A Journey in Dispute
The story of the Israelites' flight from Egypt and their subsequent adventures and wanderings in the desert take up most of the Biblical book of Exodus. The book itself is a pretty detailed story, but its interpreatation has become controversial.
This is not only because the story is filled with striking descriptions of divine intervention - enough to make some historians uncomfortable - but also because of difficulties establishing the exact route along which the early parts of the flight took place. This uncertainty has cast doubts on the validity of the scriptural record, of course.
Many interpreters preferred to treat parts of Exodus as a purely allegorical story that exhorts man to fortitude and trusting God in the face of difficulties. That's all very well, but one can't help feeling that it's a bit of a cop-out in the face of such a detailed account of events, times and places.
From a historical perspective, archaeological research has come up with some pretty interesting findings over recent years. Needless to say, there are several conflicting opinions and no resolution yet, but I thought it was definitely worthwhile to tackle this subject. So I'm making it a Lens of its own - separate from my "Bible Archaeology" Lens.
Allright - let's have a look at what's been going on in the literature and on the ground....
This is not only because the story is filled with striking descriptions of divine intervention - enough to make some historians uncomfortable - but also because of difficulties establishing the exact route along which the early parts of the flight took place. This uncertainty has cast doubts on the validity of the scriptural record, of course.
Many interpreters preferred to treat parts of Exodus as a purely allegorical story that exhorts man to fortitude and trusting God in the face of difficulties. That's all very well, but one can't help feeling that it's a bit of a cop-out in the face of such a detailed account of events, times and places.
From a historical perspective, archaeological research has come up with some pretty interesting findings over recent years. Needless to say, there are several conflicting opinions and no resolution yet, but I thought it was definitely worthwhile to tackle this subject. So I'm making it a Lens of its own - separate from my "Bible Archaeology" Lens.
Allright - let's have a look at what's been going on in the literature and on the ground....
Exodus Archaeology on Amazon
What they're writing about the Archaeology of Exodus
There are some great books out at the moment - right on topic:
More...
The Differing Viewpoints
There are a number of theories, but for simplicity these can be boiled down into three different views on the early part of the wanderings, with at least two main issues - where did the Israelites cross over the Red Sea? And where is the Biblical Mt Sinai located?The differing viewpoints can be briefly summarised as follows:
1) That the Israelites crossed the Red Sea at the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez, and wandered in the Sinai Peninsula, finally reaching what is today called Mt Sinai in the south of the Sinai Peninsula.
2) That the Israelites crossed over the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aquaba via one of 2 suggested routes, and that the Biblical Mt Sinai is a mountain on the southern tip of the Saudi Arabian Gulf of Aquaba coast, most commonly identified as the volcano Jabel el Lawz.
Obviously, the problems over the crossing are partly due to its 'miraculous' quality, but there are more issues involved than that alone. I'll deal with these viewpoints in more detail below.
Photos of Sinai Peninsula
All photos are of Sinai Peninsula except the centre one on the bottom row, which is of the controversial Jabel el Lawz in Saudi Arabia.
Public Domain. Suggested credit: NASA. . For more information
curated content from Flickr
New Del.icio.us bookmarks
- exodus - Google Code
- The Red Sea Crossing site
- Exodus - Escape from Proprietary Instant Messaging
- Exodus Conspiracy | The Exodus Conspiracy Film | The Exodus Conspiracy ...
- Walking & Trekking Holidays, Cycling Holidays, Family Adventures, Activity Holidays, Wildlife and Safari Holidays, Overland tours worldwide - Exodus
- Facebook Exodus
New Guestbook
Like this lens? Want to share your feedback, or just give a thumbs up? Be the first to submit a blurb!
by junglequeen
I love Art, I studied Classics, and there was a time when my greatest dream was to get a job as an Archaeologist. Well, I suppose this is as near as I... (more)
Explore related pages
Building a Model Tabernacle- This lens shows a model of the tabernacle of the Israelites. It provides backgro...
The Bible in Facts and Figures- The Old Testament contains 592,493 words, 23,214 verses, 929 chapters, and 39 bo...
Seventh Day Adventism: Cult or Christianity?- It is important to know the main differences between the different religions of...
Ten Commandments Written Out- Ten Commandments Written Out - The Ten Commandments - Commandments Given From Go...
Meet Gary Habermas- Gary R. Habermas was born just outside Detroit, Michigan in 1950. Although he wa...
Messianic Jewish Resources- These are Aids in Your Spiritual Quest - Seek and You Will Find Keep seeking an...
