Mount Sinai Was A Volcano In Saudi Arabia, Says Scientist (Exodus)

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 6-13-2003 | Roger Highfield

[blam]

Mount Sinai was volcano in Saudi Arabia, says scientist

By Roger Highfield Science Editor
(Filed: 13/06/2003)

Mount Sinai, where Scripture says Moses received God's Law, is located in Saudi Arabia, not Egypt's Sinai Peninsula - moving a key site for Judaism into the nation where Islam was founded, according to a Cambridge professor.

Science also backs traditional beliefs that the Israelites' exodus from Egypt was led by Moses, roughly the way that the Bible tells it, according to Prof Colin Humphreys of Cambridge University.

Prof Humphreys, a churchgoing Baptist and materials scientist, outlines his ideas in his forthcoming book: The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist's Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories.

While other scholars have proposed that Sinai was in Arabia, Prof Humphreys argues that the holy mount must have been an active volcano, since it shook and emitted fire and smoke (Exodus 19:18). And he has carefully examined records ancient and modern to fix the site.

His candidate: present-day Mount Bedr in north-western Saudi Arabia, since there were no ancient volcanoes in what was later named the Sinai Peninsula.

Prof Humphreys also thinks that near Mount Bedr, Moses experienced God's call at the "burning bush". He suggests that this was caused by flammable natural gas or volcanic gas escaping from the ground.

The Book of Exodus obviously underwent later editing, he said, but the evidence strongly suggests witness material that might well come from Moses himself. The book is "amazingly accurate and coherent", he said.

Prof Humphreys also offers other "naturalistic" explanations for wondrous events. For instance, he thinks that escalating natural disasters explain each of the 10 "plagues" that forced Pharaoh to let the Israelite slaves depart. The Nile "turned to blood" meant that toxic red algae killed fish, the dead fish forced frogs ashore, gnats and flies were drawn to the dead fish and frogs and the insects transmitted a virus that killed livestock.

[RaceBannon]

this is crazy
the Bible teaches no such thing, the thunders and lightenings were from God Himself

[maine-iac7]

Who cares what some wack job scientist said. It is the "text", the word, that has the meaning. Screw the "scientists". What the hell to they know about God. Zip!

Wood's Hole Scientists research all this years ago - including the possibility that the volcano that erupted on Santorini could have been the source of the pillar of smoke by day, fire by night - and when it blew - sucked the sea water back from the water in the Red Sea - etc..

All that said: I believe that GOD uses his OWN methods/material within the natural world - that HE, after all, created.

Back 3,000+ years ago, people didn't have the knowledge to understand - only witness and believe God was doing it...which He was ... only while giving Moses the heads up ahead of each "miracle"

And, BTW, TheWillardHotel I reserve MY right to believe God operates with the physical laws of the Universe - that HE created.

And I believe YOU have the right to YOUR beliefs - but you may not know any more than I. or others know?

http://www.photovolcanica.com/VolcanoInfo/Santorini/Santorini.html

[SunkenCiv]

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The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist's Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories by Colin Humphreys (Paperback) (Kindle) (Hardcover) (Audible) (MP3 CD)

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