Filmmaker Who Was 'Shocked' by Scholars' Views on the Exodus Went on a 12-Year Biblical Expedition. Are His Findings a Game-Changer?

Filmmaker Tim Mahoney set out to answer one key question with the production and release of his latest documentary: "Did the events of Exodus as recorded in the Bible really happen?"

Mahoney, who for more than a decade investigated whether the Israeli people were truly delivered from slavery in Egypt under Moses’ leadership, appeared on The Church Boys this week, to discuss the details behind his film, "Patterns of Evidence: Exodus."

At the center of the documentary, which released on video earlier this month, is a challenge to scholars who do not see the biblical Exodus story as being backed by facts or evidence — a project that Mahoney believes has brought some viable new information to the discussion.

"The majority of the scholars today don't see evidence for the story of the Exodus in Egypt, nor do they see it in the story of Jericho, which is the conquest," Mahoney said. "And that was a shock to me, and so this film is my 12-year journey, actually starting from scratch [as I thought], 'Well, what would you look for if you were to look for the story of Exodus in the Bible?"

The filmmaker said that he wouldn't have been able to make the movie if there wasn't evidence, noting that it took some time to find the right people who were able to help put the pieces of the puzzle together, as his team traveled to Israel, Egypt and Europe looking for answers.

As for why so many contemporary experts don't believe there is evidence for the Exodus, Mahoney said that there are a number of factors, including a general negative view of the Bible among some scholars.

"There's a bit of a bias against the Bible, you know, currently," he said. "And they don't want to treat it as a historical document."

Mahoney also said that many scholars consider Ramesses II — an Egyptian king who ruled from 1279–1230 BC — to be the pharaoh of the Exodus, though he questions that notion.

"They're all looking at one particular time in history," he said, explaining that he believes it's actually much earlier based on evidence he uncovered. "They're looking at the time of Ramesses II, and that's been pretty much the time that scholars have sort of stuck to."

Watch the trailer below:

Mahoney previously told TheBlaze earlier this year that Egyptologists told him there would have had to have been someone who fit Moses’ description based on the information that is currently known.

The filmmaker said that he tried to take a middle-of-the-road approach by investigating throughout the documentary process as any journalist would. While he grew up in a Christian home and personally aligns with the theology, he said he wanted to explore the issue free from any biases. In the end, he, too, believes Moses’ existence was highly likely.

“It’s not easy to find a specific character like Moses in the investigation, but you can find the events that support the story of Moses and Exodus,” he told TheBlaze.

Mahoney said that "Patterns of Evidence" has helped scholars think critically about some of the evidence he included in the film, especially considering that he said the past 60 years have been somewhat stale in terms of new information emerging on the scene.

Find out more about the documentary here.