Science Tells How Jesus Walked on Water
The Bible says that Jesus walked on water, but a professor of oceanography at Florida State University in Tallahassee says Christ was actually walking on a floating piece of ice.
The sixth chapter of the Gospel of John tells the story familiar to Christians: When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them: "It is I, do not be afraid." (John 6:16-20)
Reuters reports that FSU professor Doron Nof credits this miraculous act to an unusual combination of water and atmospheric conditions in what is now northern Israel that could have led to ice formation on the Sea of Galilee. Using statistical models to examine the dynamics of the Sea of Galilee (now known as Lake Kinneret) and records of surface temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea, Nof determined there was a period of cooler temperatures in the area between 1,500 and 2,600 years ago. This could have included the time in which Jesus lived.
Had the temperature dropped below freezing, it could have created ice to form in the freshwater lake then called the Sea of Galilee. And that ice would have been thick enough to support the weight of a man. What's more, it might have been impossible for distant observers--especially in the dark as the Gospel of John reports--to see that it was actually ice surrounded by water and not just water.
Nof calls this a "possible explanation" of how Jesus walked on water. "If you ask me if I believe someone walked on water, no, I don't," Nof told Reuters. "Maybe somebody walked on the ice, I don't know. I believe that something natural was there that explains it. We leave to others the question of whether or not our research explains the biblical account." Nof acknowledges he has received hate mail for espousing this theory. The study findings were published in the Journal of Paleolimnology
http://channels.netscape.com/whatsne...=20060405-0842
Don't hate on me, I'm just the messenger.
It's useless to try to explain miracles away. You either believe them or you don't.
It's sort of like those people who say "Yeah, Christ was a great moral teacher, but a mere man". Bull . He was either who he claims he was, the Son of God, or he was a lunatic. There is no middle ground.
professor of oceanography at Florida State University in Tallahassee says Christ was actually walking on a floating piece of ice.
What is this world coming to
He said he could have been not that he was...
He said that perhaps once or twice in a 1500 year window in which Jesus lived salinity changes may have caused Ice in the sea of Galilea.
Pretty off the wall theory. I'm sure the possibility for ice is there... but to extend that as an explanation for him walking on water is a stretch.
Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.
Lots of stuff in the Bible, like religious paintings in Europe, are aimed at people who had, 1500 - 2000 years ago, the mental sophistication of today's 1st graders, none could read or write, no schooling, writing was considered magic, were mostly hypnotized into family/tribal strictures.
The moral lessons often had a wow factor, like miracles, to amaze the "children".
But the current Bible thumpers simplistically, backwardly, childishly take the Biblical apocrypha as literally and scientifically true.
I'm not a Bible Thumper but I do believe in my faith....and yes, I'm considered by many to be a liberal. Go figure.
Sure. I have no problem with this characterization. The article's le is misleading though.Nof calls this a "possible explanation" of how Jesus walked on water.
Doesn't explain why Peter sank when he attempted it though... Unless he was in on the joke.
Jesus wore thin the ice enough so that when Peter stepped on he crashed through. pwnt.
"Let's just park the boat here... No, a little further... There you go. Now, watch this!"
I think this dude's explanation is running on thin ice.
As I said before, you either believe the miracles performed by Jesus and outlined in the Bible or you don't.
You probably don't.
I think the spirit of this thread was lost on you.
what was the spirit of the first post? my post was exactly in line with it
humor, of which you display none.
The smilie for this is finally here....
Intellectual capacity is independent of era.... Isaac Newton back in the 1800's would still be considered a genius today. Sure... he wouldn't know much about today's modern concepts but his ap ude would allow him to absorb them like a sponge.
So yes, boutons, no one in that era had the capability of writing narrative or descriptive prose.... it was all about fiction.
the article was debunking a Biblical miracle with a possible scientific explanation.
you find that funny?
it attempted to do so by hinging it on phenomena not described or supported by the context of the story.
Such as the fact that he walked across the lake in the middle of a ferocious storm... conditions that would eliminate the possibility of anyone being able to walk over floating chunks of ice in the first place...
Ever tried walking on ice?? ever tried walking on a floating log? Imagine attempting the combination during a storm.... yeah. Doesn't fit the context.
Last edited by hegamboa; 04-05-2006 at 05:38 PM.
an article peppered with "could haves" and "possiblies" does not debunk anything, tool.
This article is all wrong... He had a pair of these.
This article is all wrong... He had a pair of these.
Am I wrong or did you, in another thread, claim to be a Christian?
It cannot possibly be true, can it boutons?
I was able to pull up a copy of the original digital photo of "the walk" and it's obvious to anyone with eyes that ice had nothing to do with it.
Even if there were ice with waves the size of those it would have been more surfing than walking.
Perhaps someone would be so kind as to fax a copy of this photo to the good Professor Nof.
classic
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