Maunt Sinai—Richfala Ston Long Wilderness
BAE mi nating forgetim hapi bilong mi taem mi firstaem lukim datfala Maunt Sinai. Mifala draev thru long Sinai Peninsula long Egypt wea hot and dust tumas, seknomoa taxi bilong mifala kasem waed, open Level Ples bilong er-Raha. Maunt Sinai wea barava luk naes tumas hem rise ap from level ples hia. Hem luk olsem wanfala richfala ston, wea stap long desert. Hem spesel feeling for tingim hao maet diswan nao barava maunten wea Moses kasem Law from God!
Nomata samfala say diswan no Maunt Sinai bilong Bible, pipol kakam long disfala ples for planti hundred year nao from olketa tingsay diswan nao datfala spesel maunten. Long mek-three century C.E., samfala man kam from olketa laek stap separate for tingting strong long saed long religion nomoa. Long mek-six century, King Justinian I from Byzantium, givim order for olketa buildim wanfala monastery olsem strongfala taoa for protectim olketa man hia, and tu for garem Roman paoa long disfala area. Disfala monastery, wea stap klosap long bottom bilong Maunt Sinai, olketa kolem St. Catherine’s distaem. Waswe, iu laek joinim mi long gogo bilong mi long Maunt Sinai?
Lukluk Long Datfala Maunten
Bihaen mifala travel thru long disfala barava drae valley, Arab taxi draeva lusim mi and fren bilong mi klosap long datfala monastery. Evriwea hem rock nomoa, and hem barava naes for lukim olketa tree wea laen olsem wall bilong monastery and greenfala gaden bilong hem. But mitufala pasim nomoa, from first goal bilong mitufala hem for klaemapem maunten long south saed and for sleep ovanaet long there. Disfala maunten, Gebel Musa, wea meanim “Maunten Bilong Moses,” hem maunten wea olketa say hem nao datfala Maunt Sinai.
Bihaen mitufala wakabaot for tufala hour, mitufala kasem ples olketa kolem Land bilong Elijah, wanfala small valley wea stap midol long three-kilometer ridge bilong Maunt Sinai. Olsem kastom story talem, Elijah herem voice bilong God long wanfala cave wea klosap. (1 Kings 19:8-13) Mifala tekwind under long wanfala cypress tree wea bin stap for 500 year. Long hia tu wanfala well from taem bifor hem stap. Mifala barava hapi for drinkim klinfala, cold wata bilong hem, wea wanfala kaenfala Arab man hem givim mitufala!
Mitufala followim road wea evri tourist savvy followim, and for nara 20 minute mitufala struggle for klaemapem 750 ston step for kasem top bilong maunten. Long there mitufala faendem wanfala small church. Olketa monk say olketa buildim diswan long barava ples wea Moses kasem datfala Law. Disfala church hem join go long wanfala small cave wea olketa say Moses haed long hem taem God go pas. (Exodus 33:21-23) But for tok stret, no eniwan savvy wea nao olketa ples hia. Nomata wanem, view from antap hem naes tumas! Mifala lukim planti red maunten wea go-go haed bihaenem level ples long daon wea rock nating. Gebel Katherina, or Maunt Catherine stap long southwest saed—wea hem 2,637 meter hae, barava hae point long disfala area.
Klaemap Long Ras Safsafa
Narafala day mitufala kasem chance for klaemapem Ras Safsafa, maunten wea, olsem Gebel Musa, hem join tu long disfala sem three-kilometer ridge. Ras Safsafa hem maunten long north saed, and hem lelebet low winim Gebel Musa. Ras Safsafa hem rise ap from Level Ples bilong er-Raha, ples olketa Israelite maet bin camp long hem taem Moses go ap for kasem Law from Jehovah.
Taem mitufala wakabaot go for Ras Safsafa thru long olketa maunten and valley wea moa small, mitufala pasim olketa empty church haos, gaden, and spring wata—olketa samting wea markem taem wea winim hundred monk and hermit stap long olketa cave and small church haos long disfala area. Distaem wanfala monk nomoa stap.
Mifala meetim disfala monk wea stap seleva long wanfala gaden wea garem wire fence raonem. Bihaen hem letem mitufala go insaed, hem explainim hao hem bin workim disfala gaden for faevfala year, and hem savvy go daon long monastery just wantaem evri week. Disfala monk showim mitufala way for kasem Ras Safsafa, and mitufala go ap go-go mitufala luk daon long olketa nara maunten. Long daon mitufala savvy lukim waed Level Ples bilong er-Raha. From disfala point wea luk go aot farawe, mi savvy believim diswan nao ples wea Moses go ap long hem long maunten from camp bilong olketa Israelite for standap front long God. Mi piksarem long mind bilong mi three million Israelite olketa hipap tugeta “front long maunten” long disfala waed level ples. Mi savvy piksarem Moses go daon long wanfala hill long narasaed, and karim long hand bilong hem tufala ston tablet wea garem datfala Ten Komandment.—Exodus 19:2; 20:18; 32:15.
Withim gud feeling hao disfala klaem hem no hard work nating, mitufala easyeasy wakabaot go back long tent taem sun go-go daon. Withim laet from small fire, mitufala readim samfala sekson bilong Exodus wea storyim olketa samting wea Moses duim long hia, and then mitufala sleep. Go-go for midolday long nextfala morning, mitufala kasem St. Catherine’s monastery.
Insaed Monastery
Pipol tingim St. Catherine’s monastery olsem barava important building bilong Kristendom. Olketa Greek Orthodox monk work insaed, and pipol savvy long diswan no just from ples wea hem stap long hem but tu from olketa idol and library bilong hem. For bigfala part bilong history bilong hem, from hem stap farawe tumas, pipol no savvy visitim St. Catherine’s tumas and so taem visitor arrive, olketa barava welkamim. Olketa monk savvy holem klos olketa guest, kissim olketa, and wasim leg bilong olketa tu. Olketa visitor free for wakabaot raonem bigfala area bihaenem 13-meter-hae wall bilong monastery. Planti taem olketa monk say: ‘Stap for wan week, wan month, hao long iu laekem.’ But, distaem, olketa monk mas welkamim staka pipol tumas. Distaem kasem 50,000 visitor kam for lukim disfala monastery evri year.
From planti pipol kam visit, olketa markem threefala hour evri day, faevfala day evri week for pipol savvy visit. Olketa tourist savvy visitim smallfala part bilong monastery nomoa—wanfala courtyard wea garem Well Bilong Moses (wea hem nao ples kastom story say Moses firstaem meetim waef bilong hem), datfala Church Bilong Transfiguration (wea pipol say hem nao barava oldfala church long world wea olketa iusim yet), and wanfala stoa wea sellim buk. Olketa tourist lukim tu Chapel Bilong Burning Bush—barava ples, olsem olketa monk talem olketa tourist, wea Moses firstaem meetim God. Bikos olketa monk ting long disfala ples olsem barava holy ples long earth, olketa askim olketa visitor for aotem shoe, olsem God talem Moses for duim.—Exodus 3:5.
Mifala sorry from olketa no letem mitufala lukim spesel library bilong monastery, wea hem main interest bilong mitufala long disfala ples. Taem mitufala askim gaed bilong mitufala for diswan, hem ansa: “Barava nomoa! Disfala monastery bae sat insaed fewfala minute.” But, lelebet taem bihaen, taem mitufala stap farawe from grup wea tour, gaed hem tok small kam long mitufala: “Kam olsem!” Bihaen mifala go under samfala rope, klaemapem olketa step, and pasim wanfala monk bilong France wea sapraes for lukim mitufala, mitufala standap insaed wanfala long olketa barava old library long world! Hem garem winim 4,500 buk long langwis bilong Greece, Arab, Syria, and Egypt. Bifor kam, hem garem tu datfala barava spesel buk, Codex Sinaiticus.—Lukim box long page 18.
Finis Withim Sorry Samting
Tour bilong mitufala hem end long aotsaed long monastery wea mitufala visitim wanfala room wea olketa keepim bon bilong man insaed. Long there olketa hipimap bon bilong olketa monk and hermit bilong planti genereson, wea olketa hipimap separate olketa leg bon, arm bon, hed bon, and samfala moa. Olketa hed bon klosap touchim ceiling. Why nao olketa need for garem wanfala ples olsem? Olketa monk garem smallfala burygraon nomoa. So taem wanfala hem dae, hem kastom bilong olketa for aotem bon from barava oldfala grev for mekem niu burygraon. Evri monk luk forward long day wea bon bilong hem bae joinim olketa wea insaed disfala room.
There nao visit bilong mitufala hem finis withim sorry samting. But hem barava fitim evri hard work. Mifala hapi for lukim view and disfala spesel monastery. But taem mitufala ready for go, mitufala barava hapi for tingim hao maet mitufala wakabaot followim olketa ples Moses and nation bilong Israel bin wakabaot long hem 3,500 year bifor, hia long Maunt Sinai—wanfala richfala ston long wilderness.—Contributed.
[Box long page 18]
Faendem Important Samting
Insaed century wea just go pas, man bilong Germany wea skulim Bible, Konstantin von Tischendorf, faendem insaed St. Catherine’s monastery wanfala Greek Bible manuscript bilong mek-foa century, wea olketa kolem distaem Codex Sinaiticus. Insaed diswan hem staka long olketa Hebrew Scripture from Greek Septuagint, withim full Greek Scripture tu. Disfala manuscript hem wanfala long olketa barava old copy bilong Greek Scripture wea olketa faendem finis.
Tischendorf laek for pablisim disfala “nambawan samting,” olsem hem kolem. Olsem Tischendorf seleva raetem, hem talem olketa monk hao olketa should givim disfala manuscript go long ruler bilong Russia—wea, from hem wan wea sponsorim Greek Orthodox Church, hem savvy iusim paoa bilong hem for supportim disfala monastery.
Long wall bilong disfala monastery olketa hangim transleson bilong leta wea Tischendorf leavim bihaen, wea promis for ‘keepim gud and for givim back disfala manuscript long Holy Confraternity bilong Maunt Sinai enitaem olketa askim back.’ But, Tischendorf tingsay olketa monk hia no tinghae long hao important nao disfala manuscript or need for olketa pablisim. Disfala manuscript nating kasem back St. Catherine’s. Nomata olketa monk go-go acceptim 7,000 ruble selen for datfala manuscript from gavman bilong Russia, kam kasem distaem olketa monk careful long olketa savvyman wea trae for faendem olketa spesel samting bilong olketa. Datfala Codex Sinaiticus go-go kasem British Museum, wea hem stap long there distaem.
Barava interesting samting nao hem hao olketa faendem 47 box piksa bilong religion long 1975 under long north wall bilong St. Catherine’s. Insaed diswan hem winim twelvfala page bilong Codex Sinaiticus. Kam kasem distaem, olketa letem fewfala savvyman nomoa for readim olketa page hia.
[Map long page 17]
Maunt Sinai
[Credit Line]
NASA photo
Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.
[Piksa long page 16, 17]
Level Ples bilong er-Raha, and Ras Safsafa
[Credit Line]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
[Olketa piksa long page 18]
Gebel Musa and St. Catherine’s monastery
[Credit Line]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum