Gordon Franz<\/b><\/p>\n
Two treasure hunters stood on the top of Jebel al-Lawz thinking it was the real Mt. Sinai, the \u201cMountain of God.\u201d One was struck with fear because he thought he was trespassing on the \u201choliest place on earth.\u201d As he gulped down Gatorade and munched on M & Ms, a sense of guilt overcame him because he had forged a letter from the king of Saudi Arabia in order to obtain a visa into the Kingdom (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 10, 11, 74, 77, 79; Blum 1998a: 206). Should he have felt guilty for this deceit? Yes, what he did was illegal, and offended the honor of the Saudi Arabian people. Should he have been afraid because he was on the holy mountain of God (Ex 19:12)? No, because he was standing on the wrong mountain. MT. SINAI IS NOT IN SAUDI ARABIA!<\/p>\n
This article will examine four aspects of the question regarding whether or not Mt. Sinai is located in Saudi Arabia. First, the credibility of the claims will be questioned. Second, the false assumptions by the proponents of Jebel al-Lawz will be disputed. Third, the Biblical evidence will be discussed. Fourth, the archaeological evidence will be examined.<\/p>\n
Mount Sinai was the destination of Moses and the children of Israel after the Lord miraculously delivered them from the bondage of Egypt (Ex 18:5). It was from this mountain that the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the people of Israel (Ex 19:1\u20133, 11, 18; 20:1\u201317). Here, too, the prophet Elijah found himself after his escape from wicked Queen Jezebel (1 Kgs 19).<\/p>\n
Pilgrims, scholars and tourists have visited the traditional site, Jebel Musa (Arabic for the Mountain of Moses) for more than 1, 600 years. In the early fourth century AD Eusebius of Caesarea placed Mt. Sinai in the southern Sinai Peninsula. When Egeria made a pilgrimage to the East between AD 381 and 384, she visited Jebel Musa as Mt. Sinai (Wilkinson 1981: 1, 18, 91\u2013100). This impressive mountain located in the southern Sinai Peninsula is situated behind the Byzantine monastery of St. Catherine built by Emperor Justinian in the middle of the sixth century AD (Tsafrir 1978: 219).<\/p>\n
It may come as a surprise to most people, but scholars have identified 13 different sites as the \u201creal\u201d Mount Sinai (Har-El 1983: 2). I would agree with the proponents of the Jebel al-Lawz hypothesis that Jebel Musa, the traditional Mt. Sinai, or any other site in the southern Sinai Peninsula, cannot be the real Mt. Sinai. Professor Har-El (1983: 175\u2013233) in his book, The Sinai Journey<\/i>, has argued very convincingly against the southern Sinai theory.<\/p>\n
Recently, six American treasure hunters have added a 14th mountain to the already long list of candidates for the real Mt. Sinai: Jebel al-Lawz.<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s Who Among the Treasure Hunters<\/b><\/p>\n
The idea of Mt. Sinai being in Midian (Saudi Arabia) is not new. Charles Beke suggested Mount Baggir, to the northeast of the Gulf of Aqaba, as the true location of Mt. Sinai in his book Sinai in Arabia and of Midian<\/i> in 1878. Alois Musil (1926: 263, 264, 269, 296\u201398) and H. Philby (1957: 222\u201324) identify Mt. Sinai\/Horeb with Jebel al-Manifa, near Wadi al-Hrob, 20 km north of \u2018Ajnuna. A French scholar, Jean Koenig (1971), has added the volcanic peak of Hala \u2018l-bedr to the list.<\/p>\n
The late Ron Wyatt, a nurse anesthetist turned treasure hunter, added a fourth Midian site, Jebel al-Lawz, to the list. He also claimed to have discovered Noah\u2019s Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Exodus crossing and some of Pharaoh\u2019s chariots, the Ark of the Covenant with the blood of Jesus on the mercy seat, and other spectacular archaeological discoveries. This list is enough to make any archaeologist green with envy!1 <\/p>\n
In 1978, Wyatt claimed to have discovered the Exodus crossing at Newaba in the Gulf of Aqaba (the eastern branch of the Red Sea) and some of \u201cPharaoh\u2019s chariot wheels.\u201d2 This led him to conclude that Mt. Sinai must be in Saudi Arabia. His candidate for Mt. Sinai was Jebel al-Lawz because it was the highest peak in the entire northwest Saudi Arabian region (Noorbergen 1982: 157\u201374). In 1984 Wyatt and his two sons illegally crossed the border of Jordan into Saudi Arabia to visit the site. They explored and photographed the area around Jebel al-Lawz. As they tried to get back across the border they were captured and jailed for 78 days as Israeli spies. They were eventually released.<\/p>\n
Eleven months later, Wyatt returned to Saudi Arabia legally under the patronage of a certain Mr. Samran al-Motairy. This time he had a contract with Samran to split the take on any \u201ccommercial minerals\u201d found by them on their treasure hunt (Fasold 1993b: 4\u20136; Blum 1998a: 47). To help locate the gold, Wyatt convinced David Fasold, with his \u201cmolecular frequency generator\u201d (MFG), into joining their expedition to search for the \u201cgold of Exodus\u201d (Blum 1998a: 49\u201351). Fasold claimed this device can detect various types of metal under the ground.<\/p>\n
When one of Samran\u2019s workers discovered \u201ca bracelet that glittered for all the world like the purest of gold\u201d (Blum 1998a: 58), they were arrested and charged with \u201crobbing Saudi <\/p>\n
(article continued on page 103)<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 102<\/p>\n
Map of the route of the Exodus according to Har-EL (adapted from Har-El 1983: 357).<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 103<\/p>\n
Arabia of its wealth from antiquity\u201d which they claimed was a capital offense (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 218). When they were finally released, all their film and notes were confiscated, and they were made to promise they would never return to Saudi Arabia and never publish or talk about their findings (Blum 1998a: 59; Williams 1990: 25).<\/p>\n
Upon his return, Fasold shared the story with Jim Irwin, the Apollo 15 astronaut who walked on the moon. Irwin in turn put Fasold in touch with two other potential treasure hunters\u2014Larry Williams, a commodity trader and treasure hunter, and Robert Cornuke, a former police officer and SWAT team member (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 17, 20). Fasold told them about the location of Mt. Sinai and the gold from Egypt. Part of his material is reproduced in Williams\u2019 book (1990: 25, 209\u201311) as well as his own newsletters (1993a: 1993b). Before they began this venture, they allegedly consulted an unnamed university professor in California, who wishes his identity to remain a \u201cdeep dark secret\u201d (Blum 1998a: 108). He seemed to agree with this idea and encouraged them in their pursuit.<\/p>\n
Williams and Cornuke journeyed to Saudi Arabia twice in the summer of 1988 as self-proclaimed \u201cadventurers of history\u201d in search of the \u201creal\u201d Mt. Sinai and the \u201cgold of Exodus.\u201d They returned to tell the tale (Williams 1990: 10). Williams wrote a book about their adventures entitled The Mountain of Moses<\/i>. The Discovery of Mount Sinai<\/i> (1990). It was later reprinted under the title The Mount Sinai Myth<\/i> (1990).<\/p>\n
Another author, Howard Blum, also wrote a popular book entitled The Gold of Exodus: The Discovery of the True Mount Sinai<\/i> (1998a) based on the adventures of these two treasure hunters. The book has a number of inconsistencies. For example, Ronald Hendel (1999: 54) points out that before Williams and Cornuke went to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 1988, they allegedly had a meeting with an unnamed Biblical scholar from southern California. During the course of the conversation the unnamed scholar mentioned an interview of Dr. Frank Moore Cross in the August 1992 edition of Bible Review<\/i> (Blum 1998a: 120\u201322). Talk about getting an advance copy of a publication! How did this professor get a copy of a 1992 issue of Bible Review<\/i> in 1988? The book is excerpted in an article in the February 1998 issue of Vanity Fair<\/i> (Bloom 1998b).<\/p>\n
A video entitled \u201cThe Search for the Real Mt. Sinai\u201d (1998) is being distributed based on these books. According to the advertisement for the video, Hershel Shanks, the editor of Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> and Bible Review<\/i>, endorsed this video by saying.\u201d Jebal al Lawz is the most likely site for Mt. Sinai.\u201d<\/p>\n
A weak review of Blum\u2019s book and the video was given by Ronald Hendel in the July\/August 1999 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> (pages 54, 56) in which he never adequately deals with the arguments set forth by Williams and Blum. A spirited response appeared in the November\/December 1999 issue of the same magazine by Tom Beard, the producer of the video (pages 66, 67). Hershel Shanks also added a clarification of his endorsement. He said. \u201cThe quote attributed to me is accurate but incomplete. I went on to say that all identifications of Mt. Sinai are highly speculative. A good case has been made that it is somewhere in northwest Saudi Arabia, and Jebel al-Lawz is the highest point in this area\u201d (page 67).<\/p>\n
In the spring of 2000, Cornuke came out with his book that recounts their adventures in Saudi Arabia. The book is entitled In Search of the Mountain of God<\/i> with the subtitle \u201cThe discovery of the real Mt. Sinai\u201d (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000). It is basically a retelling of his and Williams\u2019 adventures found in the other books, but it also has a section at the end of the book about their search for Pharaoh\u2019s chariots in the Gulf of Aqaba. He has a tendency to embellish, just like Blum. For example, he claims the signs on the fence surrounding Jebel al-Lawz said, \u201cNo Trespassing Allowed. Violators Will Be Put to Death\u201d (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 1). Yet if one looks at the photograph in Blum\u2019s book (1998: pl. 4, top), the sign actually says,<\/p>\n
Archaeological area warning: It is unlawful to trespass. Violators are subject to penalties stipulated in the antiquities regulations passed by royal decree no. M 26, U 23.6.1392.<\/p>\n
Williams (1990: 157) just mentions the fines, but not the death penalty.<\/p>\n
The thesis of these books and video is that the real Mt. Sinai is located at Jebel al-Lawz in Saudi Arabia, and the gold that the Israelites took from the Egyptians \u201cis in them thar hills!\u201d Are their views correct? The simple answer is no. There are a number of significant problems with this view. Mt. Sinai is in the Sinai Peninsula right where the Bible places it.<\/p>\n
Problems With This View<\/b><\/p>\n
The biggest problem with the identification of Mi. Sinai at Jebel al-Lawz is that it does not meet the Biblical criteria for the site. The claims are based on three false assumptions and a misunderstanding of the archaeological remains that were observed.<\/p>\n
False Assumption #1: The Sinai Peninsula was Considered the Land of Egypt<\/b><\/p>\n
The first false assumption is that the Sinai Peninsula was within the territorial borders of ancient Egypt. Over and over in his book, Williams (1990: 15\u201317, 22, 26) calls the Sinai Peninsula the \u201cEgyptian Peninsula.\u201d If one looks at a modern Rand McNally map, the Sinai Peninsula is part of modern-day Egypt. However, 3, 500 years ago, that was not the case.<\/p>\n
The Bible says that after the Israelites left Succoth they were \u201cout of Egypt\u201d (Ex 13:8\u201320). The Land of Goshen was the eastern limit of Egypt. Apparently the line of fortresses on the eastern frontier canal was the border between Egypt and the Sinai (Hoffmeier 1997: 164\u201375). Sir Flinders Petrie, the Father of Palestinian Archaeology, states that the copper and turquoise mines in Sinai were \u201cin the desert outside the territorial border of Egypt<\/i>, which passed to the east of the delta\u201d (emphasis mine, cited in Williams 1990: 56). Ironically Williams missed the implication of this statement.<\/p>\n
One gets the impression reading Williams. Blum and Cornuke that the Egyptians had year-round mining activities and a standing army all over Sinai (Williams 1990: 58). It is true there were turquoise mines at Serabit el-Khadim in southern Sinai (Beit-Arieh 1993.4: 1335\u201338). However, as Petrie (1906: viii, 169) points out, milling was seasonal, from <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 104<\/p>\n
January to April, so the Israelites would have found Sinai \u201cquite empty\u201d when they left Egypt. He concluded,<\/p>\n
The argument that the Israelites would not have traveled down to the region of the Egyptian mines has no force whatever. The Egyptians never occupied that mining district with a garrison, but only sent expeditions; at the most these were in alternate years, and in the time of Merenptah only once in many years (Petrie 1906: 206).<\/p>\n
It is also true that there were Egyptian soldiers garrisoned in fortresses in Sinai. However, those fortresses were limited to northern Sinai. Alan Gardiner, a leading Egyptologist, did an important study from the Egyptian sources of the \u201cWays of Horns\u201d across the northern Sinai (Gardiner 1920). An extensive survey and some excavations were conducted between 1972 and 1982 along this road in northern Sinai. The excavator concluded,<\/p>\n
The survey results enable us for the first time to delineate the course of the \u201cWays of Horus\u201d in accurate detail, and to reconstruct the history of settlement and the degree of Egyptian activity on the land bridge between the Delta and southern Canaan (Oren 1987: 76).<\/p>\n
One can understand why<\/p>\n
God did not lead them [the Children of Israel] by the way of the land of the Philistines [another name for the \u201cWays of Horus\u201d], although that was near; for God said, \u201cLest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war [with the Egyptian garrisons], and return to Egypt\u201d (Ex 13:17, NKJV; parenthetical statements are the author\u2019s).<\/p>\n
This verse also places the Sinai Peninsula outside the Land of Egypt. If the Children of Israel saw war with the Egyptian garrisons on the Ways of Horns in the Sinai Peninsula, they would return to Egypt.<\/p>\n
Another archaeologist who excavated extensively in Sinai observed,<\/p>\n
ancient Egyptian hegemony never extended into south central Sinai. … The Egyptians did reach the western strip of southern Sinai, where they worked the turquoise mines of Serabit el-Khadem and similar mines at nearby Wadi Maghara. But despite the fact that south central Sinai contains copper deposits that were highly prized in ancient times, there is no evidence to indicate that the Egyptians were active in the exploitation of these copper deposits (Beit-Arieh 1988: 36).<\/p>\n
Williams (1990: 57, 58) and others wonder how the Israelites could wander in the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years without running into the Egyptians. As noted above, there were some parts of Sinai that did not have any Egyptians. It also should be kept in mind what happened at the Exodus crossing. Pharaoh\u2019s elite force of 600 chariots (Ex 14:7, 9, 23\u201330; Josephus says that there was an additional 50,000 horsemen and 200,000 infantry, Antiquities<\/i> 2: 324) was destroyed when the Reed Sea collapsed on them (Ex 14:23\u201330; 15:4, 5).<\/p>\n
As a result, Israel \u201cfeared and believed\u201d the LORD (Ex 14:31). The Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, and Canaanites3 were afraid and trembled (Ex 15:14\u201316; Jos 2:10). If there were any military units left in Sinai, either from an expedition to the turquoise mines in Southern Sinai or guarding the \u201cWays of Horus\u201d in northern Sinai, what Egyptian military commander in his right mind would want to confront Israel? They knew The LORD was a \u201cMan of War\u201d and He was an awesome and powerful God Who decimated the Egyptian army (Ex 15:3, 6, 7 NKJV).<\/p>\n
Cornuke raises the problem of the lack of archaeological evidence for Israel in Sinai. After citing Beit-Arieh\u2019s 1984 article in Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i>, he says,<\/p>\n
Fifteen years of exhaustive, painstaking investigation by veteran archaeologists found nothing to suggest as many as two-and-a-half million Jewish pilgrims once flooded the Egyptian landscape. No trace of a mighty host littering the wilderness with their smoking campfires, stores of food, cook pots, and acres of pottery, ceremonial implements and utensils, weapons, jewels, trinkets, and religious objects. No evidence of huge herds, flocks, or the daily waste and abandoned junk of a wandering multitude. Nothing (Cornuke 2000: 168).<\/p>\n
In another article, Dr. Beit-Arieh (1988: 37) reiterates the problem:<\/p>\n
Nowhere have we found any material remains of human occupation at the time (Late Bronze Age\u20141550\u20131200 BC) when the Exodus is supposed to have occurred.<\/p>\n
He continues with a plausible solution to the problem, although I do not think he believes it:<\/p>\n
Perhaps it will be argued, by those who subscribe to the traditional account in the Bible, that the Israelite material culture was only of the flimsiest kind and left no trace. Presumably the Israelite dwellings and artifacts consisted only of perishable materials (Beit-Arieh 1988: 37).<\/p>\n
The above results are understandable under \u201cnormal\u201d conditions. Perhaps Cornuke did not consider that when the Israelites left Egypt, they had their kneading bowls (probably made of wood); the clothes on their back and any other clothes the Egyptians gave them. They also asked for, and received, gold and silver (Ex 3:21, 22; 11:2, 3; 12:34\u201335). Josephus adds that they received vessels of brass, which were used for their manna, metals, woven fabrics, decorations for armor, beasts of burden, and military implements (Antiquities of the Jews<\/i> 3: 57).<\/p>\n
The armor they picked up after the Egyptians drowned in the sea (Antiquities of the Jews<\/i> 3: 59). They dwelt in tents made from goat hair, not buildings. They also had the promise of God that their clothes and sandals would not wear out (Dt 8:4; 29:5, 6). Most of the articles were perishable and those metal objects were closely guarded because of their value. Most likely the Israelites left their pottery in Egypt because they knew it would break and so they used brass vessels given to them by the Egyptians. They would have had no personal <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 105<\/p>\n
St. Catherine\u2019s Monastery at the base of Jebel Musa, the traditional location of Mt. Sinai. It was founded as both a monastic center and a pilgimage site. The basilical Church of Justinian inside the compound was built between 548 and 565. In addition to the functional buildings, a \u201cburning bush\u201d and \u201cwell of Moses\u201d are located within the walls of the monastery.<\/b><\/p>\n
religious articles because that would be idolatry.<\/p>\n
Due to the above factors, it is understandable that one would not expect to find archaeological remains.<\/p>\n
In summary, Egypt exploited the natural resources of Sinai and controlled certain roads in the northern part of the peninsula, but it was not within the borders of the Land of Egypt.<\/p>\n
False Assumption #2: Mt Sinai is in the Land of Midian<\/b><\/p>\n
The second false assumption is that Mt. Sinai is located in the Land of Midian, which is identified as part of the Saudi Arabian peninsula (Williams 1990: 68\u201374).<\/p>\n
I would agree with the proponents of Jebel al-Lawz that Midian is today in the area of northwestern Saudi Arabia. I think most scholars would attest to that (Parr 1989: 39\u201366; 1996: 213\u201318). However, the Biblical text does not place Mt. Sinai in the Land of Midian.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Hershel Shanks, Prof. Frank Moore Cross, retired professor of Hebrew at Harvard University, opines that the mountain of God was located in the Land of Midian. When asked if he had a guess what mountain might be Mt. Sinai, he responded,<\/p>\n
I really don\u2019t. There are several enormous mountains in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia. Jebel al-Lawz is the highest of the mountain in Midian\u20148,465 feet\u2014higher than any mountain in the Sinai Peninsula; but biblical Mt. Sinai need not be the highest mountain. There is some reason to search for it in southern Edom, which was Midianite terrain before the expansion of the Edomites south (Shanks 1992: 32).<\/p>\n
He later put the \u201cMidian Hypothesis\u201d in print, but did not endorse a particular mountain for the location of Mt. Sinai (Cross 1998: 60\u201368). Yet the question is still remains, is Mt. Sinai in Midian?<\/p>\n
The assumption that Mt. Sinai is in Midian is based on Exodus 3:1. As Cross (1998: 61) says, \u201cThis text presumes that the mountain is in Midian territory.\u201d It would be assumed that because Moses kept Jethro\u2019s flock of sheep and Jethro was a Midianite. When it says \u201che led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God,\u201d the mountain of God must be in Midian. Williams (1990: 58) also states that Moses tended Jethro\u2019s flock at Mt. Sinai for 40 years. First of all, it should be pointed out that the Bible, in this verse, does not state that Moses tended the flock at Mt. Sinai for 40 years, nor does it explicitly state that Mt. Horeb is in <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 106<\/p>\n
Midian. Second, I think a more plausible explanation of the geography can be given. (For a moment, permit me to assume that Mt. Sinai is outside the Land of Midian. Below I will demonstrate this from Scripture).<\/p>\n
It is important to note the chronology and context of Exodus 3:1. In Exodus 2:23 the king of Egypt, who wanted to kill Moses 40 years earlier, died (Ex 2:15; 4:19; cf. Acts 7:23, 30). Moses, while tending the flock in Midian for most of the 40 years, heard of his death. A plausible scenario of how he heard about the death was from some frankincense caravan that was returning from Egypt to \u201cSouth Arabia\u201d (MacDonald 1995: 1357). The Children of Israel were groaning because of their bondage in Egypt and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex 2:23\u201325). Moses, who had a concern for his family (Ex 4:18) and a heart for the children of Israel, wanted to learn more about what was going on. He took Jethro\u2019s flock to Mt. Sinai (we will assume Mt. Sinai is located at Jebel Sin Bishar in western central Sinai. This region had good pastureland and was well watered [Har-El 1983: 425]).<\/p>\n
It is not unusual for Bedouin shepherds to go long distances to find pasture for their flocks. I have met Bedouin shepherds who come from the Beersheva region with their flocks north of Jerusalem, a distance of over 70 mi. What better cover could Moses want than being an old shepherd tending his sheep? Moses left Egypt as a 40-year-old Egyptian administrator, most likely clean-shaven and bald.4 Now he was returning as an 80-year-old man, probably with a beard and white hair! (At least that\u2019s what Charlton Heston looked like in \u201cThe Ten Commandments\u201d!) Nobody would recognize him after 40 years of being away (contra Williams 1990. 59). The Angel of the LORD, however, knew who he was and appeared to him in a burning bush (Ex 3:2\u20134:17). Moses returned to Jethro (in Midian) and asked his permission to return to Egypt after being away for 40 years (Ex 4:18). Jethro granted him permission and Moses set out toward Egypt. The Lord instructed Aaron to meet his brother at the mountain of God (Ex 4:27). The impression from the text is that Moses was almost back to Egypt when he met Aaron and not Aaron traveling all the way to Midian to meet Moses.<\/p>\n
If one looks at the Bible carefully, it will be observed that Mt. Sinai is outside the Land of Midian. Two verses demonstrate this placement. The first is found in Exodus 18. In the context, Moses and the Children of Israel are camped at \u201cthe Mountain of God\u201d (Mt. Sinai). Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, brings his family to visit with Moses. During the course of their stay, Jethro gives Moses some invaluable advice about governing the people. In verse 27 it states,<\/p>\n
Then Moses let his father-in-law depart [from Mt. Sinai], and he went his way to his own land [Midian] [NKJV, parenthetical statements added by the author].<\/p>\n
Jethro departs from Mt. Sinai to return to his own land of Midian.<\/p>\n
The second verse that places Mt. Sinai outside the Land of Midian is found in Numbers 10. In the context, the Children of Israel are getting ready to depart from Mt. Sinai and Moses invites his brother-in-law, Hobab, to join them in going to the Promised Land (10:29). Hobab responds.<\/p>\n
I will not go, but I will depart [from Mt. Sinai] to my own land [Midian] and to my kinsmen [10:30].<\/p>\n
Williams (1990: 73) misses the point of this passage. He says Hobab is telling Moses \u201cthat he has no desire to leave his homeland of Midian.\u201d Williams is assuming that Mt. Sinai is in Midian. If that were the case, Hobab would have said, \u201cI will not depart, but stay in my own land and with my kinsmen.\u201d However, the text is saying Hobab wants to return to his own land, the place of his birth (Midian), which can only be done by departing from Mt. Sinai, because it is outside his homeland. (My thanks to Prof. Faiman for pointing these two verses out to me.)<\/p>\n
False Assumption #3: Galatians 4:25 says Mt. Sinai is in Saudi Arabia<\/b><\/p>\n
The third false assumption is that the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:25 that Mt. Sinai was in Saudi Arabia. Cornuke plainly states this when he says,<\/p>\n
The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, informs us that Mount Sinai is in Saudi Arabia. Not Egypt! (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 171).<\/p>\n
The Bible says nothing of the sort. Granted, the Holy Spirit could have predicted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia long before it came on the world scene. After all, He predicted Cyrus by name 210 years before he became king of Persia (Is 44:28; 45:1; Antiquities of the Jews<\/i> 11: 5). Yet all the Bible says is that Mount Sinai is in Arabia.<\/p>\n
Moses never uses the word \u201cArab\u201d or \u201cArabia\u201d at the time he wrote the Pentateuch. The words appear later in the Bible. So the Apostle Paul does not have a Mosaic use of the word \u201cArabia\u201d in mind when he uses the word in Galatians 4:25 because \u201cArabia\u201d did not exist in Moses\u2019 day.<\/p>\n
The Galatians 4:25 reference might indeed support the view that Mount Sinai was in Saudi Arabia if the Apostle Paul was looking at a 2000 Rand McNally Atlas. However, Arabia would not be limited to Saudi Arabia if he were looking at a first century AD Roman road map. Although no actual maps of Roman Arabia exist from this period, we do possess the accounts of the contemporary travelers such as Strabo, a Greek from Pontus (64 BC to ca. AD 25). He describes the borders of Arabia as having its eastern border at the Persian Gulf and its western border at the east side of the Nile River. This means that Strabo understood the entire Arabian Peninsula and the Sinai Peninsula to be included in first century Arabia (Geography<\/i> 16.4: 2; 17.1: 30, 31).<\/p>\n
The word \u201cArab\u201d first appears in an extra-Biblical inscription from a monolith found at Kurkh from the time of Shalmaneser III (853 BC). Throughout the Assyrian period, various Assyrian kings describe the activities of the Arabs, or desert nomads.<\/p>\n
The first time the word \u201cArabia\u201d is used as a term for a designated geographical area is in the mid-fifth century BC by the famous Greek historian and traveler, Herodotus (born ca. <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 107<\/p>\n
484 BC). He traveled to Egypt and wrote about his trip in his book. The Persian Wars<\/i>. In his monumental work on ancient Arabs, Dr. Israel Eph al of Tel Aviv, University points out that.<\/p>\n
Herodotus… calls the entire region east of the Nile and the Pelusian Branch, from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, \u201cArabia\u201d, and its population \u201cArabs\u201d (2:8, 15, 19, 30, 75, 124, 158) (Eph\u2019al 1982: 193).<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Arabia, not far from Egypt, there is a long and narrow gulf running inland from the sea called the Red Sea [the Gulf of Suez], of which I will here set down the dimensions.\u201d Herodotus, The Persian Wars<\/i> 2:11.<\/p>\n
Moreover, in the mid-third century BC, 72 Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek (known as the Septuagint) and followed the contemporary use of the word \u201cArabia\u201d when they referred to Goshen as \u201cGoshen of Arabia\u201d (Gn 45:10; 46:34). While Goshen is clearly part of Egypt (Gn 37:6, 27; Ex 9:26), the translator imposed the third century BC geographical reality on their translation.<\/p>\n
On Egeria\u2019s pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she visited Jebel Musa, the traditional site of Mt. Sinai, and also the Land of Goshen (Wilkinson 1981:91\u2013103). In Goshen, she stayed at Clysma, a \u201ccity of Arabia\u201d (Wilkinson 1981:100). She wrote.<\/p>\n
It gets its name from the region, which is called \u201cthe land of Arabia, the land of Goshen,\u201d a region which, while it is part of Egypt, is a great deal better than any of the rest (Wilkinson 1981: 100, 101).<\/p>\n
Egeria followed the Septuagint reading of Genesis 46:34 in her description of Goshen being in the Land of Arabia.<\/p>\n
Therefore, when the Apostle Paul says that Mt. Sinai is in Arabia, he is using the First century AD understanding of the word. He would be perfectly correct in placing Mt. Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula because the Sinai Peninsula was part of Arabia in his day.<\/p>\n
In conjunction with Galatians 4:25, three other verses have been used to demonstrate that Mt. Sinai was Outside the Sinai Peninsula: Deuteronomy 33:2, Judges 5:4; and Habakkuk 3:3 It is stated that Seir, Mt. Paran and Teman are located in present day Jordan or even Saudi Arabia (Cross 1998: 66, Heiser 1998).<\/p>\n
Most scholars put the territory of Edom in the Transjordanian mountains to the cast of the Arabah and northeast of the Gull of Aqaba. A careful examination of the Scriptures places it also on the west side of the Arabah (Nm 34:3: Jos 15:1). The area from the Wilderness of Zin and Kadesh Barnea, south to Eilat, was also Edomite territory. If this were the case, the locations of Seir, Mt. Paran and Teman could be moved back into northeast Sinai. A case can be made for Mt. Paran being in the area of Kadesh Barnea, known today as Ein Qudeirat (Nm 13:26). Mt. Seir could be identified with the Jebel-es-Se\u2019ira, 45 km to the west of Eilat and west of the Kadesh Barnea-Eilat road (Har-El 1983: 338). Teman would be located in the area of Kuntillet \u2018Ajrud where the inscriptions with the name \u201cYahweh of Teman\u201d were found (Meshel 1993). If these identification are accepted, then these passages (Dt 33:2; Jgs 5:4: Hb 3:3) refer to the Lord leading the Children of Israel by the pillar of fire through the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years.<\/p>\n
Eleven Days to Kadesh Barnea<\/b><\/p>\n
Another major problem for the Jebel al-Lawz site is the statement by Moses that Mt. Horeb (another name for Mt. Sinai) is \u201celeven days journey from Kadesh Barnea\u201d (Dt 1:2). It would be impossible to march more than 2 million Israelites through the difficult terrain from Jebel al-Lawz to Kadesh Barnea in the allotted time. However, Wyatt, Williams, Blum and Cornuke all ignore this problem.<\/p>\n
Biblical Kadesh Barnea has been located by some at Ein Qedis (the spring of Qedis), where the Arabic name preserves the Biblical name Kadesh, in northeast Sinai. Others have placed it 10 km to the northwest at the tel near Ein Qudeirat that has an Iron Age fortress on it. Ein Qudeirat is the richest spring in all of Sinai producing a flow of water at about 40 m4 per hour (Dothan 1965: 134)! In a popular article on his excavations at Kadesh Barnea. Rudolph Cohen (1981:21) asks, \u201cHas the site been correctly identified? If so, why have we found no remains from the Exodus period?\u201d I believe the area is correctly identified and as suggested above, we would not expect to find remains of the Israelites.<\/p>\n
Others that place Mt. Sinai in Midian recognize the \u201c11 days\u201d problem and place Kadesh Barnea near Petra. The problem with this identification is that the southern border of Israel goes from the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) to the Sea (Mediterranean Sea) via the Wilderness of Zin and Kadesh Barnea (Nm 34:1\u20135: Jos 15:1\u20134). If Kadesh Barnea were in the area of Petra, then most of ancient Edom\u2019s territory would be in Biblical Israel! Geographically that does not make any sense.<\/p>\n
Misunderstanding the Archaeological Evidence<\/b><\/p>\n
Those who hold to the Jebel al-Lawz site as Mt. Sinai are quick to point out the \u201carchaeological evidence.\u201d Their reasoning is, \u201cLook what was found, everything fits, it must be the site\u201d! Let\u2019s look at the evidence and see if it really \u201cfits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Survey of the Area<\/b><\/p>\n
Our treasure hunters write as if they were the first westerners to explore Jebel al-Lawz and the surrounding area to do \u201cresearch\u201d (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 2: Wiiliams 1990: 101). Such is not the case.<\/p>\n
In the early 1950\u2019s, Harry St. John Philby visited the region of Midian and surveyed sites in the area. His book, The Land of Midian<\/i> was published in 1957, and<\/p>\n
gives a detailed and reliable account of the topography of the country. … Philby\u2019s descriptions of such ancient sites, as he knew of and visited (such as Mugha\u2019ir Shu\u2019ayb, Rawwafah, and Qurayyah) are also, so far as they go, accurate and useful, but unfortunately his photographs are poor, and he did not publish any plans or any of the surface sherds and other antiquities which he diligently collected during his journeying (Parr, et al. 1968\u201369: 194).<\/p>\n
(article continued on page 109)<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 108<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 109<\/p>\n
Philby (1957:209,215) viewed Jebel al-Lawz from a distance and observed a \u201cpatch of snow\u201d at the summit, but did not visit the mountain.<\/p>\n
Parr continues:<\/p>\n
Prior to Philby\u2019s explorations, the region had received a certain amount of attention from travellers and orientalists during the nineteenth and very early twentieth centuries. The early history of this activity has been recounted by Hogarth in The Penetration of Arabia<\/i> (1904), and includes such names as Burckhart (1812), Ruppell (1826), Moresby and Wellsted (1831), Wallin (1848), Burton (1877), Doughty (1877\/8), Huber (1878 and 1883) and Euting (1883). The construction of the Hejaz Railway between 1904 and 1908 made the area more accessible, and the opportunity to investigate was taken by such scholars as Jaussen and Savignac (1907\u201310), Moritz (1910), and Musil (1910) (Parr et al. 1968\u201369: 196).<\/p>\n
Williams laments that he tried to get information on Jebel al-Lawz and the caves at al-Bad\u2019 from people in Saudi Arabia. He claims that the government had not produced anything on these archaeological remains (Williams 1990: 183). As will be shown below, that is not the case either.<\/p>\n
Mt. Sinai Covered with Smoke<\/b><\/p>\n
Williams and Cornuke have pictures of the summit of Jebel al-Lawz \u201cscorched black.\u201d Cornuke attributes this to the smoke that covered the mountain when the Lord came down on Mt. Sinai (Ex 19:16\u201320). He claims that the<\/p>\n
blackened rock had become a holy handprint for the ages. God placed his signature in heavenly flames in a fashion so electrifying, so stupefying, that man\u2019s proud logic and science would be hard-pressed to explain it (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 77).<\/p>\n
Williams (1990:78) is a bit more cautious concerning this evidence.<\/p>\n
Science may provide the answer. Cornuke (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 75) and Williams (1990: 167) brought back rocks for \u201cfuture laboratory analysis.\u201d They arranged for geologists to look at their rock samples (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 116). Researchers are interested in seeing the lab analyses, but they have been unavailable for the last 13 years Judgment on this evidence should be withheld until the rocks have been scientifically analyzed and properly published.<\/p>\n
The Altar of the Golden Calf<\/b><\/p>\n
The golden calf incident is recorded in Exodus 32 (see also Dt 9:21). When Moses did not return from his trip to Mt. Sinai, the people requested Aaron to make a god for them. He obliged them by taking their earrings and fashioning them into a molded calf. When he presented the calf he said. \u201cThis is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt\u201d (Ex 32:4). How soon he and the Children of Israel forgot the statement of the LORD that He brought them out of Egypt (Ex 29:45, 46)! The Bible says Aaron built an altar before the calf (Ex 32:5).<\/p>\n
Wyatt and Fasold found a huge pile of granite rocks in a plain about 1\/4 mi from the base of the mountain. On it, there were petroglyphs of bovine (bulls, cows and oxen) (Fasold 1993b:8). Wyatt and Fasold claim that a Saudi archaeologist from Riyadh University said these were Egyptian-style cows and bulls, and that they had never been found anywhere else in Saudi Arabia (Williams 1990: 210, 211)5 . However, in a later article, Fasold (1993b: 12) does not mention the archaeologist\u2019s claim, but attributes the identification of the bovines as Hathor and Apis to Wyatt (Fasold 1993b: 8).<\/p>\n
Nabatean tombs located south of al-Bad\u2019 dating to the first century AD. These were incorrectly identified by Cornuke and Williams as the \u201ccaves of Moses\u201d where Moses and Zipporah lived.<\/b><\/p>\n
At Fasold\u2019s trial, the archaeologist that represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allegedly said,<\/p>\n
These drawings are the Hathor and Apis bulls from Egypt\u2014 I have never seen them in this country before (Williams (1990: 106).<\/p>\n
No Saudi archaeologist would say such nonsense. They would be well aware of the surveys that had been done in the area and the unpublished petroglyphs. They know that bovine petroglyphs were found in the Midian area as well as other parts of the country (Livingstone et al. 1985: 132\u201334; pls. 126, 127, 133; Nayeem 1990: 91, 92, 95). In all the archaeological literature I have read on rock art in Saudi Arabia, not once have I ever seen the word \u201cEgyptian\u201d connected with the bovine petroglyphs.<\/p>\n
Cornuke wondered why bovine petroglyphs were found in this area. He reasoned: <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 110<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t cattle country. It is sheep country and had been for as long as men had walked these plains. Saudi Arabia has never been known for cattle\u2014unless, of course, they were driven here by the fleeing Israelites (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 66).<\/p>\n
Williams (1990: 106) makes similar statements.<\/p>\n
What are we to make of this \u201cevidence\u201d? First, the Bible clearly states that Aaron, not the Children of Israel, made the altar before the golden calf (Ex 32:5). I find it hard to believe that he could pick up these giant boulders and put them in place to make an altar! Cornuke believes that this \u201chuge mound of stacked granite\u201d (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 64) was built by \u201cworkers skilled in the art of building cities and moving mountains\u201d (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 65). This view is contrary to the Scriptures. Aaron built the altar, not the Israelites.<\/p>\n
Second, one Saudi archaeologist who did his doctoral thesis on Saudi Arabian rock art dates the \u201cpatched bovine\u201d to the Neolithic period (Khan 1991: 115; pl. 1). The Neolithic period is considerably earlier than the Late Bronze Age and the date of the Exodus from Egypt! Thus, it has nothing to do with the livestock the Israelites brought out of Egypt (Ex 12:38, 17:3; Nm 20:19; 32:1; Dt 3:19).<\/p>\n
Third, during the Neolithic period there was much more rainfall in Saudi Arabia than at present (Ingraham et al. 1981: 62). Thus there would be ample grazing places for cattle then. One does not have to make the assumption the Israelites drove the livestock to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Fourth, let\u2019s assume for a minute that this was the site of the golden calf (However, I do not believe it is.) Moses destroyed the golden calf because it was an idol. He also would have erased the petroglyphs of the bovine because they were graven images. Petroglyphs would be totally contrary to the law that Moses had just received from the Lord on Mt. Sinai (Ex 20:4).6 To answer Cornuke\u2019s question, \u201cHad we really stumbled upon the altar of the golden calf?\u201d (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000:67), the simple answer is no.<\/p>\n
Cave of Moses<\/b><\/p>\n
Some 2 km south of the town of al-Bad\u2019 are caves called by the local people the caves of Moses and Jethro. Philby ( 1957: 214) records the local tradition at Bir al Saidni \u201cas the very (well) from which Moses rolled away the stone to draw water for the flocks of Jethro\u2019s daughters\u201d (cf. Ex 2:15\u201319). Cornuke (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 89\u2013104; pl. 13) and Williams (1990: 177\u201383; pictures 17\u201319) tell of their adventures in the al-Bad\u2019 area.<\/p>\n
It should surprise no one that there are traditions that Moses and Jethro lived in the area. After all, this is in the Land of Midian (Ex 2:15; Acts 7:29). The traditions stem from the fact that there were early Jewish traditions of them in the area (Kerkeslager 1998: 156\u201358), a Jewish community at the town of Makna to the southwest of al-Bad\u2019 on the coast in the ninth century AD (cf. Acts 2:11; Musil 1926: 114, 115) and the Moslem tradition that Moses was one of their prophets (Bosworth 1984). However, the interpretations that Williams and Cornuke put on these caves do not stand up to the facts. First, it is claimed that Moses and his family lived in the caves (Blum 1998a: pl. 2; Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 103). Second, Cornuke relates, that the local tradition states that Jethro and Zipporah were buried in the caves based on some inscriptions found in them (Cornuke and Halbrook-2000: 99). Williams (1990: 192) reluctantly came to the conclusion that they were burial caves. Unfortunately they give no serious consideration to the dating of the caves. The closest they come is to Williams\u2019 (1990: picture 19) claims that they have \u201cEgyptian fronts.\u201d What are the facts?<\/p>\n
The region around al-Bad\u2019 and the caves had been explored, surveyed, photographed and published long before Williams and Cornuke visited the area (Musil 1926: 108\u201316; Philby 1957: 233, 257\u201362: Parr et al. 1971: 30\u201335; pls. 12\u201317). The caves are called \u201cMagha\u2019ir Shu\u2019ayb\u201d (the Caves of Jethro) and are in reality. Nabatean tombs dating to the first century AD. They are not Midianite tombs dating to the Late Bronze Age. The so-called \u201cEgyptian front\u201d is similar to what tourists see on the Nabatean tombs of Petra when they visit that site. As for the inscriptions, Musil (1926: 112) found five tombs with them but no mention of Moses, Jethro or Zipporah. Later, a British team of archaeologist resurveyed the tombs and found four inscriptions and published them, again saying nothing about Moses, Jethro or Zipporah (Parr. et al. 1971:32, 59). The caves are much later than the time of Moses and have nothing to do with the Exodus narratives.<\/p>\n
The Altar of Moses and the 12 Pillars<\/b><\/p>\n
The Bible says that Moses got up early one morning and built an altar at the base of the Mt. Sinai and set up 12 stone pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel (Ex 24:4).<\/p>\n
At the base of Jebel al-Lawz is an enigmatic stone structure. It is comprised of three parallel V-shaped stone walls (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: pl. 11 top. pl. 12 top). The Vs are at a 45\u00b0 angle and measure 120 ft in length (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 86). This complex has been identified as an \u201cangular stone altar\u201d (ibid), chutes where animals where held for sacrifice (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: pl. 12 top), or a temple (Williams 1990: 208, 211; Fasold 1993a: 10).<\/p>\n
Dr. Majeed Khan, a Saudi archaeologist who worked on the survey of the area, has informed me that these are the remains of the living quarters of miners of a marble quarry in the area. The pottery collected at the site dates to the Nabatean period (second century BC\u2014first century AD). \u201cWhite crude marble\u201d pillars were prepared there and exported to Petra for the buildings in that city. These pillars are not to be identified as the 12 pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel as Williams (1990: 212) claims.<\/p>\n
Williams (1990: 97) states.<\/p>\n
local Bedouins tell us the stones had been removed to Haql for a temple or monument erected by Solomon or Sulliman.<\/p>\n
Fasold reported that some of the stones were removed in the 1930\u2019s to build a mosque in Haql. (1993a: 10). Elsewhere he says.<\/p>\n
There was mention that the temple was put there by Sulliman, I think the name could have been Solomon (Williams 1990:211).<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 111<\/p>\n
In a later publication, Fasold reported that their Bedouin guide, Ibrahim, claimed Suleyman erected the temple. He then goes on to say,<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t long before Ron [Wyatt] had the story elaborated into the temple being built by Solomon and Suleyman tearing it down to build the mosque, without a shred of evidence (1993a: 10).<\/p>\n
The only way the dating of the structure will be resolved is by an archaeological excavation.<\/p>\n
To add some confusion to the finds in the area, Wyatt and Fasold found large circular structures some 18 ft in diameter in the immediate area (Williams 1990: 208\u201310; picture 3; Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 124). Williams (1990: picture 3) says they are the 12 pillars representing the tribes of Israel, but Cornuke discounts that and says they are either ceremonial platforms or large cisterns (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 124). From the photographs and drawings, they look to me like cairns, large stone circles probably connected with burials that are typical to the northwest Saudi Arabian area. The date and function of the cairns are unknown (Ingraham et al. 1981: 69\u201371). I would also place the so-called \u201cboundary stones\u201d (Ex 19:12) in the same category (Williams 1990: 63; Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 85, 86; pl. 10 bottom; Blum 1998a: pl. 6 bottom).<\/p>\n
Dr. Khan informs me that a book on the rock art and archaeology of the al-Bad\u2019 area is in preparation by the Saudi Department of Archaeology. It will have a chapter on the archaeology of the Jebel al-Lawz area. We eagerly await this publication for a more definitive explanation of the archaeological remains.<\/p>\n
The Split Rock at Horeb<\/b><\/p>\n
Deuteronomy 9:21 says there is a \u201cbrook that descended from the mountain\u201d into which Moses threw the gold dust from the golden calf. Cornuke and Williams found a large ravine that snakes down the mountain. Cornuke observed,<\/p>\n
The ancient watershed\u2014a chalky, blister-dry remnant of a bygone wellspring\u2014was filled with large, water-polished boulders, clear evidence of a fast-rushing torrent. In a land that receives half an inch of rain per decade, it was proof that a stream of some magnitude had once caressed these rocks (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: 82).<\/p>\n
They also show a picture of a rock with a 20 in wide fracture and suggest this is the rock that Moses struck (Ex 17:2\u20136; Ps 78:15, 16, 20, 105:41; Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: pls. 8 and 9).<\/p>\n
Is this evidence of the split rock at Horeb? First, one should be cautious about making dogmatic statements based on photographs until a team of geologists is able to examine the rock closely. Second, Cornuke implies that the smooth rock was a result of the \u201criver\u201d flowing from the split rock because the area only gets 1\/2 in of rain per decade. While the area is classified as an arid desert, it does get 100 mm (4 in) or less rain per year that comes in the form of tropical monsoons (Ingraham et al. 1981: 62). In Philby\u2019s (1957: 205\u201328) account of his travels to the Midian Valley, he mentioned heavy rains and floods. Those people familiar with desert geology, know that flash floods can provide the mechanism to polish the rocks (Cornuke and Halbrook 2000: pl. 8, bottom).<\/p>\n
Fasold\u2019s Gold<\/b><\/p>\n
One of the reasons the treasure hunters went to the mountain was to look for the gold and silver that the children of Israel took from the Egyptians as they departed Egypt (Ex 3:22; 11:2; 12:35\u201336). Fasold claims that his \u201cmolecular frequency generator\u201d (MFG) produced readings that indicated the whole area was \u201cloaded with buried gold\u2014the gold of the Exodus\u201d (Blum 1998: 59). He also claims that his MFG device picked up gold readings in the area of the \u201cgolden calf altar\u201d (Williams 1990: 107, 108; Fasold 1993b: 8). Is this possible? Gold in this area should not surprise any, geologist or archaeologist. The Land of Midian was noted for its gold mines! In 1982 (before the treasure hunters showed up), a survey was done in the Jebel al-Lawz area and two gold deposits were discovered. One at Jebel Maqda Ar Rahyat (site 200\u20131004), northwest of Jebel al-Lawz and another in the Wadi Maswat (site 200\u20131003), on the southwest slopes of the mountain (Kisnawi, et al. 1983: 82, pl. 79). The surveyors indicate that one of the places gold is found is in alluvial deposits found in pits in a wadi (dry river bed). The miner just sifts the gravel or sand to find the gold (Kisnawi et al. 1983:77). Fasold had set up his MFG device about 50 ft from the edge of the wadi (Blum 1998a: 53). Samran\u2019s workers were digging in the wadi when they allegedly discovered a \u201cgold bracelet\u201d (Blum 1998a: 58). One bracelet is insufficient evidence to claim that the gold of the Exodus is located at Jebel al-Lawz.<\/p>\n
Why is the Area Fenced In?<\/b><\/p>\n
The question has been raised, \u201cif the area is not an important historical site, then why is it fenced in?\u201d What are they trying to prevent people from seeing?<\/p>\n
In most countries, it is standard practice to fence in archaeological sites. There are at least four reasons why archaeologists fence in any given site. (1) To protect the sites from animals. In the case of Jebel al-Lawz they might be concerned about sheep and goats knocking down the walls of the \u201cV-shaped altar.\u201d (2) To prevent military maneuvers from running over an archaeological site. (3) To protect the archaeological site from trespassers and vandals. (4) To prevent illegal excavations by treasure hunters. It seems reasonable to assume that the Saudi Department of Antiquities fenced in the sites after the first set of treasure hunters visited it because they were concerned others might follow. As it turned out, they were right.<\/p>\n
The Saudis are also members of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). This is an \u201cinternational non-governmental organization of professionals, dedicated to the conservation of [the] world\u2019s historic monuments and sites.\u201d7 <\/p>\n
To answer the questions raised above, the Saudis were protecting the sites and have nothing to hide. In fact, they should be commended for fencing in the sites to protect the world\u2019s historic sites and cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 112<\/p>\n
The Conclusion of the Matter<\/b><\/p>\n
Contrary to their claims and the dust jacket endorsements that call their evidence \u201coverwhelming\u201d and \u201cscholarly\u201d the case for Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia has not been made. The identification of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia is not new. Other scholars and explorers have identified different mountains in Midian as Mt. Sinai and such identifications have long ago received proper scholarly assessment. For example, Dr. Menashe Har-El, one of Israel\u2019s leading geographers and an expert on the Sinai Peninsula, and for many years professor of Historical and Biblical Geography at Tel Aviv University, researched these questions several decades ago in his doctoral dissertation at New York University. He reworked his dissertation and published it under the title The Sinai Journey<\/i>. The Route of the Exodus<\/i>. In his book, Har-El (1983: 242\u201375) spends a whole chapter refuting the idea that Mt. Sinai is in Midian (Saudi Arabia).8 <\/p>\n
Professor Har-El also sets forth a very plausible alternative for the identification of Mt. Sinai. He proposed that Mt. Sinai should be located at Jebel Sin Bishr in western central Sinai. This proposal is followed in the Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible<\/i> (Rasmussen 1989: 88\u201390). In the following article in this issue, Professor David Faiman of Ben Gurion University of the Negev discusses Har-El\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n
Simply stated, Mt. Sinai should be located in the Sinai Peninsula right where the Bible places it, not in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Bibliography<\/b><\/p>\n
Anonymous<\/b><\/p>\n
1999 Has the Ark of the Covenant Been Found? Creation ex nihilo<\/i> 21.2: 10\u201314.<\/p>\n
Beit-Arieh, I.<\/b><\/p>\n
1984 Fifteen Years in Sinai. Israeli Archaeologists Discover a New World. Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> 10.4: 26\u201354.<\/p>\n
1988 The Route Through Sinai. Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> 15.3: 28\u201337.<\/p>\n
1993 Serabit el-Khadem. Pp. 1335\u201338 in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land<\/i>, vol. 4, ed. F. Stern. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society and Carta.<\/p>\n
Blum, H.<\/b><\/p>\n
1998a The Gold of Exodus: The Discovery of the True Mount Sinai<\/i>. New York: Simon and Schuster.<\/p>\n
1998b Mount Sinai\u2019s Deadly Treasure. Vanity Fair<\/i> (February) 74\u201390.<\/p>\n
Bosworth, C.<\/b><\/p>\n
1984 Madyan Shu\u2019ayb in Pre-Islamic and Early Islamic Lore and History. Journal of Semitic Studies<\/i> 29: 53\u201364.<\/p>\n
Cohen, R.<\/b><\/p>\n
1999 Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea? Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> 7.3: 20\u201333.<\/p>\n
Cornuke, R., and Halbrook, D.<\/b><\/p>\n
2000 In Search of the Mountain of God. The Discovery of the Real Mt. Sinai<\/i>. Nashville TN: Broadman and Holman.<\/p>\n
Cross, F.<\/b><\/p>\n
1998 From Epic to Canon<\/i>. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins.<\/p>\n
Dothan, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1965 The Fortress at Kadesh-Barnea. Israel Exploration Journal<\/i> 15: 134\u201343.<\/p>\n
Eph\u2019al, I.<\/b><\/p>\n
1982 The Ancient Arabs<\/i>. Jerusalem: Magnes.<\/p>\n
Fasold, D.<\/b><\/p>\n
1993a Night Flight to Jeddah. The Noahide Society\u2019s Ark-Update<\/i> 11: 3\u201312.<\/p>\n
1993b With Wyatt in Arabia. The Noahide Society\u2019s Ark-Update<\/i> 12: 3\u201313.<\/p>\n
Gardiner, A.<\/b><\/p>\n
1920 The Ancient Military Road Between Egypt and Palestine. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology<\/i> 6:99\u2013116.<\/p>\n
Har-El, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1977 The Exodus Route in the Light of Historical-Geographic Research. Ariel<\/i> 44: 69\u201384.<\/p>\n
1983 The Sinai Journeys<\/i>, The Route of the Exodus<\/i>. San Diego: Ridgefield.<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 13:4 (Fall 2000) p. 113<\/p>\n
Heiser, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1998 Mount Sinai in Arabia<\/i>. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the Near East Archaeological Society, Orlando FL.<\/p>\n
Hendel, R.<\/b><\/p>\n
1999 Review of: Gold of Exodus: The Discovery of the True Mount Sinai. Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> 25.4: 54, 56.<\/p>\n
Herodotus<\/b><\/p>\n
1942 Herodotus The Persian Wars<\/i>. Translated by G. Rawlinson. New York: The Modern Library.<\/p>\n
Hoffmeier, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1997 Israel in Egypt<\/i>. New York: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n
Ingraham, M.; Johnson, T.; Rihani, B.; and Shatla, I.<\/b><\/p>\n
1981 Preliminary Report of a Reconnaissance Survey of the Northwestern Province (With a Note on a Brief Survey of the Northern Province). Atlal<\/i> 5: 59\u201384.<\/p>\n
Khan, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1991 Recent Rock Art and Epigraphic Investigations in Saudi Arabia. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies<\/i> 21: 113\u201318.<\/p>\n
Kerkeslager, A.<\/b><\/p>\n
1998 Jewish Pilgrimage and Jewish Identity in Hellenistic and Early Roman Egypt. Pp. 99\u2013225 in Pilgrimage and Holy Space in Late Antique Egypt<\/i>, ed. D. Frankfurter. Leiden: E.J. Brill.<\/p>\n
2000 Mt. Sinai\u2014in Arabia? Bible Review<\/i> 16.2: 32\u201339, 52.<\/p>\n
Kisnawi, A., de Jesus, P., and Rihani, B.<\/b><\/p>\n
1983 Preliminary Report on the Mining Survey, Northwest Hejaz, 1982. Atlal<\/i> 7: 102\u201317.<\/p>\n
Koenig, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1971 Le Site de Al-Jaw. Dans l\u2019ancien Pays de Madian<\/i>. Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner.<\/p>\n
Livingstone, A.; Khan, M.; Zahrani, A.; Salluk, M.; Shaman, S.<\/b><\/p>\n
1985 Epigraphic Survey, 1404\u20131984. Atlal<\/i> 9: 128\u201344.<\/p>\n
MacDonald, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1995 North Arabia in the First Millennium BCE. Pp. 1355\u201369 in Civilizations of the Ancient Near East<\/i>, vol. 2, ed. J. Sasson. New York: Charles Scribner\u2019s Sons.<\/p>\n
Meshel, Z.<\/b><\/p>\n
1993 Teman, Horvat. Pp. 1458\u201364 in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land<\/i>, vol. 4, ed. E. Stern. Jerusalem: The Israel Exploration Society and Carta.<\/p>\n
Musil, A.<\/b><\/p>\n
1926 The Northern Hegaz<\/i>. New York: American Geographical Society.<\/p>\n
Nayeem, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1990 Prehistory and Protohistory of the Arabian Peninsula<\/i>, vol. 1. Hyderabad, India: Hyderabad.<\/p>\n
Noorbergen, R.<\/b><\/p>\n
1982 Treasures of the Lost Races<\/i>. New York: Bobbs-Merrill.<\/p>\n
Oren, E.<\/b><\/p>\n
1987 The \u201cWays of Horus\u201d in North Sinai. Pp. 69\u2013119 in Egypt, Israel, Sinai: Archaeological and Historical Relationships in the Biblical Period<\/i>, ed. A.F. Rainey, Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University.<\/p>\n
Parr, P.<\/b><\/p>\n
1989 Aspects of the Archaeology of North-West Arabia in the First Millennium BC. Pp. 39\u201366 in L\u2019Arabie Preislamique et Son Environnement Historique et Culturel<\/i>, ed. T. Fahd. Strasbourg: Universite des Sciences Humaines de Strasbourg.<\/p>\n
1996 Further Reflections on Late Second Millennium Settlement in North West Arabia. Pp. 213\u201318 in Retrieving the Past<\/i>, ed. J.D. Seger. Winona Lake IN: Eisenbrauns.<\/p>\n
Parr, P.; Harding, G; and Dayton, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1968\u201369 Preliminary Survey in N.W. Arabia, 1968. Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology, University of London<\/i> 8\u20139: 193\u2013242.<\/p>\n
1971 Preliminary Survey in N.W. Arabia, 1968. Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology, University of London<\/i> 10: 23\u201361.<\/p>\n
Petrie, W.M.F.<\/b><\/p>\n
1906 Researches in Sinai<\/i>. New York: E.P. Dutton.<\/p>\n
Philby, H.<\/b><\/p>\n
1957 The Land of Midian<\/i>. London: Ernest Benn.<\/p>\n
Rasmussen, C.<\/b><\/p>\n
1989 Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible<\/i>. Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan.<\/p>\n
Shanks, H.<\/b><\/p>\n
1992 Frank Moore Cross. An Interview. Bible Review<\/i> 8.4: 20\u201333, 61\u201363.<\/p>\n
Standish, R.R., and Standish, C. D.<\/b><\/p>\n
1999 Holy Relics or Revelation<\/i>. Rapidan VA: Hartland.<\/p>\n
Tsafrir, Y.<\/b><\/p>\n
1978 St. Catherine\u2019s Monastery in Sinai: Drawing by I. Dunayevsky. Israel Exploration Journal<\/i> 28: 218\u201329.<\/p>\n
Wilkinson, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1981 Egeria\u2019s Travel to the Holy Land<\/i>, rev. ed. Jerusalem: Ariel.<\/p>\n
Williams, L.<\/b><\/p>\n
1990a The Mount Sinai Myth<\/i>. Reprint of The Mountain of Moses<\/i>. New York: Wynwood.<\/p>\n
1990b The Mountain of Moses<\/i>. New York: Wynwood.<\/p>\n
Wyatt, R.<\/b><\/p>\n
1989 Discovered: Noah\u2019s Ark!<\/i> Nashville TN: World Bible Society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gordon Franz Two treasure hunters stood on the top of Jebel al-Lawz thinking it was the real Mt. Sinai, the \u201cMountain of God.\u201d One was struck with fear because he thought he was trespassing on the \u201choliest place on earth.\u201d As he gulped down Gatorade and munched on M & Ms, a sense of guilt … Continue reading “IS
\nMOUNT SINAI IN SAUDI ARABIA?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15299\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}