Question:
Are the bible stories true, or made up, imagined etc.?
Montgomery B
2007-09-24 07:31:41 UTC
DID THE TEN PLAGUES REALLY HAPPEN?
"There is virtually NO historical evidence to support the biblical story of the ten plagues and the Israelite`s escape from slavery in Egypt. Indeed, there is virtually no histrocial evidence that there were ever large numbers of Israelites in Egypt. The biblical description of 600,000 Israelite men women and children leaving Egypt and wandering in the desert under the leadership of Moses - as well as defying such non-devine considerations as how they might have survived in one of the most inhospitable regions on Earth -seems to have escaped the attentions of ancient record-makers altogether."
EQUINOX - THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT.
**Now wait for claims that they had the help of a fictitious `god` and that will prove that religious people will invent anything to uphold the lies in the bible with no absolute and provable facts.
*Were they supposed to have been wandering for 40 years or more? No bible quotes, hard facts only, please!
28 answers:
2007-09-24 08:04:00 UTC
You cannot ask for hard facts as evidence for things which are supposed to have happened, thousands and thousands of years ago, in some cases.



We still cannot identify Jack the Ripper and that was only a hundred or so years ago. The bible is a collection of myths and legends dating back to almost pre history.
2007-09-24 09:23:00 UTC
The papyrus manuscript, now called the Ipuwer Papyrus, was discovered by someone named Anastasi in the area of Memphis, near the pyramids of Saqqara in Egypt.



The museum of Leiden in the Netherlands acquired the papyrus in 1828. It was translated and published in English for the first time in 1909 by Professor Alan H. Gardiner. Gardiner wrote that the manuscript was one that recorded a genuine historical catastrophe when the whole country of Egypt was in distress and violence. "It is no merely local disturbance that is here described, but a great and overwhelming national disaster."



Gardiner suggests that Ipuwer was an Egyptian sage who directed his writing to the king as a complaint that the national catastrophe was in part caused by the king’s failure to act and deal with the crisis.



A comparison of several key passages from the Biblical Book of Exodus with the ancient Egyptian papyrus reveals remarkable correspondences and parallels that point to a real historical catastrophe.



1. The Plague of Blood

In Ipuwer Papyrus 2:5-6, it says: Plague is throughout the land. Blood is everywhere. Compare this with the Book of Exodus 7:21: There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.



In Ipuwer Papyrus 2:10, it says: The River is Blood. Compare with Exodus 7:20: All the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.



In Ipuwer Papyrus 2:10, it says: Men shrank from tasting...and thirst for water. Compare with Exodus 7:24: And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.



2. The Plague of Hail

Ipuwer papyrus 9:23: The fire ran along the ground. There was hail, and fire mingled with the hail. Exodus 9:25: And the hail smote every herb on the field, and brake every tree in the field.



3. The Plague of Darkness

Ipuwer Papyrus 9:11: The land is not light. Exodus 10:22: And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt.



4. The Plague of Egyptian Cattle

Ipuwer papyrus 5:5: All animals, their hearts weep. Cattle moan. Exodus 9:3: Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be grievous murrain (disease).



5. The Plague of the Firstborn of Egypt

Ipuwer Papyrus 2:13: He who places his brother in the ground is everywhere. Exodus 12:27: He (the angel of the Lord) smote the Egyptians. Ipuwer Papyrus 4:3: Forsooth, the children of princes are dashed against the walls. Exodus 12:29: At midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Ipuwer Papyrus 6:12: Forsooth, the children of the princes are cast out in the streets, Exodus 12:30: There was not a house where there was not one dead.



6. Response of the Egyptians to the Loss of their First born

Ipuwer Papyrus 3:14: It is groaning that is throughout the land, mingled with lamentations. Exodus 12:30: There was a great cry in Egypt.



In light of the ample evidence accumulated from ancient Jewish and Greek historians, together with the Ipuwer Papyrus that parallels several of the 10 Biblical plagues, it is clear that there is compelling non-Biblical evidence to confirm the scriptural account about the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Further proof of the Exodus is the fact; the Jews have annually celebrated three great festivals in commemoration of their Exodus (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles) for 3500 years. Therefore, logically, the public observance of the Exodus Passover festival can only be explained if the Jewish people actually participated in these historical events as recorded in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.





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2007-09-24 08:07:40 UTC
Well, it is so difficult to really know, because some said the Bible based on the Srimad Bhagavatam, many histories there, like about Jesus is just too similar with the pastimes of the Lord Krishna and Am and Eve were demigods that had fallen from paradise because of an offence there. Also that the name of Jesus and everything else was prophetically written on the Bavista Purana; other said that Jesus is buried in Kasimira and even show they address on the web, other said he was just a creation of human mind and the Bible made up based on the above scriptures and others histories.
good tree
2007-09-24 08:00:34 UTC
I am no scholar, but I believe in God after I met Him, and only because of that. However, I have read a lot about the evidence of the new testament claims about Jesus and have decided it is true. The Old Testament therefore becomes true for me based on the fact that Jesus is alive and is God and is therefore trustworthy. The historical evidence for the OT is not my speciality but I did find a website, a bit dry for my liking, that claims to have proof of the exodus. Please feel free to connect to it and peruse, maybe you will understand it better than I can, maybe you can even come up with counter-evidence, however, the proof appears to be there.
Devil_dave
2007-09-24 14:47:25 UTC
Charriots found in the red sea????????????? (prev answer)

Funny, after ten minutes of searching the only sites I can find this on are those wierd Christian ones.. not on the BBC or any other site does this feature.

Further more the sites claim to have photos but... hmnnn text only... strange.



Just proves that most of the hard line Christians do not have the 1st clue about the history of Christianity.



To answer the question. You will probably find some truth in most of the bibles storys, however the will be groomed by the viewpoints of the people of the time and or altered slightly for dramatic purposes.
?
2016-04-06 02:53:39 UTC
I believe the bible is true in the time it was written for the people it was written to, and has many application to us today. To me there is too much perfection within it for it to be a human creation. The holes and unanswered questions are there to produce mystery and encourage faith. Between 13 ad 33 Jesus was probably doing what every boy of Israel was doing. Growing up, learning the Pentateuch, Psalms, and other Old Testament writings.
Pirate AM™
2007-09-24 07:38:23 UTC
I'd modify your "virtually no" to none. The christian reply is often that the Egyptians covered it up as no one likes to be embarrassed by slaves leaving. This would mean that the Egyptians, with near "god like" powers, erased 200 to 400 years of writing and records.



Edit:

The dating of Jericho burning is in the early 15th century, Hebrew culture was not seen until the around the 13th century.



The most compelling piece of real evidence is that there were a nomadic people begging for water on Egypt's borders and were called a name that sound similar to Hebrew (sorry, the spelling escapes me at the present). A possible piece of evidence is that there are a few "Proto-Sementic" inscriptions, dated to the 18th to 16th centuries, that show the Egyptians had slaves from the Canaan region.

That's it for evidence.
peterngoodwin
2007-09-24 08:07:57 UTC
The story in Exodus sends a message to our present world and I would not be surprised, we're to glean info from it. Two million people left Egypt for the promise land because the 600,000 men had a typical family where there's three others (2 kids &wife). God brought on all the plagues to illustrates man's unwillingness to listen to Him or His prophets in spite of warnings followed by disasters; they still stubornly did not listen (just like today, they refuse to listen) To lose a first born child is horrible and Pharoah was warned that plague was next to strike all of Egypt but he refused to cooperate. Now the major illustration: Blood was applied to the doorposts and top of door (a cross- top and sides) of each Israeli household to keep death of the firstborn from happening in their home; when God saw the Blood He would PASSOVER that household and not kill the firstborn. The blood sacrifice applies today: we who have faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, will be passed over when it comes to the judgement of God, because He sees the blood.
Chunky
2007-09-24 07:57:20 UTC
Israelite’s never escape from slavery in Egypt; they were hired mercenaries at the time.

The pharaoh didn’t want them around in fear that their population would increase and try to take over Egypt (every true historian knows this).

But you can’t put that in a Bible, it makes you look bad.

Moses was a general (that’s the closest definition we have today), some of his tactics are used today in warfare.

I’m sure the plagues have happened in a way, just not same meaning.

The only thing that really did happen the day Moses was told to get out was the looting they did.

If anything this was the real plague they were talking about.

They probably descried their looting, raping and pillaging as locust eating the crops, understand?
The Mad cyclist
2007-09-24 10:12:49 UTC
Some of what you read has been passed down verbally through generations and written down later. Therefore it is inevitable that it will not be a precise scientific account. I personaly am not too concerned about the literal truth of these accounts. I don't think that is necessary to believe in everything literally in order to have faith
kent_shakespear
2007-09-24 07:38:51 UTC
in addition to made-up stories, there is long precedence for stories of actual events being exaggerated and beefed up to make a "better" story - whether more entertaining or more supportive of a doctrine trying to be enforced. Hollywood does it all the time (on the supposedly "entertaining" side); so do political pundits (on the doctrinal side).



so some biblical stories may be based upon an element of actual histiry, but are no doubt quite inflated and slanted to promote the intentions of the authors.
monkey
2007-09-24 07:48:42 UTC
I believe the stories translated into the old testament to be true. Those in the new testament are often just regurgitated from the original.



I find it harder to believe that oxygen, gravity, night and day, the 'laws of physics' were created by a big bang.



However, having met a large number of unusual people I sometimes think that there could be credence that humans are evolved from apes.
2007-09-24 07:52:22 UTC
the new testament was made up by the romans in an attempt to cling on to their collapsing empire.

i think old testament stories are based on true stories that that were considered unusual or amazing to people at the time. But are all natural events have nothing to do with any sort of god. ther is evidence for the exedus,sodom and gommorah, and many other stories even those dating back to before the babylonian civilisation
AngelsFan
2007-09-24 07:37:00 UTC
'Evidence That Demands a Verdict' by Josh McDowell will solve all your problems.There is indeed much archeological evidence for the Exodus.Including the walls of Jericho and the burning of Ai.
2007-09-24 07:39:36 UTC
It is a kind of story book written by 40 monks years after the Jesus died.

Designed basically to make gullible human beings god-fearing, pay tithes and just follow what was written.

That's all.
Jerusalem Delivered
2007-09-24 07:43:09 UTC
Numberology [number science] is fundamental to a comprehensive understanding of the Hebrew scriptures. Numbers can be symbolic, just like pretty much anything else.
Smart_Guy
2007-09-24 07:36:35 UTC
Actually there is prove. There is prove that Jews lived in Egypt. Its even recorded in Egyptian history books.
2007-09-24 07:42:33 UTC
Bible= Best Fiction Novel ever written.
2007-09-24 07:35:52 UTC
They're likely a mixture of truth and myth.
2007-09-24 07:38:41 UTC
It seems your mind is already made up. But to answer your question Yes they are all actual true accounts. Come to Christ.
Furqaan
2007-09-24 15:38:23 UTC
You mke your mind true, or made up?
2007-09-24 07:36:52 UTC
The Bible say,s it was inspired by Holy men by God,so if you can,t believe the Bible then you can,t be of God.
Hippie Man Aka Penguin Crusade
2007-09-24 07:34:43 UTC
ever read Grim? kinda the same idea but older.
Iron Serpent
2007-09-24 07:47:43 UTC
What about the Egyptian chariots and skeletons of men and horses that have been found at the bottom of the Red Sea?



If God created the Universe, earth and Man, is he incapable of protecting his people through the wilderness?



Kings of more modern times have recorded only their victories and not their defeats and have often tried to erase anything historical that is contrary to their personal or nationalistic image or to the ideology they are trying to inculcate in their people. Even in recent times rulers have tried to obliterate the works and reputations of their predecessors. Anything regarded as embarrassing or distasteful was left out of Egyptian inscriptions or effaced as soon as possible. An example is the chiseling away by her successor, Thutmose III, of the name and representation of Queen Hatshepsut on a stone monumental record uncovered at Deir al-Bahri in Egypt. - Archaeology and Bible History, by J. P. Free, 1964, p. 98



Egyptologist John Ray says: “Her (Queen Hatshepsut) inscriptions were erased, her obelisks surrounded by a wall, and her monuments forgotten. Her name does not appear in later annals.”



Manetho, an Egyptian priest who evidently hated the Jews, wrote in the Greek language about 280 B.C.E. The Jewish historian Josephus quotes Manetho as saying that the ancestors of the Jews “entered Egypt in their myriads and subdued the inhabitants,” and then Josephus says that Manetho “goes on to admit that they were afterwards driven out of the country, occupied what is now Judaea, founded Jerusalem, and built the temple.” - Against Apion, I, 228 (26).



While Manetho’s account is in general very unhistorical, the significant fact is that he mentions the Jews as being in Egypt and as going out, and in further writings, according to Josephus, he identifies Moses with Osarsiph, an Egyptian priest, indicating that, even though Egyptian monuments do not record the fact, the Jews were in Egypt and Moses was their leader. Josephus speaks of another Egyptian historian, Chaeremon, who says that Joseph and Moses were driven out of Egypt at the same time; also Josephus mentions a Lysimachus who tells a similar story. - Against Apion, I, 228, 238 (26); 288, 290 (32); 299 (33); 304-311 (34).



A study of the monuments in Egypt reveals that the Egyptians did not record matters uncomplimentary to themselves. However, an even more powerful testimony than stone monumental evidence is the living monument of the observance of the Passover by the Jews, who have commemorated the Exodus in this way throughout their entire history.



On the part of the writer of Exodus “an intimate acquaintance with Ancient Egypt may be discerned. The position of the Egyptians with respect to foreigners—their separation from them, yet their allowance of them in their country, their special hatred of shepherds, the suspicion of strangers from Palestine as spies—their internal government, its settled character, the power of the King, the influence of the Priests, the great works, the employment of foreigners in their construction, the use of bricks, . . . and of bricks with straw in them, . . . the taskmasters, the embalming of dead bodies, the consequent importation of spices, . . . the violent mournings, . . . the fighting with horses and chariots . . .—these are a few out of the many points which might be noted marking an intimate knowledge of Egyptian manners and customs on the part of the author of the Pentateuch.”—The Historical Evidences of the Truth of the Scripture Records, by George Rawlinson, 1862, pp. 290, 291.



There is strong ground for accepting the historical accuracy and the general narrative as given in Exodus. According to Westcott and Hort, Jesus and the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures quote or refer to Exodus more than 100 times. The integrity of the writer Moses attests to the book’s authenticity. He points out with the greatest candor his own weaknesses, his hesitancy, and his mistakes, not attributing anything of the miracles, leadership, and organization to his own prowess, though he was acknowledged as great by the Egyptians and, in the main, much respected by Israel.



In his book Israel in Egypt, Egyptologist James K. Hoffmeier says: “Archaeological data clearly demonstrates that Egypt was frequented by the peoples of the Levant [countries bordering on the eastern Mediterranean], especially as a result of climatic problems that resulted in drought . . . Thus, for a period roughly from 1800 to 1540 B.C., Egypt was an attractive place for the Semitic-speaking people of western Asia to migrate.”



So, the Israelites were captive in Egypt and left. The absence of the account in Egyptian history is not proof that it did not happen by any stretch of the imagination.



It is interesting that the 10 plagues amounted to a calculated humiliation of the mythological gods of Egypt:



1. Nile and other waters turned to blood - Nile-god Hapi disgraced.



2. Frogs - Frog-goddess Heqt powerless to prevent it.



3. Dust turned to gnats - Thoth, lord of magic, could not help the Egyptian magicians.



4. Gadflies on all Egypt except Goshen where Israel dwelt - No god was able to prevent it—not even Ptah, creator of the universe, or Thoth, lord of magic.



5. Pestilence on livestock - Neither sacred cow-goddess Hathor or Apis the bull could prevent this plague.



6. Boils - Healer deities Thoth, Isis, and Ptah unable to help.



7. Thunder and hail - Exposed the impotence of Reshpu,

controller of lightning, and Thoth, god of rain and thunder.



8. Locusts - This was a blow to the fertility-god Min, protector of crops.



9. Three days of darkness - Ra, the preeminent sun-god, and Horus, a solar god, disgraced.



10. Death of the firstborn including Pharaoh’s, who was considered to be a god incarnate - Ra (Amon-Ra), sun-god and sometimes represented as a ram, was unable to impede it.
Curious
2007-09-24 07:36:22 UTC
plagarize
Marty
2007-09-24 07:40:51 UTC
no they are not made up
kenny p
2007-09-24 07:48:26 UTC
true
Flash
2007-09-24 07:40:49 UTC
It's all chinese whispers.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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