Theme I
Moses: History or Legend?
The founding figure of Israelite religion, and the awkward fact that no source outside the Bible mentions him. What can a historian actually say about whether Moses lived?
October Special pricing ends on October 31. Last chance to save $15.99.
Was Moses real? Did the Exodus happen? A historian goes looking.
The Most Famous Man Who May Never Have Lived
Moses leads a nation of slaves out of Egypt, parts the sea, climbs the mountain, and brings down the law. He is the founding figure of Israelite religion. And outside the Bible, there is not a single trace of him.
No Egyptian record names him. No archaeology marks the route of the Exodus. The five books traditionally said to be his own work describe his death and read like the product of many hands over centuries. So what can a historian actually say about Moses, the Exodus, and the law that bears his name?
This course goes looking. With the same historical-critical tools that made Bart Ehrman’s work on the New Testament famous, it weighs the story of Moses against the evidence of Egypt and Sinai, not to defend or debunk, but to ask what we can really know.
Format
On-demand video
Lectures
8 · plus 2 live Q&A
Access
Lifetime, watch anytime
Instructor
Bart Ehrman
Specialty
Biblical Studies & the Historical Method
Five Questions
From the man himself to the law that bears his name, these are the questions the course goes looking to answer.
The founding figure of Israelite religion, and the awkward fact that no source outside the Bible mentions him. What can a historian actually say about whether Moses lived?
The five books traditionally credited to Moses show every sign of many hands and centuries of editing. Who really wrote the Pentateuch, and how do we know?
A nation of slaves, ten plagues, a sea split in two. We weigh the biblical Exodus against the archaeology of Egypt and Sinai, and ask what actually happened.
Where Israel’s law came from, what the Ten Commandments meant in their own world, and how Moses became the lawgiver of the whole tradition.
The old caricature of Old Testament religion as cold legalism, set against what the texts and the history actually show about ancient Israelite faith.
Bart D. Ehrman · 2026 James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies Emeritus · University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he taught from 1988 until his retirement in 2025. Recognized internationally for his scholarship on the New Testament and early Christianity, Professor Ehrman has written or edited thirty-three books, including six New York Times bestsellers. His college-level textbook The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings has remained the best-selling text in the field for more than twenty-five years. His scholarly works have been published by Oxford, Harvard, Yale, and other premier academic presses, and his books have been translated into twenty-seven languages, reaching millions of readers worldwide.
Beyond the classroom, Professor Ehrman is a widely recognized public scholar. He has produced nine acclaimed courses for The Great Courses, in addition to numerous online courses available through BartEhrman.com. His books and courses have sold more than two million copies.
He also writes for his charitable blog, The Bart Ehrman Blog, which has raised millions for organizations addressing poverty, homelessness, and hunger. In addition, he hosts the weekly podcast Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman, available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms, where he brings cutting-edge biblical scholarship to a global audience.
What This Course Offers
Bart Ehrman turns the historian’s tools on the most famous story in the Hebrew Bible, for anyone who has ever wondered how much of it really happened.
The five books of Moses read closely, alongside the Egyptian and archaeological evidence, with no theology and no apologetics.
The same historical-critical rigor that made his New Testament work famous, turned on Moses, the Exodus, and the law.
What the evidence supports, what it does not, and why that matters more than a verdict.
Eight lectures and two Q&A sessions on demand, the moment you enroll. Lifetime access to revisit and rewatch.
Not here to defend or debunk, but to ask what we can actually know, and how.
Built for the curious. Whether believer, skeptic, or simply interested, the argument is built from the ground up.
Common Assumption
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible.
In fact
The Torah names no author, narrates Moses’ own death, and reads like the work of several hands across centuries. “Mosaic authorship” is exactly that, a tradition.
Common Assumption
We know Moses was a real historical figure.
In fact
For so towering a figure, the silence outside the Bible is striking. What history can and cannot establish about Moses is stranger than a simple yes or no.
Common Assumption
The Exodus happened just as the Bible describes.
In fact
Hundreds of thousands in the desert leave traces. The record of Egypt and Sinai tells a more complicated story, and what it implies reframes the whole account.
Common Assumption
The religion of the Old Testament was cold and legalistic.
In fact
That caricature says more about later polemics than about ancient Israel. Read in context, its law and worship look nothing like the stereotype.
Two 30-minute recorded Q&A sessions, where Bart takes audience questions on Moses, the Exodus, and the law.
A free bonus lecture drawn from the companion course on Genesis, “In the Beginning.”
A downloadable companion eBook to read alongside the lectures and take the material further.
A self-assessment quiz to review the key questions, evidence, and arguments as you go.
Downloadable lesson guides for every session, with recommended readings and reflection questions.
MP3 downloads of every lecture. Listen on your commute, during a walk, or whenever you’re away from a screen.
$1 from every registration is donated to charity: water, bringing clean water to people in need.
Enjoy the course at a fraction of the cost
October Special Price: 20% Off Through 10/31
Regular Price $79.95 October Special $63.96 Ends October 31
$79.95
Use code OCT20 at checkout
Included in Your Purchase: Lifetime Access to This University-Level Course With:
Access this Course PLUS Every Course in Our Vault
(250+ Hours of Biblical Learning!)
then special rate $49.95/month
Bart Ehrman presents eight 50-minute lectures, plus two 30-minute live Q&A sessions, on the historicity of Moses, the Exodus, and the law. All are available on demand, so you can watch at your own pace.
No. This is a recorded, on-demand course. You get the full lectures and both Q&A sessions to watch whenever you like, as many times as you like.
Once you have purchased the course, you will receive an email with instructions to log in to our online platform, ThriveCart Learn, where you will find all eight lectures, the Q&A sessions, and every bonus, with lifetime access. If you are a member of Biblical Studies Academy (BSA), your access will also be available inside the community.
No prior knowledge is required. Bart introduces the texts, the history, and the scholarly debates as the course unfolds. Whether you’re coming in fresh or already have a background in biblical studies, you’ll find it rewarding.
Yes. The course is yours with lifetime access. Watch the lectures, review the guides, and return to the material as often as you like, on any device.
Yes. All lecture recordings include closed captions, so you can follow along in text or review key arguments after watching.
We accept PayPal and all major credit cards.
Absolutely. If you don’t love the course, send us an email at support@bartehrman.com within 30 days of purchase and we will refund every penny.