Customer Reviews

The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist's Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

This book is an excellent example of applying scientific logic to a fuzzy historical problem. Starting with a few basic assumptions, i.e., that Moses did exist (although he does point out that some scholars argue this point), that the Exodus did take place (although some scholars point out that there may have been more than one), and by interpreting the Book of Exodus as literally as possible, the author, a physicist, does a most admirable job of carefully analyzing the ancient writings in the light of modern scientific knowledge. The end results are twofold: 1) a reconstruction of the wanderings of Moses and the Hebrew slaves that does not agree with convention, and 2) credible scientific explanations for the various miracles described, e.g., the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the crossing of the River Jordan, etc. The tremendous amount of research done in writing this book stands out, as does the author's passion for the subject matter. The result is a most absorbing account of the application of the scientific method to an intriguing historical problem. It now remains to be seen whether archaeology will prove the author right. Difficult to put down.

Then pick this book up. Usually I'm skeptical on reading books that "solve" history problems, but the book was on sale, and I needed something to read. Now I can't stop reading it. Far from being written like a textbook (god knows I have enough of those to deal with), this is much more light. It's in the format of a story, with you and the author as the detective. He poses the questions to you, as the reader, to come up with your own conclusions.

I'm still not finished reading it, but I don't anticipate this book losing what I like best about it- the historical accuracy. In books like these, most authors will only show there view. Occasionally, for good measure, they'll stick in a comment from the opposing side (and usually in the process will belittle that person). Thats not the case here. The author actually made sure every step of the way his information was actually correct, and established that with assorted individuals with great credentials. Not only that, but he poses all plausible scenarios, with pros and cons for each. I might also add he's getting things right. I just took a few classes that can coincide with it, from some very conservative professors (not a bad thing for historians. I'm almost positive that if I handed them this book, they'd agree. Try doing that with a Graham Hancock book- you won't get far.

This book doesn't rewrite history, it simply provides an argument on some of the greatest mysteries surrounding the Exodus. Where was Mount Sinai? What routes did the Israelites take? He uses different types of sciences (archaeology, geology, etc) to answer these questions, as well as linguistics and generally history.

If you're concerned about the religious context, it can be taken either way. I'm not religious, but I love biblical archaeology. For those of you who are, fear not- the author states in the beginning of the book that far from disproving anything, he proves that the events of the Exodus were even more miraculous.

I would recommend this book to any history buff, whether professional or not. Even if you only have a slight interest in the topic matter, I'm sure this book will keep you reading.

This is the kind of book I'd normally scan for a few main items of interest. Instead, I found myself reading every word and I couldn't read anything else until I had finished the book.

Other reviewers (Paul Thomas, in particular) have given good accounts of what the book is about. Contrary to a couple of review comments, I found the author's relatively unsophisticated writing style to be a big plus. Humphreys, a man of obviously prodigious talents in several fields, writes in an easily understandable manner. I really liked the transparently human quality reflected in his excitement in finding potential solutions to this amazing puzzle. Unlike a lot of writng by academicians, it reflects a genuine person with a real life, emotions, and curiosity.

Also, I think the one reviewer not buying every detail of Humphreys' theory is a bit misleading, if not unfair. There's way too much here that is highly credible and extremely interesting to take such a dismissive attitude.

My only negative is that better maps and photos would have been nice.

In sum, though, it's a truly fascinating read that radically brings to life the Exodus event; and it should spawn considerable discussion and debate for years to come.

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.

This isn't the kind of book I'd normally pick up. But from the first page I was hooked. It was really refreshing to hear about the Bible from a man who's a committed Christian *and* a scientist. Humphreys takes the writings of Exodus and shows that, although events have natural causes, this makes them more miraculous than ever - the fact that the Red Sea parted just when it was most needed is indeed a true miracle of timing! Humphreys spices things up with quirky personal anecdotes scattered throughout the book, making this is a great read for anyone who likes popular science books, religious or not.

Some people seem to believe that science and religion are not compatible. However as a religious person myself I was very pleased that Humphreys, himself a committed Christian as well as a scientist, has employed science to, if anything, bolster the case for religion. Using scientific research and reasoning he shows the biblical account of the Exodus to be incredibly accurate, even down to tiny details. Even more importantly, Humphreys stresses that a scientific explanation of the Exodus Miracles does not mean in any way that they were not true miracles - rather, he emphasises, they were miracles of timing because everything happened at just the right moment. I loved this book!!!!

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.

This is a fascinating and convincing account of a scientist's search for the actual route by which Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to Mount Sinai. The writer displays wide interests and knowledge and yet writes in a highly readable way that any layman can understand. He shows clearly how and exactly where the Biblical story could have unfolded. Professor Humphreys is a Christian, who makes it clear that he sees the hand of God working through natural and scientifically explicable events. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to look beneath the miraculous surface of the story of Moses.

This is the kind of book that is very hard to put down once you start reading it. I also have to highly commend the author for his upfront honesty about how he arrives at his conclusions. This sort of honesty is often lacking in many of the books written about the Bible, no matter what aspect of it is that they explore. I'm sure some Bible literalists will summarily dismiss this book but I find this book strongly supportive of the reality of the writings in the Bible. It helps to portray God as a spiritual force and inspiration rather than a "cosmic magician". All in all a great read!