American amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt and his sons explored the path by which the Jews returned from Egyptian captivity.

“And the children of Israel went up into the midst of the sea on dry ground: and the waters were a wall to them on the right hand and on the left.”(Ex. 14:22). Having traveled from Egypt, the Jews entered the Sinai Peninsula. They did not go along the coast because there were many wild warring tribes there. Nor did they go through the lands of their enemies, the Philistines, who lived in the north, and they could not go through the deserts of the south. There was only one possible path for them: to follow a deep, narrow gorge called Wadi Watir, which led them to the only place on the entire left Egyptian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba that could accommodate several million people. The path to the north of the Israelites was blocked by the Egyptian military fortress of Migdol (Ex. 14:2). To the south of the location of the Jewish people on the seashore, the mountains descend to the water itself so that people with carts of children and livestock could not pass there. They could not turn back; they were pursued by the Egyptian army. God brought them to the exact place where He could deliver them from the hand of Pharaoh and show them His glory. According to the Bible, there were only men capable of fighting, not counting women, children and the elderly, 603,550 among the Jews (Num. 2:32) + 8,500 among the Levites (Num. 4:48) + “a multitude of people of different tribes” (Ex. 12) :38).
In 1988, in the area of ​​these places at the bottom of the Red Sea, on an area of ​​about 200 square meters, fragments of about 400 human skeletons were discovered, as well as a large amount of military equipment from the era of the pharaohs, including components of war chariots. About 600 wheels from ancient Egyptian carts were also discovered. Why are there so many wheels in the middle of the Red Sea? The Red Sea has not changed its borders: where the middle of the sea is now, it was there then. The answer can only be found in the Bible: these are the wheels from Pharaoh's carts, on which the Egyptian army, pursuing the Jews, reached the middle of the parted sea, and the Lord closed the waters of the sea over their heads, drowning the entire army of Pharaoh. But the most amazing thing is the underwater dirt bridge at the bottom of the Red Sea. Just in the place where, like
it was assumed that a transition had been made. Throughout the Gulf of Aqaba, the water depth averages 5,000 feet (or approximately 1,500 m). The steepness of the descent into the water off the coast of Egypt is 45°. And only in one place, on the shore of Nuweiba, does the underwater bridge descend with a gradual slope of 6° to a depth of only 100 meters. The distance from Nuweiba to Saudi Arabia is about 13 km. The width of the underwater bridge is about 900 meters. The Jews did not know this, and even if they knew, it would not matter to them: they had neither ships, nor even boats. God created this isthmus for them to balance the water walls of the parted sea.
On the coast of the exodus, Ron discovered a column lying near the water. On the opposite coast, in Saudi Arabia, he found another, exactly the same column, with an inscription in Hebrew that reads: “Mizraim (Egypt), Solomon, Edom, Death, Pharaoh, Moses, Yahweh.” He suggested that these columns were erected by Solomon in memory of the crossing of the Red Sea. The inscriptions on a column found on the shores of Egypt were destroyed by water. The authorities subsequently installed it on a concrete base.
The Cairo Ministry of Antiquities announced an important discovery made by a team of underwater archaeologists at the bottom of the Red Sea. One and a half kilometers from the coast near the city of Ras Rarib, the remains of an ancient Egyptian army dating back to the 14th century BC, the era of Pharaoh Akhenaten, were discovered on the seabed. Professor Abed El-Muhammad Gader from Cairo University does not rule out that the discovery made by his team may be confirmation of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. According to the book of Exodus, Pharaoh for a long time refused to let the Jews go with Moses, but after the “ten plagues” he was forced to agree. When the Jews left, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent an army to bring them back. Then the Lord, in order to save the Jews, parted the waters of the Red Sea, and then brought them down on the Egyptian army, which was chasing the Jews.

Moses was born to a Jew who came from the tribe of Levi. The mother hid her son from the Egyptians for three months. But when it was impossible to hide it any longer, she took a reed basket, tarred it, put the baby in it and placed the basket in the reeds, near the river bank. And the baby’s sister, Mariam, began to observe from afar what would happen next.

The Pharaoh's daughter and her maids came to this place to bathe. Noticing the basket, she ordered it to be taken out. When she saw the crying baby, she felt sorry for him. She said: "This is from Jewish children."

Mariam approached her and asked: “Should I look for a nurse for him among the Jewish women?”

The princess said: “Yes, go and look.”

Mariam went and brought her mother. The princess said to her: “Take this baby and nurse him for me; I will give you payment.” She agreed with great joy.

When the baby grew up, his mother brought him to the princess. The princess took him to her place, and she had him instead of a son. She gave him the name Moses, which means: out of water.

Moses grew up in the royal court and was taught all the wisdom of Egypt. But he knew that he was a Jew and loved his people. One day Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Jew. He stood up for the Jew and killed the Egyptian. Another time, Moses saw a Jew hitting another Jew. He wanted to stop him, but he boldly answered: “Don’t you want to kill me, like you killed the Egyptian?!” Moses was afraid when he saw that his deed had become known. Then Moses fled from Egypt, from Pharaoh to another country, to Arabia, to the land of Midian. He settled with the priest Jethro, married his daughter Zipporah, and tended his flocks.

One day Moses went far with his flocks and was at Mount Horeb. There he saw a thorn bush that was burning and did not burn, that is, it was engulfed in flames, but itself did not burn.

Burning bush

Moses decided to come closer and see why the bush did not burn. Then he heard a voice from the middle of the bush: “Moses! Moses! Do not come here; take off your shoes from your feet, because the place on which you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

The Lord said to him: “I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt and heard their cry, and I am going to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and bring them into the land of Canaan. Go to Pharaoh and lead my people out of Egypt.” At the same time, God gave Moses the power to perform miracles. And since Moses was tongue-tied, that is, he stuttered, the Lord gave him his brother Aaron to help him, who would speak in his place.

Not burned in the fire that Moses saw when God appeared to him, received the name: " Burning bush"He portrayed himself as a member of the chosen Jewish people, oppressed and not perishing. He was also a prototype Mother of God, Which was not burned by the fire of the Divinity of the Son of God when He descended through Her from heaven to earth, having been born of Her.

NOTE: See the Bible, in the book. "Exodus": ch. 2; 3; 4 , 1-28.

Passover and the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt

Moses came to Egypt. At this time another pharaoh was already reigning there. After talking with the elders of the Jewish people, Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt and, in the name of God, demanded that he release the Jews from Egypt.

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

Pharaoh replied: “I do not know your God and I will not let the Jewish people go,” and ordered the Jews to be further oppressed.

Then Moses, by the command of God, brought, in succession, ten executions, that is, great disasters, so that Pharaoh agreed to release the Jewish people from the land of Egypt. So, according to the word of Moses, the water in rivers, lakes and wells turned into blood; hail and locusts destroyed vegetation; a three-day darkness came throughout Egypt, etc. But, despite such disasters, Pharaoh still did not let the Jews go. Starting from the second execution, he each time called on Moses, asked him to pray to the Lord and stop the disaster and promised to release the Jews; but as soon as the execution stopped, Pharaoh became embittered again and refused to let them go. Then came the last, tenth, most terrible execution.

Before the tenth plague, the Lord commanded the Jews to choose for each family a one-year-old lamb(lamb), slaughter it, bake it and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, without crushing (breaking) the bones; and anoint the doorposts and lintels with the blood of the lamb. The Jews did just that.

Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Slaughter of the lamb

That night the angel of the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from man to beast. He passed by only those houses on the doors of which a sign was made in blood. (The first-born was the first, that is, the eldest son). There was a cry throughout Egypt. Pharaoh then called Moses and ordered him to quickly leave Egypt with the Jewish people.

Up to six hundred thousand people came out with Moses, not counting their wives and children. Moses took Joseph's bones with him, as Joseph himself commanded before his death. As soon as the Jews left Egypt, a pillar appeared before them, which was cloudy during the day and fiery at night. He showed them the way.

The day of the Jews' deliverance from Egyptian slavery remained forever memorable for them. The Lord established on this day the main Old Testament holiday, which He called Easter. The word "Easter" means: passing by, or getting rid of trouble(the destroyer passed by Jewish dwellings). Every year on the evening of this day, the Jews slaughtered and prepared the Passover lamb and ate it with unleavened bread. This holiday lasted seven days.

The Passover Lamb, by whose blood the firstborn Jewish children were delivered from death, prefigured the Savior Jesus Christ Himself, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, whose blood delivers all believers from eternal destruction.

The Old Testament Jewish Passover itself prefigured our New Testament, Christian Passover. Just as then death passed by the homes of the Jews, and they were freed from Egyptian slavery and received the Promised Land, so on Christian Easter, Resurrection of Christ, eternal death passed by us: The Risen Christ, having freed us from the slavery of the devil, gave us eternal life.

Christ died on the cross on the day when the Passover lamb was slaughtered, and rose again immediately after the Jewish Passover; This is why the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated by the Church always after the Jewish Passover and is also called Pascha.

NOTE: See the Bible, in the book. "Exodus" 4 , 29-31; from ch. 5 By 13 Ch.

The passage of the Jews through the Red Sea and other miracles

The Jews, upon leaving Egypt, headed to the Red or Red Sea. The Egyptians, having buried their dead firstborns, began to regret that they had let the Jews go. Pharaoh, having gathered an army with chariots and horsemen, set off in pursuit of the Jews. He caught up with them at the seashore. Seeing the formidable hordes of Pharaoh behind them, the Jews were horrified. Instead of asking God for help, they began to grumble at Moses for leading them out of Egypt. Encouraging them, Moses prayed to God in his soul. The Lord heard his prayer. A pillar of cloud stood behind the Jews and hid them from the Egyptians. The Lord said to Moses: “Take your rod, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.” Moses stretched out his hand with the rod to the sea. And the Lord raised a strong eastern wind all night, and the waters parted. And the Jews walked along the dry bottom, but the water was a wall to them on the right and on the left. Hearing movement in the Jewish camp, the Egyptians chased the Jews along the bottom of the sea and had already reached the middle of the sea. At this time, the Jews came to the other side. Moses again, at the command of God, stretched out his hand with a rod over the sea. The sea water poured out and covered the chariots and horsemen of the entire army of Pharaoh, and drowned the Egyptians.

Then the people of Israel (the Jews), with great joy, sang a song of thanksgiving To the Lord God, your Helper and Patron.

Mariam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took the tympanum in her hands, and all the women followed her with timbrels and rejoicing. And Miriam sang before them: “Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He cast horse and rider into the sea.”

Song of Mariama

Jewish crossing of the Red Sea

The waters of which separated and delivered the Jews from the wickedness and slavery of Egypt, prefigured baptism, through which we are freed from the power of the devil and slavery to sin.

During the journey of the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Lord performed many other miracles. One day the Jews came to a place where the water was bitter. They could not drink it and grumbled against Moses. The Lord pointed Moses to a tree. As soon as he put it in the water, the water became sweet.

This tree, which took away the bitterness from the water, was a prototype Cross of the Tree of Christ, taking away the bitterness of life - sin.

When the Jews ran out of all the bread taken from Egypt, the Lord sent them bread from heaven - manna. It looked like small white grains, or small hail, and tasted like bread with honey. Name manna I received this bread because when the Jews saw it for the first time, they asked each other: man-gu(what is this?), Moses replied: “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” The Jews called this bread manna. Manna covered the land around the Jewish camp in the morning throughout their journey, every day except the Sabbath.

And when the Jews in the desert came to a place called Rephidim, where there was no water at all, they again began to grumble against Moses. At the command of God, Moses struck the rock with his rod, and water flowed out of it.

In the desert and water, which flowed from the stone rock, saving the Israelites from death, prefigured the true for us food And drinking, that is Body And Blood of Christ which the Lord gives us in holy communion, saving us from eternal death.

In Rephidim, the Jews were attacked by the desert inhabitants, the Amalekites. Moses sent Joshua with an army against them, and he himself, with his brother Aaron and Hor, climbed the nearest mountain and began to pray, raising both hands to the sky (forming a cross).

Aaron noticed that when Moses held his hands up, the Jews defeated their enemies, and when he lowered them from fatigue, then the Amalekites defeated the Jews. Therefore, Aaron and Hur sat Moses on a stone, and held his hands outstretched. And the Jews defeated the Amalekites.

Moses, praying with his hands raised, prefigured the victorious cross of Christ, by the power of which Christian believers now defeat visible and invisible enemies.

In Rephidim, his father-in-law Jethro visited Moses and brought his wife and sons to him.

NOTE: See Bible: book. "Exodus": ch. 14-18 .

Sinai legislation

From the Red Sea, the Jews walked all the time through the desert. They camped near Mount Sinai ( Sinai And Horeb- two peaks of the same mountain). Here Moses went up the mountain, and the Lord said to him: “Tell the children of Israel: If you obey My voice, you will be My people.”

When Moses came down from the mountain, he conveyed the will of God to the people. The Jews answered: “We will do everything that the Lord has said and be obedient.”

The Lord commanded Moses to prepare the people for the third day to accept the Law of God. The Jews prepared for this day by fasting and prayer.

On the third day, which was fiftieth from the Jewish Passover, that is, from the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, a thick cloud covered the top of Mount Sinai. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a strong trumpet sound was heard. Smoke rose from the mountain, and the whole of it shook violently. And the Lord spoke (that is, said) His law in ten commandments.

At the command of God, Moses ascended the mountain and stayed there for forty days and forty nights, without any food. God gave him two tablets, or stone boards, on which the Ten Commandments were written. In addition, the Lord gave Moses other ecclesiastical and civil laws. He also commanded to arrange tabernacle, that is, a portable temple of God.

Coming down from the mountain, Moses wrote down all these laws and everything that the Lord revealed to him on Mount Sinai in books. This is how it appeared with us Holy Bible, or God's Law.

The Ten Commandments, or commands, that God gave to His people specify exactly what a person must do and what he must avoid if he wants to love God and his neighbors. These are the commandments:

2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth; do not bow down or serve them.

Since everything in the world was created by God, He alone should be worshiped and He alone should be revered as Divinity. There is no point in making idols or worshiping them. When worshiping a holy icon, we must imagine the one who is depicted on it and worship him, and not consider the icons themselves to be the Divine.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

The holy and great name of God should not be pronounced idly, in empty conversations, and therefore this commandment forbids swearing and swearing in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to spend it holy: work six days and do all your work in them, and let the seventh day be a day of rest (Saturday) dedicated to the Lord your God.

For six weekdays of the week a person must work, work, and generally take care of everything that is necessary for his earthly life. The seventh day must be dedicated to God, that is, set aside for the Lord, pray to Him, read useful books for the glory of God, help the poor, and in general, for the sake of the Lord, do as much good as possible, and not be idle and not at all outrageous. In the Old Testament, Saturday was celebrated this way, but here in the New Testament, in memory of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, Sunday is celebrated.

5. Honor your father and mother, so that it may be good for you and that you may live long on earth.

One must love and respect parents, obey their good instructions and advice, take care of them in illness, be their support in old age and need, and must also honor other relatives, elders, benefactors, teachers, spiritual fathers and superiors; For this, God promises to extend earthly life.

7. Do not commit adultery.

With this commandment, the Lord forbids a husband and wife to violate mutual fidelity and love. God commands unmarried people to maintain purity of thoughts and desires. Gluttony, drunkenness and, in general, all excess and unbridledness are also prohibited by this commandment.

9. Do not bear false witness against another.

This commandment prohibits lying, slandering, speaking bad things about people, condemning them, and also believing slanderers. This commandment commands you to always keep your word honestly.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor covet thy neighbor's house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his cattle, nor whatsoever belongs to thy neighbor.

This commandment forbids envying someone else's goods and commands you to be content with what you have. Unkind desires are born from envy, and from unkind desires all unkind and evil deeds are born.

Everyone must know and fulfill God's law. He who keeps the commandments creates for himself, in addition to temporary well-being, eternal salvation.

In memory of the Sinai legislation, Moses established a holiday Pentecost.

NOTE: See the Bible, in the book. "Exodus", chapters: 19, 20, 24, 32-34 and in the book. "Deuteronomy" ch. 5 .

Tabernacle

The Jews camped at Mount Sinai for a whole year. At this time, Moses, at the command of God, built a tabernacle, or a portable temple in the form of a tent. The tabernacle was made of costly fabrics hung from pillars. It had three branches: courtyard, sanctuary And holy of holies.

People entered the courtyard to pray; stood there altar on which sacrifices were made, stood a copper washbasin.

In sanctuary the priests entered; was here table with twelve loaves, gold seven-branched candlestick, or a lamp with seven lamps, and altar incense, that is, the altar on which the priests burned incense.

In holy of holies which was separated from the sanctuary veil, only the high priest (bishop) could enter, and even then only once a year. stood in the holy of holies Ark of the Covenant. The ark, or ark of the covenant, was a box made of wood and lined inside and outside with gold, with a gold lid and gold images of two cherubim on it. The tablets of the commandments (tablets of the covenant), the bowl of manna, Aaron's rod, and subsequently the holy books were kept in the ark of the covenant. On both sides of the ark there were two gold rings, into which gilded poles were placed to carry it.

When the tabernacle was ready, Moses consecrated it, with all its accessories, with holy ointment. At the same time, the glory of the Lord, in the form of a cloud that accompanied the Jews on their journey, covered the tabernacle, and from that time on it was always above it.

To serve at the tabernacle, Moses, at the command of God, appointed the tribe of Levi and assigned them to the tabernacle high priest, priests And Levites, that is, servants.

Priest. High Priest. Leviticus

Aaron, the brother of Moses, was made high priest, Aaron's four sons were made priests, and the other descendants of Levi were made Levites. The high priest corresponded to our bishops (bishops), the priests to the priests, and the Levites to the deacons and servants. God ordained that in the future the eldest of the clan of Aaron would be the high priest, and the rest of his clan would be priests.

The Tabernacle prefigured the Church of Christ, as well as the Mother of God, who, having contained God within Herself, was, as it were, the House of God.

NOTE: See the Bible, in the book. "Exodus": ch. 25-34 ; in the book "Deuteronomy" ch. 10, 13, 16 ; in the book "Leviticus" ch. 1-7, 16, 23.

The Forty-Year Wandering of the Jews. Copper serpent

From Mount Sinai, the Jews moved to the Promised Land (Canaan). Along the way, the Jews more than once raised a murmur (discontent and resentment) about their journey. The Lord punished them for this, but through the prayers of Moses he had mercy on them.

Even sister Miriam and Aaron reproached Moses for marrying an Ethiopian, and at the same time humiliated his dignity as the messenger of God. Moses was the meekest of all people and patiently endured reproaches.

The Lord punished Miriam with leprosy.

Aaron, seeing leprosy on his sister, said to Moses: “Do not make it a sin for us that we acted foolishly and sinned.”

Then Moses fervently prayed to God for the healing of his sister. And the Lord sent her healing, but only after she had spent seven days in prison outside the camp.

When the Jews approached the border of the promised land, in the Paran desert, then, at the command of God, Moses sent ambassadors (spies) to inspect the promised land. Twelve people were elected, one from each region. Among those chosen were Caleb, from the tribe of Judah, and Joshua, from the tribe of Ephraim.

Those sent went through the entire land and, having examined it, returned after forty days. They brought with them a grape branch cut there with one bunch of berries, which was so large that two people had to carry it on a pole. They also brought pomegranates and figs. They all praised the fertility of the land. But ten people, out of the twelve sent (except Caleb and Joshua) confused the people, they said: “the people living in that land are strong and the cities are great and strongly fortified... we cannot go against that people, they are stronger than us. There we saw such giants that in front of them we were nothing more than locusts."

Then the Jews raised a cry and began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, and said: “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land so that we should fall by the sword? Our wives and our children will fall as prey to the enemies. Isn’t it better for us to return to Egypt?”

Joshua and Caleb persuaded the people not to rebel against the will of the Lord, for the Lord Himself would help take possession of the land promised (promised) by God to their fathers.

But the Jews conspired to stone Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb; install a new boss and go back.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the form of a cloud in the tabernacle, before all the people. And the Lord said to Moses: “How long will this people disbelieve Me, despite all the signs that I have done to them? Tell them in My name: as you spoke in My hearing, so will I do to you. In this desert your bodies will fall, and all of you, who murmured against Me, you will not enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb and Joshua, turn and go into the wilderness to the Red Sea. Your children, about whom you said that they would be a prey to the enemies, I will. I will bring you there, and your bodies will fall in this wilderness. According to the number of forty days in which you searched the land, you will bear the punishment for your sins for forty years, a year for a day, so that you will know what it means to be forsaken by Me.”

The ten spies, who had outraged the people with their bad stories about the land, were immediately struck down by death in front of the Tabernacle.

But the Israelites, having heard the reproof of their sin, did not want to obey the command of the Lord and follow the indicated path, they began to say: “Behold, we will go to the place about which the Lord spoke, for we have sinned” - i.e. with these words they said as if it were like this: “now let’s go and take the land. We repent of our sin, why punish us for 40 years.” Moses said to them: “Why are you breaking the commandment of the Lord? It will be unsuccessful.” And he remained with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord in the camp.

The Israelites, contrary to the will of God, dared to climb to the top of the mountain where the Amalekites and Canaanites lived - and were defeated and fled.

And they went to wander for 40 years in the deserts of Arabia. But even during this time, the merciful Lord did not abandon them with His mercy and sent them many miracles.

Soon after the condemnation to a forty-year wandering, new indignation arose among the Jews. Some Jews (whose leader was the elder of one tribe, Korah) were unhappy that the priesthood was granted only to the tribe of Aaron. But the Lord punished them - the earth opened up and swallowed the rebels.

To stop disputes among the Jews about who belonged to the priesthood, Moses, at the command of God, ordered all the elders to bring their rods and put them in the tabernacle for the night. The next day everyone saw that Aaron’s rod blossomed, sprouted buds, gave color and brought almonds. Then everyone recognized Aaron as the high priest.

By God's command, Aaron's rod was placed before the ark of the covenant.

One day, for their grumbling against God, the Jews were punished by the appearance of many poisonous snakes that bit the people, so that many died. The Jews repented and asked Moses to pray to God for them. The Lord commanded Moses to make a copper serpent and hang it on a banner. And whoever of the stung looked with faith at the copper serpent remained alive.

This copper serpent served a type of Christ, the Savior. Christ crucified all our sins with Himself on the cross, and now, looking with faith at Him, we are healed of our sins and saved from eternal death.

During the forty-year wandering, all the Jews who came out of Egypt as adults died out, except for Joshua and Caleb. A new generation was born, destined to enter the promised land. During the last year of his journey, Moses also died. Before his death, he installed Joshua as leader in his place.

NOTE: See the Bible, in the book. "Numbers": ch. 11-14 ; Ch. 16-17 ; Ch. 21 , 4-9; and in the book. "Deuteronomy" 1 , 19-46.

Entry of the Jews into the Promised Land

The Lord helped Joshua lead the Jewish people into the Promised Land. Upon entering this land, the Jews had to cross the Jordan River. At God's direction, Joshua told the priests to bring the Ark of the Covenant into the river. And as soon as they wet their feet in the water, the river parted, the water flowing from the upper reaches of the river stopped like a wall, and the lower part of the river flowed into the sea, and all the people crossed along the dry bottom.

After crossing the Jordan River, it was necessary to take the city of Jericho, which had very high and strong walls. Joshua, at the command of God, ordered the priests, preceded by soldiers and accompanied by the people with the ark of the covenant, to go around the city for seven days: six days - once, and on the seventh day to encircle the ark seven times. After this, the walls of Jericho collapsed to the ground, with the sound of the trumpets of the priests and the loud exclamation of all the people. And the Jews took the city.

The destruction of the walls of Jericho

At the city of Gibeon there was a great battle with the peoples of the land of Canaan. The Jews defeated the enemies and put them to flight, and God sent a hail of stones from heaven on the fleeing ones, so that more of them died from the hail than from the sword of the Jews. The day was approaching evening, and the Jews had not yet finished defeating their enemies. Then Joshua, having prayed to God, exclaimed loudly before the people: “Stop, sun, and do not move, moon!” And the sun stood still, and night did not come until the Jews had defeated the enemies.

With the help of God, Joshua, at the age of six, conquered the entire promised land and divided it by lot among the twelve tribes of the Jewish (Israel) people.

Instead of Levi and Joseph, two sons of Joseph received plots: Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribe of Levi served at the tabernacle and was supported by collecting tithes (tenths) from the income of the entire people.

Before his death, Joshua commanded the Jews to strictly maintain faith in the true God and serve Him in purity and sincerity.

This is how the Promised Land was distributed
between the twelve tribes of Israel

NOTE: See the Bible, "Book of Joshua" and bk. "Deuteronomy" ch. 27 .

Conversation about the miracle of Joshua

The story of St. The Bible about Joshua, “who stopped the sun,” is one of the favorite places of attack and objections from the atheists. But the latest research and discovery of science, as well as archaeological work carried out in Mesopotamia, undoubtedly confirm the historical authenticity of all biblical events.

Famous English scientist, archaeologist Arthur Hooke(d. 1952), touching on the question of the miracle of Joshua, says: “First of all, let us be clear: there is no place to pose the question - could God perform such a miracle; the question is rather - did God perform it... if someone tells me that miracles are impossible, then he invites me to accept the theory that the one who created the universe does not have the power to subsequently adapt part of what was created for His own purposes, in other words - created it's as if the whole thing can't change part of it.

After all, this is absurd!

Upon careful examination of the text, we will find that it contains several important ideas that can be used as data from an astronomical point of view. The point is this. At a time when for a person standing on the road leading to Mount Bethoron, the sun was visible over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley Aialonskaya, then a rain of “big stones” fell from the skies between Veforon road And Azekom, and the days were lengthened almost for 24 hours.

Now let us pay attention to the words of Joshua in his prayer; in it we find that his request was literally the following: “Be, sun, silently(quietly, calmly) over Gibeon." Here is the Hebrew word " Yes mom“, meaning “to be silent or inactive.” So, for example, in Psalm 29:13 we read: “Let my soul glorify You and doesn't stop talking" - "Yes mom". It is this word that is used in the original Hebrew, in all three cases of the above record of Joshua, where we read: “stay,” “stopped,” or “stood.”

Science has proven that light has a vocal quality; in other words, a rapid vibration or trembling in the ethereal waves, which is light, causes a special sound, although our ears do not have sufficient sensitivity to hear it. There is an opinion of many scientists that the action of the sun on the earth causes the latter to rotate around its axis.

In order for the day to be extended, according to the desire of Joshua, the rotation of the earth around its axis - if this theory is accepted as correct - would have to be delayed to some extent. Moreover, this phenomenon could occur as a result of neutralizing the decrease or, in some way, counteracting the influence of the sun on the earth.

From this it is clear that the words of Joshua are in exact agreement with the discoveries of modern science: “sun, be silent or inactive.”

If, therefore, the influence of the sun was temporarily reduced, the earth would have to rotate much more slowly and the days would have to be longer.

The great astronomer Newton proved how easily the rotation of the earth could be slowed down completely unnoticed by its inhabitants."

Then A. Hooke reports that one experienced scientist in. Copenhagen told him that he had some idea about the “large stones” falling from the sky that confused the Amorites. He assumed that under the stones there was a tail or a known part of a large planet that had approached the appropriate distance to the earth. This scientist expressed his belief that if research had been undertaken at the indicated site, stones of meteoric origin would have been discovered.

We have here, perhaps, an explanation of the entire miraculous event.

It is known that the celestial bodies exhibit the property of mutual magnetic attraction, and it will not be unreasonable to suppose that the approach of a large comet within the sphere of influence of the earth could, in a significant degree, be an obstacle to the influence of the sun on the earth.

Could there be a counter-attraction here? “I think,” says A. Hooke, “not a single scientist can tell us this.” But, in any case, the remarkable thing is that this shower of meteoric stones - which could very well have been the tail of some huge comet - should have coincided with a disturbance in the process of rotation of the earth around its axis.

Scientist Manuel Velikovsky also claims, not without reason, that a comet that passed near the Earth became the planet Venus. He testifies that ancient Hindu documents, as well as Egyptian writing, which knew about the existence of planets and dating back to the fourth millennium BC, do not mention Venus. On the other hand, Babylonian records dating back to the thousandth year BC speak of the appearance of a new planet as “a bright luminary joining other luminaries.” From this time on, the planet Venus began to appear in astronomical works.

Yet for such things as are described in the book of Joshua, astronomy requires facts, and history confirms that this indeed took place.

Prof. Totten in America studied this subject very carefully, from an astronomical point of view, and published the results in a mathematical calculation. It turns out that no more than one day, the sun, moon and earth were in positions similar to those described in the book of Joshua. Working on his calculations, covering the time from our day to the time of Joshua, the professor finds that it is impossible not to come to the conclusion that a whole day, twenty-four hours, was added to world history.

E. Mander, a scientist at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, that wonderful center of astronomical science and research, has also published work on this subject. He determined the time of day when this miraculous phenomenon took place, discovering the exact place where Joshua must then have been.

But that is not all! It is necessary to pay attention to the construction of the biblical text: “the sun stood in the middle of the sky, and did not hurry to the west almost the whole day". Professor Totten's calculations establish that, although exactly twenty-four hours have somehow been added to world history, however, only twenty three hours and twenty minutes, as it is said in Scripture - " almost all day".

Consequently, for the twenty-four hours mentioned above, another forty minutes are not enough for the astronomical calculations required. Here again we have an example of the accuracy of the priest. pages of the Bible. In the 2nd book of Kings, ch. 20, 8-11, we read that at the request of King Hezekiah, the Lord gave a sign through the prophet Isaiah - the shadow on the sundial returned ten steps. "Ten steps" equals just forty minutes. These forty minutes replenish, to the minute, the mysteriously accrued twenty-four hours in the history of our planet that Professor Totten speaks of.

Let’s now see what the story has to say about the extended days of Joshua, says scientist A. Hooke.

There are three ancient eastern peoples who have preserved their historical data: the Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese. They all have tales of one extraordinary long day. The Greek Herodotus, who is called the “father of history,” said 480 years before the birth of Christ that some Egyptian priests showed him records of the lengthening of the day by much more than twenty-four hours. Ancient Chinese records expressly state that this event occurred during the reign of Emperor Io, and Chinese genealogical lists state that this emperor reigned in China during the time of Joshua.

Lord Kingsborough, who undertook a special survey of the primitive Indians in America, establishes that the Mexicans, who reached a high degree of civilization, long before America was discovered by the Europeans, have a legend that the sun “stood motionless” all day, and this was year, which they call "seven rabbits". The year of “these rabbits” corresponds exactly to the time when Joshua and the Israelites conquered Palestine.

Thus, we have independent evidence of the truth of the biblical narrative, beyond any doubt, from the Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese and Mexicans. The statement of such a chorus of witnesses cannot but be taken as the absolute last word.

This is confirmed, says scientist M. Velikovsky, by Finnish, Japanese, Peruvian and other legends.

“Once,” reports A. Hooke, “one person told me, after my lecture on this subject: “As for this phenomenon, I must obey the verdict of science, but I cannot admit that all this happened only because one man's prayer".

Perhaps this may confuse others too. Therefore, I take this opportunity to note that this miracle sheds its wonderful light on the mystery of effective prayer.

God, of course, knew from the beginning that this event was going to happen, but He also knew that Joshua had to pray. Joshua, being in communion with God, as His “helper” (2 Cor. 6:1), was prompted to pray so that his plans were consistent with the plans of God. Prayer was the link between Joshua and the magnificent manifestation that God was just about to give place. If Joshua had not been in touch with God, he might have prepared his troops for a night attack, in which case the longer day would have been disastrous for him.

The works of God are happening around us, and He can always adapt one of His countless means to any our need (Phil. 4:19). God does this not by changing His wise plans, but by causing us (if we are “led by the Spirit of God” - Rom. 8:14) to adapt our erring selves and change our foolish actions, according to those predetermined and Divinely - the perfect intentions of the Creator. Then we receive answers to our prayers. Experiments have proven that people who surrender themselves most fully to God and who readily give up their plans for the sake of God's plans, “they always receive answers to their prayers, and these answers almost border on a miracle.” - So says the great scientist, archaeologist, Professor Arthur Hooke.

(The main image was compiled from the book.
"The Reliability of Biblical Miracles" by A. Hooke and others).

The page was generated in 0.07 seconds!

The Sacred Biblical History of the Old Testament Pushkar Boris (Bishop Veniamin) Nikolaevich

A wonderful passage through the Red (Red) Sea.

Meanwhile, having learned that the Jews wanted to leave Egypt, the enraged Pharaoh, at the head of six hundred military chariots, rushed in pursuit of the fugitives. How horrified the Israelis were when menacing chariots emerged from the cloud of dust! The Jews looked in numbness at the Egyptian soldiers approaching them and complained that they had so frivolously allowed Moses to lead them away from the land of Goshen, where it would have been better to live in slavery than to die now at the hands of their pursuers in the desert. Moses calmed the despairing, assuring that the Lord would not abandon His people in trouble if only they had deep faith in their Creator and Savior. Moses turned to God with a fervent prayer for the salvation of the Jews, and the Lord heard His chosen one. The pillar of cloud that led the Israelites to the Red Sea sank to the ground between Pharaoh's cavalry and the Jews, so that the Egyptians could not get closer to the fugitives. The Jews stopped at the very shore, and then their path was blocked by the waters of the Red Sea. By the command of God “... Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters parted.”(Ex. 14:21). As soon as dry land formed in the middle of the sea, the Israelites hastened to cross to the other side. They were already on the opposite bank when the Egyptian army, led by the pharaoh, rushed after the fugitives. At that moment, when the Egyptians were in the middle of the sea, Moses once again raised his right hand, and at his sign the walls of water collapsed on their pursuers. Thus, miraculously, the Israeli people left the land of slavery forever. The miraculous deliverance from the terrible danger brought the Jews into indescribable delight. This salvation could not be attributed to ourselves; it was, in the proper sense, miraculous, and the people rejoiced, glorifying Jehovah and their valiant leader Moses. The Jews here were once again convinced that the God of their fathers was higher than all the gods of Egypt. From the fullness of their grateful hearts, they sang a song of praise and gratitude to the Lord, their Helper and Patron. When the song ended, the people began to rejoice. Mariam, the worthy sister of the great brothers of the liberators, formed round dances and, with a tympanum in her hands, inspired women to dance, sing and play. It was the happiest day in the history of the chosen people.

The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea is of great importance in the history of the Jewish people: firstly, thanks to this transition, the Israelis finally got rid of Egyptian slavery and became a free nation; secondly, the miracle that happened further strengthened the faith of the Jews in the one true God; thirdly, in the eyes of the Jews, the authority of their leader, Moses, was established. And finally, the miraculous passage of the Jewish people through the Red Sea showed the power of the God of Israel and brought fear and awe to the surrounding pagan peoples.

But this event also has transformative significance. The passage of the Jews through the Red Sea prefigures the New Testament sacrament of Baptism. Just as the people of Israel, miraculously crossing the sea, were delivered from Egyptian slavery, so in the waters of New Testament Baptism a Christian is delivered from slavery to the devil. In addition, in the passage of the Jews through the Red Sea, the Church sees a prototype of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Her Ever-Virginity.

From the book The Holy Biblical History of the Old Testament author Pushkar Boris (Bep Veniamin) Nikolaevich

A wonderful crossing of the Jordan River. Nav. 1–4 After the death of Moses, the Lord appeared to Joshua and said, “Moses my servant is dead; Therefore arise and cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, the children of Israel” (Joshua 1:2). The Lord commands Joshua to be

From the book The Bible in Illustrations author's Bible

The miraculous crossing of the Jordan. The city of Adam mentioned in the text gave Bible scholars the opportunity to hypothesize about the Jordan miracle. Archaeologists have excavated the ruins of the city of Adam, which was located on the banks of the Jordan. The Jordan flows there through a deep ravine between

From the book Lessons for Sunday School author Vernikovskaya Larisa Fedorovna

From the book God's Law author Slobodskoy Archpriest Seraphim

The passage of the Jews through the Red (Red) Sea and the drowning of the Egyptians After the Jews left Egypt, God Himself showed them the way to the land of Canaan during the day - with a pillar of cloud, and at night - with a pillar of fire. Having reached the Red (Red) Sea, the Jews saw that Pharaoh was chasing them with everything

From the book The Jewish World author Telushkin Joseph

The passage of the Jews through the Red Sea and other miracles The Jews, upon leaving Egypt, headed to the Red, or Red Sea. The Egyptians, having buried their dead firstborns, began to regret that they had let the Jews go. Pharaoh, having gathered an army with chariots and horsemen, set off in pursuit

From the book The Illustrated Bible by the author

From the book of the Bible. Modern translation (BTI, trans. Kulakova) author's Bible

Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Exodus 14:26-31 And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may return on the Egyptians, on their chariots and on their horsemen. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and by morning the water returned to its place; and the Egyptians ran towards

From the book Holy Scripture. Modern translation (CARS) author's Bible

Crossing the Red Sea The Lord said to Moses: 2 “Tell the children of Israel to turn back and temporarily camp at Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Your camp must be located by the sea directly in front of Baal Zephon, 3 then Pharaoh will think that the children of Israel

From the book of the Bible. New Russian translation (NRT, RSJ, Biblica) author's Bible

Crossing the Sea 1 The Eternal said to Musa: 2 - Tell the Israelites to turn back and stop at Pi-Khirot, between Migdol and the sea. Let them position themselves by the sea, directly in front of Baal Zephon. 3 Pharaoh will think: “The Israelites are wandering in this land in confusion,

From the book Bible Tales author author unknown

Crossing the Sea 1 The Lord said to Moses: 2 - Tell the Israelites to turn back and stop at Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Let them position themselves by the sea, directly in front of Baal Zephon. 3 Pharaoh will think, “The Israelites are wandering in this land in

From the book God and His Image. An Essay on Biblical Theology author Barthelemy Dominic

The passage of the Jews through the Red Sea As soon as the Jews left Egypt, Pharaoh and all his people began to regret that they had let them go. The king of Egypt with his army chased the Jews and overtook them on the shores of the Red Sea. The Jews were afraid, but Moses at night, at the command of God, struck

From the book Difficult Pages of the Bible. Old Testament author Galbiati Enrico

Victory song during the crossing of the Red Sea Once on the other side of the Red Sea, as the Bible calls it, inspired Israel sings the praises of the Savior. Here is a solemn song (Exodus 15:1-11): I sing to Yahweh, for He exalted himself on high, throwing horse and rider into the sea! AND

From the book The Illustrated Bible. Old Testament author's Bible

Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14) 76. The crossing of the Israelites through the Red Sea is also repeatedly mentioned in the Bible as a great miracle performed by the Lord as a sign of favor to His people. So, there can be no doubt that this is a genuine miracle. But does it give

From the book The Wisdom of the Pentateuch of Moses author Mikhalitsyn Pavel Evgenievich

Passing through the Red (Red) Sea And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Tell the children of Israel that they should turn and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and between the sea, before Baal-zephon; set up camp opposite him by the sea. 3 And Pharaoh will speak about the sons

From the book The Explanatory Bible. Old Testament and New Testament author Lopukhin Alexander Pavlovich

The passage through the Red Sea and the death of the Egyptian army The Lord God Himself became the guide of liberated Israel: “The Lord walked before them by day in a pillar of cloud, showing them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, giving them light, that they might go day and night. The pillar of cloud never left

From the author's book

XVII Exodus from Egypt. Crossing the Red Sea The starting point of the movement was Rameses, one of those “reserve cities” that were built by the hard labor of the Israelites. Sensing freedom, the people cheerfully set off on their way. He still had plenty of everything, he had no idea about

« And the Egyptians pursued them, and overtook them, camped by the sea, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, at Pi-Achiroth, before Baal-Ziphon..

And Pharaoh drew near, and the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians followed them: and they were greatly afraid.. <...>

And God said to Moshe:

<...> Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and cut it, so that the children of Israel may pass through the sea on dry ground. <...>

and the LORD turned away the sea with a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land; and the waters parted.

And the children of Israel went through the sea on dry land: and the waters were a wall to them on the right hand and on the left.

And the Egyptians pursued, and all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them.<...>

And the Lord said to Msha:

stretch out your hand over the sea, and let the waters turn on the Egyptians, on their chariots and on their horsemen.<...>

And the water returned and covered the chariots and horsemen of all the army of Pharaoh, who went into the sea after them; not a single one of them remains"(Chapter Beshalach, book Shemot).

The above story of the Jews crossing the Red Sea is known to many, including people far from history and religion. For the ancient Jews themselves, the miracle of the parting of the waters was a completely ordinary episode of manifestation of the care of the Almighty.

The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea has enormous significance in the history of the Jewish people:

First, by this passage the children of Israel were freed from Egyptian slavery and became a free nation;

Secondly, the miracle that occurred further strengthened the faith of the Jews in the one true G-d;

And finally, the passage of the Jewish people through the Red Sea showed the power of the G-d and brought fear and trembling to the surrounding pagan peoples.

Since ancient times, it was believed that a miracle happened and believers firmly believed in it. However, as civilization and consciousness developed, researchers began to look for a natural scientific explanation for this phenomenon, as well as the place in Egypt where it could have occurred.

It is traditionally believed that the crossing point across the Red Sea was in the Suez Canal area. However, no mountains have been discovered there until now. Unlike the biblical description, the terrain there is flat.

Over the years, various localizations of this event and all sorts of reasons for the departure and return of the waters have been proposed. At the same time, the most popular versions were tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, but some researchers believed that the hypothesis should integrate all the factors mentioned in the text, in particular the east wind, which blew all night.

Here are some of them.

On the Sinai Peninsula, researchers discovered light-colored pumice that was brought from the center of the Aegean Sea as a result of a volcanic explosion on the island of Santorini in the 17th century BC. This catastrophe is associated both with the death of Atlantis and with the passage of the Jews through the Red Sea.

Egypt's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, considers this discovery one of the most important for the study of Egypt from the time of the pharaohs.

In pharaonic, or biblical, times, the Red Sea was almost not separated from the Mediterranean, since then the Great Bitter and Little Bitter lakes remained, through which the Suez Canal passes. Actually, in these places, at a distance of 6.5 km from the coast, pumice was found.

As you know, before catastrophic floods, the sea first retreats to a fairly significant distance, and only then the wave hits the coast. This is very reminiscent of the Jews crossing the Red Sea: the waters first “opened”, the Jewish people crossed to the other side, and then “opened up” over the heads of the pursuing Egyptians...

In 1994, Japanese researchers Shugo Ueno and Masa-katsu Iwasaka from the University of Tokyo made a loud announcement that they had reproduced the divine miracle in the laboratory.

During the experiment, they wrapped a pipe with wires, then induced an electromagnetic field and poured water inside.

The magnetic force acting on the water overpowered the gravitational force, the water parted - a passage formed along the axis of the pipe.

This effect was called by researchers “the effect of the prophet Moses” (The Moses Effect).

Israeli and American experts Nathan Paldor and Doron Nof suggested that the passage was exposed in the area of ​​​​the current Suez Canal. There is a coral reef there.

French Egyptologist Pierre Montet (1885-1966), at one time, put forward a hypothesis according to which Moshe chose the northernmost possible route, along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

In one place, the path lay between the coast and the shallow, often dry Lake Sirbonis (currently Lake Bardawil in the north of the Sinai Peninsula), the bottom of which is located several meters below sea level.

So, according to the hypothesis of Pierre Monte, the Jews decided to “cut the corner” and moved straight along the exposed bottom, but when the Egyptians tried to repeat the same maneuver, a sudden storm in the Mediterranean Sea broke through the isthmus between it and the lake and the water poured straight onto the Pharaoh’s troops .

To be fair, it is worth noting that a similar phenomenon is described by the ancient Greek geographer and historian Strabo.

But the above hypothesis misses one essential and specific message from the Bible: the wind was blowing from the east, and what Pierre Montet suggested could only have happened if it had been from the north...

Researcher Steve Rudd suggested that this event occurred in the very throat of the Gulf of Aqaba, that is, practically in the open sea...

In 2002, St. Petersburg oceanologists Alexey Androsov and Naum Volzinger made calculations and made the assumption that if by the Red Sea we mean the Gulf of Aqaba, which separates the Sinai Peninsula from the Arabian, then in the area of ​​​​the underwater reef near Nuweiba with a wind speed of 33 m/s (119 km/h) during low tide, the water level can drop to 20-25 cm in 9 hours, and then a reef bank 2-3 km wide will be exposed for four hours...

Their hypothesis was criticized by American researchers.

A team led by Carl Drews and Weiqing Han, consisting of scientists from the US National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado at Boulder, is modeling the effects of winds on water masses.

As a pilot study, the team decided to simulate the parting of the Red Sea during the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

Using archaeological data, maps and satellite data, scientists were able to figure out what the depth of the stream and the direction of the current were 3,000 years ago.

As a result, Americans argue that their Russian counterparts made unrealistic assumptions.

Firstly, reefs are never completely flat; they always have depressions filled with water, which will impede the transition.

As for the smooth reef, it would take 12 hours to dry...

Secondly, such a wind speed is a 12-point hurricane on the Beaufort scale, which would cause terrible destruction and Jews would simply be covered in sand...

In turn, the Americans offer another location for this biblical event: north of the Gulf of Suez there is one of the largest salt lakes in Egypt, Manzala (Menzeleh). In the old days, one of the branches of the Nile delta flowed into it.

Using computer modeling, Drews and Han determined that with an easterly wind blowing for 12 hours (which is exactly what the Bible says “all night”), the water in the lake could drop 1.8 meters, exposing a passage 5 km wide!

The land could hold out for about 4 hours, after which it would suddenly disappear...

Scientists reported this in a study entitled “ Wind dynamics in the Suez Canal area and the Eastern Nile Delta».

Moreover, computer models only confirmed what was known a long time ago.

For example, in January 1882, British Major General Sir Alexander Bruce Tulloch, who was overseeing work on the Suez Canal, wrote the following:

« The east wind increased rapidly and finally became so strong that it forced me to stop working.

The next morning the wind had largely died down. I went out to the bank of the canal and was amazed to see that Lake Menzeleh had disappeared to the very horizon and the Arabs were wandering through the mud where large boats had sailed yesterday.

Reflecting on this amazing effect of the wind on shallow waters, I suddenly realized that I had witnessed an event similar to what happened three and a half thousand years ago, during the crossing of the so-called Red Sea by Israel»

We don’t argue that the parted Gulf of Aqaba is more impressive than some shallow lake, but, most likely, the biblical text more confirms the hypothesis associated with Lake Manzala: the whole point is that the hydronym appears in the original Hebrew Yam-Suf, that is " sea ​​of ​​reeds", which grows more in swampy areas than on the shores of a real deep sea...

The expanse of water forced by the Jews began to be called Chermny (Red) only in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, which was made in the 3rd century BC. e.

In 1978, explorer Ron Wyatt and his two sons discovered and photographed a large number of individual chariot parts that were covered in coral at the bottom of the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aqaba.

One of these finds was an eight-spoke chariot wheel, which was later given to the director of the Egyptian Antiquities Museum, Dr. Nassef Mohammed Hassan, for study.

When he was asked why he decided this, he explained that the wheel with 8 spokes was used only during this period - the reign of Ramesses II and Moses.

The remains of skeletons of horses and people, chariot hubs, wheels with 4, 6 and 8 spokes - all this was on the seabed as a silent confirmation of the miracle of the division of the Red Sea...

One of the most significant finds is undoubtedly a gilded wheel with four spokes, presumably from the pharaoh's chariot.

Over many centuries, the tree collapsed and only a thin golden shell remained.

Everything discovered allowed Ron Wyatt to make the assumption that the Gulf of Aqaba is the place of passage.

An indirect proof of this was also the fact that only here there is a place that, if necessary, could accommodate millions of the sons of Israel...

After studying British Admiralty documents, Ron learned that this place contained an ideal natural underwater trail that led across the bay.

The shores on both sides of this underwater ridge in the Gulf of Aqaba dropped steeply, and the depth reached 1670 meters, while on the ridge itself the depth was 300-340 meters.

Based on the foregoing, Ron Wyatt hypothesized that the Gulf of Aqaba is the place of passage through the Red Sea.

In Ridley Scott's film Exodus: Gods and Kings, which will premiere in all cinemas across the country on December 12, we will, of course, see the most famous of all biblical miracles: how the "opening" took place. Red sea. However, this miracle will be portrayed very differently from how Cecil B. DeMille portrayed it in his classic 1956 film The Ten Commandments. In that film, Charlton Heston, who played the role of Moses, “divided” the sea in such a way that two huge walls of water were formed, between which the people of Israel moved to the opposite shore along the shallow water that formed for some time. Pharaoh's army, rushing after them in chariots, drowned as soon as Moses commanded the sea waters to close again.

Mr. Scott said his new adaptation of the legend depicts events more realistically, so the Moses in his film does not have to rely on miraculous intervention from God. The director decided that in his film the sea waters would disperse under the influence of a tsunami caused by an earthquake. Before an earthquake, coastal waters usually recede and expose the bottom, and only then a giant wave hits it.

But this interpretation of events is not entirely convincing. The time it takes for coastal waters to recede before a tsunami hits usually lasts only 10-20 minutes, which is too short for the children of Israel to have time to cross the exposed seabed. Moreover, Moses could not have known about the approaching tsunami if God had not told him about it. This can also be allowed, but in this case the element of miracle remains in the plot.

There is a much more natural explanation for how the sea waters could recede and open the bottom for a while. It's all about the ebb and flow of the tides - a natural phenomenon that would fit perfectly into Moses' carefully thought-out plan, since Moses could well have foreseen the low tide.

In some parts of the planet, as a result of low tides, the seabed remains open for several hours, and only then the tidal waters noisily return to the shore. Interestingly, in 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte and a small detachment of soldiers on horseback crossed the Gulf of Suez in the northern part of the Red Sea - approximately in the place where, according to legend, Moses and the people of Israel made their crossing. A stretch of seabed about a mile long, which had become shallow at low tide, was suddenly flooded with tidal waters, nearly drowning the riders.

According to the biblical scripture, the Israelis stopped to rest on the western bank of the Suez Canal when they suddenly saw clouds of dust in the distance raised by the chariots of the Egyptian pharaoh. The Israelites were caught between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army. Although it is possible that the clouds of dust became an important sign for Moses - from them he was able to determine when the Egyptian army would reach the shore.

Moses lived in those places in his youth and knew where the caravans crossed the Red Sea at low tide. He knew the positions of the stars in the night sky and was familiar with ancient methods of predicting tides based on the position of the Moon in the sky and its phase. As for the pharaoh and his priests, they lived on the banks of the Nile, which connects with the Mediterranean Sea, in which ebbs and flows occur extremely rarely. Most likely, they knew almost nothing about the tides in the Red Sea and how dangerous they could be.

Knowing when the tide would go out, how long the seabed would be shallow, and when the water would begin to rise again, Moses could well have made a plan for the Israelites to escape. The best time to flee would have been during the full moon - when the tide is much stronger and lasts much longer - the Israelites would have had enough time to cross the sea. In this case, the tide would have been much more powerful, and the likelihood that the pharaoh’s army pursuing them would die in the depths of the sea was higher.

The most important thing here was to accurately calculate the time. The last groups of Israelis had to walk through the shallow water just before the tide began to rise. They were supposed to carry away the army of the pharaoh, who was pursuing the fugitives in chariots, and lure them into shallow water, where they would drown in the surging waters of the tide. In the event that Pharaoh's army found itself on the seashore before the tide went out, Moses apparently had a backup plan aimed at delaying his pursuers. If the Egyptian army had approached the shore after high tide, then Moses could have first led his people across the sea, and then, at the next low tide, sent his best men to meet the Egyptians to continue the pursuit and lure them into shallow water.

The Bible mentions that a strong east wind blew all the time that night, driving the waves out to sea. According to the law of ocean physics, wind blowing over shallow waters pushes more water into the sea than wind blowing over deep waters. And if, by luck, such a wind was blowing before the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, then the ebb that time was stronger than usual, and the area of ​​the shallow water increased.

It goes without saying that the creation of such a wind was attributed to divine intervention, and so for many centuries in the retellings of the Exodus story, Moses, who carefully devised a plan to escape at low tide, was given a secondary role. True, Moses could not foresee that sudden and very opportune wind that appeared, so he could not take it into account in his plan. Consequently, all his calculations of the onset and end of the ebb and flow of the tide were based on predictions.

At the time when Napoleon and his troops almost drowned in the northern part of the Gulf of Suez in 1798, the water at high tide usually rose by - 6 feet (1.5-1.8 meters), and if it was blowing in the corresponding direction wind, then 9-10 feet (2.7-3 meters). However, there is evidence that during the time of Moses the water level in the sea rose much higher. Consequently, the coastline of the Gulf of Suez during high tide could move further to the north, and the amplitude of the tide in it was greater. If this were true, then the real story of how the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea would not have to be embellished with such details as the walls of water that fell on the pursuing Egyptian army.

One more piece of evidence should be mentioned here. As it turns out, my hypothesis that Moses could have planned to cross the Red Sea and take advantage of the low tide is not new. The ancient historian Eusebius of Caesarea, who lived in 263-339 AD, mentions two versions of the legend about the crossing of the Red Sea, citing the Greek historian Artapanus (80-40 BC). One of the versions , which was told by the inhabitants of the Egyptian Heliopolis, coincided with the biblical legend. But according to another version, widespread among the inhabitants of Memphis, “Moses, who knew those places well, waited for the sea to ebb and led his people across the sea in shallow water.” .

If Moses actually “opened” the waters of the Red Sea by taking advantage of the tide, then the prediction of the tide in this case should be considered the most impressive and most important in history.

Dr. B. Parker is a former senior scientist with the National Ocean Service at the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration. He is currently a visiting professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology. Author of The Power of the Sea: Tsunamis, Storm Surges, Rogue Waves, and Our Quest to Predict Disasters.