Ten Plagues and Science

Author: Dr.Franklin

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How could the Ten Plagues described in Exodus 7-12 happen? , Whats the evidence

1. Blood

The sudden appearance of red-hued waters in the Nile could have been caused by a red algae bloom, Which appears when certain conditions enable a type of microscopic algae to reproduce in such great numbers that the waters they live in appear to be stained a bloody red.

2. Frogs

in May 2010 in Greece, Thousands of frogs emerged from a lake in the northern part of the country, Likely in search of food, And disrupted traffic for days, CBS News reported. So, This can be natural and happen in Egypt

3. Lice

If a toxic algal bloom led to the first plague, And a pile of dead frogs followed, It's not surprising that a swarm of insects of some sort would have followed. That's because frogs typically eat insects; without them, The fly population could have exploded, Stephan Pflugmacher, A climatologist Leibniz Institute for Water Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, Said in a television special about the plagues that aired on the National Geographic Channel in 2010. Interestingly, Both body lice and fleas can theoretically transmit the bacteria Yersinia pestis, Which causes bubonic plague

4. Wild Beasts

Bites from these flies could have led to the boils that occurred later on in the story,

5. Dead Livestock

This biblical scourge is reminiscent of a real plague known as rinderpest, An infectious and lethal viral disease that decimated populations of cattle and other ruminants across Africa and Europe from the 18th through the late 19th centuries.

Rinderpest was caused by a virus in the same family as canine distemper and measles; infected animals developed a high fever, Diarrhea and ulcers in their mouths and noses, According to a manual diagnosing rinderpest, Produced by the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations.

7. Boils

Smallpox is thought to have affected communities in Egypt at least 3, 000 years ago, Based on evidence of smallpox scars found on several mummies dating back to that period " including the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses V, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

8. Fiery hail

A nearby volcanic eruption about 3, 500 years ago on Santorini, An island north of Crete in the Aegean Sea, May explain this plague, As well as others. It's possible that the volcanic ash mixed with thunderstorms above Egypt, Leading to a dramatic hailstorm, Nadine von Blohm, From the Institute for Atmospheric Physics in Germany, Told the Telegraph.

9. Locusts

The volcanic eruption on Santorini may have created favorable conditions for the locusts, Said Siro Trevisanato, A Canadian molecular biologist and author of "The Plagues of Egypt: Archaeology, History and Science Look at the Bible" (Gorgias Press, 2005).

10. Darkness

The volcano caused darkness in the half of Egypt, But the Israelites didn't have to worry

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@Dr.Franklin
10. Darkness

The volcano caused darkness in the half of Egypt, But the Israelites didn't have to worry


It was more than likely that the Volcano that erupted on Thera island in Aegean- called today Santorini - caused all the other 9  "plagues".

This very plausible theory was put forward over 30 years ago - I just forget by whom.

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@Stephen
@Dr.Franklin
It is widely accepted that the Egyptian captivity eoisode is mythical.   Wlkipedia states:

"there is no evidence that the Israelites were ever enslaved in Ancient Egypt, or even lived there.[5][6][7]Scholars broadly agree that the Exodus has no historical basis and that the Israelites originated in Canaan and from the Canaanites.[5][8]"

Hence I view the plagues as pure fiction, as I wrote in a post yesterday.

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@keithprosser
Yeah keith but those scientific opinions are a result of examining evidence and godists have a morbid aversion to evidence, in their world of delusion belief is greater than evidence. You can't convince a godist with facts, facts are rejected out of hand by godists.
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@Stephen
I think the Alge started most of them
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@Stephen
It found this:
I don't know if that is what you had in mind.

I didn't see that program, and it's not available to watch anymore AFAIK.  I suppose it's possible my imaginative scribe (himself a product of my imagination!) was inspired by tales traceable to a natural disaster a thousand years before the exile, but the interpreation as plagues imposed on the Egyptians by yhwh to force the release of their hebrew slaves is pure fiction, as there do not appear to have been any Hebrew slaves in Egypt amongst other problems.

If the plagues were not mentioned in the bible there would be nothing to suggest any such disaster happened.  There is no sign of disruption or dislocation in Egyptian records or those of their neighbours, although it has to be said such records are scant!   The only evidence for the egyptian plagues is the OT, written in babylon a thousand years after the alleged events.

There have been several eruptions since santorini that do not seem to have generated much in the way of long-lived legends.  The  eruption of vesuivuis destroyed two entire cities but was soon completely forgotten for one and a half millennia.  I think the volcano theory has more to do with selling books than being a very credible scenario.  

IMO!




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@keithprosser
Wikipedia, yeah that website is a atheist liberal hell-hole.the Israelites enter world history with the Merenptah stele, which bears the first mention of an entity called Israel in Canaan. It is robustly dated at is 1210 BCE, i.e., as of writing, 3226 years ago.
These Yahweh worshippers were in ancient Egypt well after the Exodus is supposed to have happened. Members of the Yahweh cult may have existed there earlier, but there is no solid evidence for that. There are, however, indications.
According to the scribe Manetho, the founder of monotheism was Osarisph, who later adopted name Moses, and led his followers out of Egypt in Akhenaten's reign. Akhenaten was the heretic Pharaoh who abolished polytheism and replaced it with monotheism, worshiping only the sun disc, Aten.In 1987, a team of French archaeologists discovered the tomb of a man named Aper-el or Aperia (his name is spelled both ways in Egyptian inscriptions), commander of the charioteers and vizier to Ahmenotep II and to his son Akhenaten.
The vizier's name ending in -el could well be related to the Hebraic god Elohim; and the ending Aper-Ia could be indicative of Ya, short for Yahweh. This interpretation supports the argument that Hebrews were present in Egypt during the 18th dynasty starting 3600 years ago (1543-1292 BCE).
The famed British Egyptologist Sir Matthew Flinders Petrie holds the reverse view: that Akhenaten was the catalysis for the monotheistic views of the Hebrews, and that the Exodus happened in the 19th dynasty (1292-1189, around 3300 years ago).


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@Dr.Franklin
The famed British Egyptologist Sir Matthew Flinders Petrie holds the reverse view:
I don't think he does... he's been dead for nearly 80 years.

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@keithprosser
ok?, like that matters
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@Dr.Franklin
I mean only that Petrie's views may not represent the latest thinking based on the most recent research and discoveries.

As usual, one can always find an 'expert' that supports any view.   

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@keithprosser
True,same with your belief
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Someone's imagination equates to evidence in the world of desperately trying to believe the nonsense called the bible, so very sad.
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@disgusted
Pollywanna
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@Dr.Franklin
I'd be the last to deny it.   I usually link to wikipedia, but not to say what I post is true (it doesn't do that) but to indicate it's a fairly standard and mainstream stuff.

I've not read a mainstream scholar explicitly saying the plagues of Egypt were made up to bolster the morale of the babylonian exiles so I can't use an appeal to authority about that!
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@Dr.Franklin
You don't understand what was said in post #12 and that's understandable but posting the pathetic post #13 is an indictment on you.
Off you go and cry to the mods, but as before I criticise your pathetic posts, not you for being pathetic.
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@keithprosser
It's mainstream for atheists, the owner wanted to leave Britain when Trump came

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@disgusted
quack
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@Dr.Franklin
What? bwuahahahahahaha
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pollywanna
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@Dr.Franklin
Ten Plagues

Came from the same place as Harry Potter's Nimbus 2000.
Show me how pathetic your posts can get. bwuahahahahahaha


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@disgusted
No evidence




quack
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@Dr.Franklin
I'm sorry it went over your head. But thank you for providing another pathetic post.
I'm not abusing you I'm just saying that your posts are pathetic, attack the post and not the poster isn't that right bsh1
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@bsh1
I'm sorry it went over your head. But thank you for providing another pathetic post.
I'm not abusing you I'm just saying that your posts are pathetic, attack the post and not the poster isn't that right bsh1

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@disgusted
Apology accepted
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@disgusted
How did I attack you?
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pollyanna-an excessively cheerful or optimistic person.

That's an compliment
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quack is a sound made by ducks
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@Dr.Franklin
Another example of a pathetic post, you'd best report to bsh1, it will be hilarious.
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@Dr.Franklin
The word "an" is not used before a consonant. Ask bsh1 if that post is pathetic.
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@bsh1
Is that post pathetic?