A Florida State University professor has announced that "rare conditions" could have conspired to create "hard-to-see ice on the Sea of Galilee" that a person could have walked on, back when Jesus is "said to" have walked on water.
I know it sounds like an April Fool's joke -- and we can't rule out that possibility -- but it appears that this is report is meant to be taken seriously. The Washington Post has now published the theory too.
The study, which examines a combination of favorable water and environmental conditions, proposes that Jesus could have walked on an isolated patch of floating ice on what is now known as Lake Kinneret in northern Israel.
Looking at temperature records of the Mediterranean Sea surface and using analytical ice and statistical models, scientists considered a small section of the cold freshwater surface of the lake. The area studied, about 10,000 square feet, was near salty springs that empty into it.
The results suggest temperatures dropped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius) during one of the two cold periods 2,500 –1,500 years ago for up to two days, the same decades during which Jesus lived.
With such conditions, a floating patch of ice could develop above the plumes resulting from the salty springs along the lake's western shore in Tabgha. Tabgha is the town where many archeological findings related to Jesus have been found.
"We simply explain that unique freezing processes probably happened in that region only a handful of times during the last 12,000 years," said Doron Nof, a Florida State University Professor of Oceanography. "We leave to others the question of whether or not our research explains the biblical account."
Nof figures that in the last 120 centuries, the odds of such conditions on the low latitude Lake Kinneret are most likely 1-in-1,000. But during the time period when Jesus lived, such “spring ice” may have formed once every 30 to 60 years.
Hoo boy. I don't know whether this scientist's original goal was to support or to challenge the biblical story, but I do know that trying to explain miracles from a scientific standpoint is usually an exercise in futility. This would be a good example.
What are the odds that temperatures just happened to drop to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius) "during one of the two cold periods 2,500 –1,500 years ago for up to two days" during the exact three years when Jesus was engaged in his active ministry on earth?
That alone sounds so improbable that it would have to be described as -- dare I write it? -- a miracle.
What are the odds that these freak conditions -- normally occurring only once in 10,000 years -- created a small, invisible patch of ice exactly where Jesus was walking -- but in such a small area that it did not interfere with navigation of the disciples' boat nor save Peter from slipping into the water -- yet created ice thick and strong enough to support a grown man's weight without breaking or tipping?
Have any of these scientists ever tried walking across a small patch of invisible ice on the ocean in a storm?
I'm not clear from the news summary how thick or thin this once-in-10,000-years (or once-in-30-to 60-years ice) supposedly was. How thick could it have been if the cold snap lasted for a maximum of only "two days"?
Nor is it clear from the report how Jesus could have reached over and pulled Peter up when he started to sink (Matthew 14:22-32) without slipping off this invisible ice floe himself, but I guess we'll have to take it on faith (so to speak) that this whole ice thing is possible.
Ironically, the Bible story in question is about faith -- and lack thereof:
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
But I suppose scientists cannot resist trying to explain things from a purely scientific standpoint. That is their job description, after all.
And even more exciting studies are in the works!
In future reports, scientists intend to prove that:
- Jesus possibly used "chum" to attract large quantities of fish for his disciples' nets
- Jesus may have used "Fish Helper" to extend "a few small fish" into enough to feed thousands
- Jesus could have ascended into heaven with the help of a giant pulley
Stay tuned!
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More on this story at The Curt Jester and Brutally Honest
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