Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Miracles of Exodus : A Scientist's Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories by Colin J. Humphreys ISBN: 0-06-051404-3 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.82 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Serious and Entertaining Explanation of the Exodus Story
Comment: Colin Humphreys, a Cambridge University Physicist, has produced a complete and coherent natural/scientific explanation of the 'miracles' of Exodus that deserves to be widely read and seriously considered, whether or not one agrees with 100% of his arguments or inferences. It is, in fact, the author's intention to stimulate discussion of the historicity of the written story of Exodus using scientific and rational arguments. His identification of the locations of Mt. Sinai and the 'Re(e)d Sea' crossing, and his explanation for how the crossing occurred, are by far the most interesting parts of the book and these chapters alone make the entire book worth reading.
The book is written in an entertaining style so that one is immediately caught up in the author's personal detective story concerning other Exodus mysteries such as how the plagues occurred and in the sequence they did, or the route taken by the Israelites out of Egypt, as well as more minor yet fascinating issues such as how the burning bush burned without being consumed, how Pharaoh entrapped the host, why Pharaoh didn't further pursue the host, or even really minor yet still fascintating questions such as how bitter water was made sweet, or how the feast of quails occurred and what the heck is 'mana' anyway and was does it dissolve in the sun? The book is a cornucopia of interesting information and insights.
His explanations of the events in the Exodus story draw upon a variety of scientific disciplines and historical sources. He employs sound logical inferences in making his arguments concerning the plagues, routes, events and site locations involved in the story, and even his speculations are not so wild as to be discarded out of hand. Importantly, he clearly distinguishes between the scientifc facts presented and his own interpretations and inferences, including the degree to which he feels he is 'strectching'. The book is thus a serious attempt to provide valid answers to the many perplexing issues of this most famous story.
Yes, he is a Christian, and yes he does believe in the authenticity of the Old Testament, but on the latter point he is far from being alone, even among agnostics, since more and more research (particularly archaeological) has shown that the Old Testament is a remarkably accurate 'family history' that deals mostly with actual events recorded factually.
There is neither Christian proselytizing nor alien wackiness in this book, just a serious yet entertainingly written and truly fascinating thesis that is complete, coherent (perhaps occassionally 'strechted') but extremely engaging read. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 5
Summary: Incredible, fascinating, & amazingly logical.
Comment: Until I read this book, I never even remotely thought that the biblical story of the Exodus could ever stand up to scientific scrutiny. This book sheds new light on the credibility of the Hebrew Bible, proves the validity of the Jewish claim to not only what is Israel but to an even much larger area of land, and shows that over 3000 years later, mankind has not learned from the lessons of the past.
Rating: 5
Summary: Really cool
Comment: I thought this was a really fascinating book. Some readers may get a bit of a chuckle out of the author's exuberant and earnestly dramatic writing style, but that doesn't really matter much when his arguments are so well-defended. In particular, his discussion of the real Mt. Sinai is alone worth the price of the book.
For hundreds of years, the most learned men on the planet scorned those who dared suggest that Homer's Iliad documented an actual battle, at an actual city - until Heinrich Schliemann (amateur) proved them all wrong. And amateur linguist Michael Ventris likewise showed up the scholars with his famous translation of Linear B script. I wonder if Mr. Humphreys (whose area of professional expertise lies elsewhere) may have done something similar here with his book. Basically every serious archaelogist in the world has dismissed the Exodus as largely (if not entirely) fictional; and yet, as Humphreys shows, many of these dismissive conclusions derive from probably flawed assumptions due to mistranslations, errant dating, etc. His ideas and evidences seem to make so much more sense than every other take on the events recorded in Exodus that it is hard to not to feel he is really on to something.
This book's arguments are really intriguing. It's a great read regardless of whether one is a devout believer or a skeptic.
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
