Scientific Evidence for the Parting of the Red Sea

“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”

The story of the parting of the red sea, as described in the Hebrew Bible’s book of Exodus, has long been understood by Christian believers as a miracle – an act of God intended to deliver Israel out of Egypt. It is an archetypal event in the wider story of the Exodus, which saw the Israelites delivered from Egyptian slavery, and their entrance into the Promised Land by God, through the leadership of Moses.

However, more recent theories have begun to emerge that suggest that not only was this an act of divine providence; it also may have been due to a weather event, and artefacts may still remain which reinforce the biblical account. Some of these theories have even been put forward by scientists who believe they can place this historical event within the Biblical chronology, using scientific methods and theories.

The Red Sea

The Red Sea is a large body of water that has a surface area of approximately 169,000 miles and is over 7000 feet deep. Because of its notable mention in Exodus, the sea has come to be associated with the Bible, and with the iconic Israelites’ crossing. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), the sea is referred to as ‘Red Sea’, but in the original Hebrew, the sea is referred to as ‘Yam Suph’, which can also been translated as ‘Sea of Reeds’. ‘Yam Suph’ occurs over twenty times in the Old Testament and has been traditionally understood to refer to the Red Sea. More recently, scholars have proposed that ‘Yam Suph’, may actually refer to ‘Sea of Reeds’ which is normally associated with the Nile and the story of Moses as an infant.

A physicist at Cambridge University in England travelled to the Red Sea in order to settle the matter, and found reeds growing there due to the supply of freshwater from the mountains flowing into the sea. He concluded, that for this reason, it would not be unwise to assume that “Sea of Reeds” refers to the Red Sea, and that the two names are in fact referring to the one, same body of water.

The appropriate translation for this body of water which is crossed in The Exodus is a matter of much dispute, but what is clear, is that it was a significant body of water, and one that could not be crossed without a significant event which would expose the sea floor, and allow the Israelites to walk through it.

Scientific Explanations

Wind

In 2010, American science student Carl Drew conducted research for his master’s thesis at the University of Colorado, which established the plausibility of the red sea parting, from a scientific perspective. Drew’s paper served to demonstrate that a weather event, if strong enough, could move water the volume of the red sea, causing a tunnelling effect that would allow for the human crossing described in The Exodus.

In his book Between Migdol and the Sea: Crossing the Red Sea with Faith and Science, Drews puts science behind the events of The Exodus and backs his research up with computer modelling and weather and wind simulations, showing how an atmospheric event big enough, could actually cause the parting of such a significant body of water. Drews even points out other times that this has occurred, such as in the Nile Delta just over 100 years ago. Drews concludes that according to his own model, Moses and the Israelites would have had four hours to cross the 4 kilometre stretch – ample time for them to get across. More recently, two researchers at the St. Petersburg’s Institute of Oceanography found similar results; the pair analysed the Red Sea crossing and calculated that a wind blowing at 67 miles per hour could have exposed the seabed, if it maintained the speed overnight.

Egyptian Remains

A startling piece of evidence that has rose to prominence, particularly on the internet, has been the discovery of what is believed to be the remains of chariot wheels on the floor of the Red Sea. According to proponents of the discovery, these findings confirm the Biblical account of Pharaoh’s army being drowned after they pursued the Israelites into the sea.

Archaeologist Ron Wyatt first discovered the site when he found a large column in the Gulf of Aqaba that appeared to be an ancient artefact, and drew his attention to the area. Wyatt quickly organised a dive, and went onto find what appeared to be the remains of chariot wheels, covered in coral, at the bottom of the sea. Some of the wheels were single wheels which had come to rest in the sea, while others were part of a set of two, still attached to their axes. One of these wheels was later confirmed as having been of the 18^th dynasty of Ancient Egypt by Egyptian authorities in Cairo. The 18^th dynasty was the first time chariots were used, and at this time they were reserved solely for the army. This places the artefacts at the same time as the Biblical account, since we know from Exodus 14 that the Egyptian army was washed away in the Red Sea;

“The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived”

As well as the chariot remains, human bones were found which were authenticated at Stockholm University, as well as bones identified as originating from horses.

The Significance of the Scientific Evidence

Although there are scientific explanations to back up the parting of the Red Sea, the Hebrew’s crossing of it, as well as evidence to suggest that the Egyptians were obliterated, as Exodus describes, the accounts in Exodus are primarily theological texts, and should be treated as such. Traditionally, the accounts of the Exodus have been considered to reflect a historical reality, but recently it has come to be understood differently, and scholars have come to believe that the story may have been artificially constructed in order to cater for the specific theological concerns of the authors.

This does not beg the conclusion that the accounts do not, in fact, reflect a historical reality, but rather, that they are not primarily to offer historical facts – the description of the Exodus exists to reveal something about the nature of God, and his relationship with Israel, first and foremost.

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Matters of Eden: How Long Were Adam and Eve in the Garden?

Adam and Eve were living in the paradisal conditions of Eden for some time before they ate from the tree and were subsequently driven out of the garden…but how much time did they actually spend in the Garden of Eden?

We do have some biblical evidence which can help us to make estimated guesses at the timeframe of the couple’s Edenic life. While we have no way of concluding for sure exactly how long the two were there, there are several reasons to believe that they only resided within the utopian garden for a short time before the expulsion.

Creation Week

Genesis 1 describes the week where God created the world from nothing. The world is described as being brought into existence through the creation of the heavens and the earth, vegetation, animals and finally, humanity. After God’s creative work, he observed what he had made and declared it to be good, before taking the seventh day to rest from his work.

From this we can gauge two things;

Firstly, we can conclusively rule out Adam sinning on the sixth day, as God declared everything to be good. Secondly, we can also rule out the idea that Adam sinned on the seventh day, as God consecrated it as the Sabbath.

From this we can conclude that Adam could not have sinned between his creation and God’s sanctification of the Sabbath, ruling out creation week all together.

Adam’s Age and Progeny

Adam’s age can help us to gauge an upper limit on how long he and Eve might have spent in the garden.

Genesis 5:5 states that “Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.” We also know from Genesis 1:14 that the world was being measured in times, days and years by this point, so we can take this figure at its face value. From this we can conclude that no matter how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden, it could not have exceeded Adam’s lifespan of 930 years, since we know that Adam was expelled from the garden.

Further to this, we know that Adam and Eve had children outside of the garden. Genesis 4:25 says that Adam and Eve had their child, Seth, after Abel’s death. We know that this is post-Eden and we also know from Genesis 5:3 that Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. The reference to Abel’s death also makes it clear that there was a significant time gap between the birth of Cain and Abel and the birth of Seth. Genesis 4:17 suggests that Cain was married at the time of his murder of Abel which would place him as a late teen or adult.

Since scripture makes it clear that Seth was born outside of the garden, after the events of Cain and Abel, when Cain was old enough to be married and working the land, we can conclude that Adam and Eve could not have been in the garden for more than 110-115 years, and certainly not more than 130!

Issues of Conception

Since we know that God created Adam and Eve with perfect bodies, free from health issues, some have suggested that this perfect state would have produced rather quick conceptions, free from the fertility issues that abound in the modern day. In the modern world, we know that healthy fertile women have an 85% chance of becoming pregnant within a year. A perfectly formed women, without the complications of the modern world would probably get pregnant much quicker than this, but we can at least conclude that the chances of their Edenic residence was not likely more than a year.

We also know from Genesis 1:28 that shortly after their creation they were commanded to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth”. This suggests that the pair would have begun actively trying to reproduce immediately, and thus cannot have resided in paradise for very long, as the conception and birth of a child produced from Adam and Eve is not described until after the expulsion in Genesis 4:1.

Based on this evidence, we can speculate that if the couple spent more than a year in the garden between their creation and the fall, Eve would have conceived, or even given birth to children before being deceived and expelled. We cannot say for certain that there were no children present at the fall, whether in-utero or running around beneath the tree in question, but it seems unlikely given the complete silence regarding children until the fall, and the sudden appearance of them after the expulsion. The only conceptions or births recorded are described outside of Eden, which can only lead us to believe that Adam and Eve were not in the Garden of Eden long enough to have had children or even conceived any.

The Serpent

The last piece of biblical evidence we have to support a short-stay in Eden is that of the serpent from Genesis 3.

Based on the evidence elsewhere in the bible of the way that the ‘serpent’ works, it seems unlikely that he would waste time before seizing his opportunity. In Matthew 4, Jesus was only in the wilderness ‘forty days and forty nights’ before ‘the tempter’ came to undermine God’s authority once more. Another example is Job 1 where Satan is commissioned to interfere with the life of Job, and goes immediately to take up this position.

The ‘tempter’ would know that timing is everything. The longer he waited to strike with Adam and Eve, the more devoted and obedient the pair would be to God, since his presence in the garden and his relationship to the pair was very close and tangible.

Satan would have made no hesitation to set about undermining the relationship between Adam and Eve as early as possible, further reinforcing the theory that Adam and Eve did not live in Eden for very long before eating from the tree and being driven out.

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Should Genesis 1-11 Be Read as History?

Creationists and literal interpreters of the Bible believe that the text of Genesis reveals the history of the earth, from the creation of the universe and humankind through to the Tower of Babel. Those who follow this belief, subscribe to the idea that the events of Genesis were revealed to someone, usually Moses, who passed it down through either written or oral form. Others choose to regard Genesis 1-11 as meaning something other than what it says – suggesting that it is poetry with theological concerns that supersede history, or that it has metaphorical meanings.

How should we interpret Genesis? Does this crucial Old Testament book provide nothing more than a poetic, allegoric story or does it describe the creation of the world and the earliest days of humanity’s life on earth?

What Kind of Literature is Genesis?

Anyone who has spent any time reading and engaging with the bible will know that it contains a wide variety of literature types in both the Old and New Testaments. These include poetry, parables, epistles, proverbs, historical narrative, prophecy and more. The key to interpreting any part of the bible correctly lies in first identifying what kind of literature it is. If we interpret a piece of text metaphorically, but the author intended for it to be read literally, then we misunderstand the meaning. When Jesus said “I am the vine, you are the branches” he did not mean that he was made from plant life, and that we are growing from him, about to sprout leaves. In the same way, if we interpret something that is clearly literal, as somehow allegorical, we will misunderstand, and misrepresent that text.

Genesis 1-11 is often singled out, apart from the rest of Genesis because it is a very specific type of literature. Its composition is extremely poetic and structured, leaving people to assume that it isn’t historical. Genesis 1-11 is often called ‘Primeval History’ as it presents a pre-history that depicts origins. It is crucial theologically and is steeped in Hebrew poetry and etiology. Because of its poetic nature, proponents of evolution that accept the bible and Genesis will often relegate the texts of Genesis 1-11 as myth or allegory so as not to align it against their belief in evolution.

We are not looking for meanings which are hidden, or hard to understand. We are looking for the straightforward meanings in Genesis 1-11. As well as being poetry it is also story, since it has characters, narration and dramatic events, and there is no reason for us to believe that this story was not based on real events. Elsewhere in the Bible are examples that provide ample support for Genesis to be interpreted as historical narrative.

Let’s take a look.

How Did Old Testament Authors of The Bible Interpret Genesis?

We know from Mosaic Law that creation week in Genesis 1 was important to God. With his own finger, God commanded the Sabbath, for the following reason;

“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

If the creation week outlined in Genesis 1 was not a true, historical depiction, then this commandment loses all meaning. If one is to argue, as some do, that each ‘day’ equates to a ‘billion years’ then one would also have to suggest that God commands us to work for six billions years and then rest for one billion years.

Old Testament writers also treat Genesis 1-11 as chapters of literal history. This is particularly evident in the careful genealogies kept, particularly the ones in First Chronicles which provide a series of genealogies that trace back to Adam. The author of Chronicles clearly took the accounts of Genesis as historically accurate. If in fact, Genesis was not a historical account then these genealogies have been fabricated. Psalms also credits God as the creator and even cites events which took place during creation week, and, Isaiah cites God’s promise to Noah, another point which would be rendered meaningless if Genesis 1-11 was simply metaphorical.

How Did New Testament Authors of The Bible Interpret Genesis?

The New Testament is very vocal in its portrayal of Genesis as historically accurate. Every single New Testament author either quotes or alludes to Genesis, and over 60 of those allusions relate to Genesis 1-11. For such a small body of literature, this is a staggering amount.

The New Testament opens with Matthew’s genealogies which show Genesis to be historically accurate. If we are to regard Genesis as ‘myth’ or allegory then we also derail Jesus’ bloodline, and conclude that it was either made up or that he descended from a myth, much like Greek mythological characters such as ‘Zeus’ or ‘Hercules’. Paul in particular built a substantial amount of his theology around doctrines that come up in Genesis 1-11. In Romans and Corinthians, he discusses Jesus as the last Adam, who undid the damaging work of the first Adam, and affirmed that it was Eve who was deceived at the fall, not Adam. For Paul, the events of Genesis were a physical reality that were corrected in Christ, not simply an allegorical story. If Adam was a mythical character whose actions only had allegory for sinfulness, then Christ was not needed to rectify the fall. Only real, tangible people can make real, tangible actions which have universal consequences.

Creation and the fall are also deeply woven into the theology of Romans. Paul teaches that the bondage that affected the world at the fall affected the entire cosmos, and tells us that the entire creation is groaning for redemption.

Other New Testament books also utilise Genesis, reiterating the texts in order to form theologies that address certain issues. Peter based some of his teaching on Genesis 1-11, affirming the global flood that affected Noah and his family, as well as Hebrews which cites Abel, Enoch and Noah as heroes of the faith.

Finally, the bible ends with a depiction of the new creation, which once again draws on the original creation as a historical reality which is to come to fruition again. The Book of Revelation and the New Jerusalem are filled with imagery of Eden including the tree of life and the very real presence of God.

How Did Jesus Interpret Genesis?

The historical authenticity of Genesis mattered deeply to Jesus. He used Genesis language when teaching on marriage, when he discusses Abel as the first prophet, Noah and the flood and more. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find examples of Jesus allegorizing this material, but rather the opposite: Jesus always regard these events as straightforward history. He also predicted that the end of time would come quickly like the days of Noah indicating that he believed that the events of Noah’s history were a reality that would be repeated.

Jesus also expended much time and effort into defending scripture and emphasising the importance of taking scripture seriously. In John he asserted that scripture cannot be broken, and in Luke he reprimanded his disciples for not believing scripture.

We cannot get anything from Jesus other than a strong sense that all of Genesis reveals a historical narrative which should be taken seriously, and at face value.

So….Should Genesis 1-11 be Read as History?

We have to regard the texts of Genesis as historically accurate accounts, because that is how the Old Testament authors, the New Testament authors, and Jesus, regarded them. Though the texts employ beautiful literary motifs, are highly structured and address very specific theological concerns, we have no biblical basis whatsoever for taking them as anything but literal.

Choosing to regard Genesis 1-11 as myth or allegory undermines the text in question and the bible as a whole, as well as the biblical authors and Jesus who regarded them as history. It also robs the rest of the bible of its proper foundation.

If we believe that Jesus came to redeem a real, physical problem that existed in real space and time, then we have to believe that that the problem started in a real garden, with two real people. Believing in these real, historical events also allows us to look forward to the very real renewal which will take place on earth when Christ returns. Any other interpretation undermines this message and God’s redemptive purposes for the world.

The Bible is clear. We must believe Genesis 1-11 is real, literal history because Jesus, Old Testament authors and every New Testament author did. We must also believe because these opening chapters of our bible are foundational to our understanding of the bible as a whole. The gospel is grounded in the literal, historical authenticity of Genesis 1-11.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

Babel: Was it Real?

What is Babel?

The familiar and slightly mystical story of the Tower of Babel can be found in Genesis 11 and tells the story of the origin of language.

According to the account, humanity was living united in a post-flood world, speaking a single language and building an empire. Scripture tells us that the people had migrated from the East to a place called Shinar, and had begun development there on their city. Amongst their building efforts, was a tower which was being built to reach the heavens and to ‘make a name’ for the new civilisation. Babel was designed not only as a mark of achievement but as a means of preventing diaspora, a plan which backfired.

When God sees the project, he sees that the people are becoming unrestrained in their achievements, and becoming limitless in their abilities. In an attempt to reign them back in, God confounds their speech, and disperses them throughout the world. The plan to prevent dispersion has resulted in exactly that. Because of humanity’s attempts, they are divided linguistically and geographically.

This biblical story is believed by many to describe a genuine, historical event that took place after the great flood, but what is the purpose and significance of the story, and did it REALLY happen?

What Kind of Story is it?

Babel has continued to both captivate and confuse audiences to this day. Historical linguistics has spent much time debating the idea of a single original language and anthropology has long sought to identify if living descendants remain from one race such as the descendants of Noah in this story. Much artwork has also been created in the name of Babel, including Pieter Brueghel’s famous painting, Anton Rubenstein’s opera and the novel Babel Tower. The story of the tower has been used in many different contexts, but the kind of story that it is at its core remains the same: it is an etiology.

Etiologies are stories that serve to explain the origin of something. Every etiology or origin myth functions as a description of how some new reality came into being.

In this case, the story explains the origin of language, and the multiplicity of human language that exists today. Genesis 1 and 2 function in the same sense, with several themes within them. For example, Genesis 1 and 2 serves to explain the origins of human life on earth, as well as the heterosexual relationship, humanity’s relationship to animals, pain in childbirth and more. The story of Babel explains the origin of human language and its variants as well as issues such as the competition between God and humanity. This theme first appeared in the story of Adam and Eve when they unlawfully ate from the tree of knowledge, and is repeated in the story of Babel. First century historian Josephus described Babel as a prideful, arrogant defiance against God and thus mirroring the fall in the Garden of Eden. The story also serves to explain cultural and geographical differences amongst humans and places Babel as the cradle of civilisation.

The Story’s Creation

Traditionally, the first five books of the bible have been attributed to Moses, but more recently a proposal has been made for the documentary hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that the Yahwist source was responsible for the composition of Babel, particularly considering the Yahwist’s use of etiology in other parts of scripture. Use of wordplay including ‘Babel’ and ‘babble’ is also a signature tactic employed by the Yahwist.

The Ziggurat at Babylon is often cited when discussing matters regarding Babel. The Etemenaku was the name of a 200 feet high temple, or ziggurat, famously rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar. Tradition states that the story of the Tower of Babel was likely influenced by the construction of this mammoth Ziggurat which was constructed during the Babylonian captivity of the Hebrews.

The account in Genesis appears in other sources, some of which give more detailed accounts about the Tower than the Biblical account. Other sources for the story include the Book of Jubilees, Josephus, The Book of Mormon and the Midrash. Parallels to the story also exist in Sumerian myth, Irish folklore and Central American legend.

Was it Real?

There is a long tradition of material surrounding the Tower of Babel, both biblical and non-biblical. We would expect a wide range of sources from an event that took place in history, as we see in this circumstance. Though the story was composed and presented by sources that had their own theological concerns, there is no reason to doubt that the biblical description of the event did not take place historically as well as theologically, and the existence of material within other ancient civilisations only serves to further confirm the Bible’s authenticity on the matter. Language changes and variations in existence today, ziggurats and tower legends are all more than substantial confirmations of the events that took place at Babel.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

8 Common Creationist Beliefs: Part One

Though there is some diversity in what is believed among creationists, there are a few matters which are common to creationist beliefs. Here are four of the eight most common beliefs held by those who subscribe to Creation…

That The Earth Was Created in Six Literal Days

Genesis 1 describes God’s creation of the world in six literal, 24-hour days. Each day is framed by the indication of the ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ as well as a day number such as ‘fourth day.

A belief in six literal days counters popular scientific claims that the earth was created over millions of years. The original authors of Genesis were not scientists, but rather were writers who wanted to convey an understandable message to their audience. Their language needed to be clear to the common Hebrew person, including their children, so as to get their theological message across. For this reason creationists also reject the idea that the days described in Genesis are to be taken as metaphorical days, or that each day actually represents a longer period of time (such as several million years).

Genesis 1 makes it clear that each day had an evening, a morning and a number – just like the days that we experience. Each day was also given time indicators such as the creation of the sun and moon – this way humanity had a way of measuring days, weeks, months and years. Further to these indicators, is the command given in Exodus 20:8-11 to work six days and rest on the seventh. This commandment was modelled off God’s creative activity over a week. We have no reason to doubt that the account of creation over six literal days is the literal truth, therefore, we must take the word at its face value.

That Radiometric Dating is Unreliable

Radiometric dating is believed by scientists to prove that rocks are millions of years old, but in order to believe this, one has to make strong assumptions about the content of the original rocks and the rate at which that content decays. Because there are no scientists that have been around for millions of years to watch and record the rate of radioactive decay, science assumes that the rate has always been the same as it is now, and base their findings based on this assumption.

The Bible makes it clear through accurately recorded genealogies that the age of the earth is only a few thousand years, thus promoting the theory of a young earth and universe.

God’s omnipotence transcends our human understanding of time so we must trust his word about how old the universe really is.

That a Variety of Kinds Were Created

Genesis 1 tells us that God created separately according to various kinds. We can still see this variety in the world around us.

The account in Genesis tells us that God created every living thing on days three, five and six of the Creation Week. Ten times throughout Genesis 1 we are told that God created according to its ‘kind’. This word is again used in relation to Noah’s Ark.

What does this all mean? It means that despite theories of animals evolving from single-cell organisms, animals are actually all varieties of their own kind. For example, there is a large amount of variety within the existence of dogs in the world. Different breeds of dogs are able to breed and thus create hybrid offspring, but they are still dogs. Dogs and cats are not able to interbreed simply because, God instated several kinds.

For example, donkeys and horses are all from the Equidae family. They can interbreed to produce mules, but they cannot breed with birds – they can only procreate according to their own kind. God placed the potential for variety within the created order, but it was, and continues to be done within the framework of the created kinds. Though God has allowed for variety, every species still belongs, inherently, to its own kind. Dogs are still dogs.

That Man Was a Unique Creation

Genesis 1 tells us that God created humanity in his own image. Men and women do not descend from apes, dolphins or any other mammal. Though we may share some anatomical similarities, we know from scripture that human beings are distinct, and created in the image of God. Claiming the theory of evolution means placing humanity as a consequence of evolution rather than the goal – an idea which stands in sharp contrast to the picture we get in Genesis.

Apart from obvious evidence that humans and apes are distinctly distinguishable, Bible-believing Christians also recognise the other distinctions that the human world has from the animal world – including our ability to be in relationship with our God, to pray, to read his word and to engage in his presence in a very real way.

Be sure to look out for part two of this article, where we look at the last four beliefs that are commonly held among creationists!

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!