Much of the Bible's history is fairly good. We know that much of Daniel's story from Babylon through the Persian, Alexandrian, Seleucid kings was fairly accurate. Daniel wisely saw the Roman victory over the weakened Seleucids as the future threat to Israel. Romans of the west, had taken Greece, then Asia Minor from the Seleucids. They seemed unstoppable. Daniel’s observation was quite good.

Exodus has been debated, but one argument against it was the story that Jews were working on a City of Rameses in the Nile Delta. No city was found...until last year. Archaeologists digging in the silt deposits of the Nile have found a large ruin of a city that was incomplete. It apparently had some identification as the City of Rameses. This make one important item of the Exodus story, verified. Egyptian records show a pharaoh Tutmoses? who reigned 90 years followed by his son (Pepi or some say Amenhotep) who had a short reign after which Egypt was in a state of disarray, without defences. Upper Egypt was in defiant rebellion.

All of this would be compatible with the loss of the Pharaoh and his army. I would like to see more divers looking for remnants of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea or the Sea of Reeds (more likely a direct route from the city of Rameses site.)

The Book of Exodus describes Moses following a cloud and a column of fire. In 1625 BC, the island of Santorini's volcano Thera erupted in a massive volcanic event. The area contains the convergence point between 4 tectonic plates with subducting zones. One major fault line is the Dead Sea fault that may have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

This huge eruption destroyed Santorini in the Aegean Sea, quakes extended for hundreds of miles and Ash was found as far away as North of the Black Sea. Huge subduction zones may cause tidal-like waves or Tsunamis, and they can cause Mt. St. Helens type volcanic eruptions. This could have manifested as a wave of water emptying the Sea of Reeds and lowering the Red Sea temporarily. Then the Tsunami would come with perhaps a wave 50 metres high.

Thera had erupted giving off a column of smoke and fire. If the Hebrews were following the column of Fire from the volcano, they crossed the Sea of Reeds or Red Sea. The water would recede emptying the Sea of Reeds and lowering the Red Sea temporarily. Then the Tsunami would come with perhaps a wave 50 metres high. To the Hebrews this was a miracle allowing their crossing to Sinai and higher ground. They reached the other side safely. If Pharaoh’s chariot army pursued them across the mud flats, possibly getting bogged down, they then saw that 50 metre wall of water rushing fast over them.

I think that this possible scenario fits with the Bible description of Exodus as does the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by tectonic action and volcanism. The area is infamous for its volcanic catastrophes. One could propose that God managed it so that the Hebrews got across in the nick of time, but Pharaoh didn't.

However, magical explanations are unnecessary for the story. The staff and snake myth is just story elaboration in repeated oral retellings.

I think the Noah's Flood had a historical and geophysical explanation. Again Plate Tectonics manifests in human history. It was a local Mesopotamian flood. There was perhaps a tectonic earthquake followed by a Persian Gulf Tidal wave. To the people it was their "world." Likewise the geotectonic features of the region could be the explanation. A gigantic earthquake followed by a gigantic Tidal Wave would suffice. Geotectonics could account for Noah's Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the transit across Egypt to Sinai by Hebrews in Exodus.

The above is my speculation as a research scientist based on key references in the Bible and my knowledge of Geophysics.

Amergin

Welcome to the forum Amergin. Thankyou, for the interesting and informative post. Keep them coming.

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