14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new scientific study, it would appear that the Red Sea may have been parted by winds blowing in a very specific way, rather than by the cane-wielding Moses.
The data goes against the teaching contained in the Book of Genesis, which holds that the prophet Moses parted the Red Sea to allow for the fleeting Israelites to get to safety.
The group was trapped between the body of water and an advancing army made up of the Pharaoh's men, whose mission was to kill every last one of the men.
But legend has it that Moses held up his cane, and that the waters receded, allowing the fugitives to get to the other side. When the army followed them through, the waters collapsed, drowning them all.
New, experts at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) argue that the parting of the Red Sea may have had little to do with divine intervention, and more with a fortuitous turn of events.
According to a recent investigation, it would appear that winds blowing in that particular region of the Mediterranean Sea may be capable of parting the waters in the manner described in the Book of Genesis.
Study team member Carl Drews explains that strong east winds may have been responsible for creating the impression of divine intervention.
After blowing all night long, these air movements may have produced a cleared strip of land at the exact location where the Israelites supposedly fled Egypt.
This particular location is the former site on an ancient river, which eventually merged with a coastal lagoon along the Mediterranean Sea, OurAmazingPlanet reports.
“People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts. What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws,” Drews explains.
According to archaeologists and Egyptologists, the escape depicted in Exodus may have taken place an estimated 3,000 years ago. For a very long time researchers have been trying to determine whether the history depicted in Exodus is real or just fantasy.
The new investigation was conducted using a computer model, which in the end yielded results that were extremely in tune with the details of the passing, as provided by the account.
Winds beating with a speed of 101 kilometers per hour (63 mph), and lasting for about 12 hours, may have cleared a volume of water sufficiently large to allow for the passing of the Israelites.
The team says that an area about 2 to 2.5 miles (3.2 to 4 kilometers) long and 3 miles (4.8 km) wide may have had its waters removed. The average depth was considered to be 1.8 meters.
The result would have been an exposed mud flat, that would have remained so for about 4 hours, sufficient time for the fugitives to escape.
“The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus. The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics,” Drews says.
“The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in,” he concludes.
Details of the new investigation appear in the latest online issue of the esteemed open-access journal PLoS ONE.