INTRODUCTION
A major controversy among archaeologists and Bible historians has been raging
for many decades and every one of them have many good pieces of logic going for
them. However, after carefully searching all the theories very carefully,
including the traditional one used for so many years, I have had to come to the
conclusion that there is only one so far that I can accept as possibly correct.
I have tried to fit all the evidence available from the different views into
what the Bible has to say. After much debating with myself I have decided to
support, at least for the time being, the view or theory put forth in this
project. I have tried very hard to document what I have to say from the Bible
and, where available, have included interesting bits of historical and
archaeological discoveries. Whether they are correct or not, students
will have
to decide for themselves.
The purpose of this project is to provide a study map for students who are
seriously studying the wanderings of the Israelites when they came out of
Egypt. By using an ancient map that I found on the Internet, which shows
mountain ranges and waterways, I have tried to bring their journeys into
reality. Whether correct or incorrect, it will bring God's Word alive and help
the students to understand the wonderful and awesome working of God.
No one knows for sure where most of the places or regions are located. I have
placed them on the map to make them fit the Biblical record. Should archaeology
prove me wrong in some areas, then I will make the changes to this project
accordingly. Your thoughts and input would be greatly appreciated. There are
still a few criteria that need to be worked out, but at present it cannot be
done. There isn't enough data. Positions on the map are approximate. The
original map isn't quite correct so it is impossible for me to be
scientifically correct.
About Mount Sinai
Many archaeologists and Bible historians are beginning to agree that the
traditional Mount Sinai, Jebel Musa, is not the Mount Sinai of the Bible. The
real Mount Sinai (Mount Horeb) is probably in the ancient land of Midian, Saudi
Arabia, and is currently called Jebel el Lawz.. There is a lot of interesting
"evidence" to back up this claim. This is the view that I will explain in this
project.
When Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the "Great," chose Jebel Musa in the
Sinai peninsula as the site for the biblical Mount Sinai, the Christian world
blindly assumed this to be true! She had no basis of fact for this claim.
As new archaeological evidences are found, we may have to change our minds on
many things. I plan to keep an open mind and will change the material in this
project whenever there is enough evidence to make a change, but it MUST follow
the journey as given in the Bible. I would be interested in hearing your
opinions and suggestions. Any recommended changes must be documented. Thanks.
Maralyn B. Dyck
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