Study: Red Sea parting was possible

[demdave]

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Russian mathematicians have determined the legendary parting of the Red Sea that let the Jews flee Egypt was possible, the Moscow Times reported.

The study, published in the Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, focused on a reef that runs from the documented spot where the Jews escaped Egypt, which in Biblical times, was much closer to the surface, according to Naum Volzinger, a senior researcher at St. Petersburg's Institute of Oceanology, and a colleague based in Hamburg, Alexei Androsov.

The mathematicians calculated the "strong east wind that blew all that night" mentioned in the Bible needed to blow at a speed of 67 miles per hour to make the reef, said Volzinger, who specializes in ocean phenomena, flooding and tidal waves.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040121-080423-3978r.htm

[lazarus]

1. bwahahahaha

the "documented spot the Jews" fled Egypt? Wow, they figured that out already, did they?

Did they figure out how the Jews managed to have a population larger than actually existed in Egypt at the time?

[aquart]

5. The "time"?

I agree 600,000 is a highly suspicious number. However, could you point me to the yearly census statistics and the specific year you are drawing on for your comment about Egypt's population?

[lazarus]

12. actually

600,000 is a lowball estimate. Taking into account women and children, etc., the population as given in Exodus would be nearer to 2.5 or 3 million. 603,550 was just the men over age 20, according to Exodus 35:26. (Not shabby, a population explosion from 70 men to 600,000 in just 400 years.)



As for the population of Egypt at the time, I've lost most of my links, the closest I could find with a quick search was this mention from the Royal Ontario Museum:

http://www.rom.on.ca/egypt/case/society/society.html
"How large was the population of Egypt in the Age of the Pyramids? There is not enough evidence to be sure, but reasonable estimates range from 1.5 million to 5 million people in all of Egypt in those days. "

So, given that the Jews were, at the least, 2.5 million, it seems reasonable to assume that they were at least half of the population of Egypt at the height of Egypt's population. That's drawing on his high estimate.

The estimates I recall are from the low side, 1.5 - 2 million.

And this doesn't even begin to approach the fact that no trace has ever been found of a migration of 2 million people through the Sinai (which can barely support 20-30,000 people at the best of times) and into Canaan, which also never showed any population of this size.

[Merlin]

15. Hey! Hey! That's 430 years by some estimates!

And I don't know why you're concerned with what they ate. There was plenty of manna, you know. Let's see, 600,000 (I'm using the conservative number) times, oh, let's say 1/2 pound of manna per day each. That would be, yeah, that would be about 150 tons of manna per day. Oi, Vai! And then all that water they'd need. Well, it was a dessert. So there were probably lots and lots of rocks to get water from. 40 years of a diet of bread and water! No wonder they smited the damn Canaanites.

[Beetwasher]

23. Bible Literalists Are Going to Love This

They just love using science when it can support a literal interpretation of the bible, but they denigrate it when it doesn't support a literal interpretation of the bible.

The funny thing is, this "scientific" interpretation of how the Red Sea could have theoretically "parted" takes the miracle out of it. The wind blew and exposed a shallow reef. No need for god or miracles, but watch the fundies start throwing this around as proof that the bible is an historical document without realizing the implications.

[Bertha Venation]

2. Oh, my.... paging my stepmother now....

"'I am convinced that God rules the Earth through the laws of physics,' Volzinger told the Times."

Good for Volzinger.

My paternal unit's wife is a biblical archaeologist, apparently a big name in her field. She puts solid stock in shit like this when she doesn't dig it up herself. :eyes:

Consider the source -- the Washington Times; I wonder if the real Washington paper will even pick it up.

[aquart]

3. 600,000 Jews in the Exodus?

They stopped for a head count?

[Forkboy]

7. I'm still trying to figure out

how they got lost for forty years on a three day trip :shrug:

[demdave]

8. I once lost three days after a lot of 40's.

:beer:

[Forkboy]

9. heh

those were the days!

[demdave]

10. No kidding....it is Tuesday ...Right?

[LifeDuringWartime]

18. right

;)

[Elidor]

22. It was a Gilligan's Island kind of thing

The Skipper - er, I mean Moses - oh, never mind...

[markses]

24. A Three hour tour...a three hour tour...

;-)

[KissMyAsscroft]

4. The Washington Times?

Excuse me while I go sacrifice a chicken and partake of its blood...

[aquart]

6. Be sure to twirl the chicken around your head.

I swear to god, my Orthodox cousin does that. And he will never live it down, never, if I have anything to say about it.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

11. thou shat not kill

except for:
chickens, lambs, sheep, cows, fish,
and also,
last but not least : anyone who stands in our way.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

20. The Washington Times is owned by the self proclaimed Messiah = Rev Moon

nuff said

[NickB79]

13. Didn't they already conclude the phrase Red Sea was a mistranslation?

I've read from several sources that, while being translated from language to language over the centuries, there was a mistranslation along the way in this verse. Apparently, "Red Sea" was actually supposed to read "Reed Sea", referring to a much shallower, marshy, and reed-covered area of land nowhere near the size or depth of a true sea. So what was it, Red Sea or Reed Sea?

[lazarus]

14. nobody knows, really

They want it to be the Sea of Reeds, because it's closer and shallow enough for people to have actually crossed, at some point.

Not 2.5 million, but a few.

[Merlin]

16. I think that's the claim for how the Red Sea itself got its name.

If there's any truth to the "sea parting" at all (one assumes that historical legends have some basis in fact), there were probably a few hundred of them, and they probably slogged through a reef in the headwaters of the Gulf of Aquaba at low tide, and they were probably being followed by a company or so of soldiers.

[mikeytherat]

17. Red Sea "parting" possible? Of course it is!

Two words: low tide

mikey_the_rat

[ElsewheresDaughter]

19. yeah it is know today as "lunar tides"

[Stuckinthebush]

21. Wonderful!

Now I hope scientist will devote time and energy into hypothesizing how the Virgin Mary's image can be superimposed on a kumquat.

Now THAT would be some incredible science!

[daleo]

25. This is fascinating

Now if he could just figure out how it was that Thor could drink so much water that the ocean level was noticeably affected. That one perplexes me.

[RaRa]

26. They showed in on the Today show a few years ago

I don't recall the explanation (my mind doesn't retain that kind of stuff too well). But I do recall 2 scientists with a little model and showed how it could have happened. They actually had the water parting. They said it wouldn't have done it for very long, but just long enough I guess.

[The Stranger]

27. Great, just what we needed.

Can't these assholes work on the square root of Pi or something?