It was a miracle of the ages, the parting of the Red Sea for the
Israelites. Now modern science is claiming a feat that if true is almost
as miraculous – figuring out how Moses may have done it and where.
Scientists
and others have tried for decades to recreate the mystery of the
Israelites' escape from the advancing cavalry of the Pharaohs. Fifty
years ago Cecil B De Mille deployed his own special effects wizardry to
create a cinematic version in the Ten Commandments.
Now
researchers at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and
the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) claim to have used computer
modelling to reconstruct the various wind and wave combinations that
could have produced the dry land bridge described in Exodus.
Just forget about the Red Sea. Their conclusion relocates the scene of the Israelites escape to the Nile delta.
The
researchers determined that a strong east wind, blowing overnight,
could have driven back the waters on a coastal lagoon in northern Egypt
long enough for the Israelites to walk across the exposed mud flats
before the waters rushed back in, engulfing the Pharaoh's cavalry.
"The
simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus," Carl
Drews, the study's lead author, said in a statement. "The parting of the
waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the
water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe
passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to
rush back in."
Drews, who spent years studying the story of the
crossing, relied on research by earlier scholars on the ancient
geography of the area to reconstruct the likely locations and depths of
various Nile delta waterways.
He used computer simulations to try to re-create the conditions that might have swept away the waters to expose dry land.
He
ruled out the Red Sea as a location because it runs from north to south
which does not readily fit the description in Exodus of an east wind
sweeping the waters to one side.
He eventually concluded that
steady 63mph winds from the east over a digitally reconstructed lake
along the Mediterranean near today's Port Said could have swept the
waters back to the western shores exposing wide mud flats and creating a
land bridge that would remain high and dry for four hours.
Other researchers have tried to reconstruct one of the most mysterious events described in the Bible.
Earlier
studies have speculated that a tsunami could have caused the rapid
retreat and advance of the Red Sea. But that does not fit with the
account in the Bible of a gradual parting of the seas overnight under a
strong east wind.
Other theories include a wind setdown with powerful winds lowering water levels in one area.
A
Russian study suggested that hurricane strength winds from the
northwest could have exposed a small reef near the modern-day Suez canal
which would have given the Israelites their crossing.
But the
Israelites would have been blown away by the gale force winds, Drews
noted. And the book of Exodus mentioned an east wind.
"If you are going to match the biblical account, you need the wind from the east," Drews told Discovery News.
Only our God can make it happen!! Science cannot replicate it!!
Praise the Lord!! Amen!! Hallelujah!!
Shared by Carolyn Thomas
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