Well... the official title of the evening was 'Eliza Ferrie Public Lecture
and Book Launch' (held by the PTC Sydney at a Presbyterian Church in Burwood) which included a lecture by Dr. Tremper Longman III.
I did not know anything about Dr. Longman until my friend, Hanoh told me that he was one of the contributors to his beloved Reformation Study Bible. I then thought, "hmm... probably worth while listening to him." The lecture was filled with many jargons that I couldn't understand, and it wasn't Dr. Longman's fault. He explained any difficult words (eg. some abbreviations or some words/place names from ancient Near Eastern World) first time he used them, but there were just a bit too many of them for me to remember. Still, I think I understood some main points of the lecture.
1. Currently, there are two main views on the timing of the Exodus, 15th century BC, and 13th century BC.
2. There are archaeological evidence/interpretations supporting (or raising questions for/against) both views.
3. Even though it may not affect our ground for salvation, the historicity, ie. the fact that Exodus did happen (whether in 15C BC or 13C BC) is crucial in understanding the Bible as whole and trusting God as who He really is. (eg. Psalm 77)
There were probably few other important points Dr. Longman made, but alas, my mental capacity stops here tonight.
By the way, while this is probably beside the point of this post, you can find more information about the Reformation Study Bible here and here. I don't have it yet, but I recommend it if you want/need a Study Bible.
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