Religion: Locating Sodom

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Introduction

Sodom and Gomorrah were two of five cities referred to as the Cities of the Plain in the Bible. The two places are infamous for God’s judgment upon the cities’ wicked inhabitants in the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Biblical scholars, including Steven Collins and Bryant Wood, have struggled to find a consensus on the location of Sodom in the contemporary world, mainly due to different interpretations of the Biblical text. Dr Collin’s view is that Sodom is located in the northeastern region, while Wood’s location is on the southeast of the Dead Sea. The thesis states that the northeast region is the most logical location for the city of Sodom as it derives its evidence from archaeological sites and geographical analogy according to the Bible.

Archaeological Site Each Position Believes Is Sodom

Collins believes that Sodom is located on the northeastern side of the dead Sea at Tall el-Hammam. The position is approximately eight miles north of the Dead Sea. Tall l-Hammam is located in modern Jordan at the eastern edge of the Kikkar. Historical records show the area was first inhabited during the Chalcolithic period between 4600-3600 BCE. Wood believes that Sodom is located on the southern side of the Dead Sea at Bad edh-Dhra. The area is located on the edge of the plain north of Numeira.

The Date Each Scholar Uses for The Patriarchs

The specific dates of the patriarchs are calculated based on events including the birth of Abraham, the destruction of Sodom, Exodus from Egypt, and the construction of Solomon’s temple. Collins uses symbolic figures to determine the lifespans of the patriarchs. Honorific figures were accorded based on the status of a person in society; thus, Collins argues that the physical time frame from Abraham to Exodus can be shortened. Collins places the patriarchal period between Abraham and Joseph in 1750–1540 BC. Based on the patriarchal period calculations, Collins concluded the final destruction of Sodom happened between 1750-1650 BCE. Wood concludes that the Exodus event occurred in 1492 BCE; thus, the patriarchal period was at the beginning of the second millennium¹. Wood uses the internal chronology of the Old Testament between the birth of Isaac and Exodus. In his view, Exodus took place in the 15^th century BCE; thus, the final destruction occurred in 2070 BCE.

The Archaeological Evidence for Destruction from Both Sites

Collins’s excavation team found scorched foundations and floors buried under the rumble of nearly three feet of dark grey ash. The excavation found cracked quartz particles, strong evidence that the ruins had been subjected to temperatures over 200 degrees². Quartz is one of the hardest minerals and only cracks under extreme temperatures and pressure. Human bones found in ruins had an orange tinge suggesting the skulls had been subjected to extreme heat. Collin’s evidence suggests the city was subjected to sudden and extreme heat, resulting in the walls’ glassy features and pottery. Wood’s archaeological evidence is limited due to less time on the site. The research team found evidence of palatial structures, fortified walls, and gateways that dated back to the bronze age, coinciding with Sodom’s destruction³. In addition, they discovered an early bronze age cemetery that bordered ruined walls and bronze sherds that indicate the possibility of an early settlement. The team discovered fragments of human skulls and bones below layers of carbonized material.

How Each Site Meets the Criteria for The Biblical Location of Sodom

Collins concluded that Sodom was located northeast of the Dead Sea from the geographic details of the Kikkar cities. The book of Genesis indicates that Lot relocated to the east of the region of the Kikkar and arrived at the northern end of the Dead Sea after separating from Abraham at Bethel and Ai⁴. The researcher demonstrates that the furthest point a naked eye can see is the northern tip of the Dead Sea and not beyond to the south. Geological research shows that the Dead Sea level was in a lowland region during the early bronze era⁵. Therefore, the plain south of the sea could have been arable land, and people practiced agriculture. The Bible describes Sodom as one of the cities of the plain along with the Dead Sea and thus can be considered the destroyed city. The arable plain extended to Zoar, where Lot relocated, and he practiced farming.

Compare The Weaknesses and Strengths of Their Arguments

There is clear evidence that the cities were located in the area around the Dead Sea. This is emphasized by the location of the mountains, which are close to the shore on the eastern and western front; thus, the cities must have been located in the north or south of the sea. Sodom was a large settlement area as many people populated due to its abundance of crops. The northeastern region of Tall el-Hamman creates the best location for Sodom as the excavation site is five times larger than other bronze age sites in the entire area.

The weakness of the Southern end view is that it is not near Bethel, where Abraham and Lot separated. The Bible indicates that Sodom could be seen from the foothills where Abraham and Lot separated, must be well watered, and has a river running through it. In addition, the location of Sodom had to follow Lot’s migration route, which went east from Bethel. River Jordan flows in the northern region⁶. The southern end of the Dead Sea is not visible from Bethel and Ai, as it was blocked from view by mountains. Only the northern part of the Dead Sea is visible from the area where Abraham and Lot were, thus invalidating Wood’s southern location.

The strongest argument against Tall el-Hamman being Sodom is that it does not fit Abraham’s life’s biblical chronology as it was destroyed between 1750-1650 BCE, whereas the life of Abraham falls between 2166-1991 BCE⁷. In addition, historical records indicate the city was occupied again around 1000 BCE, while the Bible indicates that Sodom was obliterated and never inhabited again. Both locations have pottery, architecture, and destruction layers synonymous with destruction by extreme heat. In addition, the two location dates back to the early bronze era when Sodom was thriving as a vice city.

Conclusion

The most relevant criteria to determine the location of Sodom should consider biblical facts. These entail Lot’s ability to view the city from Beth, the city’s location in the plain of river Jordan, the city was situated north of the Dead Sea, Zoar was close to Sodom, and the territory remained inhabited forever due to salt and Sulphur particles. The evidence for the southern location is based on a biased interpretation of Biblical texts, as no river flows through the region, and Lot’s vision could not reach the region. On the other hand, the northern region satisfies most of the Biblical criteria for Sodom city location, such as river Jordan and proximity to Zoar, therefore is the most probable location.

Bibliography

Collins, Steven, and Latayne Colvett Scott. Discovering the City of Sodom: The Fascinating, True Account of the Discovery of the Old Testament’s Most Infamous City. New York: Howard Books, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc, (2016): 38-352.

Collins, Steven. “Sodom: The Discovery of a Lost City.” Bible and Spade (Second Run) 20, no. 3 (2007).

Collins, Steven. “Where is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam.” Biblical Archaeology Review 39, no. 2 (2013): 33-39.

Harland, Price. J. “Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology, Randall Price with H. Wayne House, Zondervan, 2017 (ISBN 978-0-310-28691-2), 416 Pp.” Reviews in Religion & Theology 26, no. 1 (2019): 132–33.

Wood, Bryant G. “Have Sodom and Gomorrah Been Found?” Bible and Spade (First Run) 3, no. 3 (1974).

Wood, Bryant G. “The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.” Bible and Spade 12, no. 3 (1999): 67–80.

Footnotes

Price. J. Harland, “Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology, Randall Price with H. Wayne House, Zondervan, 2017 (ISBN 978-0-310-28691-2), 416 Pp.” Reviews in Religion & Theology 26, no. 1 (2019): 132–33. Web.
Steven Collins, and Scott Latayne Colvett. Discovering the City of Sodom: The Fascinating, True Account of the Discovery of the Old Testament’s Most Infamous City. New York: Howard Books, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc, (2016): 38-352.
Bryant G Wood. “The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.” Bible and Spade 12, no. 3 (1999): 67–80.
Steven Collins. “Where is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam.” Biblical Archaeology Review 39, no. 2 (2013): 33-39.
Steven Collins. “Sodom: The Discovery of a Lost City.” Bible and Spade (Second Run) 20, no. 3 (2007). Web.
Bryant G Wood. “Have Sodom and Gomorrah Been Found?” Bible and Spade (First Run) 3, no. 3 (1974). Web.
Price, 367.