Transcript The Ten Plagues of Egypt

In 1996 two researchers describe the Plagues of Egypt in
scientific terms.
They claimed each preceding plague led to the next one.
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Treated as epidemiological puzzle with
rational causes.
Scientific disciplines consulted included
marine biology, entomology, epidemiology,
herpetology, infectious diseases, tropical
medicine animal virology, and Egyptology
7:19 And the LORD spake unto Moses,
Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and
stretch out thine hand upon the waters
of Egypt, upon their streams, upon
their rivers, and upon their ponds, and
upon all their pools of water, that they
may become blood; and that there
may be blood throughout all the land
of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and
in vessels of stone.
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Blood Impossible.
May have been a red algae bloom in the Nile and
tributaries.
May have infected ponds and adjacent pools of water.
Climate contributed to it.
Sold commercially, thought to be a unique protein bound
carbohydrate that supports body’s immune system.
Might have been Red Slime Algae (Cyanobacteria). Salt
water.
Might increase risk of bleeding.
Fresh water produces blooms of dinoflagellates.
Eukaryotic organisms that are not animal, plant. or fungi.
Secrete neurotoxins. Kills water life.
Blood from dying fish turns water red.
8:2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I
will smite all thy borders with frogs:
 8:3 And the river shall bring forth frogs
abundantly, which shall go up and come into
thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and
upon thy bed, and into the house of thy
servants, and upon thy people, and into thine
ovens, and into thy kneading troughs:
 8:4 And the frogs shall come up both on thee,
and upon thy people, and upon all thy
servants.
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Frogs/toads are not a plague. Frogs were worshiped.
The Nile floods annually and can sweep frogs into
homes.
Climate sometimes leads to ideal conditions for frog
and toad breeding. It happens annually in many
locals.
Frogs are edible and considered a delicacy.
Such increases are self limiting without water.
Spadefoot toads in Florida are size of raisins when
born. Estimated at one million.
Accumulations of aquatic wildlife such as
salamanders, minnows, fish, etc.
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Madagascar
Influx of alien poisonous toads came in shipping
containers.
Ecological threat to 400 species of frogs, toads,
amphibians and the food chain.
Cane toad intro to Australia in 1935 to control
cane beetles. Cost $700 million.
Ravaged other wildlife; caused evolution of
snakes. Brown snake in Guam.
Bullfrogs in the US.
Frogs considered evil by Catholic Church.
No fish to feed on frog eggs.
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Egyptian mythology – Frogs was symbol of
life and fertility because so many appeared
after Nile flooded annually
Frog Goddess named Heget. Woman with
frog head or frog on end of Phallus.
China, Indochina, Greece, Rome, South
America.
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8:16 And the LORD said unto Moses,
Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod,
and smite the dust of the land, that
it may become lice throughout all
the land of Egypt.
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Genus Culicoides – 1500 species of midge.
Can spread virus.
Live around stagnant water.
Not tsetse, black fly, horse fly, house fly.
Could be stable fly. Lays over 500 eggs and
bites.
Effects horses, cattle., camels, asses, goats,
sheep
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“If you do not let my people go I warn you, I
will loose swarms of flies upon you.”
Some translations refer to hoards of wild
animals that roam the land and prey upon
Egyptians.
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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 a
very grievous murrain.
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Foot and mouth disease.
African horse sickness. 95% die.
Drown in own fluids within 2 hours.
Blue tongue effects all ruminants.
Spread by midge called Culicoides.
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9:8 And the LORD said unto Moses and
unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of
ashes of the furnace, and let Moses
sprinkle it toward the heaven in the
sight of Pharaoh.
9:9 And it shall become small dust in
all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil
breaking forth with blains upon man,
and upon beast, throughout all the land
of Egypt.
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Not Bubonic plague, herpes and small pox.
Glanders bacterial infection carried by stable
fly.
Lymph nodes swell. Couls have been
mistaken for boils.
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9:18 Behold, to morrow about this
time I will cause it to rain a very
grievous hail, such as hath not been
in Egypt since the foundation thereof
even until now.
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Hail is a common occurrence, experienced in
all latitudes.
Can be as large as softballs.
Can be destructive to crops and livestock.
Can kill and maim humans.
Can be selective.
Animals were all killed off by previous
plagues.
10:4 Else, if thou refuse to let my
people go, behold, to morrow will I
bring the locusts into thy coast:
 10:5 And they shall cover the face of
the earth, that one cannot be able to
see the earth: and they shall eat the
residue of that which is escaped, which
remaineth unto you from the hail, and
shall eat every tree which groweth for
you out of the field.
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Common occurrence.
Grasshoppers grow into a special, large
generation with voracious appetite when
conditions are ripe.
Numbers can darken the sky.
Usually short lived.
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10:21 And the LORD said unto
Moses, Stretch out thine hand
toward heaven, that there may be
darkness over the land of Egypt,
even darkness which may be felt.
10:22 And Moses stretched forth his
hand toward heaven; and there was
a thick darkness in all the land of
Egypt three days
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Clouds from fires.
Clouds and ash from volcanic eruptions.
Atmospheric conditions, storm clouds.
Sand storms.
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11:4 And Moses said, Thus saith the
LORD, About midnight will I go out
into the midst of Egypt:
11:5 And all the firstborn in the land
of Egypt shall die, from the first born
of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his
throne, even unto the firstborn of
the maidservant that is behind the
mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
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Livestock virus and bacterial infections.
Human infections during hard times cause
deaths of most vulnerable.
Contagious infection of new mothers.
Spread by midwives.
Spread by religious and sanitary customs.
Caused by previous “plagues”.
Mark each house doorposts with blood from
sacrifice so God will passover.
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“Plagues” were a series of natural events.
“Plagues” led to further plagues.
Miraculous tricks were equaled by Pharaoh's
magicians.
“Plagues” were exaggerated. Imagine they
were only a fraction of what they were
claimed to be.
Total disasters cannot be repeated, total is
total.
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Chain of natural events triggered by changes in climate and
weather.
Not wrathful act of vengeful god.
Rameses the Second who ruled between 1279BC – 1213 BC. City of
Pi-Rameses on the Nile Delta.
Was abandoned about 3,000 years ago.
Dramatic shift in climate.
Stalagmites tell of weather patterns. Plentiful rain followed by dry
period.
Nile dried up.
Toxic waters killed frogs which caused outbreaks of mosquitoes.
Santorino, north of crete exploded 3,500 years ago spewing
billions of tons of ash into atmosphere.
Clashed with thunderstorms produced hail
anddarkness.Excavations have found pumice.
Death of first born caused by fungus that poisoned grain supplies.