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Sinai
Sinai Identified since the 4th cent. CE (but other locations are proposed) as the peninsula which joins Africa and Asia; on the north is the Mediterranean, on the south the Red Sea; much of it is desert, though the area has always managed to support a smallish nomadic population. The Israelites trekked through the wilderness of Sinai when they left the slavery of Egypt. At Mount Sinai, in the south of the peninsula, Moses had witnessed the Burning Bush (Exod. 3: 1–2). It was to this mountain that the Hebrews escaping from Egypt at the Exodus made their way. This was the sacred mountain where Yahweh was believed to dwell, and it was natural that because they associated him with their rescue from slavery they would proceed to Sinai before going on to the promised land of Canaan. At Sinai the people received the Law (Exod. 20–3) and the covenant was ratified. This ‘mountain of God’ is also known in the E and D sources, as Mount Horeb. One modern identification is with the volcanic peak Mount Bedr in N. Arabia—its eruptions would correspond to the cloud and fire (Exod. 19). The mount became so much identified with the revelation to Israel that when Paul discusses the relationship of the new covenant to the old, he makes Sinai in his allegory stand for the old system of Judaism (Gal. 4: 24–5).
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Sinai." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Sinai." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Sinai.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Sinai." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Sinai.html |
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Sinai
Sinai. The mountain in the desert between Egypt and Palestine where the Law was given to Moses (Exod. 19: 1ff.). The region of the traditional Sinai (now Jebel Musa) was an early centre of Christian monasticism; the monastery dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria claims to have been built on the site to which her body was miraculously transported.
The Church of Sinai is the smallest independent Church of the Orthodox Communion. It is ruled by the ‘Archbishop of Mount Sinai’, who is abbot of the monastery of St Catherine. See also CODEX SINAITICUS. |
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Sinai." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Sinai." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Sinai.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Sinai." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Sinai.html |
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Sinai
Sinai (Sīnā᾽), Egypt A peninsula and in the south a mountain peak, also known as Mount Horeb. It was here that, according to the Bible (Exodus 20), Moses was given the Ten Commandments and the Tablets of the Law. In Arabic Mount Sinai is called Jabal Mūsā ‘Mountain of Moses’. There are various theories as to the origin of its name: it may come from the Semitic sen ‘tooth’ to describe the shape of the mountain, or from Sin, the moon goddess worshipped by the prehistoric inhabitants of the region.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Sinai." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Sinai." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Sinai.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Sinai." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Sinai.html |
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Sinai
Sinai
•leylandii • radii • bindi-eye • nuclei
•genii • Sinai • denarii • caducei
•minutiae • sestertii
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Cite this article
"Sinai." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sinai." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Sinai.html "Sinai." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Sinai.html |
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