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Jonathan Charron
ENG 101
Teichman
Trident Technical College
November 8th, 2011
Exploring The Exodus
Judaism is considered one of the oldest organized religions in the world. It can trace its
history back over 3,500 years (BBC). Just as they were considered to be then, and are considered
to be now, the Jewish people are not just followers of a belief, or a nation, or quite exactly a race
of people; they are best simply put, a People. They have declared their home to be Israel, their
national and spiritual capital (UNSC).
Within its rich history, Judaism has mixed statehood and religion to such a degree that
one must consider the notion that biblical scripture at one point in time served as historical
record. Therefore, it would follow that there must be some truth in documents such as the Torah.
The Book of Exodus is a good example to explore for this. In childhood I’m sure many can recall
such as I can, hearing about the story of Exodus or indeed seeing cartoons related to the events.
The Prince of Egypt, for instance, depicts the crossing of the Red Sea as a dramatic and
miraculous event, using literal interpretations of a pillar of fire and a crossing of the sea bed itself
alongside silhouettes of whales in the parted waters (Dreamworks Pictures). A Rugrats Passover
illustrates a similar but condensed series of events (Nickelodeon Studios). But naturally, I
question how accurate such tales are. Truly, it is worth acknowledging that historical events told
in biblical references very probably happened, but to what extent is a matter of rationale. While
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acknowledging with respects that the events of Exodus must have taken place in some form, it’s
worth exploring what are the likely factual series of events.
According to the book of Exodus, Yahweh chose the Israelites as his people and upon
guiding Moses and the Israelites to the Sinai Peninsula, it was upon Mount Sinai that Yahweh
(commonly referred to as God in modern translations, (Biblos.com)) issued the Ten
Commandments, and in covenant for their faith, Yahweh promised the Israelites Canaan. “I will
establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the
Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive
them out before you.” (New International Ver., Exodus 23:31). Translations differ on the term
“Euphrates”, where several translations make no mention of which river it is at all, simply stating
“river” (King James Ver., Exodus 23:31), which would seem to be more congruent with the
modern border along the Jordan River. With the Euphrates being considerably farther away
geographically (Google), it appears to make more sense in the context of the passage and indeed
in context with the current and historical understanding of Israel’s borders. In the former
interpretation, Israel would encompass the Sinai Peninsula, Jordan, Lebanon and large portions
of Syria. “The desert” is harder to pin down, largely due to climate change and desertification.
In addition, the Sea of Reeds is interchangeable with the Red Sea in some areas and
translation of the bible (1 Kings 9:26). For the purpose of the border it seems either term would
do, but for the larger question it raises about the Crossing though, which is it? Some theories
suggest that the Sea of Reeds is in fact a reference to Lake Timsah, further to the north of the
current Red Sea and a characteristically marshy geographic feature, which would be congruent
with some versions of the crossing that suggest the Egyptians were not drowned but that they
were unable to pursue the Israelites when the reeds clogged their chariot wheels (John Van
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Seters). Also, geographers believe that at an earlier point in time the lake was in fact part of the
Red Sea – that it extended further north – and the Lake served as a terminal point (Naville). If
true, it would place credence on claims that yes, Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea but
not necessarily at its more dramatic depths. There is also the concern that if they were to
actually walk across the bed of the Red Sea they would conceivably have encountered the
undersea magmatic ridge that separates the African and Arabic tectonic plates, which splits down
the middle of the Red Sea (Geology.com).
It follows on that, in Exodus, a strong east wind parts the waters to allow for the crossing
overnight, Yahweh “drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The
waters were divided,” (Biblos.com Exodus 14:21). In fact there have been studies and computer
simulations of how this might have been scientifically possible; one such model determined that
sustained winds of about 63mph could have caused the water to recede at a shallow, and upon
dying down would have caused water to rush back into the recess (BBC). Ergo, rip currents
could have very likely swept anyone left there off their feet and into the water. Even a few inches
of water at velocity, and in sufficient volume, is enough to accomplish this as we are well aware;
this is why the LA River is considered especially dangerous, for instance. A few theorists think it
might have even referred to a tsunami or tidal wave, as a result of again more tectonic activity
(Youtube, "Thunderf00t"); I find that unlikely however, only in that if we were still truly
discussing the Red Sea in any form, we have to consider that even in the Suez Canal the shortest
crossing distance would have still been several miles (Google). In a Tsunami theory the Israelites
wouldn’t have had enough time to perform the crossing during the tidal drawback that precedes a
Tsunami wave; drawback durations are measured in minutes, not hours, recalling the 2011
Japanese Tsunami had a period of less than one hour between the quake and the tidal wave
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(CNN Wire). So let us continue to hypothesize that it was further north than the Suez Canal, and
that a Tsunami was not involved.
Now, perhaps one of the more interesting topics in the Exodus: the Pillar of Fire and
Cloud. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and
by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the
pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people”
(Biblos.com Exodus 13:21-22). By its very description it seems like an unnatural phenomenon
but was it really? By even modern day standards, volcanoes are perhaps one of the planet’s most
awe-inspiring formations. An active volcano in an eruption would, of course, release a plume –
or pillar – of ash and smoke. One that can often be seen for hundreds or thousands of miles as
one might recall, when Eyjafjallajokull erupted in Iceland in mid-2010, disrupting air travel in
Europe for weeks and dispersing ash to most of the Hemisphere (Hendry). At night, it seems
plausible a volcanic eruption would have served as a light, bright enough to allow the Israelites
to travel. The volcano would have served as a beacon to draw the Israelites out of Egypt. After
all, when you’re in a hurry, it seems appropriate to pick a noticeable landmark in the direction
you’re heading. And that would after all, fit with Mount Sinai, the mountain that Moses climbs
to form the covenant between the Israelites and God, and where he created the original stone
tablets containing the Ten Commandments (Biblos.com Exodus 19). The theory that biblical
Mount Sinai was in fact a volcano is a theory nurtured in the academic community, including
names such as the late Sigmund Freud (Moses and Monotheism) and more recently Professor
Colin Humphreys of Cambridge (The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist's Discovery of the
Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories).
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However this raises some serious questions about what volcano this could have possibly
been, and with respect to theologists, the possibilities are challenging. One of the nearest
volcanic mountains that could have matched the theory is Hala-‘l Badr in northwest Saudi
Arabia, hundreds of kilometers away (Google). In spite of this it is one of the possible choices
put forward by Humphreys. Measuring these distances from the Sea of Reeds, or Lake Timsah,
gives an approximate distance of 600km (Google). At such extreme distance you have to
consider visibility concerns with the descriptions about the pillar of fire and smoke. The
curvature of the Earth and even the density of air come into play. On a clear day for instance
Mount Rainier in Washington State can be seen from as far away as Portland, Oregon – 150km
away (Mile73.com). Note that Portland has an elevation of 50 feet, and Rainier an elevation of
4km (Google). Taking into consideration an eruption, during the eruption of Mount St. Helens
volcanic ash rose as high as 25km (USGS); arguably you could assume that could be seen from
even farther away. Using the formula to calculate distance to the horizon (Boatsafe.com):
1.7 ∗ √𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑟 (𝑓𝑡) = 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛 (𝑚𝑖),
We can then couple that with another, observable object, to produce the formula,
1.7 ∗ (√𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (𝑓𝑡) + √𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑂𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (𝑓𝑡) )
= 𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 (𝑚𝑖).
Assuming an observer of height 6 feet above sea level, wanting to observe a volcanic plume of
altitude 80,000 feet such as in the Mount St Helens eruption (USGS), the observer would have to
be inside of 485 miles, or 780 kilometers. Meaning, in theory, it is possible to view such a thing
from as extreme distance. Some anecdotal reports even suggest a space shuttle launch from Cape
Canaveral, FL can be seen from as far away as Charlotte, NC – 470mi or 760km away
(Answers.com) (Yahoo Answers).
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So, there is at least some support for the idea that a volcano was involved biblically. In
fact, other references in the Exodus match the description of a volcano very closely and
frequently:
“And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians
through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,” (Biblos.com
Exodus 14:24)
“And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings,
and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the
people that was in the camp trembled.” (Biblos.com Exodus 19:16)
“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.”
(Biblos.com Exodus 19:18)
There is also the support that, later in Exodus, after spending time on the top of Sinai in
communion with Yahweh, Moses “came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the
covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken
with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they
were afraid to come near him” (Biblos.com Exodus 34:29-30). This could have very possibly
been the result of exposure to volcanic activity, like standing too close to a bonfire spending so
much time at the top of this volcano and unaware of the dangers Moses may have become
overexposed and allowed his face to burn without even realizing it. That’s not such an
impossible thing to imagine, given the awe and the beauty of magma.
Whether or not the god Yahweh was actually a volcano is inconclusive, but there are
certainly theories that question it, this paper being one such example. There are still simply too
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many possibilities and ambiguities surrounding the basic questions about where the Israelites
would have crossed out of Egypt, and where they wandered to and how far they might have been
able to travel. Scholars still debate whether the biblical Mount Sinai was actually in the Sinai
Peninsula or if it was in Saudi Arabia, as I’ve explored. Indeed, I am far from the first person to
wonder the question, some having written entire books about the Exodus theories (Fritz). If it
was a simple enough question for me to answer empirically in the time I had allotted, it wouldn’t
have really been very worthwhile to research it. Ultimately I am not a subscriber to all the
biblical events in the same literal terms that others – millions of others, the world over, would
choose to believe in. I will however concede that I respect the Torah and scriptures like it as
early historical documents that are simply because of their age, open to a degree of
interpretation. The story of Moses and indeed the story of the Israelites, remain to be one of the
most fascinating events I have ever heard of. With such a solid, powerful and emotive foundation
to its religion, it is now much less of a mystery to me how Judaism has endured millennia.
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