Tag Archives: John J. Davis

“Moses and the Gods of Egypt” by John J. Davis

Originally written in 1971 and recently re-printed for the fifth time in 2006, Moses and the Gods of Egypt by John J. Davis is defiantly a classic textbook on the book of Exodus.

A quick look online shows that Davis has a multitude of accreditations covering forty-plus years has an archaeologist, professor and theologian. Shoot, he was even on the Old Testament translation team for the New International Version (NIV) Bible as well as a contributor too the study editions of the NIV, New American Standard Bible and the Christian Life Edition of the New King James Version of the Bible.

With such a background you can guess that this book follows the basic evangelical theology and interpretation of Exodus – not that there is anything wrong with this view. It is just an observation for those of you who have studied that part of the Bible in college, Bible studies, church training schools, etc.

The real jewel of the book (and the reason I bought it) is Davis handling of the Ten Plagues.

More than anyone else I have read or heard about he brings out the religious and political customs of ancient Egypt and shows how the plagues were a direct battle against the gods of Egypt.Yet he does not stop there – he also brings to light what the average Egyptian on the street would have thought or felt during this time – which is something we often forget about.

Definitely a good reference book to have on the bookshelf.

You can read more about Davis’ handling of the Ten Plagues in my sermon Fighting the Deities of Egypt (Act 3 Scene 2b).