are linked to Moses, an apparent connection that seems more than coincidental in symbolism both in the Egyptian hieroglyph for a priest carrying a scroll and the two stone tablets of the commandments carried by Moses.
Besides the Tetractys, Ennead, and Tetragrammaton, there are additional writings referencing divinely inspired triangular tablets. Author Manly P. Hall mentions similar triangular tablets found in the writings of Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews. It states that the patriarch Enoch:
…placing in the deepest vault a triangular tablet of gold bearing upon it the absolute and ineffable Name of Deity. According to some accounts, Enoch made two golden deltas. The larger he placed upon the white cubical altar in the lowest vault and the smaller he gave into the keeping of his son Methuselah…9
The case for similarities and the crossing paths of these three different schools and the biblical Decalogue are evident. Hall ties Pythagoras to Egyptian and Judaic traditions, West links the Ennead with Pythagoras, and all the above-cited authors connect their meanings to the unity of the Creative Forces in the universe. This evidence in turn lends itself to support the theory that the tablets are triangular.
You may ask why the shapes of the tablets are important enough even for discussion since the tablets are merely the modern day equivalent to paper that a contract is written upon. In today's world only the words of the contract have significance. Remember, literacy in the general population in the ancient world was not common. The ability for the majority of a population to read is a modern day event and long before written language was commonplace people could grasp symbols. Symbols could cross boundaries of different languages and alphabets and be shared by the populace. The phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” is an adage for a reason. The shapes have a spirit of meaning in themselves.
The essence of spiritual law and core principles was not only in the ten words but also in the shapes. These two proposed triangular tablets, these “houses of the soul,” create the six-pointed star, the Seal of Solomon, the Creator's Star. This star combines the individual symbols representing the four ancient elements of the universe: fire, water, air, and earth. (See symbols on the following page). They make an early symbol of the unification of the spiritual and physical forces, of heaven and earth.
The Stars Above and Holy Mountains and Pyramids Below
According to Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition, the biblical Mount Sinai was the location where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The actual location of Mount Sinai has been in a long-standing dispute with scholars and archaeologists. Adding another layer of complexity to the discussion is the fact that this important mountain was referred to as both Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb. In the book of Exodus, the Torah, and the Quran, Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai; however, according to the book of Deuteronomy in the Hebrew bible, the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on Mount Horeb, though both may have been different names for the same location. What will be explored here is the possibility that Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb are two distinct locations. In other words, there may actually be two holy mountains rather than a single Mount Sinai. What will be analyzed is the existing evidence that one is a mountain near Serabit el-Khadim, a town from antiquity in the Sinai Peninsula where the remains of an ancient temple for the Egyptian goddess Hathor can still be found today and that the other Mount Sinai is actually referring to the Great Pyramid in Giza.
The most widely accepted candidate for Mount Sinai according to biblical scholars is Gebal or Jebel Musa, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Its name literally translates to “Moses’ Mountain” or “Mount Moses.” While the Torah lists several places where the Israelites stopped on their journey out of Egypt, their exact route continues to be the source of debate. The most obvious routes for travelers through the region were the more major roads; however it is quite likely that the Israelites used a less obvious route to avoid the Egyptian army. While this information is still debated among scholars, the southern route which goes past Jebel Musa is the most traditionally accepted.
Dr. Robert Schoch, a Boston University professor with PhDs in both geology and geophysics, shares a different theory in which he uses his expertise to date the Sphinx closer to 10,000 BCE, almost 6,000 years earlier than is generally accepted by archaeologists.1 During an A.R.E. Conference in 2004, Dr. Schoch presented evidence to support his assertion that the ancient city of Serabit el-Khadim (also Serabit al-Khadim, Serabit el-Khadem) with its Temple of Hathor is a likely site for Mount Sinai.2 His evidence was in support of earlier theories such as those described by Lina Eckenstein in her book A History of Sinai that this was the site of the holy mountain of Moses.3 His lecture put forth reasons that the most likely route for the Exodus would have been a southerly route through the Sinai and that the band of travelers stayed at Serabit el-Khadim, which is far enough away for the Israelites not to be pursued or harassed by the Egyptians. It should be noted that Serabit el-Khadim is on the same traditionally accepted southern Exodus route.
Fig. 3.1—Exodus Route
The primary Egyptian goddess of the city was Hathor, known as the Mistress of Turquoise and the Lady of the Sycamore Tree, who is sometimes represented as a sycamore fig, and is often recognized as a protector in desert regions and the patron goddess of miners. Hathor is commonly depicted as a cow goddess with a sun disk set between the horns on her head. It is interesting to note that according to the Hebrew Bible, the idol made by Aaron while Moses was away at Mount Sinai, was a golden calf, possibly representing Hathor.
Other researchers have also named this city as a possible stopping place of the Israelites during their exodus. Sir Flinders Petrie, an early twentieth century archaeologist and Egyptologist, felt that not only would the Israelites already been familiar with the city but also believed that it was one of their stops during their exodus.4 This area was well known in antiquity for mining and trade of turquoise and copper. To mine the turquoise, the Egyptians would carve large tunnels and caverns into the mountains.
Fig. 3.2-Statue of Hathor in the Cairo Museum
Author, historian, and researcher Laurence Gardner, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, went a step further and validated Petrie's research and presented evidence that Serabit el-Khadim is the site of Mount Horeb.5
Ralph Ellis is a biblical researcher, Egyptian historian, and the author who presented evidence for the assertion that the biblical Mount Sinai is actually the Great Pyramid.6 His conclusion is based on a number of facts including the following: that Mount Sinai is traditionally described as the tallest of three mountains and is named for the sharpness of its peaks, that it would have been possible to guard the entire base of the Great Pyramid as the Israelites were commanded, but not a true mountain, and that Moses was commanded to go into Mount Sinai. From Tempest and Exodus: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tablets of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them, and Moses rose up and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up the mount of God.”7
Later he continued to build upon the idea with his statement: “It would appear that the Great Pyramid itself might have played a central role in some of the early Hyksos-Israelite rituals…It also
