Donovan Courville

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Donovan Courville (Ph.D., Chemistry), was a graduate of Andrews University. He taught at Pacific Union College from 1935 to 1949 before moving to Loma Linda University from 1949 to 1970 where he was emeritus professor of biochemistry at the School of Medicine. He authored numerous articles on bio-chemistry and poisonous marine animals but, as a practicing Seventh-day Adventist, he retained an interest in archaeology, Egyptology, and biblical chronology. The fruit of his biblically related study resulted in the 1971 private publication of a two volume, 700-page work that is his main claim to fame, entitled The Exodus Problem and Its Ramifications.

1 The Exodus Problem and Its Ramifications
2 Books
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] The Exodus Problem and Its Ramifications

Courville's The Exodus Problem and Its Ramifications was mainly concerned with the chronology of Egypt as it related to the Bible. Courville noted that if the Bible is correct about the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, there should be evidence of a calamitous catastrophe in Egyptian history at that point. Like Immanuel Velikovsky, he noted the similarities between the Ipuwer Papyrus and the Ten Plagues. Unlike Velikovsky, Courville suggested the Exodus occurred during the 6th Dynasty and 13th Dynasty, which he claimed ran parallel to each other.

Also unlike Velikovsky, Courville used a different methodology. He believed that the Sothis King List, which is regarded by most Egyptologists as incomplete, only listed the Pharaohs who were the primary power during Egypt's history. All other Pharaohs were either coregents or members of lesser, overlapping dynasties. The bulk of The Exodus Problem and Its Ramifications dealt with demonstrating his radically shortened version of Egyptian history.

A timeline showing the basic scheme advocated by Donovan Courville

Courville lowered the era of the Hyksos to a period after the Exodus and, like Velikovsky and David Rohl, identified them with the biblical Amalekites. Like Velikovsky, he accepted that Shishak of the Bible was Thutmose III rather than the Libyan Sheshonq I. He further stated that the father-in-law of Solomon was Thutmose I. He did not support Velikovsky's proposed "alter-ego" dynasties, which duplicated the 19th and 26th dynasties. He claimed that the reference to Israel on Merenptah's stele commemorated the fall of the state of Israel in 721 to Assyria. Courville also lowered the fall of Troy from about 1200 BC to the 8th century BC. He also lowered the date of Hammurabi and his dynasty to the 15th century BC. The final result of his efforts was to place the founding of Egypt (and by extension, Sumer) to around 2300 BC, after the most literal biblical date of Noah's Deluge according to Ussher and others.

[edit] Books

Courville, Donovan (1959). The Chemical Nature of Alcohol. Washington, DC: National Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism.
Courville, Donovan, Bruce Walter Halstead (1965). Poisonous and Venomous Marine Animals of the World. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Courville, Donovan, Cyril B. Courville (1966). Multiple Sclerosis as a Possible Manifestation of Cerebral Embolism. Loma Linda University.
Courville, Donovan (1971). The Exodus Problem and Its Ramifications: A Critical Examination of the Chronological Relationships Between Israel and the Contemporary Peoples of Antiquity. Loma Linda, Calif.: Challenge Books.