THE SINAI PROBLEM OBERHUMMER. 675 



would obviously create a new basis for an explanation of the catas- 

 trophe of Sodom, about which there developed, from the standpoint 

 of natural science, a controversy between M. Blanckenhorn ^ and C. 

 Diener ^. But we can not here enter into that question. 



The \dew that the Biblical Sinai was a volcano and should be 

 looked for in Midian meanwhile also gamed adherents elsewhere. 

 Thus the well-lviiowai orientalist and Biblical scholar. Prof. Paul 

 Haupt, of Baltimore,^ writes: "Mount Sinai can not be located on 

 the Sinaitic Peninsula; it was a volcano in the land of Midian. 

 Mount Smai, the sacred mountain of Midian, must have been a 

 volcano." lie seems also to follow the view of Beke, since he repeats 

 his mountain names, Jebel en-Nlir and Jebel al-Barghir (which 

 have been proved to be erroneous), and looks for the volcano in the 

 neighborhood of Akaba.^ 



In his review of E. Meyer's book, "Die Israehten," Gunkel ^ 

 reiterates the question, "Should it not be possible for our geologists 

 to discover the volcano which at that time must have been in erup- 

 tion?" This problem seems now to have been solved through Prof. 

 A. Musil and his comjianion, the geologist, L. Kober. At present 

 we have only a brief preliminary notice by Musil on this subject.® 

 "Thus we left the valley of al-Jizel and arrived at the wide plain 

 of al-Jav, where we made unexpectedly, on the 2d of July, 1910, 

 what is in my opmion the most important discovery durmg this 

 exploring tour, namely, that of the genuine Biblical Mount Sinai. 

 All our troubles were forgotten and we should have liked much to 

 investigate more thoroughly 'the grottoes of the Servants of Moses,' 

 but our guide would under no condition allow us to set foot upon 

 the sacred volcano al-Bedr, and threatened to abandon us at once 

 if we did not continue our way eastward. We had to yield, and I 

 hoped that Allah would enable us to attam to-morrow what was 

 impossible to-day. Our route led through the midst of the Harra 

 regions ar-Rha and al-Awerez, so that we photographed pretty 

 accurately nearly all the extinct volcanoes." 



According to the maj> appended to this preliminary report the 

 volcano Hala-l-Bedr is situated in latitude 27° 12' north, longitude 

 37° 7' east — that is, considerably farther south than Sinai was 

 looked for even by the advocates of the Midian hy])othcsis, Accord- 



• Die Entstehung und Geschichte dcs Toten Meeres (Leipzig, 1896), aus Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palils- 

 tina-Vereins, 19, und Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palaestina Vereins, 21 (1898), pp. 65-83; Mitteihmgen der 

 K. K. GeographLschen Cesellschaft, I'JOO, pp. 194-197. 



« Mitteilungen K. K. Gex)graphi.sohmi Gescllschaft, 1897, pp. 1-22; 1899, pp. 14-18. 

 The Burning IJush and the Origin of Judaism. I'rocexjdings of the Aineric^in rhilosophical Societ)', 

 48 (1909), pp. 354fT.; Midian und Sinai, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgcnlacndisehen Ciesellschaft, 63 (1909), 

 pp. 506ff. 



< Op. fit., pp. 3G5, 368. 



' Deutsche Literal ur-Zeitung, 1907, cohimn 1928. 



' Anzeiger der Kaiserlichen Akademio der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-Historischc Klassc, 1911, No. 

 13, p. 154. 



