St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Nov 2023)
The Exodus Motif in the Christian Bible
Abstract
The book of Exodus and the exodus event are reactualized and recontextualized in subsequent biblical books. Indeed, the Israelites developed a virtual ‘exodus grammar’ when talking about their liberation from the Egyptians. The New Testament literature appeals to the founding event as well; in fact, of the numerous references in the New Testament to Old, the exodus event is the third most frequently cited, trailing only behind the prophet Isaiah and the Psalms. This is no mere repetition, no base recapitulation. Rather, the exodus event is taken up, transformed, eschatologized, and ultimately repackaged.
