Seeing the Burning Bush and Climbing Mt. Sinai!

I’m at the base of a mountain believed to be the location of the true Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine was built here in the mid-500s atop one of the oldest Christian sites on Earth inside the courtyard I’m warmly welcomed by father Justin of Sinai father I feel like I’ve stepped into another time here and the outside looks almost like a fortress it was built as a fortress to protect the monks to honor this holy place but also this is the border of the Roman Empire right but the monastery has never been abandoned and never been destroyed in 1700 years what an incredible place and there are other connections here to the story of Moses like one of the main characters everything was built here because this is the place of the burning bush and

this is the burning bush growing behind the church next to the Chapel of the burning bush wait you mean the burning bush like the burning bush from the Bible where God speaks to Moses while the fire is out and the bush may not be talking to anyone these days its very existence seems miraculous it is mentioned by ageria who came here in the year 383 so even in 383 she mentions in the valley there’s a garden and in the garden there’s a church next to the bush and the bush is alive to this day and sends out green shoots so this was described in the 4th Century it’s been described by pilgrims ever since that is awesome this Monastery is filled with miraculous things lead on I want to see what else we have here the burning bush [Music] father Justin brings me inside the

monasteries Library a treasure Trove of Priceless documents stretching back through the centuries he’s pulled a few volumes for me to examine the first one is a 10th Century manuscript of I’m sorry this is a thousand-year-old book yes written on parchment it’s the texts of Genesis Exodus and Leviticus and then it has commentary in the margins many years ago someone took the entire account of Genesis and exodus and they wrote it out in Greek verses this is a 16th century manuscript of that text this is one of your new books and then it’s filled with illustrations and I believe this is our guy right here right let’s talk about this illustration in particular this mountain that Moses is standing on this is Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb in the Bible and I know that there have been a lot of places put forward by historians and theologians over the

years as the possible real location but St Catherine sits at the foot of the place that is really considered where this happened why is that what what is it about this place that gives it authenticity and credibility many people ask us how do you know that this is the real Sinai right we point out that the Prophet Elijah came to hoard the Mountain of God and he lived 600 years after Moses right and he knew where it was so 600 years after Moses they knew who were Sinai was so when the monks came here in the latter third and the fourth centuries they also picked up this living Heritage that this is the place where God had revealed himself in such a special way it is this stunning continuity of History here that has led so many to venerate this place and it is for that

reason that people also attempt to ascend to The Summit I know that many people come here to visit the monastery and also to make the ascent to the top of Mount Sinai I’d like to do that do you have any advice for a first time climber it’s not an easy Ascent okay but when you make the ascent you think I’ll never get there but then you finally do arrive and it’s such a joy to see this spectacular landscape I can’t wait so here’s something I’d like to give you for the ascent this is a Bible that I bought in Jerusalem in 1978 the first time I made a pilgrimage there when you read the scriptures they come alive because you’re at the very place and it’s something that you can treasure for the rest of your life this is really really special thank you so much I will

take very very good care of it father thank you so much for your time and for for showing us this this awesome place I really appreciate it and all the best on your Ascent to the peak thank you Father cheers and so I’m preparing to follow in Moses most arduous footsteps to the meeting point between God and man The Climb has always attempted well before the light of dawn and so the next day in The Frigid desert Darkness I returned to the foot of the monastery well it is about 2 30 in the morning and I’m here at the base of Mount Sinai you know when we think about Moses leading the Israelites through the desert we think about sweltering heat right now it’s about 28 degrees Fahrenheit it is absolutely freezing and between us and the Summit is about 2500 vertical feet and a nearly three mile hike in complete

darkness let’s do it [Music] man it is cold and the higher you get the windier it gets just feels like walking into nothingness [Music] [Music] so as we come through this pass here you can hear the wind just sailing through it’s getting colder and colder I’ve got my trusty King James Bible here we’re about halfway up the mountain and I have to say it really does feel so mysterious here and it is hard not to feel the parallels or the description in the book of Exodus so much of the the talk about Sinai is about the weather here they say that there’s thunder and lightning on the mountain the people in the camp trembled and Mount Sinai quaked greatly and then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai to the top of the mount and Called Moses up and Moses went and I guess so

will we [Music] hundreds of pilgrims are here with me today they come by the thousands every year to connect to the spirit of Moses and the God he was said to have met on Sinai come on you got this man fortunately the mountain is dotted with simple stone buildings which serve as rest stops for the faithful inside Merchants make fresh bread pilgrims rest and get something warm to drink [Music] a hot cup of coffee in this bitter cold is a bit of a religious experience in itself that shall be caffeinated oh yes thank you the walls are lined with photos and notes from people who have made the climb after my cup of joe I hit the trail leaving my own scripture for future Travelers coming into this Slot Canyon here toward the top of the peak now it gets really Rocky and really vertical

[Music] come on this may be the holiest mountain on Earth but that doesn’t make it soft [Music] okay God my knee I suppose it makes sense that in visiting Mount Sinai I’d end up on one knee okay I’m okay okay here we go oh man that’s cool [Applause] all right well we are getting close we’re within a quarter mile of the summit but of course there’s one last obstacle actually there’s 750 of them these steep Stone stairs that go all the way to the top okay come on come on these are the steps of penitence which lead to the very top of Mount Sinai foreign [Music] oh if only I had some sort of sign that would keep walking it’s freezing God no camera Department here we go [Music] we are now above most of the other Peaks you can just see them outlines in the darkness totally exposed

here now to the wind must be close to the top [Music] sort of a bottleneck here as we get close to the top it’s really a hive of activity there are people here from all over the world and from every major religion Christians Jews Muslims Hindus and people from just about every country in the world I’ve heard every accent and language imaginable all of them here to experience the summit of this holy place foreign [Music]