The Bible is one of the most popular and most read books in the world. At the same time, modern research by geologists, archaeologists and historians often allows for a different look at ancient religious texts. Our review attempts to provide alternative explanations for some of the miracles and mysterious events described in the Bible.
1. Bethlehem star
Astronomers believe the Star of Bethlehem may have been a very real event. A triple parade of planets - Jupiter, Venus and Earth, as well as the Sun, when they lined up in one line, could create a visual effect very similar to a long-tailed star. Traditionally, it is believed that the Star of Bethlehem was a sign of the birth of Jesus, and then it disappeared to never reappear. But if it really was a parade of planets, then in a similar order Jupiter, Venus, Earth and the Sun line up once every 900 years, and the "tailed star" should have appeared in the sky at least 2 more times. There are also two other theories - that it was a bright comet or the birth of a new star.
2. Bloody moon
In the book of Genesis it was written that God uses the stars, the sun and the moon for omens. If a bloody moon is shown in the sky, this is supposedly a sign of the impending coming of God. But despite the importance of such an omen in the Bible, the blood-colored moon appears fairly regularly. For such a phenomenon, a tetrad is needed - the case when four successive eclipses of the moon occur. Such eclipses took place in 2003 and 2004, and by the end of the century there are still seven tetrads to happen. An eerie pale red hue forms when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.
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3. Manna from heaven
Manna was the wonderful food that God fed the Israelites during their 40-year wilderness wanderings. The color of this food was white or brown, and it also tasted differently for people of different ages (for children, manna tasted like butter, for young people it tasted like bread, and for old people it tasted like honey). Manna covered the ground around the Israelite camp in the morning, and was harvested early in the morning, because by noon the substance melted in the sun. There are several theories about what manna really was. The main one says that manna is thickened drops of juice secreted by a plant called Tamarix. This sweet substance hardens quickly in the cold and just as quickly becomes inedible in the heat.
4. Water from the rock
While the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, another miracle happened. Moses, seeing that the people had run out of water and they were suffering from thirst, hit the rock from where the water poured. This might sound like a scientifically impossible idea, but not all rock is made of solid material. Sandstone and limestone are porous materials and can collect large amounts of rainwater. Sandstone is abundant in the Sinai Desert, which is why geologists believe that Moses simply knocked the outer crust off the cliff, known as desert varnish.
5. Angels
Sleep researchers believe the biblical encounters with angels may have been the result of lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming - when the dreamer realizes that he is actually asleep and can manipulate the events that occur in the dream. An experiment was conducted in Los Angeles in which 30 volunteers participated. A goal was set for them: to try to meet the angel during sleep. According to the researchers, about half of the sleeping people managed to do this.
6. Possession by demons
Now there is such a mental illness as a split personality, during which it seems to the patient that two or more personalities live in his body. Such cases in the biblical, and in later times, could be considered as demonic possession. However, even today Christian priests conduct exorcism rites.
7. Walls of Jericho
The Bible tells how the impregnable walls around the city of Jericho collapsed as the seven trumpets sounded and the Israelite troops surrounding the city screamed. For believers, this is undeniably a miracle. But some scholars believe that this story is clearly embellished and that the Wall of Jericho was not actually brought down by the Israelites.
Archaeological excavations have shown that the wall around Jericho really existed and was destroyed, but the Israelites could hardly have done this, since they came 150 years later. Most likely, the fortified city could have been destroyed by an earthquake, which was quite common in the region.
8. Earthquake after the crucifixion
The Gospel of Matthew described a devastating earthquake that happened after Jesus died on the cross. Geologists have studied the area around the Dead Sea within a 21-kilometer radius of Jerusalem to try to recreate the events of that time. They found that earthquakes shook Jerusalem twice: once in 31 BC and then again between 26 and 36 AD. Next, the researchers checked the Jewish calendar and astronomical events. They ended up claiming that Jesus was executed on Friday April 3rd in 33 AD.
9. Flooding due to the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
It is possible that the Deluge actually happened, but it was not such a global event as described in the Bible. Two rivers in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) could have caused the flood legend. The Tigris and Euphrates began to flood periodically, flooding the surrounding area, much earlier than Genesis was written. Thus, the flood on the Euphrates, described in the Epic of Gilgamesh, is suspiciously similar to the legend of Noah. In that case, a thunderstorm raised the water level so much that the two rivers merged together, flooding a huge area in Mesopotamia. It is possible that the authors of the epic were survivors of this flood, and the authors of the book of Genesis borrowed the template of this story.
10. Virgin Mary
It is believed that the story of the Virgin was invented by later Christians who tried to present Mary as an absolutely sinless woman.
