The Lanier Center for Archaeology
and
The Hazelip School of Theology
presents:

A free lecture by Dr. James K. Hoffmeier

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: Ezell 241, Lipscomb University

The identity of and consequent search for the route taken by the Hebrews from Egypt has been the subject of intense investigations for centuries. On the one hand, the itinerary of the wilderness travels in the Torah seems to preserve a coherent trail with names of the camping spots and some geographical features identified that should lead one to the sacred mountain. On the other hand, most of the toponyms in the itinerary are unknown, resulting in more than a dozen proposed candidates for Mt. Sinai, and a near equal number of suggested sea-crossing locations. Thanks to recent archaeological, geological and geographical investigations in Sinai, along with satellite imagery, better sense can be made of the biblical data.

To investigate where the Israelites may have traveled in Sinai requires some knowledge of the terrain and the known ancient routes and water sources. This paper seeks to clarify some of these features by analyzing carefully the biblical toponyms and Egyptian texts that inform us about established roads in Sinai. By working from what is known geographically, namely the first two sites in Egypt (Rameses and Succoth), one can offer more plausible locations for the sea crossing and Mt. Sinai. With this information in view and bearing in mind the realities of ancient travel, one can eliminate some more distant locations for both, especially a current favorite among Christian laypeople, viz. a Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia. At the same time, this approach will allow one to see some possible sites.

Dr. James K. Hoffmeier

Dr. Hoffmeier, a world-renowned Egyptologist, is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois. Born and raised in Egypt, graduate school took him to the University of Toronto, where he earned his MA and PhD in Ancient Near Eastern Religions, majoring in Egyptian and minoring in Old Testament. His archaeological fieldwork includes the Akhenaten Temple Project, the Taharka Pyramid complex in Sudan, and directing the North Sinai Peninsula Project from 1994-2008. He has authored and edited 20 books and written more than 100 articles.

Directions and Parking

Directions

GPS Address
The best address to use with your GPS is 3906 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37204. This will get you the closest to the building in which our conference is being held (#2 in the yellow circle), as well as the best options for parking.

Driving North on Belmont Blvd
If you come in driving north on Belmont Blvd, you will turn onto Belmont Blvd from Shackleford Rd. After you turn onto Belmont Blvd, you will take the second possible right onto campus, where you will find parking available to your left, right, and straight ahead.

Driving South on Belmont Blvd
If you come driving in south on Belmont Blvd, after you pass Glen Echo Rd, you will take the third possible left onto campus. You will find parking available to your left, right, and straight ahead.

Parking

The conference is being held in the Ezell Building, which is #2 in the yellow circle on the map. You may enter this building through several doors, including through the Shinn Event Center (#1 on the map).

The map shows the different areas of parking available all around the conference location, though please note that the day of the conference is also a regular school day for the university and so parking can be sparse if you arrive after 8 AM.