The Exodus (Event)

The Exodus is the great liberating event at the center of the Old Covenant — God's deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through Moses, sealed in the covenant at Sinai, and completed in the entry into the Promised Land. It is the foundational event of Israel's identity and a type of the redemption accomplished by Christ (CCC 62, 1221).

The Sequence of Events

The Exodus encompasses: God's call to Moses at the burning bush; the ten plagues on Egypt, culminating in the death of the firstborn; the Passover night, when the Israelites marked their doorposts with lamb's blood and were spared; the crossing of the Red Sea; forty years of desert wandering; the giving of the Law at Sinai; manna and water from the rock; and the entry into Canaan under Joshua (Exodus 1–Deuteronomy 34).

The Exodus as Typology

The Church reads the Exodus as a type of Christian redemption at every level: Egypt is slavery to sin; Pharaoh is a type of the devil; the Passover lamb is Christ; the crossing of the Red Sea is Baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1–2); manna in the desert is the Eucharist (John 6:31–35); the pillar of fire and cloud is the Holy Spirit; the Promised Land is Heaven. The New Testament repeatedly draws on Exodus imagery to interpret what Christ accomplished (CCC 1094, 1221).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Church re-read the Exodus at the Easter Vigil? Because Easter is the new and definitive Exodus — Christ's passage from death to life, liberating all humanity from the slavery of sin. The Easter Vigil's extensive Scripture readings trace salvation history so the newly baptized (who have just crossed their own Red Sea in the baptismal waters) can understand their initiation in light of the whole story of God's saving action (CCC 1094).