Science Verifies Ancient Religious Claim!
Jake Farr-Wharton 8 comments
Isn’t it great when science proves the bible correct in every conceivable way?
The story of Exodus from the bible is possibly my favourite. It illustrates in quite evocative vivid detail, how the slave race, the Ancient Hebrews/12 Tribes – those poor buggers who’d been driven from their land due to famine – got their butt into gear and escaped their slave-masters, the Egyptians, with the help of their murderous and blood-fetishist god, El.
Moses, who I can only assume, from pop-culture biblical movies, was a white, bearded, poncho enthusiast, tried several times to convince Pharaoh (his adopted uncle – read it) to “let my people go”, before God communicated that a bunch of plagues would ensue if they were not freed. See, Moses wanted to take his people back to Israel, the land of milk and honey (I just love that term), but Pharaoh had a race of slaves at his disposal and wasn’t going to let them go without a fight.
So El told his hairy-white-prophet, Moses to sacrifice a lamb and use the blood (told you he had a blood-fetish) to paint the doors of the Hebrews. This was because El sent a tribe of ninja assassins to Egypt that night, and was to kill the first born male of every non-Hebrew. El’s assassins would ‘pass-over’ the houses of the Hebrews.
Anyway, Pharaoh woke up to find his son beheaded by one of the ninjas and gave Moses, and his yet-uncircumcised rabble, go. So they hightailed it outta there, making haste until they reached the sea.
Now I want to interject on myself here to note that there is a possible misinterpretation/mistranslation here. The Old Testament claims that it was the ‘Red Sea’, but some scholars suggest it to have been the Sea of Reeds, a marshy area far north of the Red Sea.
Pharaoh later changes his mind and sends a legion of chariots after the Hebrews. All the while, Moses’ crowd of Hebrews are all pissy, because Moses has led them to a dead-ended body of ‘un-crossable’ water (Jews don’t float). So Moses stands atop a rock, holds his wooden staff up high and an east wind comes ‘out of nowhere’ and parts the ‘sea’.
The Hebrews set off on their merry way, crossing on a landmass which has spontaneously formed, allowing them to cross from Egypt, into denial (that’s a good joke, considering what happens later). When they arrive at the other side, Moses lets one rip from the West and cancels out the wind, so the crossing closes and all the chariots which were in chase are inundated with a deluge of water.
Their blood turned the sea, red… thus the Red Sea. I made that up. Or did I?
If you’re willing to take the phenomenon of the Red Sea parting on face value [as an adult], good on you – you’re a moron, but good on you. For everyone else, i.e. those who’ve not yet observed the circumvention of natural law by way of a powerful wizard with a magic staff, there are two options; either you write it off as impossible, or you look for possible explanations.
Several explanations have already been given, and they work especially well if we presume that the ‘Red Sea’ was actually the ‘Sea of Reeds’, which was a largish swampy lake which drained into the Red Sea. This no longer exists sue to the construction of the Suez Canal, but 4-5,000 years ago, it would have been going strong.
Logic dictates that if there were an underwater earthquake/collapse of the crust in the Mediterranean Sea (where the Sea of Reeds would have drained into), the sea would have rushed outwards, draining the Sea of Reeds for some time, before surging back inland with a tidal wave/surge.
Other experts have focused on a theoretical strong persistent wind known as ''wind set down'' which can lower water levels in one area while piling up water downwind.
One study found that winds blowing from the north-west at a near-hurricane force of 74mph could in theory have exposed an underwater reef near the present-day Suez Canal, providing a walkable land passage.
A researcher, Carl Drews, from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado ''The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in. People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts. What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws.''
That said, in the ‘wind based scenario’, the Hebrews would have had to endure hurricane force winds and a seriously soggy sea floor. Here we have several plausibility’s. Several actual possibilities for a truly enthralling ancient myth and religious story make the story all the more enjoyable.
And why shouldn’t it be?
This is what we used to do! Something truly spectacular would happen, and we’d explain it to the best of the abilities that our amazingly creative minds could muster. While it’s always been the prerogative of the religious to explain perfectly natural, but unexplainable, events with a supernatural connotation, it doesn’t detract from the awe of the story.
While there is no evidence in Egypt to suggest that the Hebrews were ever there, nor as slaves, should that detract from the story?
While there is no evidence in the Sinai region to suggest that a few hundred thousand Hebrews spent 40 years traversing what takes most people 10 days, it shouldn’t detract from the great story! Or should it?
While I am an atheist, can I not still enjoy the bible for what it is; an epic mythical story, covering millennia; an epic story to rival that of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey or Iliad, or Beowulf!
Henk V
Wednesday 22nd September 2010 | 03:06 PMOh dear,
thats not a scientific observation. Its just very wishful thinking and its a very old notion. My (then) 11 yo was cackling on the couch when I first saw this.
The persistence of these ideas becomes boring.
Its just a story, just like jesus was just a story. In the case of moses, it was probably cobbled together in the 4th century BCE. Stands to reason as a number of things mentioned in the fairy tale relate to the 4th and 5th century.
What is really amasing is the route they took. That wasnt made up. It is the "sneaky" back way that avoids Gyppo Intel. You know the route that all the thieves and low lives took to avoid customs. It seals it really, a road known for thousands of years was revealed by god.
Now that is a race of dodo's or supernatural is "just a little bit bullshit".
Tony Fyler
Wednesday 22nd September 2010 | 05:25 PMlol yeah I did love this story. There's gotta be a sketch somewhere in the idea of Moses leading the Israelites to the 'parted' seas in a howling gale, and the lot of them behind him going "are you sure about this? Cos...I mean, awesome trick and everything, but that still looks kinda...swampy."
Then Chucky Moses strides confidently out into the trough, and sinks up to his eyes in the mud. And the rest of them just mutter to each other...
"Did I not say? You heard me say, right?"
And turn round and go back to work...
As for the wonder of the story...hmm...I dunno, I take rather a hard line on this, cos no-one believes the story of Beowulf was real and has a crucial import on the conduct of their daily lives and the destiny of their 'soul'. Likewise Gilgamesh, the Odyssey or Thomas the freakin' Tank Engine. But the Bible stories are 'the inerrant word of God', irrespective of the lack of evidence or logic. So I reckon it's still important at this point to say "Great story, complete fiction."
Papa
Wednesday 22nd September 2010 | 10:55 PM...in response to this comment by Rodney. Are you familiar with the splitting of the sea to be an analogy of splitting open the belly of a rival sea god? I was reading something about it a few years and can't seem to remember the author, or exactly what he/she said.
Joe Marco
Thursday 23rd September 2010 | 02:17 AMThe land of Milk and Honey would suck for all the Diabetics and Lactose intolerant ones...
...in response to this comment by Joe Marco. Jeez Joe...What an astute observation. Myself, I keep thinking about Charlton Heston having his guns pried from his "cold dead hands"
I did kind of like a couple things about him though. He was pro gun ownership, and I just loved him in that Cecil B. De Mille epic. Not only that, my dad reminded me of a cross between Heston and Jimmy Stewart, with a stiff Scandinavian demeanor.
Yea, and you'd think they would have got stuck in the mud.
f~
Henk V
Thursday 23rd September 2010 | 04:14 PMThe splitting belly of a sea god is the subsequent of the splitting of the belly of the originator, Tiamat.
Tiamat was fresh water however and Yam/Yah was salt water. Rightfully folk were very dubious of water and the sea was about the most perilous thing you could buggerise around with.
The Baal and Yahweh defeats of the serpent are subsequent stories (should one bother to read the loony toons sections of biblical mythology). Of course, the story continues on with apollo (on a shropshire floor no less) and subsequently st george (who sadly might be bundled out by the tiges this weekend).
It is the longest continuing male dominancy myth where as asherah is the longest female supplicancy myth.
Both are still current in iconography, literature and association today. I surprised an arab woman very recently with a practice carried out in her region and its trace back to asherah.
It all made sense all of a sudden...
I can't draw pictures and gesticulate on R.L.
This is probably good as I am a nude performance artiste par excellence.
Sure its an old horse..
Henk V
Thursday 23rd September 2010 | 04:47 PMSeeing that I dont get posting rights, a scientific article and a religious question
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/09/22/3018809.htm?site=science&topic=latest
So the religious lunacy movement had its catch cry over the past 10 years and amasingly as of late, how normally harvested stem cells over deliberately harvested stem cells over snct technologies just always leant to the left.
Yes, atheists were blamed for injecting a godless demand on a religious society.
If the observations born out in the article (no, an article is not a paper and is not a results intercomparison) a horrendous disease may just be treated on research of what basically goes onto a pad or a tampon every month of a fertile, sexually active, unimpregnated, woman. For those dumb enough to have failed biology, if the sperm and egg dont meet at the right time, a living embryo gets a free pass out and wrapped up for disposal
Now a secular nihilist asks of the religious community; "what makes you have sway over what god has clearly ignored so you can get in the way of research to save the terrible fate of those with HC?
Splitting the bed of reeds indeed.
What makes it more laughable is that the suddenly christian/anti climate change stooge of Australian politics accused the atheist and agnostic politicians of spreading their religion.
Clearly a case of baby bearism, on the snct debate and the ru486 debate, there is no religious issue. There is only a a research issue and an economic issue.
Research means teradollars in profit. As a matter of fact, research may have just saved the USA's populations arses. It certainly beats believing something scribbled down by Ezra's cronies in the 4-5th century BCE.
OK, tea break is over, back on your heads!
Rodney
Wednesday 22nd September 2010 | 01:21 PM"...The Old Testament claims that it was the Red Sea, but some scholars suggest it to have been the Sea of Reeds, a marshy area far north of the Red Sea..."
The Hebrew is crystal clear: - Yam Suf (ים סוף), is most definitely the "sea of reeds". It was only "the red sea" in mistranslations from the Greek onwards.
This study is probably little more than a media whoring sales pitch for some environmental modelling software.