. That’s not what the pyramids were made of. The first is from exodus 1:11, and the part about straw is in Exodus 5:6-19 The claim about the pyramids is certainly a myth, reported by (and possibly invented by) Josephus. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/384 "2026-04-29T22:54:27Z")
Just want to point out, sorry no citations, that the PhDs (in relevant areas, with degrees from accredited schools) I’ve heard talk about the building of cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses come with impossible timeline problems. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/385 "2026-04-30T02:21:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > My cite that it probably didn’t happen? It is only proper when someone attacks a cite for being biased, that person comes up with a cite of their own- that is not so biased- or so they think. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’m not the one making the incredible claim, I think we all here agree that the Exodus, as recounted in the Bible- didnt happen like that. That should not be surprising, because in those ancient times, little recounted history- mostly monuments and such- also didnt occur like that. It is hard to find a monument of a great victory that either wasnt so great or whose numbers of troops isnt off by a factor of ten. Hell even the basic list of Pharaohs has a number of mythological or legendary figures to start, then has several suspicious additions, date changes or deletions. The Egyptians tried to delete Akhenaten from all monuments, lists etc. Also Hatshepsut who had the temerity to be an effective female ruler- and there are more. And they kept _comparatively_ great records- for that time. So if you are trying to prove that the early books of the Bible- up thru King David and somewhat after- are full of myths, legends and large exaggerations- yeah, everyone here and all History scholars already know that. The interesting parts come from _what is the nugget of truth in there_, _what tale is based on truth_, and how much. For centuries, it was thought King David was entirely mythological. Now, we know he existed, and was well known that someone mentioned “the House of David”. Does that mean all the Biblical tales of the United Kingdom are true? David slew a giant with a sling, for example? Almost certainly not. But Geo Washington didnt cut down his father cherry tree with his "little axe’ either. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/386 "2026-04-30T02:26:08Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I’ve heard talk about the building of cities for Pharaoh: Pithom Maybe. > **[Pithom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pithom)** > > Pithom (Ancient Egyptian: pr-jtm; Biblical Hebrew: פִּתֹם, romanized: Pīṯōm; Koine Greek: Ἡρώπόλις, romanized: Hērṓpólis or Ἡρώωνπόλις Hērṓōnpólis, and Πατούμος Patoúmos) was an ancient city of Egypt. References in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Greek and Roman sources exist for this city, but its exact location remains somewhat uncertain. Some scholars identified it as the later archaeological site of Tell el-Maskhuta (Arabic: تل المسخوطة, romanized: Tall al-Masḫuṭa). Others identified it The Engl... > Excavations at the Tell El Retabeh have shown that the site was first settled during the [Second Intermediate Period of Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Intermediate_Period_of_Egypt "Second Intermediate Period of Egypt"). Following the expulsion of the [Hyksos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyksos "Hyksos") during the reign of [Ahmose I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmose_I "Ahmose I"), a short-lived Egyptian settlement followed but ended in the middle of the 18th Dynasty…Some scholars, such as [Manfred Bietak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Bietak "Manfred Bietak") and [Kenneth Kitchen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Kitchen "Kenneth Kitchen"), have argued that this was the ancient Pithom…In the spring of 1883, Naville believed he had identified Pithom as the archaeological site [Tell El Maskhuta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_el-Maschuta "Tell el-Maschuta"). The site of Pithom, as identified by Naville, is at the eastern edge of Wadi Tumilat, southwest of [Ismailia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismailia "Ismailia"). Petrie agreed with this identification. John S. Holladay Jr., a more recent investigator of the site, also supports this opinion. Alternatively, the recent Italian excavators have suggested identifying the site as the ancient city of Tjeku (Biblical [Sukkot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot_(place) "Sukkot (place)")).[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pithom#cite_note-Italian-19) > > Here was found a group of granite statues representing [Ramesses II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II "Ramesses II"), two inscriptions naming _Pr-Itm_ (Temple of Atum), storehouses and bricks made without straw. Recent excavations have also uncovered a significant [New Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt "New Kingdom of Egypt") tomb at the site.[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pithom#cite_note-Italian-19) The excavations carried on by Naville for the [Egypt Exploration Fund](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt_Exploration_Society "Egypt Exploration Society") uncovered a city wall, a ruined temple, and the remains of a series of brick buildings with very thick walls and consisting of rectangular chambers of various sizes, opening only at the top and without any entrances to one another. So, legends, quite possibly based upon fact. Ancient dates are screwy, even lists of Egyptian Pharaohs are often found to be off. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/387 "2026-04-30T03:43:56Z")
I am under absolutely no obligation to provide a better cite when the cite previously given is totally worthless. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/388 "2026-04-30T04:00:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I would say that applying the term “practically never” to a situation involving reducing millions of Jews to a single family that it _might_ have happened to wouldn’t be unreasonable. With those standards you would be hard pressed to find _any_ dismissible stories in the Bible. I actually think a lot of stories in the Bible are easy to dismiss. Sodom and Gomorrah, that golden calf incident, mannah from heaven feeding the Israelites for years. Or in the Christian Bible, the whole birth of Jesus is obviously made up from whole cloth, along with the three wise men. I took a couple of college courses on the Bible, with a focus on historical context and archeology. My professor gave advice about how to interpret ancient inscriptions. " There’s a tree on Cambridge Commons with a plaque under it that says, ‘George Washington addressed his troops under this tree’. The tree is about 30 years old. The plaque is obviously not literally true. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no such person as George Washington. The existence of the plaque, and its claim, do tell you something. But what it tells you is open to interpretation." If an ancient Egyptian plaque says, “our glorious soldiers defeated 600,000 Edomites”, that doesn’t mean there were 600,000 Edomites. But there probably was a war between Egypt and Edom. And there were probably a lot of soldiers. And enough of the Egyptians made it home to declare victory. You shouldn’t reject it because 600,000 is an important number any more than you should reject my claim if having gone to a concert “and a gajillion people were there” just because you know the venue only holds 2000 people. But not rejecting it doesn’t mean accepting it is literally true, either. The Exodus story is less likely to be true, because unlike that plaque, it isn’t contemporaneous with the story it tells. It was written later. But it tells us something. It tells us that Egypt was important to the people who wrote the story. It tells us that they had important people who traced their decent to Moses and Aaron. It tells us something about how they worshipped and what mattered to them. It tells us they cared about keeping the Sabbath. Did (some of them) come out of Egypt? Yeah, people traveled a lot, and Egypt was big and important. Almost certainly some traced their descent to Egypt. Was there a large group of escaped slaves? That’s less likely. But not because the story claims 600,000. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/389 "2026-05-07T13:42:49Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Or in the Christian Bible, the whole birth of Jesus is obviously made up from whole cloth, along with the three wise men. There aren’t even _three_ magi anywhere in the Biblical account of the Nativity. That’s made up out of whole cloth _outside_ the Bible. The early Israelites _were_ indigenous Canaanites. There’s absolutely no archaeological evidence to the contrary. There’s very clear material cultural continuity from Canaanite to Israelite settlements - pottery, architecture, agriculture - and Hebrew is a Canaanite language (probably more correct to say it’s the one surviving _dialect_ of the group), early Israelite religion emerges from the broader Canaanite religious matrix, and the overall archaeology changes match the much more plausible narrative of _in situ_ recovery from the Bronze Age Collapse as opposed to any conquest narrative. A handful of Egyptian immigrants who left no measurable archaeological impact aren’t a necessary addition to that story at all outside of the obvious ideological imperatives. Canaanites moved back and forth between Egypt and their homelands, and there’s plenty of evidence for longer-term Canaanite settlement in Egypt. This is not the same as the Exodus narrative, however, and not properly distinguishing between the two is just the modal fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/390 "2026-05-07T14:29:19Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There aren’t even _three_ magi anywhere in the Biblical account of the Nativity. That’s made up out of whole cloth _outside_ the Bible. Oops. I’ve read the new testament, but only a couple of times, years ago. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/391 "2026-05-07T15:26:36Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@MrDibble](#): > > > > aren’t even _three_ magi anywhere in the Biblical account of the Nativity. > > Oops. I’ve read the new testament, but only a couple of times Yes, the single gospel narrative about that visit mentions three _offerings_ and tradition took care of making that mean three persons then ran with it. A lot of what people believe is “based on” scripture is _not_ textual. And to the thread subject a lot of what _is_ in scripture is working in the other direction: a repackaging of parts of the oral traditions and legends, into a story to make a point. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/392 "2026-05-07T16:46:07Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > A lot of what people believe is “based on” scripture is _not_ textual. You are telling me the Christmas carol is not true? Gasp… next you will tell me that there was no “little drummer boy, parapapumpuming” next to baby Jesus? Boney M lied to all of us? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/393 "2026-05-07T16:52:32Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > You are telling me the Christmas carol is not true? Gasp… next you will tell me that there was no “little drummer boy, parapapumpuming” next to baby Jesus? Not only that, but the traditional story of Rudolph guiding the Magi to Jesus using his shining red nose has no biblical foundation _at all_. There’s a separate, darker tradition involving an obscure character called the Grinch… ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/394 "2026-05-07T17:57:14Z")
When a slew of traditions accumulating for centuries arises where we KNOW it’s not part of the original narrative, it makes one wonder just how embellished the original narrative is. Which in turn makes one wonder even if there IS a God how lying, credulous human beings could purport to know anything about Him. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/395 "2026-05-07T18:00:29Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There aren’t even _three_ magi anywhere in the Biblical account of the Nativity. That’s made up out of whole cloth _outside_ the Bible. Not quite. Look, three gifts is canon, thus three gift-givers makes sense, altho yes, the number of magi is not specified. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/396 "2026-05-07T18:15:38Z")
Matthew 2:10-11 > 10 When they [the wise men who followed a star to find the newborn king of the Jews] saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. “Three” is not canonical, but the rest of the story is. I guess i may as well add the background, Matthew 2:1-2 > In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise mend from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,e and have come to pay him homage.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/397 "2026-05-07T18:17:04Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > “Three” is not canonical, but the rest of the story is. Right, three gifts, but that doesnt necessarily mean three gift givers- altho that seems logical. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/398 "2026-05-07T18:25:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It doesn’t have to be read as three separate gifts. It can be read as multiple chests, all containing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/399 "2026-05-07T18:44:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Right, three gifts, but that doesnt necessarily mean three gift givers- altho that seems logical. It’s entirely possible that two of them went in together on a gift. Myrrh isn’t cheap, ya’ know? And they were _wise_ men. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800/400 "2026-05-07T18:46:39Z")
I think the natural reading is “one group of wise men, who were traveling with multiple treasure chests. And from those chests they collectively gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby”. But as i said when we started taking about this digression, I think the entire nativity story was obviously made up of whole cloth, or embellished to the point where nothing interesting is left. There are a bunch of issues with it. Stars don’t do that, just to start. Just like most of the Exodus story is obviously made up. A huge band of people didn’t wander around in the desert following a floating cloud for years, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800.md?page=21)