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]
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I agree with this article based on the combined intelligence of the Jews, Romans, and other known peoples of that time frame. And before those here start calling the Bible myth there are many instances where the Bible was indeed used for many historical / archaeological discoveries started with looking for locations referenced in the Bible. Even if every single story is not exactly true there’s a lot we can learn about the people and the way they looked at things back then. In this way I feel that it is very valuable as a historical source. (borrowed from other sources two sentences.) Moreover, read the borrowed material before dismissing the Bible.
Here is a good review of the evidence. http://www.Manavai.Com/articles/art1.Htm
, the discoveries of archaeology since the mid 1800s have demonstrated the reliability and plausibility of the Bible narrative. Here are some examples.
The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. Demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word “tehom” (“the deep”) in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. “Tehom” was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.
The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey. Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon’s wealth were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquity was concentrated with the king and Solomon’s prosperity was entirely feasible. It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon’s palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.
Another king who was in doubt was Belshazzar, king of Babylon, named in Daniel 5. The last king of Babylon was Nabonidus according to recorded history. Tablets were found showing that Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ son who served as coregent in Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar could offer to make Daniel “third highest ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:16) for reading the handwriting on the wall, the highest available position. Here we see the “eye-witness” nature of the Biblical record, as is so often brought out by the discoveries of archaeology.
Same question- Does proper cooking destroy the larvae of the roundworm that causes trichinosis?
If so, would it not have been kinder for the god of Moses to teach the Jews some basic cooking skills rather than to order the slaughter of pig eaters?
“Look guys, if you’re going to eat dead animals, at least wait for them to stop twitching and cook it right the way through for at least 15 minutes and don’t eat it until the juices run clear”
Behold the Greeks and Philistines! They cook meat properly and their food doesn’t kill them.
Lukewarmist, why so virulent? Don’t you find human interpretation of epics fascinating? There is so much more to be gleaned from the bible and other ancient texts now that archaeology is uncovering artifacts that sometimes meshes with and sometimes negates ancient narratives. Which begs the question why did ancient peoples feel the need to embellish a small event into such a large one? And what is the human purpose of a myth not based in any notion of scientific fact? That the bible is not scientific observation speaks to an entirely different purpose for its stories. And why the need for memory hooks based loosely on actual geography and time? Probably to remember the stories. And for what purpose do we remember the stories?
Fascinating
There is an ancient Sumerian Plantisphere which was very carefully done such that modern astronomy can determine the exact date of what was a very large air burst asteroid strike with the debris trail striking the dead sea area. it definitely fits the biblical account of brimstone from the heavens, and only the date is not a match for the events.
Pamela Gray,
I can’t speak for Lukewarmist, but the reason I have little patience with people rambling on about the Holy Babble is exemplified by the many posts above above that claim things like:
1.) “(the Bible is ) very valuable as a historical source”
2.) “The Bible already told us about each one (the Big Bang and evolution) in amazing detail!”
3.) “… the Bible has repeatedly been validated by archeology”
Not to mention that in the past, and even more frighteningly in the present, people have used this collection of ancient stories and other various ramblings of neolithic goat herders as a guide for how to live their lives.
Which is bad enough. But they aren’t content to use it as a guide for their own lives but insist it be used as the basis for the laws and mores of our society.
So pretending it is just some old book that is dusted off by scholars to see what ancient peoples wrote down about their lives and times, and that people like me and Lukewarmist are over-reacting is kind’a disingenuous, don’t you think?
As the author states, the old testament is “the collective wisdom and historical records of a nomad populace”. That is why it supports slavery, genocide, child sacrifice, animal sacrifice, stoning of women, subjugation of women, etc. Let’s put this bronze age book of myths to the side and focus on science.
Anthony – Please keep this thread open! It is fascinating.
I can’t claim to have read the whole Bible today, but I searched through the Bible Gateway website using several search terms (RSV) and I can’t find an instance where anyone died specifically due to a natural heat related cause, such as heat stroke, or heat exhaustion, etc.
There are plenty of references to scorching summer heat and to heat-withered vegetation and so on, but I didn’t find any natural heat-related human casualties. I stand to be corrected.
If that is indeed the case, and following the logic of Mr Mueller’s post above, should we infer that all cases of natural heat-related deaths recorded recently in the Middle East are the result of global warming?
Snow is mentioned in the Bible.
Maybe not as a specific incident but it is mentioned.
YEP says, “The Bible also mentions camels, which were not domesticated in the Middle East at the time the events described therein took place.”
YEP, that’s a pretty severe exaggeration of what is actually known. One research paper, about an archaeological dig in Israel’s Aravah Valley, reported that they tried to find evidence of domestication in ancient camel bones, by examining whether the bones showed signs that the camels had been carrying heavy loads. They found no such bones there which were more than ~3000 years old.
But that you’ve extrapolated the absence of such evidence in one archaeological investigation to be proof that camels weren’t domesticated anywhere in the Middle East prior to that date. That’s an unjustifiable leap. Considering the paucity of archaeological evidence from more than 3000 years ago, it’s not terribly surprising that we don’t have proof that camels older than that were carrying heavy loads.
@ur momisugly RACookPE1978 February 25, 2014 at 8:44 am
Indeed, perhaps it is as you say, but then again maybe not! The thing is, during my own personal intellectual meanderings I have discovered that nothing is ever quite what it seems when it comes to fathoming the ancient Hebrew writings. After all, for centuries many great minds and scholars have broken their heads attempting to reveal the greater depths of either the Torah or the physical world to us, the great unwashed masses.
You see, I have become very wary of any assertion that tries to formalize ‘truth’, regardless of whether that ‘truth’ is revealed by science or by religion. It’s as if the essence of veracity cannot be captured, for it somehow escapes every time from the confines of our immature cognitive clusters, be they nurtured in a church or in a laboratory. The art I suspect is not to ‘know’ truth primarily in formulaic terms with one’s mind, but to love truth first with one’s heart. That is, to dedicate one’s life to the search for this elusive presence without any guarantee that one will ever find her, though one might slowly perceive her form with greater clarity.
Occasionally in my lonely sojourn I have caught a fleeting glimpse of her. Just enough to get a tantalizing taste of her sweet promises. Just enough to drive me forward again towards that place that I can neither see nor perceive but that my heart tells me must exist. The more I study Hebrew and carry out word studies, especially on the Genesis account, the more I realize how paltry my knowledge is. I make what at the time feel like great strides forward only to realize upon reflection that I now possess an even wider view of what might be known but what I do not yet comprehend. A process that sometimes looks uncannily like I’m actually going backwards!
Each addition to my pool of knowledge turns another notch further on the knob that zooms the telescope of my perception ever outwards to reveal so much more that could be known. Or, the more I know, the more I know I don’t know. Anyone who claims otherwise is probably a fool or a charlatan or both. In either case, watch your wallet! So I should be very, very careful with trying to force cosmic-evolutionary theory onto the biblical text…
In days prior to any organized writing, it was imperative to hand down knowledge with accuracy simply to survive. Such as story telling. With that said, we have the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible that Moses wrote. It is Jewish law. for good reason. Also, before the printing press it was imperative that accuracy be written in stone to convey knowledge to be handed down, stones don’t rot. So with that I see no reason to degrade the Bible as mythical when in contrast we spend a great amount of energy deciphering other writings in archeology.
It is my understanding and have seen that during the Roman occupation of England, many roads and paths etc are named after grapes that were grown to produce wine. The Romans planted the grapes in England during that warm period which is also the period of time that the New Testiment books were penned…in approximation. Therefore, there is not much mention of in the way of blizzards, not that they did not happen, especially at higher elevations. And grapes gladly grew across those areas of England.
Now back to Christianity. It is the church that paid for the historical writings and compositions of many of the brilliant composers such as Mozart, Bach and Handel. Many other aspects of what we enjoy to day are direct result of Christianity. So be careful where you tread. At Notre Dom Paris is a book in the Sacristy that has been there over the time of Notre Dom. It is a historical record of the events that have taken place day after day, year after year. It is a record of accuracy. It accurately depicts the crowning of Sofia for example. It is not mythical.
Back to writing. Today, many things that are written by the media are false. So, today many people can’t decipher the difference between truth and non-truth. Prior to today’s modern writing, printing or say falsehoods might find you in the path of a sword…or worse. When looking at ancient writings, assume they are correct from the stand point that it was deadly unhealthy to be wrong. So put things in proper perspective and be glad there is a Bible.
ferdberple says:
February 25, 2014 at 7:15 am
a comet impact would explain many of the events 10-15 K yrs ago.
—————————————————————————————
What if a comet or meteorite impacted the ice sheet somewhere? Would either one have even left a scar after impacting 1+ miles of ice? Back then most of the populations of humanity lived close to the oceans of the world. Food was always plentiful and temps were more stable than inland scenarios. The Black Sea region would have been a sheltered valley back before the breakup of the ice sheets. It would seem likely that early populations would have settled in the most favorable locations. That particular spot could well be the Garden of Eden from which everyone was driven out, and then dispersed in many directions.
@goldminor 10:42
Anyone have an answer?
What evidence would remain of an asteroid, meteorite or such impacting onto 1-3 miles of ice?
What kind of effects might be noticed by people living 1/2 a world away?
Pass the popcorn, please, Code Monkey Wrench.
Interesting post, considering that I once had a comment here deep sixed because I compared Warmist science’s equivocation, doublespeak, and jargon to a Tower of Babel. I don’t know if the latter existed or not, nor do I give an aerobatic assignation, but I think the metaphor was apt.
A fascinating book for anyone whose faith is not wavering is: Misquoting Jesus, by Ehrman, an atheist scholar with a good grounding in “scripture.” Another helpful source for understanding ancient times and writings is Flavius Josephus, the General in charge of the fortress of Jotopata.
That said, mellyrn’s comment, above, is most relevant to the direction this thread has taken: “Humans are storytelling animals. At least, fully human people are.” Religion represents an aspiration on the part of humans to be more than “fully human:” to achieve “transcendence,” to be more than intelligent animals. The results of this desire are always less than perfect, but are generally uplifting for individuals and society as a whole.
Although we can point to many, many anecdotes of the failures of religion, they are outweighed in my opinion by the actual good accomplished. Socialism’s death toll of 120,000,000 murders in just one century far surpasses Christianity’s record of intolerance. The basis for the Christian religion is not “convert or be punished,” as ignorantly alleged above; it is simply the teachings of Jesus, whom some call the Christ: love everyone, judge not, render good for evil.
Dear lancifer666:
For not having time for all this, you certainly have wasted some. And recall it was the “neolithic goat herders” (which seems to be a negative labeling to affect some sort of smear) that saved the Pacific from Japan’s’ Hirohito, and Europe from the German Hitler. And less you forget who cleaned the Moors from Europe. It is Jewish law that is the foundation of civility. Except yours maybe?
As for goat herders, we enjoy eating goats and drinking their milk and cheese they help produce, as well as chickens, sheep, cattle, fish, ducks, geese, hogs, etc. Are those who care for and produce produce these foods also neolithic goat herder types? How about those Catholic Monks that made fine wine and beers that we so enjoy today? Are they too as to be taken as foul believers which is bad enough. And they weren’t content to use it as a guide for their own lives but insisted it be used as the basis for the laws and mores of their society?
No response necessary to these ramblings of Babel…would be such a waste of your time.
Sigh, best not to use any Biblical material from before “the return” as there is no archeological evidence for any Israelite presence in Palestine before then. No David or Solomon, nothing seen. The old testament prior to that may just have been an excellent propaganda exercise by the Persians to get the Israelites out of Ur & environs — just persuade them they they always wanted to go where we are shipping them! I’ll change my mind about this when archeologists turn up something clear.
A large volcano could have caused all of the first 9 plagues with just one cause – but it wouldn’t cause cold.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1815_eruption_of_Mount_Tambora#1815_eruption
The Arabs have a book too. Most of the naked eye stars were named by Arabs, so they must have kept an eye on the weather.
Look to see if the Koran or concurrent docs mention blizzards.
@ur momisugly lancifer666 February 25, 2014 at 10:04 am
“…But they aren’t content to use it as a guide for their own lives but insist it be used as the basis for the laws and mores of our society. …”
==============================================
Got some good news for you. It was the basis for the laws and mores of our society – giving rise to the “rule of law” whereby every life was valuable and the lords and ladies were not better than the serfs, just better off, ultimately finding its way into your bill of rights and constitution that provided the foundation for the most successful, highest standard of living of any nation in history.
But now as more people with an attitude similar to yours erode its influence we see a general departure from an secure standard of right and wrong, replacing it with a more “statistical” morality – “we think this should be the way… oh, and we are richer and more powerful than you worthless lot. Now if we can just get rid of the competition from that annoying middle class. :o)”
So you can take some comfort in the waning voice of scripture. But I guess my question would be: “what do you use as a basis to govern your conduct?”
On a dark night would I prefer to run into a bunch of Christians coming out of a Bible study, or a group a young people thoroughly steeped in “survival of the fittest” and… a little short of cash?
I think “…more frighteningly…” I’d go with those who govern their conduct with the “ramblings of neolithic goat herders”. Just sayin’.
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.
=========
25% of the world’s population does not eat pork, as per the Koran. These people do not consider themselves to be Jews.
As I understand it, the anti-pork taboo, had it’s origin way, way back amongst the Bronze Age Jews or even proto-Jews if that is a more accurate description.
The anti-pork taboo doesn’t appear to have been shared by any other society for thousands of years, even dropped by Christians as soon as it was decent to do so. Indeed the Jews appear to have been pitied for their monotheism and strange beliefs by the more colourful societies which came and went over the centuries.
Alexander didn’t even bother with Jerusalem, so sad he thought those joyless monotheists
Yes indeed, Islam the latest of the Abrahamic faiths adopted the anti-pork taboo, whether this was due to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Torah being subsumed into a supposedly original work called the Koran, or whether the Torah seemed like a good start if you’re trying to inspire a new nationalistic faith among Arabic pagans who had increasingly felt left in the deserts passed by, by the tides of history and empires.
Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, the empires of Alexander and Rome, Persia, the great faiths of Judaism and Christianity had passed Arabia by, and what had Arabia ever given to the World? Nothing except frankincense.
Until Islam. Even then it couldn’t claim to be original, having to claim that it was a mysterious final revelation to a World that had been expecting a Second Coming of some kind for centuries…
A rehash of Arabic Judaism and a heretical branch of Christianity for an increasingly nationalistic Arab world.
Not fake, but not entirely honest either.
Sad that a number here claim to be skeptics, yet apparently completely dismiss the Bible out of hand, rather than consider that it contains historical records, regardless of the intent.
That a text might not agree with your ideologies does not automatically exclude any of it from being true.
Sincerely, an atheist.
NZ Willey
Check out: Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to the United Nations:
See also: Did David, Solomon Exist? Dig Refutes Naysayers
There is one reference to what would seem to be permanent snow in Jeremiah 18:14, thus:
“Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes?”
The next line is slightly difficult in the Hebrew but is something like:
“Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land snatched away?” (being poetry it is parallelism)
“For my people have forgotten me….”
Implication being that the snow doesn’t disappear unlike the faith of the people.
However it might mean the opposite: ie the faith of the people is as quick to vanish as the snow of Lebanon.
I should get out more!
CodeTech accurately summarizes the article above with “In recent history, cold weather has appeared in the regions described in Biblical texts often enough that it would be safe to assume that cold weather might be happening more often now than in the era described in the Bible.”
I disagree with that conclusion, however. It would be equally valid to assume that cold weather happened but was so routine that it was not worth mentioning. Historical records by their very nature tend to focus on unusual events. If something is usual, it is simply ignored.
As others have said, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Even if one assumed perfect accuracy of the Bible as a historical text, the comparatively low frequency of reported cold weather tells you nothing about the actual frequency of such weather.
“History becomes legend, legend becomes myth and what once was is forgotten.”
Now where have I heard that before?
As a Christian I have read the Bible many times. I agree with the poster there is a lack of mention of the impact of severe cold and snow even sandstorm blizzards. Mt Hermon, a mountain cluster to the north of Israel, is spoken of watering the surrounding mounts and by implication the source of river waters..
It came as a real surprise to see on TV recently snow blanketing Jerusalem and other parts of the country. If this had been the norm, or even a common, unwelcome, re-occurring event it is surely likely to have been mentioned.