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when was exodus written

Scholars usually give two different kinds of answers to “when was Exodus written?”—a traditional one and a critical-scholarly one.

Short answer

  • Traditional view (religious/conservative):
    • Exodus was written by Moses during the Israelites’ wilderness period, roughly between about 1446 and 1400 BCE, soon after the events it describes.
  • Modern critical scholarship (university/academic mainstream):
    • Exodus reached its written form much later, with core material taking shape during the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE and final editing in the 5th century BCE, using earlier oral and written sources.

There is no single agreed date; the answer depends on whether you follow traditional religious chronology or modern historical-critical methods.

Traditional religious view

In Jewish and Christian tradition, Exodus is part of the Pentateuch and is attributed to Moses.

Key points from this perspective:

  • Moses is seen as the primary human author, writing under divine inspiration. Passages inside Exodus show Moses writing down laws and events, which this view treats as evidence of authorship.
  • The events of the Exodus are often dated around 15th century BCE (commonly c. 1446 BCE), based on biblical chronological clues like 1 Kings 6:1.
  • Many conservative scholars therefore place the composition of Exodus during Moses’ lifetime, roughly in the mid–15th century BCE, sometime between the departure from Egypt and the end of the wilderness wanderings (about 1446–1406 BCE).

In this view, Exodus is very close in time to the events it narrates.

Modern critical-scholarly view

Most contemporary academic biblical scholars separate the time of the events (if historical) from the time the book reached its written form.

Main points:

  • Exodus is not treated as a single document written at once, but as a composition built from multiple traditions and sources over centuries.
  • A common model: its earliest written cores may preserve older memories and stories, but the book in something like its present shape comes from the exilic and post‑exilic periods.
  • A widely cited range is:
    • Initial composition or major redaction in the 6th century BCE (Babylonian exile).
    • Final editing and shaping in the 5th century BCE, under Persian rule.

So from this angle, “when was Exodus written?” is answered with: its main literary form dates from roughly the 6th–5th centuries BCE , even though it incorporates older material.

Events vs. text: two timelines

To visualize the two layers people often mix up:

Aspect| Traditional/conservative view| Critical-scholarly view
---|---|---
Time of the events| Exodus from Egypt c. 1446 BCE (sometimes 13th c. BCE) 157| Events uncertain; some place them roughly Late Bronze Age if historical 39
Time of writing| Moses during wilderness period, c. 1446–1400 BCE 157| Main composition and redaction 6th–5th c. BCE 39
Author| Moses as primary author 157| Multiple anonymous authors/editors over time 39

Because of this distinction, you’ll see some popular sources say “Exodus is from the 15th century BCE” (they mean the events and traditional authorship), while academic discussions say “Exodus was written in the 6th–5th centuries BCE” (they mean the literary formation of the book).

How forums and current discussions frame it

Recent online discussions and explainer articles tend to emphasize this split and correct the idea that “Exodus was written in the 14th century BCE” in a straightforward, modern-historical sense.

Common themes in those discussions:

  • Clarifying that “Moses wrote Exodus in the 1400s BCE” is a faith and tradition claim, not a consensus historical one.
  • Stressing that most scholars date the book’s composition/redaction to the exilic/post‑exilic periods (6th–5th centuries BCE), while acknowledging older materials behind it.
  • Debating how much of Exodus is historically reliable narrative versus theological storytelling shaped for Israel’s identity under later empires.

TL;DR

  • If you’re asking from a religious/traditional angle:
    • Exodus was written by Moses around the mid‑15th century BCE, shortly after the Exodus events.
  • If you’re asking from a modern academic angle:
    • Exodus, in the form we have it, was composed and edited mainly in the 6th–5th centuries BCE, using earlier traditions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.