Body: | Book of Jubilees 150 BC
The book of Jubilees clearly places Mt. Sinai in modern Saudi Arabia:
"Mount Sinai the centre of the desert", in Shem's land.
Introduction:
Ham settled in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula and Canaan (the
promised land).
Shem settled in Saudi Arabia, but not the Sinai Peninsula or Egypt.
The oldest and most complete manuscript of the Book of Jubilees was
found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since the book claims an angel revealed
the message to Moses on Mt. Sinai, it is obvious why every church in the
world, except for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, rejects it as
pseudepigraphal ("Falsely signed: A forgery since Moses never wrote it). In
spite of this, the Book of Jubilees is within the official canon of the
Orthodox Church (Ethiopian), but is called the "Book of Division". It has
value, however, as is a historical document that circulated among the
Essenes in about 150 BC, so while Moses never saw it, we can learn
something about the beliefs of that era.
The book of Jubilees clearly places Mt. Sinai in modern Saudi
Arabia. We know this because the book describes the territory for each of
the three sons of Noah. We know that Shem is the father of all the Semitic
peoples including Ishmaelites, Midianites, Arabs and Jews. They settled in
modern Saudi Arabia and both sides of the Jordan but not Egypt or the
modern Sinai Peninsula. It was Ham that the book of Jubilees says got the
territory of Egypt and the modern Sinai Peninsula were the traditional Mt.
Sinai (Mt. Musa) is located. When it describes the "portion" or territory
for Shem, it actually says that Mt. Sinai is in the middle of the desert.
Jebel al-Lawz would fit this description nicely. Since we know that the
traditional Mt. Sinai at Mt. Musa was in Ham's territory, according to the
book of Jubilees, we can safely conclude that they believed Mt. Sinai was
in Saudi Arabia.
Texts from the book of Jubilees:
And it came to pass in the beginning of the thirty-third jubilee
[1569 A.M.] that they divided the earth into three parts, for Shem and Ham
and Japheth, according to the inheritance of each, in the first year in the
first week, when one of us who had been sent, was with them. And he called
his sons, and they drew nigh to him, they and their children, and he
divided the earth into the lots, which his three sons were to take in
possession, and they reached forth their hands, and took the writing out of
the bosom of Noah, their father. (Book of Jubilees, 8:10-11)
"And there came forth on the writing as Shem's lot the middle of the
earth which he should take as an inheritance for himself and for his sons
for the generations of eternity, from the middle of the mountain range of
Rafa, from the mouth of the water from the river Tina, and his portion goes
towards the west through the midst of this river, and it extends till it
reaches the water of the abysses, out of which this river goes forth and
pours its waters into the sea Me'at, and this river flows into the great
sea. And all that is towards the north is Japheth's, and all that is
towards the south belongs to Shem. And it extends till it reaches Karaso:
this is in the bosom of the tongue which looks towards the south. And his
portion extends along the great sea, and it extends in a straight line till
it reaches the west of the tongue which looks towards the south: for this
sea is named the tongue of the Egyptian Sea. And it turns from here towards
the south towards the mouth of the great sea on the shore of (its) waters,
and it extends to the west to 'Afra, and it extends till it reaches the
waters of the river Gihon, and to the south of the waters of Gihon, to the
banks of this river. And it extends towards the east, till it reaches the
Garden of Eden, to the south thereof, [to the south] and from the east of
the whole land of Eden and of the whole east, it turns to the east and
proceeds till it reaches the east of the mountain named Rafa, and it
descends to the bank of the mouth of the river Tina. "This portion came
forth by lot for Shem and his sons, that they should possess it for ever
unto his generations for evermore. And Noah rejoiced that this portion came
forth for Shem and for his sons, and he remembered all that he had spoken
with his mouth in prophecy; for he had said: 'Blessed be the Lord God of
Shem And may the Lord dwell in the dwelling of Shem.' And he knew that the
Garden of Eden is the holy of holies, and the dwelling of the Lord, and
Mount Sinai the centre of the desert, and Mount Zion -the centre of the
navel of the earth: these three were created as holy places facing each
other. (Book of Jubilees 8:12-20)
"And Ham divided amongst his sons, and the first portion came forth
for Cush towards the east, and to the west of him for Mizraim, and to the
west of him for Put, and to the west of him [and to the west thereof] on
the sea for Canaan. And Shem also divided amongst his sons, and the first
portion came forth for Ham and his sons, to the east of the river Tigris
till it approaches the east, the whole land of India, and on the Red Sea on
its coast, and the waters of Dedan, and all the mountains of Mebri and Ela,
and all the land of Susan and all that is on the side of Pharnak to the Red
Sea and the river Tina. And for Asshur came forth the second Portion, all
the land of Asshur and Nineveh and Shinar and to the border of India, and
it ascends and skirts the river. And for Arpachshad came forth the third
portion, all the land of the region of the Chaldees to the east of the
Euphrates, bordering on the Red Sea, and all the waters of the desert close
to the tongue of the sea which looks towards Egypt, all the land of Lebanon
and Sanir and 'Amana to the border of the Euphrates. (Book of Jubilees
9:1-5)
For ye celebrated this festival with haste when ye went forth from
Egypt till ye entered into the wilderness of Shur; for on the shore of the
sea ye completed it. And after this law I made known to thee the days of
the Sabbaths in the desert of Sin[ai], which is between Elim and Sinai.
(Book of Jubilees, 49:23 - 50:2)
Conclusion:
The statement, "Mount Sinai the centre of the desert", indicates the
location of Mt. Sinai to in the land of Shem, not Ham.
Since Ham settled in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula and Canaan (the
promised land) and Shem settled in Saudi Arabia, but not the Sinai
Peninsula or Egypt, it is clear that the book of Jubilees did not view Mt.
Sinai to be in the Sinai Peninsula, but in Saudi Arabia.
The best choice for the location of Mt. Sinai it Mt Lawz, in north
Saudi Arabia.
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
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