QUOTE FROM ARTICLE BELOW
De Vaux believes that the theophany of Sinai was a description of a volcanic eruption in northern Arabia (1978, 432-8). Exodus 19:18 describes the mountain like a furnace of smoke. From a distance it would look like a pillar of cloud in the day, and a pillar of fire at night. Following this cloud of smoke would lead them right to the volcano. There are no volcanoes in Sinai, but there are several in northern Arabia (Lee 1996, 20). The only known large eruption around this time is Santorini on the Greek island of Thera (Simkin et al. 1981, 111). Professor Goedicke thinks a giant tidal-like wave called a tsunami caused by the eruption of Santorini, destroyed the Egyptian army, and the eruption formed the pillar of cloud and fire in Exodus (Shanks 1981, 42-50; Oren 1981, 46-53). Note that at the time of Ogyges there occurred the first great deluge in Greece. Ogyges "lived at the same time of the Exodus from Egypt" (Eusebius 1981, 524). Maybe a tsunami caused this deluge in Greece? Jewish tradition seems to place Mt. Sinai in Arabia. Demetrius stated that Dedan was Jethro's ancestor which is identified with the oasis of el-'Ela, and when Moses went to Midian he stayed in Arabia (De Vaux 1978, 435). In Josephus' book Antiquities of the Jews he placed Sinai where the city of Madiane was (Antiquities, II.264; III.76). In the Babylonian Talmud (Sotah 5a) R. Huna and R. Hisda say, "the Holy One, blessed be He, ignored all the mountains and heights and caused His Shechinah to abide upon Mount Sinai" (Freedman and Simon 1935, 18-19). According to Old Testament passages Mt. Sinai is identified with Seir and Mt. Paran. Deuteronomy 33:2 says, "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran" (KJV, see also Judges 5:4-5, Hab. 3:3,7; Axelsson, 1987; Simons 1959). It seems that the itinerary that was followed in Numbers 33:18-36 locates Sinai in northern Arabia. Midian was also located here (I Kings 11:18) where Moses lived with Jethro, priest of Midian, for forty years (Exodus 2:15, 3:1).
http://www.bibleandscience.com/archaeology/exodus.htm
SEE THIS LIST FOR BIBLE VERSES THAT SUGGEST GOD WAS VOLCANIC ACTIVITY...i.e. not real.
It is also claimed that the cloudy pillar by day and column of fire by night was just a volcanic ash plume, and that it never moved. “And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.” (Exodus 33:9) That does not sound like any volcanic ash plume I have ever heard of. And, of course, the cloudy pillar did move, “the pillar of the cloud went [Strong’s Concordance, online, #5265 = “journey, remove” etc.] from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel;” (Exodus 14:19- 20, also Numbers 9:15-23) If the cloudy pillar was a volcanic ash plume, then the only way to have it between Israel and the Egyptian camp would be for Mount Sinai to be between them! But of course the Egyptians all drowned long before Mount Sinai. I feel ridicules even trying to explain this, but because some believe this I am trying to respond to even the absurd.
ReplyDelete“And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.” (Exodus 19:18-20) The reason Mount Sinai was all aflame was “because the LORD descended upon it in fire....” This was a supernatural act of God, and is why Moses could climb up to the top and not be hurt. Of course, climbing up to the top of an “active volcano” would give one a very short life!
As to the idea that Mount Sinai was an active volcano, this is what is called “biblical” archaeology today, but it needs to be taken out of this category and placed on the shelf with evolution and the world is flat theory. (The Bible teaches the world is round Isaiah 40:22. Verses that say unto the “end of the earth”, are only expressions like when we say “shooting star” or “Sun rise/Sun set”, but of course our planet rotates. When Christ comes back the Bible says it will be both day and night at the same time, this is only possible if the Earth is a globe (Luke 17:31, 34).
The pillar moving.....embelishment of the story. Pillar of smoke outside tabernacle.....embelishment of story. There was only one real pillar of smoke by day and fire by night and that was the one that the Hebrews saw 'afar off' when migrating towards Mt Sinai. All the rest is storying telling, embelishment, dramatisation....all needed to make the story fit together and give gawd a more amazing image. Come on.....surely you have discernment enough to tell truth from fiction!
ReplyDeleteWas the chucking out of flaming coals and rivers of fire also a 'supernatural act of god'? Pouring our fiery wrath? Burning hot displeasure? Come on man! Get a grip!
When Christ comes back it will be both day and night huh? Well that is a given isn't it? That statement, if they knew the earth was spherical, would not make sense because EVERY day is both day and night. No day is going to be notable for being only day or only night. This verse proves they did NOT know the earth was spherical. Let's not get into the four corners of the earth then.