Pharaoh's chariots found in the Red Sea? ( Holy Moses! )

World Net Daily ^ | June 21, 2003 | Joe Kovacs

[UnklGene]

MUCH ABOUT HISTORY Pharaoh's chariots found in Red Sea? 'Physical evidence' of ancient Exodus prompting new look at Old Testament

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: June 21, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Joe Kovacs © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided." (Exodus 14:21)

One of the most famous stories of the Bible is God's parting of the Red Sea to save the Israelites from the Egyptian army and the subsequent drowning of soldiers and horses in hot pursuit.

But is there evidence that such an event did in fact happen – and if so, precisely where did it take place?

The issue is surfacing some 3,500 years after the event is said to have taken place with reports of Egyptian chariot wheels found in the Red Sea, photographs to document it and new books by scientists that could lead to a whole remapping of the Exodus route and a fresh look at ancient biblical accounts.

Wheel of fortune

Is this a chariot wheel that chased Moses? (CovenantKeepers.co.uk)

"I am 99.9 percent sure I picked up a chariot wheel," Peter Elmer tells WorldNetDaily after two diving trips to the Gulf of Aqaba branch of the sea. "It was covered in coral."

The 38-year-old forklift mechanic from Keynsham, England, traveled to the region with his brother, Mark, after being inspired by videos of explorers Ron Wyatt and Jonathan Gray, who have documented artifacts that in at least one case authorities have confirmed to be a chariot wheel dating to the time of the Exodus.

"I believe I actually sat in an ancient chariot cab," Elmer said, referring to his time exploring a submerged item in what he describes as an underwater scrapyard. "Without question, it is most definitely the remains of the Egyptian army."

But despite all of Elmer's excitement, others who have been to the same location are not so sure what is being viewed underwater are the remnants of the great chase and urge extreme caution regarding the unsubstantiated claims.

"All kinds of people are finding coral and calling it chariot parts," says Richard Rives, president of Wyatt Archaeological Research in Tennessee. "It's most likely coral covered with coral. ... Opportunists are combining false things with the true things that are found. These people are making it up as they go to be TV stars."

Rives was a longtime partner of Ron Wyatt, an anesthetist and amateur archaeologist who died of cancer in 1999. Before passing away, Wyatt devoted years searching for and documenting physical evidence for events mentioned in the Bible. In addition to chariot wheels, Wyatt claimed to have found Noah's Ark on the mountain next to Ararat in Turkey, the "true" Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia and the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments near the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion.

Submerged 'land bridge' (Wyatt Archaeological Research)

Among those who accompanied Wyatt on many of his excursions is his wife, Mary Nell. She's concerned about over-exuberance regarding new claims, but the Spring Hill, Tenn., woman tells WorldNetDaily she's "convinced" there are chariot parts located on a subsurface "land bridge" connecting Egypt to Saudi Arabia through the Gulf of Aqaba.

She cites Ron's discovery of a wheel hub that he brought to the surface in the late 1970s as proof.

The hub had the remains of eight spokes radiating outward and was examined by Nassif Mohammed Hassan, director of Antiquities in Cairo. Hassan declared it to be from the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, explaining the eight-spoked wheel was used only during that dynasty around 1400 B.C.

Curiously, no one can account for the precise whereabouts of that eight-spoked wheel today, though Hassan is on videotape stating his conclusion regarding authenticity.

When Mary Nell went diving with Ron, she says it was very easy to assume (wrongly) that every item on the flat bottom had historical significance.

"[At first] I thought everything was a chariot wheel!" Mrs. Wyatt exclaimed, noting how difficult it is for the untrained eye to distinguish an artifact from a piece of coral. "I'm just trying to be cautious about over-identifying too much. ... It is God's truth, and we can't hype it up. We can't add to it."

However, she notes a big problem for explorers and scientists is that the Egyptian government no longer allows items to be removed from the protected region. Thus, someone claiming to find an artifact will have a hard – if not impossible – time verifying its authenticity, a classic catch-22.

The watery grave

"And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them." (Exodus 14:28)

The Bible account makes it clear that once the Israelites had marched through the parted sea on dry ground, that the waters rushed back to completely engulf the doomed army of ancient Egypt.

With that in mind, many of the items being seen in the Gulf of Aqaba have been photographed by divers for comparison to the Exodus story.

(Wyatt Archaeological Research)

One of the most spectacular items is what appears to be a wheel with metal exposed. Mary Nell says the wheel is covered with a gold veneer, to which coral has difficulty attaching. She says the gold wheel is still there, wedged so tightly in the bottom that it feels like it's been cemented in.

Many other photographs show formations in a circular pattern with projections that could be spokes, but those items remain at the bottom and have not been authenticated.

Another issue is the route of the Exodus, and which body of water the Israelites crossed. Many travel maps and Bibles indicate a crossing point in the Gulf of Suez, the western branch of the Red Sea. But those may have to be updated if the Aqaba location is confirmed as the true location for the miraculous event.

"The truth is, no one really knows where the crossing of the Red Sea took place," says Carl Rasmussen, a biblical geographer and professor of Old Testament at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minn.

Rasmussen compiled the "Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible" and personally thinks the crossing took place somewhere along what is now the Suez Canal.

Yellow highlights possible spot of Mount Sinai east of Red Sea crossing in Gulf of Aqaba (Wyatt Archaeological Research)

Some scientists from Europe say the current maps are wrong, and the Wyatts are right – that the crossing began at the Nuweiba beachhead, went through the Gulf of Aqaba, and then into what is now Saudi Arabia where they claim the "true" Mount Sinai is located.

For years, scholars have speculated as to the location of the actual Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. At least 13 sites have actually been claimed on the Sinai peninsula as being the correct spot.

But Ron Wyatt believed it was in Arabia, even referenced as "mount Sinai in Arabia" by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 4:25.

So he and his sons made their way to "Jebel el Lawz," the mountain of the Law, which is known by the locals as "Jebel Musa" – Moses' mountain.

Unfortunately for the Wyatts, they were arrested and held in prison. His wife says someone had phoned embassy authorities for the Muslim country, claiming that Ron was spying for Israel. They were released after spending 78 days behind bars.

Rasmussen doesn't agree with the Arabian Mount Sinai theory.

"I believe the strongest candidate is Jebel Sin Bisher," he told WorldNetDaily. "The sites in Saudi Arabia have very, very weak scriptural backing, in spite of the hype."

Now, a new book by Cambridge University physicist Colin Humphreys titled "The Miracles of Exodus" supports not only the claim for an Aqaba crossing, but also the location of Mount Sinai in Arabia.

"If my book is correct, and I believe the evidence is very strong," says Humphreys, "then world maps will need to be redrawn to relocate Mount Sinai. History books, travel guides and biblical commentaries will need to be rewritten."

Throughout his work, Humphreys provides scientific explanations to corroborate the accounts of the Old Testament.

"'The waters piled up, the surging waters stood firm like a wall,' is a remarkable description of what the mathematics reveals to be the case for water pushed back by a very strong wind," he writes.

"What I have found is that the events of the Exodus are even more dramatic than is generally believed," Humphreys said. "The Exodus of the ancient Israelites from Egypt really is one of the greatest true stories ever told."

A Swedish scientist who believes the Red Sea was split says while Humphreys is correct about the Aqaba crossing, there are no natural, scientific explanations for the parting miracle described in Scripture.

Walls of water as depicted in 'The Ten Commandments' (Paramount Pictures)

"The wind did not separate the water," says Lennart Moller of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. "No person could be in that wind and survive. ... If God has created all the Earth, it's no problem for Him to separate the water for a while."

Speaking to WorldNetDaily from the isle of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, Moller, the author of "The Exodus Case," says the key in finding the correct route of the Israelites is to understand that the Hebrew reference to "yum suph" does not mean "sea of reeds" as many scholars have claimed.

Moller says it refers specifically to the Gulf of Aqaba, and while he's not formally affiliated with the Wyatts, he agrees with them that a host of other evidence can be found on the Arabian side of the water, including remains of the golden calf, pillars, altars and the even the rock the Bible says Moses split to bring forth water for the Israelites.

Regarding the items found beneath the waters, Moller believes there are remnants not only of chariots and wheels, but also human and animal skeletons.

"There was a disaster [there] a long time ago," he said. "Whatever that is, it's open to interpretation."

He also notes that the downward and upward slope of the Aqaba crossing path actually falls within current U.S. standards for handicapped ramps.

And while Mary Nell Wyatt warns overstating the claims by divers and authors could do more harm than good, she does believe there's a reason why her husband was led to discover what Ron called "God's attention-getters."

"God preserved all these evidences," she said, "[otherwise] there would have been nothing left. ... God has been lost today. Even Christians still can't believe this all happened. ... We need to pray for the Lord to help us get people to see it."

Back in England, Peter Elmer says people have mockingly asked "Why should a forklift mechanic from Keynsham be able to go to the same place Moses was?"

He takes the criticism in stride, pointing out "Jesus used fishermen, tax collectors and publicans. Why not a forklift mechanic?"

[Doctor Stochastic]

"I am 99.9 percent sure I picked up a chariot wheel," Peter Elmer tells WorldNetDaily ...

"Without question, it is most definitely the remains of the Egyptian army."

How does the second follow from the first?

[Doctor Stochastic]

Curiously, no one can account for the precise whereabouts of that eight-spoked wheel today,...

Perhaps Van Adder forgot to put it in the evidence room.

[Skywalk]

I think it's possible(and perhaps more likely) that a small community of Hebrews lived in Egypt and eventually became oppressed and left/kicked out. However, there certainly wasn't 2 million of them(for an army of 600,000 this is what they'd need in total population.) That's disprovable right there, no army in that era was that big, not even those of the huge empires, let alone a group of slaves.

ANyways, as myths tend to do, the story of Exodus arose from a much simpler and less fantastic reality. But as for the entire nation of Hebrews being under the thumb of the Pharaoh, no, there's no evidence for it.

[Skywalk]

LOL

You show a stunning lack of knowledge about evolution, it is no wonder you discount it in favor of the mythologies of primitive savages.

Hey, any luck finding the wax-wings of Icarus, or Odin's eye?

[Skywalk]

LOL

You show a stunning lack of knowledge about evolution, it is no wonder you discount it in favor of the mythologies of primitive savages.

Hey, any luck finding the wax-wings of Icarus, or Odin's eye?

[RightOnline]

"Slight problem; there's no "fossilized boat" on Mt. Ararat."

Have you seen the documentary called "In Search of Noah's Ark"? I found it quite compelling, even including numerous eyewitnesses including (now) very old 'locals' who had climbed Ararat as kids and had even entered a very large wooden boat (with fathers, grandfathers, etc.). Anyway, I've always been convinced that the Ark is on Ararat and just curious why you don't believe it is.

[Skywalk]

Except the entire story of Noah requires one to believe that a powerful God, capable of destroying worlds and creating them, would need to ask a human to build a boat to carry animals from all over the world, including those cut off in Australia, and brave flood waters and storms rather than simply wipe out the existence of all men but those he had chosen.

It reveals the primitive's mind when it comes to the possibilities of existence. It also requires one to believe that God would destroy all animals(just because you take enough on a boat doesn't mean billions don't die) just to get at humans when all he had to do was create a virus to kill man or teleport them into the sun. Since viruses were unknown to ancient man, I guess that would be out of the question.

[mdmathis6]

"And I suggest you look up the definition of "theory" and "hypothesis" as used in science.


"The general public commonly thinks of theories the way scientists think of hypotheses."

Both have essentially the same sense meanings, it just that if one is a secular elitist it becomes a "Hypothesis"(to be pronounced with the proper air/nose mixture with the nares angled approximately 15 degrees upward so that one can look down on the generally unwashed trailer park religious fanatics who might really believe in a God).
To the rest of us "hold muh beer" bums, its all "theory" and essentially unproven!
And to think I used to look down my-self at the "King of the Hill", types....

[dark_lord]

You evo's show incredible faith. I'm envious.

How nice for you. And my post that causes you to term me an "evo" is? I doubt it was this statement of mine: and I would love to see a succinct, paragraph or less in length, disprovable theory specification for evolution. So..please enlighten me with my post...I'll wait.

[Skywalk]

Actually, no they don't have the same meanings.

No one is looking down at the "unwashed masses" or "king of the hill types." But to assert that in science hypothesis and theory have essentially the same meaning is ridiculous.

[blam]

"Does this jibe with where the "Gold of Exodus" book described the crossing, I wonder?"

I believe the crossing and the mountain described here are the same as described in The Gold Of Exodus

[whereasandsoforth]

You show a stunning lack of dexterity with your double posting. Maybe a Castor/Pollux reflex?

[rmmcdaniell]

The trouble with your "theory" - you DEMAND that others believe the same as you.

Are you refering to evolution? I don't recall anyone having been killed for refusing to believe in evolution. In contrast there have been countless slaughtered througout for refusing to submit to the orthodoxy of the numerous christian denominations. Even today if you disagree with an evolutionist you might get snickered at. However if you disagree with a christian you'll be condemened to enternity of torture in the afterlife. Whose is trying to demand that others believe as you?

[dark_lord]

Have you seen the documentary called "In Search of Noah's Ark"? I found it quite compelling, even including numerous eyewitnesses including (now) very old 'locals' who had climbed Ararat as kids and had even entered a very large wooden boat (with fathers, grandfathers, etc.). Anyway, I've always been convinced that the Ark is on Ararat and just curious why you don't believe it is.

Perhaps the following will enlighten you. From a book called "Before the Flood - The Biblical Flood as a Real Event and How it Changed the Course of Civilization" by Ian Wilson, 2001; which documents that yep, there really was a flood, and yep, there really was a civilization that got trashed, and yep, it really did happen in that area. So, yes, there is real scientific evidence for a major (and I mean HUGE) flood that happened within the general timeframe in question. However, as to why the Ark is not on Ararat there are a number of reasons. I will, however, just quote to you some of the problems.

Ian Plimer, Professor of Geology at Australia's Melborne University...took the trouble to visit the Akyayla site with Fasold in 1994. Like Fenner before him, Plimer found it impossible to repeat any of the various radar, seismic, magnetic, and electromagnetic tests claimed by Wyatt. During this expedition, apparently Fasold himself came to recognise that what Wyatt had argued to be 'boat ribs' wer no longer evident, concluding that these must have been deliberately scraped into the soil to appear as they did in Wyatt's photographs. According to Plimer's professional judgement the Akyayla boat is simply an outcrop of 120 million year old sea floor rocks (ophiolite), around which a more modern (and still moving) mud slide has flowed...In the light of Plimer's findings Fasold, having come to realise that Wyatt and Roberts had behaved deceptively, completely changed his allegiance. In partnership with Plimer he successfully sued Roberts in the Australian Federal Court. And as further related investigations revealed the self-styled 'biblical archaeologist' Ron Wyatt, who died recently, was in fact a Seventh Day Adventist nurse anaesthetist based in Nashville, Tennessee. As for the Florida 'university' quoted as the alma mater for 'Dr' Allen Roberts, this turned out to be a letterbox outside a fundamentalist church from which fake 'doctorates' can be obtained for just a few dollars.

Background on Wyatt and Roberts. Wyatt published "Discovered: Noah's Ark" in 1989, and Fasold published "The Ark of Noah" that same year. Roberts, along with Wyatt, founded an organization called "Ark Search" and they began publicizing that they had found the Ark. They produced a number of videos under the label "Amazing Truth Publications". In the end, they played fast and loose with the truth while making a bunch of money and getting a lot of publicity for themselves.

So, the reason why a lot of people are sceptical is that there have been a number of scam artists in the field happy to sell fundamentalist Christians what those same Christians wanted to hear -- and made a pile of money doing it, too. I suspect that some even on this board will not even read this far through this post and immediately post a bunch of ignorant responses about me and this information. Too bad. There is real scientific evidence for a serious and major flood in that region within roughly the time frame identified by the Bible. And if one considers that the Ark did not have to hold representatives of every animal in the world, but just the ones in that geographical region; and that a massive flood in that region would have wiped out a major component of the human race living at the time; from that perspective the Bible can be considered to be verified.

As for why it happened...as CS Lewis said about prayer (I paraphrase): "If you pray for something and you get no result, it shows prayer doesn't work. And if you pray for something and you do get result, why you can see the chain of cause and effect and you would have got the result anyway, right"? Heh heh. From my limited theological perspective, it is clear to me that God was protecting the human lineage that was going to lead to Christ. He took advantage of the climate and the geographical features to generate the major flood "burst through" and man, did it ever. And he wasn't shy of "trimming off" tribes and groups that could have otherwise threatened that lineage. After all, if He has "foreknowledge" he is going to see those threats coming. The flood (and other actions that people from a human perspective would consider brutal) make sense if he is protecting the bloodline that leads to Christ. And of course, again, this is IMO.

Anyone who wants a scientific historical perspective on the flood, I do recommend the above book. It is pretty well researched (has almost 50 pages of notes and references at the end.)

[blam]

"Just for fun."

This is my prefered location for the crosssing and the mountain. But, I prefer the date of 1628BC to concide with the explosion of Santorini/Thera.

Most of the Jews who left Egypt died enroute. If Santorini was involved, there's no reason to expect that most of the Egyptians didn't die either consequently, a lack of Egyptian records?

[blam]

"There is real scientific evidence for a serious and major flood in that region within roughly the time frame identified by the Bible.

What time 'frame' is that. I've been searching for a date.

[DAnconia55]

Gulf of Aqaba

Ah. Just where the theory of Atlantis (Thera) destruction posits the Red Sea crossing would have been.

Fascinating.

[Sam Cree]

Thanks.

[DAnconia55]

Oops. Sorry. I think I meant to ping blam. Sigh. Need rest.

Point being the Santorini explosion that ended what could have been the high civilization of Atlantis, referred to by Plato (referencing Solon's conversation with the Eqyptians)... would have created the pulling out of waters from the Gulf described in the Bible.

Nice to see they found some evidence. The idea that the chariots crossed the Red Sea proper wasn't something I'd ever have gone along with. The Gulf is shallow and at the Mediterranean end of the Red Sea.

[Radix]

the reality of evolution

I am simply unwilling to state my position on the Theory of Evolution. I just saw a thread the other day which brought out many opinions of several FReepers. It has pretty much all been said, but I do not recall anyone commenting in the fashion that you have here. The "reality of evolution" is a pretty bold remark. Can you demonstrate some examples of the reality of Evolution?