The Sinai Argument: Why the Torah's Truth Stands on Solid Ground

Exploring the Epistemological Foundations of the Torah's Divine Revelation

In the quest to understand the foundations of religious texts, the Torah presents a unique case because it claims that divine revelation was witnessed by an entire nation. Here, we explore the arguments based on how we know things (epistemology) that support the truthfulness of the Torah, drawing comparisons with the principles of scientific inquiry and human experiences.

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. It asks questions like: "How do we know what we know?" or "What makes a belief justified?" In simpler terms, it's about understanding how we come to believe that something is true.

The Sinai Revelation Is A Collective First-Hand Testimony

The event at Mount Sinai, where around two million Israelites reportedly saw and heard the giving of the Torah, is central to Jewish tradition. Unlike stories that might come from just one or a few people, this was seen by a huge crowd. Everyone there could check with each other about what they witnessed, creating a kind of group verification. This story is retold every year at the Passover meal, embedding it deeply into Jewish life and ensuring it's passed down through generations.

The following Torah references describe the nature of the Sinai Revelation.

Exodus 19:16-20: This passage describes the event at Mount Sinai, where the entire Israelite nation witnessed the thunder, lightning, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking as YHVH God descended upon it.

Exodus 20:18-22: Here, the people are depicted as seeing the sounds (a synesthetic experience often interpreted as a profound, overwhelming sensory experience) and the flames, which leads to their request for Moses to speak to them rather than God directly, for fear they might die.

Deuteronomy 4:12: Moses reminds the Israelites that they saw no form of God at Horeb (Sinai) but heard a voice, emphasizing the collective auditory experience of God's words.

Deuteronomy 5:4,22-24: These verses reiterate that God spoke to the entire assembly at the mountain, out of the fire, and that the people heard His voice.

The Sinai Revelation -vs- The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method: A process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. It involves making an observation, forming a hypothesis, testing that hypothesis through experiments, and drawing conclusions based on the results.

1. The Subjective Nature of Objective Science

Science prides itself on objectivity, yet at its core, it relies on subjective experiences. Measurements, the bedrock of scientific evidence, are perceived through individual senses or interpreted by individuals operating equipment. This parallels the Torah's narrative: just as scientific data relies on the observer's accuracy, the truth of Sinai hinges on the collective subjective experience of those present. The argument here is not to equate scientific measurement with divine revelation but to highlight that all forms of knowledge, including the most empirical, pass through the lens of personal experience.

2. Repeatability and Collective Observation

In science, the repeatability of experiments or corroboration by multiple observers in unique events, like comet sightings, lends credibility. Similarly, the Torah's narrative benefits from having many witnesses. While the shared experience at Sinai by millions wasn't repeatable, it involved numerous observers—two million, in fact—with each person's account corroborating the others. This mass witness event could be viewed as an ancient form of peer review, where consensus among observers strengthens the veracity of the reported event.

3. Strange Experiences Shouldn't Be Ignored Just Because They're Rare

Dismissing uncommon or supernatural experiences merely because they contravene usual patterns is a feeble argument in epistemology. The existence of phenomena like psychedelic experiences, where thousands report encounters with "entities" and engage in two-way communication, indicates that such uncommon experiences, when shared by many, warrant consideration rather than immediate dismissal. The Sinai experience, despite its unique divine claim, should likewise not be discarded simply for its extraordinary character, particularly considering the multitude of firsthand accounts.

Here are a couple of key scientific studies that are relevant:

a. Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Link to PDF.

b. Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects. Link to PDF.

Cultural and Experiential Continuity

The continuity of the Jewish tradition, with its practices and retelling of the Sinai experience, adds another layer of epistemological support. Just as psychedelic experiences show common themes across different individuals, the consistent core narrative of the Torah across millennia, despite cultural and geographical dispersion, argues for an initial event of profound impact.

Conclusion

The argument for the truthfulness of the Torah from an epistemological standpoint does not seek to convert or convince through faith alone but through a rational examination of how we accept truths in other domains like science. If we consider the principles of collective testimony, the subjective basis of all knowledge, and the validation through cultural continuity and shared unusual experiences, the Sinai event stands not just as a matter of faith but as a historical event with a robust epistemological foundation. While this does not "prove" divine origin in empirical terms, it presents a compelling case for the reliability of the Torah's account based on human experience and the principles by which we judge reality.