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From: Archeologist unearths biblical controversy [theglobeandmail.com]

Lots of Biblical Archeological news lately.

Dear Ray,

I had decided that a world wide flood, had to be true when reading about Schleimann and his discovery of Troy.

Schleimann wrongly believed that the Troy of Helen, was the first one, underneath six or seven other cities. He kept going down and oddly discovered that what existed on top of the highly developed oldest one, was shark bones, etc... Obvious signs of being covered with water. Now mind you, sharks do not exist in the Mediterrean.

The people that existed right above this, instead of being in a more highly developed stage, were back in the bronze age. He found this strange, and I did too. From then on I believed in Noah and the flood.

It's a pity that Schleimann made such a mess of his "diggings." But then again, he was one of the first archaelogists, and quite greedy, (or so I've heard).

Zenovia

Actually, the first archaeologists were Catholic priests in France. Yes, while climbing in the Dolomites, DiVinci discovered fossils of fish. So I guess he believed in the flood too.

Turkey is where the traditional resting place of the Arc (the Bible says "The MOUNTAINS of Aarat" not MOUNT Aarat) There is no geological evidence for a worldwide flood, but a local one is possible.

Dear Mike,

There have been many stories about a flood, such as the Indians saying that a great flood created the Grand Canyon. But then again, the stories could have come from Christian missionaries.

Recently, studies were made at the Black Sea as to why the bottom layer of water is not able to sustain life, and the top is...(of course we're not talking about our more modern pollution). It turned out, that the sea was much lower, and that a rush of water fell into it, that was so outstanding that the rumble could be heard a thousand miles away.

I also know that the area known as Thessaly in Greece, and it's 'meteora,' (tall cliffs), with the monasteries built on top, was originally a sea, (thalasa). The old Greek myth was that poseidon (god of the sea, earthquakes, etc.), got mad. Note the similarity in the names Thessaly and thalasa.

Now that might have caused a rise in the Meditarrean, or a great tidel wave might have occurred with the sinking of Santorini. The latest is that they have found land under the water at Cyprus, that is exactly the same as the fabled Atlantis.

My reasons for deciding on a world wide flood, was because a whole civilization was wiped out, and people started anew. From a high level, they fell into the bronze age. Also, sharks do not exist in the Mediterrean, and these bones were on the level laying on top of the first and most advanced civilization.

The Christian theory that I have heard, was that the earth ripped all around, and that the subtarranean waters spouted out. Also that the earth was more level at that time. If there is no proof of a world wide flood, it could be because scientists are trying so hard to disprove it in the same way they disproved the Shroud of Turin.

Oh one more thing! One expert insists that the Sphinx of Egypt is thousands of years older than the pyramids. He said the marks on it could only have been made by water, and water did not exist in Egypt for at least ten thousand years.

Of course, again it could have been caused by a tidal wave from the sinking of Santorini, etc. But then, why aren't there water marks on the Pyramids?

Wouldn't it be a lot smarter, if our great 'brains' stopped trying to disprove things, but rather approached everything with a more objective eye.

Zenovia

I think this should be of interest.

A few days ago, I heard, (I believe in a comercial), how wrong people can be. A man stated as one of his examples, that Aristotle was wrong when he said that earthquakes were caused by 'winds' inside the earth.

Well, according to the BBC, a Norwegian scientist just came out with a so called 'new' theory that contradicts all other ones on the causes of earthquakes. This scientist decided that earthquakes could occur anywhere, and that they had nothing to do with fault lines. They were merely explosians in the earth.

Sounds a lot like Aristotle's 'wind' theory to me.

Zenovia

Not to burst your bubble, but there are sharks in the Mediterranean.....though I do still definatly believe in the Biblical flood that wiped out human life on Earth aside from Noah and his family, just wanted to let you know that there are sharks in the Mediteranean.

In His Name,
Stephen

True, and according to National Geographic, Great Whites have even been showing up lately in the Mediteranean since the water temperature has started changing. What has been implied about a local flood could be true. If a large-scale regional flood occurred in the mid-east during ancient times, it would have seemed - and would have been in any practical sense - a world wide flood to the ancients.

Exactly something I always thought and wondered about. I mean, if people were only living in the mid-east area why would God flood the ENTIRE Earth? I just could not see the point. I mean, the whole idea was to wipe out people, and that could be acomplished by a local flood if everyone lived in that area.....but, at the same time, there are MANY compelling arguements of a spectacular world wide flood that did cover the Earth.

I suppose that the important thing here is to remember the leason and moral of the story, and to trust God. If we do that then there is really no need to pin it down to being local or truly world-wide.

Yeah, interesting about the great whites, I saw a show about them in the mediteranean about a year ago, very interesting stuff if you ask me!

In His Name,
Stephen

about a couple of years ago, I read a book called "A Rift in Time", the author's name escapes me at the moment. the book is written in novel form, but the red rope running through the book is that there was once a single land mass (Pangaea), a theory that was laughed at, but is now getting a second look. the writer holds that the four rivers in the Garden of Eden ar ethe Euphrates, the Tigris, the Nile, and what is now the Red Sea, which is still widening, but was the fourth river.
As far as the Flood is concerned, it may have been local in that what is now Iraq was pretty much the settled area of the planet in Antediluvian times. It was after the time of the Tower of Babel that humankind dipersed. as far as the super continent splitting up is concerned, the Scriptures are silent, but it can be conjectured that the land mass split up during or relatively soon after the cataclysm of the Flood.The animals Noah took on the Ark can be safely assumed to be from Iraq as in the context of common sense, the animals would have had a bit of a time getting across what oceans we have now.
It never ceases to please me to see the garbage of Liberal theology being swept onto the ash heap of of History where it belongs day after day by the discoveries of science, especially in the field of archeaology, just to name one of the many disciplines. Archeaology is not a perfect science, none is, thanks to our fallen human nature (which includes our intellect, regardless of what Thomas Aquinas may have taught to the contrary), and it would behoove us to approach the latest bit of news, no matter how convenient to the cause of the truth of Scripture, with caution, lest we go over the top and make fools of ourselves when more light comes to the fore.
Liberal Protestantism,is on the way out. Its' so called scholars have spent the last few centuries attempting to impugn the Scriptures, and make it seem like as has been already noted, mythology, man made theology, etc.. They held that Nineveh never existed (nineteenth century), and that has been disproven by the turning of the archaeologist's spade, every contnetion of the Liberals has either fallen, or is falling to before the manifestation of truth, and will continue to do so. Rome has fallen in the trap of the Liberal Protestants when it incorporates such drivel as the Wellhausen hypothesis, the Second Isaiah theory, and other such rubbish when it permits such "findings of scholarship" to be printed in the New American Bible as introductions to a number of OT books. What has Holy Mother Church to gain by such doings?
The Liberals have attempted to discredit the Faith when it teaches that the Incarnation, Resurrection, and Ascencion of our Lord Jesus Christ to be myths, that He was not born of a virgin, but was the natural son of Joseph, or even the blasphemous contention that His mother slept with a Roman soldier named Chrestus. Even a Muslim would be scandalized by either contention. He doesn't pretend to be a Christian, as these Liberal "scholars" dare to call themselves, but the Muslim knows that all Allah has to say is "be" and it is so, thus the Virgin Birth, which Islam supports as can be seen in the Koran. Blasphemous remarks about Jesus or His Mother would get you killed, under the requirements of Shari'ah, thus the fate of Liberals if they went to an Islamic nation and publicly proclaimed such things.
The fundamentalists who the Liberals despise, and to despise them seems to be fashionable in some circles of Catholicism are the best friends we have. Not only have they stood by our side at Pro-Life actions, but have held the Holy Faith as attested to in Scripture and defined by the Ecumenical Councils of antiquity,when it comes to Christology, maybe not as "perfectly" as we have done, but they are our brothers and sisters.
The Scriptures are in toto the written Word of God, and is to be accepted as such, the rantings of the Liberals are not but the ravings of humanists who rebel against God.
Enough of my conuption. Archeaologists! Keep digging!
Much Love,
Jonn

I am strict Biblicist and a literalist in regards to the Scritpures. I hold to a six 24 hour day creation a universal flood, and a literal virgin birth. (Not here to argue, just stating my view )

I am always glad to see the word of God vindicated by archeological discovery.

Okay! Okay! So there are no sharks in the Aegean.

Zenovia

I pesonally enjoy listening to certain Evangelicals. I recall once a Jewish mathematician on Pat Robertson's show, that wrote a book about creation. He wanted to prove that the seven days fell into equal time periods. They did, and he was so elated, he wrote a book about it.

He did say though, that once man was created, time, as it is mentioned in the Bible, did change.

Zenovia

Berean,

What determined the day if the heavenly lights that govern the day ("separate day from night") were created in mid-week (cf. Genesis 1:14-19)? I can never get past the first chapter without being dumbfounded. :p

And another thing: Did Adam and Eve's children practice incest in order to produce offspring? This one really bothers me to no end. B-r-r-r-r.

Joe

To me, the most important part of Genesis is, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." All the rest is interesting, but the essentials have already been said. I think the appropriate response at this point would be to say, give thanks to the Lord for he is good.