The Exodus as an Ongoing Biblical Paradigm

For some time, biblical scholars have beenintrigued by the recurrence of Exodus lan-guage in Scripture. The theme of “New Exo-dus ” has been the subject of a number of scholarly works (Holland, 2004; Watts, 1997; Wright, 1992). A scholarly consensus exists around the idea that the first Exodus was paradigmatic for God-followers of future generations. Throughout Scripture, one can hear the echoes of the first Exodus in recurrent ideas, themes, and thought patterns. It is difficult, in fact, to read the Bible without seeing this language on every page. Of course, the original Exodus might have been the only Exodus if it were not for the painfully stub-born hearts of the rescued Israelites. The Jewish rabbi and scholar Kushner (2006) writes, “The jour-ney from the confinement of Egypt to the fulfillmen