Overview

“I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other Gods before me…You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain…Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy…Honor your father and your mother…You shall not kill…You shall not commit adultery…You shall not steal…You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor…you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife…you shall not covet anything that is your neighbors.” (Exodus 20:2-17, Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition) These are the Ten Commandments that make up Judeo-Christian law.  God gave them to Moses on Mount Sinai.  Where is Mt. Sinai? Those who have studied the map in great detail in relation to the Exodus have determined that it lies in one of two places: the Sinai Peninsula, or Northern Saudi Arabia.  The mountain was also called “Horeb”. 

The Hebrews

The Hebrew, or Jewish religion was the first monotheistic belief system.  It began when God made a covenant with Abraham who became the father of the Hebrew religion through the twelve tribes of Israel.  The Hebrew people were held captive in Egypt until God sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt to Canaan.  In the early years of the Hebrews, they often struggled with how to practice their religion, and they fell away from their god more than once.  Mt. Sinai is a significant place to the Hebrews because it is the first time that God lays out his laws clearly.  He also promised that if the Hebrews obeyed His laws he would deliver them safely in to the land of Cana.

Christianity

Christianity arose as an obscure Jewish sect and through the dedicated missionary efforts of such persons as the Apostle Paul was distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin. Church tradition suggests that each of the remaining Apostles of Jesus taught in such divers places as the British Isles and India. After years of official persecution by the Roman Empire, Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity as the state of religion. Several important church councils were held during this time period to decide on controversies over doctrine. Eventually, the decisions of these councils provided guidelines to determine orthodoxy or heresy. The many divisions and sects now found in Christianity today are the result of opinions that differed from the established doctrine.

 The Ten Commandments are still a vital part of almost every sect of Christianity.  In the New Testament Christ makes it clear that the Ten Commandments were to be obeyed by his followers (Matthew 19:18-20).  Later, when asked “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Christ summarizes the Ten Commandments in two commandments.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” summarizes the first three commandments; “You shall love you neighbor as yourself”, summarizes the remaining seven. (Matthew 22:36-39, Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition)

Moses and the Ten Commandments

Moses was a Hebrew prophet and lawgiver and founder of Israel, or the Jewish people. The story of his life is set forth principally in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. According to this account, he was born in Goshen, a part of ancient Egypt. At that time the Hebrews lived in Egypt and were oppressed by the Egyptian ruler, Pharaoh. Just before the birth of Moses, Pharaoh had ordered that all-Hebrew male infants be put to death. To save her child, Moses’ mother placed him in a basket made of papyrus and set it floating on the Nile River in the view of his sister, Miriam (Exodus 2:4; 26:59). The daughter of Pharaoh rescued the infant and brought him up as her own child. As an adult, Moses killed an Egyptian who had murdered a Hebrew; he then fled from Egypt. Moses was a shepherd until he was 80 years of age. At this time the god of the Hebrews, appeared before him in a burning bush and commanded him to go back to Egypt and deliver his people from their bondage; he was to lead them out of Egypt to the land of Canaan, in what was later Palestine, where they were to settle permanently. To assist him the Hebrew god gave him powers to perform miracles.

After their Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites encamped at Mount Sinai. There, God gave them the Ten Commandments and other laws (Exodus 20), and established his covenant with them (Exodus 24). While Moses was on the mountain, however, the people committed idolatry by building a golden calf to worship. God became angry, but Moses interceded on Israel’s behalf and God renewed the covenant (Exodus 33-34). The people then followed God’s instructions to build a tent-like structure called the Tabernacle in which to worship correctly.

The Arc

     Typically, Mount Sinai is associated with the deliverance of the Ten Commandments, but it is also the site where God gave Moses instructions for the building of the arc and the tabernacle in which it was kept.  Moses went up mount Sinai for forty days and for forty nights. This is when God gave him the instructions for building the arc. The arc was supposed to keep the Ten Commandments.  At this time he also gave instructions on the building of the tabernacle, which was to be the house of God and where the arc was supposed to be kept. The Arc was supposed to be built to certain specifications.  It was to be made of acacia wood. It was also supposed to be overlaid inside and out with pure gold. It was to be two and a half cubits long or about 43 inches. It’s width and height were the same, both a cubit and a half or about 27 inches.   Then God gave Moses instructions on building the mercy seat, which was to be on top of the arc and on the dimensions and what went into the tabernacle where the arc was kept.  The tabernacle was a moving temple until the Hebrews settled in Jerusalem where they built a permanent temple.                

     According to The Catholic Encyclopedia (1964), the arc was probably either hidden away or destroyed when the temple at Jerusalem was destroyed for the first time in 587 B.C.  To this day no one knows the location of the arc or if it even still exists.  In movies like Raiders of The Lost Arc we can see the awe and wonder that this story holds for people still today. 

 

Facts About The Mountain

     According to the Bible Mount Sinai is approximately a 3 months journey from the land of Egypt near Rephidim.  Today there are two locations believed to be Mount Sinai.  The first is Jebel Katharina also called Jebel Musa located on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.  It stands approximately 2,640 meters high.  The second location believed to be Mount Sinai is Jebel Al-Lawz in Saudi Arabia.  It stands 2,580 meters in height.  It is covered with almond trees shrubs & herbs, and is home to many caves. 

 

What’s There Today

     Today you can visit the Fountain of Moses, and St. Catherine’s Monastery at Jebel Katharina.  Orthodox monks carved 3,750 steps out of granite up the side of the mountain.  This site attracts many tourists.  Today at Jebel Al-Lawz medicinal herb collectors are attracted to the site for the many herbs that can be found there.  Herders graze their goats and sheep there where the grasses can grow to waist high.  Hunters go there to hunt mountain ibex, partridge, wild pigeon and other game. 

 

Why do we need proof of Mount Sinai’s existence?

Mount Sinai is a very important place for religion.  It is the foundation for God’s kingdom. People want to connect to religious figures and places in an emotional way. Being able to stand where God may have stood is a very powerful experience. Like in a church, God’s presence is felt, but the experience is magnified because of the biblical significance. There is the feeling that god will talk back to you. One can have a conversation with him and hope to see a glimpse of heaven no one else has seen.  While walking up the mountain people can picture themselves in Moses’ shoes.

Moses is not alive today, but he is alive at Mount Sinai.  People can’t speak to Moses directly so they want the next best thing to connect with him. Mount Sinai is a place this can be done. Moses has become an idol not to be worshiped but to be looked up to with admiration. Moses was one man who stood up to the great and powerful pharaoh Ramses. He was the voice of God. Taking the steps up Mount Sinai invokes thoughts such as: “Did Moses touch this rock?  Did he stand at this point to admire the view?  Did he trip the same place I did on the way up?”

     A historical event took place here. Here is where the Ten Commandments were given to the people. Going to the actual site makes the event more real. One can imagine where people were pitching their tents and eating their meals, or picture where Moses was standing to deliver God’s message. 

Those who have faith in the existence of God always seek proof to confirm it. Proving the existence on Mount Sinai indirectly proves the existence of God and the truth of the bible for many people.  For many people Mount Sinai is one of the factors that will distinguish the bible as word of God or man. Atheists believe the bible is a work of fiction. Christians want to dispel this belief and the more evidence they have of Gods existence the more people will believe in Him.

What proof is there?

There are two main locations that are debated as the true Mount Sinai. One is located in the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. The other is located in northwest Saudi Arabia on Mount Jebel Al-Lawz.  The debate of which Mountain is the true Mount Sinai is beyond the scope of this paper. This segment will focus on Mount Jebel Al-Lawz located in Saudi Arabia.

The first evidence is the peak. It is black like it was set on fire. Exodus 19:18 tells that God set Mount Sinai on fire by His presence.  “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the lord descended upon it in fire.”

On the west side of the mountain lays a rock, which is split in the middle. This could be the rock that God made water come out of when Moses struck it with his staff.  This is told in Exodus 17:6. “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Further proof is that there are smooth river rocks at the base.

The last bit of evidence is flat surface at the base that could be the golden calf altar. This formation was 30 feet tall and 30 feet across. This could have easily been where the golden calf was placed. At the base of this alter are drawings of a calf god.  This is described in Exodus 24:4. “… received the gold from the hand, and he fashioned it with and engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Has Science proved Mount Sinai’s Existence?

There is more evidence at the site than the three examples given above. There are also many arguments against this evidence.  There is yet no indisputable scientific evidence pointing to the real Mount Sinai.  The only indisputable evidence will be God stepping down to earth and pointing to the to true Mount Sinai. For many, only faith will determine what evidence is credible.

 

How has this myth affected us?

Ancient times

     Mount Sinai was a powerful and holy place. This is demonstrated when God asked Moses to remove his sandals when speaking through the burning bush. God himself said you are standing on holy ground. Later this is where God laid down the ground rules. The Ten Commandments were made on this mountain. This also was a temporary home for many people while they were waiting for Moses to come down with the Ten Commandments. There were families living and eating at the base of the mountain.  This is the first time Moses’ people were free and allowed to rest during the exodus.

Modern times

     Mount Sinai now has a less dramatic effect than in Moses’ time.  The movie the Ten Commandments portrays Mount Sinai as a holy place that commands respect. The Ten Commandments affect most people more than the mountain itself. The majority of people today live by the laws set forth on Mount Sinai. Even among the non-religious, the Ten Commandments seem to summarize a moral code held by many modern societies.

Conclusion

Is Mount Sinai real?  Yes it is. What makes it real is not the scientific proof but the faith that it is real. Many people visit Mount Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula for faith and self-discovery. Whatever site you go to the feelings are real. The saying perception is reality applies here. Mount Sinai was part of the Ten Commandments and the arc. That’s why Mount Sinai will continue to live in the hearts of everyone who believes.