The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-02-14
@ur Olio.
Light on the Oldest of Historical
Problems.


Problems.
The current quarterly statement of the
Palestine Exploration Fund is exception
ally interesting. 1t contains the report
drawn up by Major Kitchener, embodying
the results Of the survey made by him of
the great Valley of the Arabah, which was
in prehistoric time the continuation of the
Jordan Valley, down to the eastern arm of
the Red Sea, now known as the Gulf of
Akaba.
1t will be recollected that some eighteen
months ago project was mooted of con-
Meeting the Jordan Valley with the Red
Sea by means of canal cut out in the
Arabah: and as the Dead Sea and the
Jordan Valley are considerably below the
sea level 1t was conjectured that if
cutting was made for some twenty miles
from the head of the Gulf Of Akaba an
opening would be effected by which the
waters of the Red Sea would flow down the
remaining portions of the Arabah into the
Dead Sea and fill the Jordan Valley up to
and even beyond the Sea of Galilee. Not
with the object Of promoting scheme
which, if accomplished, would have sunk
beneath the waves considerable portion
Of the Holy Land, but with the view of
demonstrating its impracticability, besides
obtaining more accurate knowledge of
region which must have been traversed by
the Israelites on their way to the promised
land, the Palestine fund despatched at the
close of 1883 an expedition, the services
of Major Kitchener, r. E., having been
enlisted, to make the necessary survey.
AS the result of his observations it appears
that the watershed of the Arabah is dis
tant 45 miles from Akaba, and that it is
$50 feet above the sea level. Thirty miles
further up the valley the sea level is again
reached, SO that the proposed canal would
involve cutting of IS miles through a
limestone floor covered by gravel, the
depth of the cutting ranging up to 700
feet. The construction of such canal,
though perhaps not a physical impossibility,
is prac.i ally so, inasmuch as the cost of
the undertaking would be SO enormous that
the necessary funds would never be forth
coming.
The result of the expedition has, how
ever, been to do something more than OBJ
tain precise information respecting the
physical characteristics of the Arabah. As
consequence of personal observation of
the region he traversed and a careful ex-
animation of some novel and rather start
ling views expressed short time since by
Baker Greene respecting the route follow
ed by the Israelites on their way from
Egypt to the land of promise. Major
Kitchener has fully indorsed his views and
expressed his conviction that Mount Sinai
and Mount Hor are identical. According
to the accepted belief the Israelites, after
crossing or rounding the head Of the Gulf
of Suez, turned to the south and entered
the peninsula which lies between the Gulf
of Suez and Akaba that in this region
the holy mountain was situated where the
tradition of the law took place, and that,
subsequently, they wandered for close on
forty years in the adjoining desert of the
Tih before making their way to the eastern
frontier of Edom to Noah and the trans
Jordanic region. This view of the jour
neyings of the released captives was assailed
by Baker Greene, who pointed out that it
had no other foundation than the gratui-
tous and unsupported assumption that
Mount Sinai was situated in the peninsula
of that name and was at direct variance
with toe account given in the Pentateuch
of the route followed by the Israelites on
quitting Egypt and with all the opinions
held in Judea on the subject down to the
fourth century of the Christian era. Ac-
cording to the Scriptural account the
following were the incidents of the journey
between the Egyptian frontier and Mount
Siani The Israelites went three days into
the wilderness and found no water; at their
next stage they came to Marah, where the
water is bitter, and the next resting place
was Elm, noted for its wells and palm
trees From thence they entered the will
derness of Sin, which lay between Elm
and Sinai Here was the visitation of
quails, the Israelites dying in great num-
bers, the place being called Kibroth hat
Taavah, "the graves of lust They then
reached Rephidim, where Moses, having
gone on before, caused the water to flow
through the riven rock, and thence they
came to Mount Sinai
This account, it is now urged, is consis-
tent, and not alone consistent with jour
ney by the old caravan road which existed
in the time of the Pharoahs from Egypt
across the desert to the head of the Gulf
of Akaba, and thence up the Arabah to
Mount Hor. The Egyptian has annually
! followed this route from Suez to Akaba.
| No water is found until the end of the
third days journey, at Nahid. At the
next stage, now called Abu Muhammed,
the water is salt and bitter and two days
more journey brings the caravan to Aka
bah, celebrated for its wells and palm
groves. But Akabah was known to the
Israelites as Elath-Deut. ii, s; Kings, tx,
26--to the Greeks as Elana and to the
Romans as ALA, and as Elm and Elath
are only different plural forms of the word
el, "a palm grove Mr.. Baker Greene S
solution of the oldest of historical enigmas
/ lies in the Identification of the Elm of the
Book of Exodus with the Elath of Deute-
ronomy and the historical books, the place
Justly celebrated for its wells and palm
trees If, however, the Israelites took this
course across the desert, they would then
turn their steps up the Arabah, as they
confessedly did not pass round Edom on
the east till much later period. But half
way up the Arabah, on the eastern side,
stands Mount Hor, as it is rather unfor-
tunately translated, but literally Har ha
! Har, the Mount of Mounts, which could
have been no other than Mount Sinai, and
which would fttingly receive such a desig-
nation. 1t is curiously confrmatory of the
accuracy of the route thus indicated that
in the Arabah, about twenty miles from
Akaba, ON the way to Mount Hor, is a
marsh, which in Major Kitchener's report
is named Et Taba, and on its borders are
the remains of an ancient Bedouin ceme-
terry. 1t was, however, in the wilderness
between Elm and Sinai that the Israelites
died in great numbers, the place being
called Kibroth hat Taavah, so that now,
after the lapse of 1000 years, this spot lit
orally bears the same description, "the
cemetery of Et Taba.
1t would be impossible here now to sum-
marize the arguments and the evidence adj
duced by Baker Greene in support of his
version of what he terms "The Hebrew
/ P.o,.. Ee,.,,+ b,,4 NTo;o, Il ;tob