Guest essay by Fred F. Mueller
While many people will agree that some of the stories recorded in the Old Testament might not be taken too literally, this book nevertheless deserves a lot of respect for the fact that is represents the collective wisdom and historical records of a nomad populace that roamed vast swathes of Egypt, Mesopotamia and adjacent regions before finally settling in what is now known as Israel.
These tribes were highly intelligent and had a remarkably good understanding of many basic rules governing their daily life. Given the hygienic knowledge and standards of these times, rules determining how to prepare kosher food certainly had the beneficial additional effect of preventing the spread of diseases such as trichinosis or salmonella infections.
The old Jews had a basic but efficient set of laws called the Ten Commandments and, by observing the Shabbat, also practiced a very early form of work hour limitation. And, over a time period probably spanning back thousands of years into the fogs of unrecorded early human history, they kept the collective memory of key weather events and natural disasters such as Noah’s flood or the (probably volcanic) annihilation of Gomorrah. A very remarkable exploit of the Old Testament is the description of the Ten Plagues affecting Egypt. One can view them as a line-up of the worst natural incidents these people ever had lived and recorded over a period of probably several thousand years. Which now brings me to the decisive point: the list does not include freezing temperatures and deep snow.
Hail, but neither snow nor subzero temperatures
While the Ten Plagues included hail storms, the records clearly limit their impact to the destruction of crops and the battering to death of cattle and humans alike. Such events are extremely violent but also very ephemeral. The Bible makes no mention of bitter cold or of lasting snowfall. Given the high intelligence and excellent observation skills of the ancient Jews, one might feel enticed to suggest that during hundreds if not thousands of years, weather events of this type simply did not occur in their habitat.
Which now brings me to the decisive point: while the proponents of the theory of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming (CAGW) insist that the temperatures of the planet are set to rise in an accelerating mode that we won’t be able to control least we adopt drastic climate protecting measures a.s.a.p., we just learn that in the Sinai desert, a region to the south-west of Israel, four hikers have died in a blizzard. They lost their way and sadly froze to death in deep snow at temperatures well below the freezing point. Pictures in the internet show camels knee-deep in snowdrifts.
If one pieces together this information and biblical records, one might feel entitled to draw the conclusion that such a weather event hasn’t been observed in the region for several thousand years. Not exactly an indication of runaway temperatures, at least not a rush to the northern regions of the mercury scale. And this wasn’t a singular event. Over a prolonged time period and a wide area, the Middle East might have been experiencing its worst cold snap in several hundred if not thousand years.
This certainly does not harmonize with stories about runaway temperatures sizzling our planet. If the Bible is right, the CAGW theory seems to have hit some serious snag. Maybe it would be a good suggestion to tell these people to go back to the drawing boards and proceed to an in-depth makeover of their simulation software…
[Note: some commenters questioned why this essay was posted, I simply saw it as an interesting discussion of recorded historical events, something that scholars worldwide look to document. The Roman Warm Period is well known and also much studied, and it coincides with many writings in the Bible. Wikipedia says:
Theophrastus (371 – c. 287 BC) wrote that date trees could grow in Greece if planted, but could not set fruit there. This is the same situation as today, and suggests that southern Aegean mean summer temperatures in the fourth and fifth centuries BC were within a degree of modern temperatures. This and other literary fragments from the time confirm that the Greek climate during that period was basically the same as it was around 2000 AD. Dendrochronological evidence from wood found at the Parthenon shows variability of climate in the fifth century BC resembling the modern pattern of variation.[3] Tree rings from Italy in the late third century BC indicate a period of mild conditions in the area at the time that Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants.[4]
The phrase “Roman Warm Period” appears in a 1995 doctoral thesis.[5] It was popularized by an article published in Nature in 1999.
Anyone reading anything more into this posting, or thinking that I’m endorsing the idea that the bible “disproves global warming” should think again. – Anthony]
This is a poor argument for proof that it is colder now than it was in biblical times. I have a bible with an extensive concordance. It references 16 verses that contain the word snow.
Father north, but still a Mediterranean climate, Homer contrasts the silence of thick falling snow, blanketing the ground and seaside, with the flying weapons and noise of the battle on the walls of the Greek camp. Too early for me to look up which book of The Iliad.
The taboo against the eating of pork most likely has a darker origin. You don’t die from eating pork, even back then you didn’t die from eating pork. Pork has no more deadly bacteria than beef, chicken or goat meat.
The middle east at that time was populated by many peoples who were fond of pork.
The darker meaning is most likely connected to the commendable prohibition of human sacrifice and cannibalism among Jews.
I’m sorry if this upsets, but the sound of a pig and a human having their throats cut is apparently startling similar.
Surely on Jesus’s birthday there would have been mention of snow if the wise men had to travel through it or if it had been bitterly cold on that day.
“Over a prolonged time period and a wide area, the Middle East might have been experiencing its worst cold snap in several hundred if not thousand years.”
Is there evidence supporting this claim? This New Scientist interactive map suggests that temperatures all around the Middle East between 1994 and 2013 were considerably above the 1951-1980 average: http://warmingworld.newscientistapps.com/
Consider the story of Noah. At the end of the last Ice Age sea levels were much lower. As sea levels rose, there would have undoubtedly been flooding of large areas. No all these flooding would have been gentle, as the ocean breached natural dams.
Imagine now you were living in one of these areas, perhaps at the eastern end of the Med. You are a farmer building a large boat with plans to do some fishing on the inland sea. You neighbors are giving you are hard time, lots of laughs at your expense, because you know nothing about boats or fishing. What you end up with is a monster. Half raft, half house, nothing at all like a boat. More laughs.
Then comes the breach. A trickle becomes a torrent and the inland sea floods the land. You hurriedly gather up you family and breeding stock from your farm and climb into “the boat”. You survive while all around you die. You drift for day, then weeks on the water. You believe you will die, but finally you reach land and salvation.
What would you tell everyone you met from that day forward?
“What would you tell everyone you met from that day forward?”
The unicorns did it.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (Part time Galactic President) says:
February 25, 2014 at 6:42 am
The darker meaning is most likely connected to the commendable prohibition of human sacrifice and cannibalism
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cannibalism is associated with Kuru, similar to mad cow disease. taboo’s would have developed as a result.
Stunned that such was posted. Let’s stick with science and reason. There is no archaeological evidence that the pastoral people of the “Bible” were ever “enslaved” in Egypt.
What poor judgement by Anthony Watts to post this on his site. The “warmists” will have a field day with this which will confirm to them that the “deniers” are mostly religious fundamentalist (aka “nutters”).
REPLY: I simply saw it as a interesting discussion about recording historical events. – Anthony
I suggest also remembering other methods. We have hippo bones from about that period in Jordan, now a very dry place. Hannibal brought elephants to the alps, but where did he get them? We’re talking elephants and their whole ecosystem in Tunisia, for crying out loud. And not so long ago. The Bible mentions quite a number of local animals that wouldn’t do well now. I’m pretty sure the general climate in that region was more mild in those days. Not hotter. Not drastically colder. Just more mild.
Germany, of course, was much swampier. Plenty of Roman records about that.
Indeed, and by association the similarity of the death screams of pigs and humans may possibly have extended the taboo to pork.
Saying that, the Greeks, Romans, and everyone else apart from Jews continued to enjoy pork.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (Part time Galactic President) says:
February 25, 2014 at 6:42 am
You don’t die from eating pork, even back then you didn’t die from eating pork.
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don’t give up you day job as galactic president to practice medicine. the parasite in pork is trichinosis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis
Trichinosis can be fatal depending on the severity of the infection; death can occur 4–6 weeks after the infection,[14] and is usually caused by myocarditis, encephalitis, or pneumonia.[4]
Unlikely ferd, for two reasons. Firstly the Biblical account is a copy of an earlier one and secondly there are flood myths all over the planet.
Many argue that these are just exaggerations of riverine floods but that doesn’t fit the description. In all cases the flood came from the sea. Given the wide range of the stories it is more likely that the accounts record a comet impact. I say comet and not meteorite due to the fact that almost all cultures have some sort of airborne snake or dragon in their mythology.
Rather than a flood like the ones England is experiencing now I think it much more likely that a Tsunami was involved. Later writers, like Thucydides in his “Peloponnesian War” describe the event but doesn’t have a name for it. People back then weren’t dumber than us, but they seem so to some simply because they didn’t have our vocabulary.
Well, you have to remember that “Prophet”—נָבִיא (Hebrew) and προφήτην (Greek)—is a synonym for “Professor,” andI suspect that Prophets were at least as dependable as Professors when it comes to the facts.
The Torah was written in the sixth century BCE, as the world warmed from the Bronze Age climatic catastrophe, so if snow had fallen during the time of Sea People, it would likely not be part of the living memory.
Not out for an argument Zaphod, but if you are going to harp on about the “death screams” then you should provide a reference.
There was little pork eaten in the middle east then because few actually ate it. The Greeks and Romans eating at home are in different climates to the ME where the food didn’t go off as fast. For similar reasons the practice of circumcision was found predominantly in hot and dusty climates.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (Part time Galactic President) says:
February 25, 2014 at 6:57 am
Saying that, the Greeks, Romans, and everyone else apart from Jews continued to enjoy pork.
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25% of the world’s population does not eat pork, as per the Koran. These people do not consider themselves to be Jews.
Like to thank @Lukewarmerist for my morning chuckle…
“I’m not anti-Christian… but…” anyone who assigns any credibility to the Bible falls into the category “lunatic bible-basher”. Good thing you’re not anti-Christian. :o) The Bible has been called the anvil that has worn out many hammers. As we see on a regular basis in the climate debate there appear to be two categories: those who are interested in researching what is going on, and those who are committed to serving an ideology hidden under a veneer of scholarship. Same goes for Biblical studies – a group will arise that tries to put the smack down on biblical credibility – like the “higher critical school” out of Germany in the 1700s. Subsequent archeology blew away their claims, and stopped that style of criticism temporarily but it was resurrected again at the turn of the last century… rinse, repeat. Now the same tired, dodgy claims have made their way into documentaries on the History, Discovery, or Smithsonian channels as spouted by uber liberal “scholars”. If one will allow archeology to be considered SCIENCE then consider that in the late 60’s Manfred Bietak of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, Cairo began extensive excavations in the eastern Nile delta and had uncovered some very intriguing structures and cultural artifacts that suggest the presence and influence of a Semitic people, the Hyksos, during a time frame corresponding to Joseph. As well, recent evidence has been captured on video of the evidence of Egyptian war chariot fragments in the Red sea near Arabia as well as structures in Arabia that are a good match to those described in Exodus… a very risky undertaking considering the political climate in that region. I could go on, but I think as WUWT readers we should guard against the kind of sentiments expressed that speak more of a lack of knowledge or a surplus of misinformation than carefully considered insights. The Bible, despite the sometimes juvenile comments, is a library of great antiquity, written by over 40 different authors spanning some 1,500 years that contains information that should not be so quickly dismissed, but given the gravest consideration.
– Cheers
I guess the IPCC forecast isn’t looking good for the plague of frogs, then.
Don Stubbs says:
February 25, 2014 at 6:52 am
Stunned that such was posted. Let’s stick with science and reason. There is no archaeological evidence that the pastoral people of the “Bible” were ever “enslaved” in Egypt.
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Christian fundamentalists are routinely derided by just about everyone else for their literal interpretations of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. I find it interesting that those who speak out against the Biblical mysteries rely on equally rigid literal interpretations to make their case.
From this account of the recent deaths in the Sinai, it just might be that cold and snow are common enough to be unremarkable. http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/02/19/nature-trekking-sinai-mountains/. All those nomads seem to have kept herds of goats and sheep, whose wool and hides would have provided protection from the cold.
@Zaphod: You ain’t as smart as you think you are.
Oh, and I suspect these “scientists” who want to shut down open discussion–even of Biblical events–do so because of certain thinly supported scientific beliefs.
Lukewarmerist says: “I’m not anti-Christian…” But then goes on to imply that anyone who even MENTIONS the Bible must be a lunatic bible-bashers.
…right.
Trichinosis is found in all climates and occurs more in colder than warmer ones, and the pork loving Northern Europeans are still with us.
Historical Cannan is littered with archaeological sites of ancient Jewish and non- Jewish communities. The non-Jewish being distinguished by the presence of pig bones.
The non-Jews didn’t sicken and die from eating pork. If they had, there would have been no need for the god of Moses to urge the slaughter of the pig eaters.
Biblical principles laid the foundation and world view for modern science and technology. See:
The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization, Vishal Mangalwadi ISBN 1595555455
Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence? , by Henry F. Schaefer III, & Eric Heller ISBN 097429750X
For those unfamiliar with it, I recommend reading the Bible all the way through and studying it, starting with the Gospels. The Judeo-Christian Western civilization and science were based on it.