Josephus and the Exodus Route

Josephus 110 AD

Introduction:

  1. Josephus was only 56 years old when he wrote his Jewish Antiquities in 110 AD. Since the date of Josephus' death is unknown, we can safely say that he lived past 106 AD, since he, like Eusebius referred to Petra as the capital of Roman Arabia. Josephus' references to Petra being the capital of Roman Arabia, dates his death after 106 AD. If Josephus died before 106, it means that others changed the document to reflect new names for old places. We take the view, however, that Josephus lived long past 106 AD. To illustrate. If someone told you that a book was written in 1975 AD and in the book it describes how a band of Muslim Terrorists drove two airplanes into the twin trade towers of New York City, you would know that the book must have been written after 2001 AD. If not, then someone else amended the book to include the event. Since the Romans annexed Petra and the Sinai Peninsula in 106 AD, when Josephus refers to Petra as Arabia, it proves he was writing after 106 AD or that someone else updated the names of the places in his writings to reflect and new names.
  2. Josephus is probably the most recognized of historians among Christians. He was a Jew, not a Christian. Josephus was of a high priestly and royal ancestry and recorded the destruction of the temple by Titus in 70 AD as prophesied by Jesus in Luke 21:20-21.
  3. Josephus lived one generation after Philo and would surely be familiar with his writings. Both Philo and Josephus say that Mt. Sinai was "the highest of the mountains". But there are a number of other outstanding things we can learn from Josephus that strongly supports a location of Mt. Sinai in the Midian area and Kadesh Barnea at Petra.
  4. Josephus believed Mt. Hor was at Petra.
  5. Josephus' account of the exodus has been stripped of all geographic markers. He describes in great detail the exodus and the crossing of the red sea. However it seems unusual that these accounts have no geographic data attached to them from his day.
  6. Josephus in refuting Apion, actually hurts those who attempt to make Paul's statement of Mt. Sinai being in Arabia. (Gal 4:25) Notice that Apion did not believe that the modern Sinai Peninsula was part of Arabia: "Moses went up to a mountain that lay between Egypt and Arabia, which was called Sinai" (Josephus, Against Apion 2-3) See our page on Apion for more.

A. Josephus believed Mt. Hor was at Petra:

  1. The Bible says that Miriam died at Kadesh: " Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there." Numbers 20:1
  2. "Then it was that Miriam, the sister of Moses, came to her end, having completed her fortieth year since she left Egypt, on the first day of the lunar month Xanthicus. They then made a public funeral for her, at a great expense. She was buried upon a certain mountain, which they call Sin; and when they had mourned for her thirty days ... Now when this purification, which their leader made upon the mourning for his sister, as it has been now described, was over, he caused the army to remove and to march through the wilderness and through Arabia; and when he came to a place which the Arabians esteem their metropolis, which was formerly called Arce, but has now the name of Petra, at this place, which was encompassed with high mountains, Aaron went up one of them in the sight of the whole army, Moses having before told him that he was to die, for this place was over against them." (Josephus, Antiquities 4.82-83)

B. Josephus seemed to indicate that Mt Sinai was in Midian:

  1. Notice that the natural reading leads the reader to view Mt. Sinai as within the normal pasturing range of Midian. The natural reading antecedent of "highest of all the mountains thereabout" is where Jethro lived. "he [Pharaoh] was ready to undertake to kill Moses: but when he had learned beforehand what plots there were against him, he went away privately; and because the public roads were watched, he took his flight through the deserts, and where his enemies could not suspect he would travel; and, though he was destitute of food, he went on, and despised that difficulty courageously; and when he came to the city Midian, which lay upon the Red Sea, and was so denominated from one of Abraham's sons by Keturah, he sat upon a certain well, and rested himself there after his laborious journey, and the affliction he had been in. It was not far from the city, and the time of the day was noon, where he had an occasion offered him by the custom of the country of doing what recommended his virtue, and afforded him an opportunity of bettering his circumstances. Now Moses, when he had obtained the favor of Jethro, for that was one of the names of Raguel, stayed there and fed his flock; but some time afterward, taking his station at the mountain called Sinai, he drove his flocks thither to feed them. Now this is the highest of all the mountains thereabout, and the best for pasturage, the herbage being there good; and it had not been before fed upon, because of the opinion men had that God dwelt there, the shepherds not daring to ascend up to it; and here it was that a wonderful prodigy happened to Moses; for a fire fed upon a thorn bush" (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book 2, ch 11.2-12.1)
  2. Josephus says that Mount Sinai was "the highest of all the mountains thereabout," yet Helena chose Mt. Musa at 7,497 feet when the highest mountain is nearby mountain Mt. Catherine at 8,625 feet. Mt. Al-Lawz in north Saudi Arabia is 8,464 feet. That is 100 feet higher than Mt. Musa. So much for tradition.
  3. "Abraham after this married Keturah, by whom six sons were born to him. ... Now, for all these sons and grandsons, Abraham contrived to settle them in colonies; and they took possession of Troglodytis, and the country of Arabia the Happy, as far as it reaches [north] to the Red Sea [Gulf of Aqaba]". (Josephus, Antiquities 1.238)
  4. he came to the city Midian, which lay upon the Red Sea (Josephus, Antiquities 2.257)

C. Josephus understood that Petra was the capital city of Arabia:

  1. Josephus was only 56 years old when he wrote his Jewish Antiquities in 94 AD. Since the date of Josephus' death is unknown, we can safely say that he lived past 106 AD, since he, like Eusebius referred to Petra as the capital of Roman Arabia. Josephus' references to Petra being the capital of Roman Arabia, dates his death after 106 AD.
  2. and went directly for Petra, in Arabia. (Josephus, Antiquities 14.362)
  3. he escaped to the place called Petra, which is the royal seat of the king of Arabia (Josephus, Wars 1.125)
  4. but he made haste himself to Petra of Arabia. (Josephus, Wars 1.267)
  5. which is the bounds of Petra, in Arabia (Josephus, Wars 4.454)
  6. The people mourned for Aaron thirty days, and when this mourning was over, Moses removed the army from that place, and came to the river Arnon, which, issuing out of the mountains of Arabia, and running through all that wilderness, falls into the lake Asphaltitis, and becomes the limit between the land of the Moabites and the land of the Amorites. (Josephus, Antiquities 4.85)
  7. Scaurus made now an expedition against Petrea, in Arabia (Josephus, Antiquities 14.80)

E. Ishmael lived in Arabia:

  1. That he left to Ishmael and to his posterity the country of Arabia (Josephus, Antiquities 2.213)

F. Josephus believed Judah bordered with Egypt (at the wadi Al-Arish) and Arabia (Arabah Valley). Egypt was distinct from Arabia. Judah was distinct from Arabia:

  1. Moreover, the king built many ships in the Egyptian Bay of the Red Sea, in a certain place called Ezion-geber: it is now called Berenice, and is not far from the city Eloth. (Josephus, Antiquities 8.163)
  2. When Moses had said thus, the multitude requited him with marks of respect; and chose twelve spies, of the most eminent men, one out of each tribe, who, passing over all the land of Canaan from the borders of Egypt, came to the city of Hamath, and to Mount Lebanon; and having learned the nature of the land and of its inhabitants, they came home, having spent forty days in the whole work. (Josephus, Antiquities 3.303)
  3. The lot of Simeon (inside Judah), which was the second, included that part of Idumea [Edom] which bordered upon Egypt and Arabia. (Josephus, Antiquities 5.82)
  4. This place is between Arabia and Judea, beyond Jordan, not far from the country of Heshbon. (Josephus, Antiquities 12.233)
  5. So when Jonathan was returned thence, he went into Arabia, and fought against the Nabateans (Josephus, Antiquities 13.179)
  6. Now Arabia is a country that borders upon Judea. (Josephus, Antiquities 14.15)
  7. She also petitioned Antony to give her Judea and Arabia: and in order thereto desired him to take these countries away from their present governors. (Josephus, Antiquities 15.92)
  8. But in the meantime the affairs of Judea and Arabia (Josephus, Antiquities 16.297)
  9. its [Galilee] northern parts are bounded by Pella, as we have already said, as well as its western with Jordan; the land of Moab is it southern border, and its eastern limits reach to Arabia, and Silbonitis, and besides to Philadelphene and Gerasa. (Josephus, Wars 3.47)

G. Josephus believed the Amalekites inhabited what is traditionally called the "Sinai Peninsula" and did not live in Midian:

  1. But when Saul had conquered all these Amalekites that reached from Pelusium of Egypt to the Red Sea, he laid waste all the rest of the enemy's country; but for the nation of the Shechemites, he did not touch them, although they dwelt in the very middle of the country of Midian; for before the battle, Saul had sent to them, and charged them to depart thence, lest they should be partakers of the miseries of the Amalekites; for he had a just occasion for saving them, since they were of the kindred of Raguel, Moses' father-in-law. (Josephus, Antiquities 6.140)

H. Josephus never included the modern Sinai Peninsula in Arabia:

  1. "The people mourned for Aaron thirty days, and when this mourning was over, Moses removed the army from that place, and came to the river Arnon, which, issuing out of the mountains of Arabia, and running through all that wilderness, falls into the lake Asphaltitis, and becomes the limit between the land of the Moabites and the land of the Amorites. (Josephus, Antiquities 4.85)
  2. "when he [Amaziah] had beaten them in battle, he slew of them ten thousand, and took as many prisoners alive, whom he brought to the great rock in Arabia [east Dead Sea valley], and threw them down from it headlong. (Josephus, Antiquities 9.191, see also 2 Chronicles 25:12)
  3. And when he had brought the place to this state, he named it Tyre. This place is between Arabia and Judea, beyond Jordan, not far from the country of Heshbon [Moab]. (Josephus, Antiquities 12.233)
  4. that he was forced to deliver back to the king of Arabia the land of Moab and Gilead, which he had subdued (Josephus, Antiquities 13.382)
  5. As for Herod, the great miseries he was in did not discourage him, but made him sharp in discovering surprising undertakings; for he went to Malchus [East of Dead Sea], king of Arabia, whom he had formerly been very kind to" (Josephus, Antiquities 14.370)
  6. "Now the length of Perea [literally: beyond Jordan] is from Macherus to Pella, and its breadth from Philadelphia to Jordan; (47) its northern parts are bounded by Pella, as we have already said, as well as its western with Jordan; the land of Moab is it southern border, and its eastern limits reach to Arabia, and Silbonitis, and besides to Philadelphene and Gerasa. (Josephus, Wars 3.47)
  7. when Herod came to be king, he thought the place [Macherus in Edom/Moab area] to be worthy of the utmost regard, and of being built upon in the firmest manner, and this especially because it lay so near to Arabia; for it is seated in a convenient place on that account, and hath a prospect towards that country" (Josephus, Wars 7.172)

Conclusion: 

  1. Josephus believed that Mt. Hor was at Petra.
  2. Josephus echoed Philo's belief that Mt. Sinai was "the highest of the mountains" in the region.
  3. Josephus refers to Petra as the capital of Arabia, proving he wrote after 106 AD when Petra was annexed by the Romans and named this.

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

 

Click to View



Go To Start: WWW.BIBLE.CA