The story of how two eruptions of Thera led to the birth of the god of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
The story of how two eruptions of Thera led to the birth of the god of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Ancient (general), Old testament
Of all the volcanic eruptions that shook the earth, two of the volcano on the Aegean island Thera, modern Santorini, are more important to the modern world than any other. Not only did they lead to the formation of the people known as the Israelites, but indirectly also gave birth to the god of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The biblical Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is closely linked to these two eruptions, the second which occurred ca. 1450-1410 BCE during the reign of Amenhotep III, Egypt’s golden pharaoh. The fallout of the eruption caused a deadly plague to break out in Egypt and to appease the perceived anger of the gods, Amenhotep ordered all firstborn in Egypt to be sacrificed in fires. His firstborn son, Crown Prince Tuthmosis, was first in line to be sacrificed, but was saved from the fire in the nick of time, an event recorded as the ‘burning bush’ episode in the Bible. Prince Tuthmosis became the biblical Moses and the events of that followed are now finally revealed.
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The history behind the events of the Bible is curious, trying to find reality in fact. "Thera and the Exodus: The Exodus explained in Terms of Natural Phenomena and the Human Response to It" is an intriguing and different interpretation of the Biblical story of Exodus. Riaan Booysen seeks to tell the story of the Thera volcano's unrest, and how the Amenhotep III, ordered a sacrifice of all the first born to appease the Gods, and how his own first born was saved...and that this son would become Moses. An intriguing take on the legend trying to connect human nature with natural history, "Thera and the Exodus" is an enticing read for a different take on ancient history, highly recommended. ~ Paul T. Vogel, MBR Bookwatch
His work, Thera and the Exodus, is not antireligious; to the contrary, it is a well-organized, scholarly, richly illustrated, and heavily footnoted effort to prove that the great migration of the Jewish people out of Egypt under Moses did occur. ... Even if readers disagree with the conclusions Booysen puts forth ... those who like their Bible more for history than theology will greatly appreciate and thoroughly enjoy Thera and the Exodus. Booysen’s grasp of, and evident enthusiasm for, Egyptology in particular is evident. He has delved deep into the history, legend, and archaeological evidence of the land of the pharaohs, and any who share his interests will find this book utterly fascinating and engrossing. Read full review here: https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/thera-and-the-exodus/ ~ ForeWord Clarion Review: Four stars (out of Five), https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/thera-and-the-exodus/
Interesting combo of history and archeology - You will never think of history in the same way again. Thera (now called Santorini) was a monster of a Greek volcano which erupted circa 1500 B.C. and 1350 B.C. A great read. ~ Amazon review, Five stars (out of Five)
The more I read about ancient history--the more it becomes apparent how little we can truly know about the details and reality of what took place in the fascinating, turbulent, and sparsely documented lives of our ancestors. Thera and the Exodus is a treatise which attempts the gargantuan feat of sifting through vast jigsaw puzzle pieces of historical fact mixed in with misleading bits of legend posing as the truth, and tries to painstakingly separate the two--ultimately threading together a picture that may explain the real reasons behind the Exodus. "I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the historical events that may have been the inspiration for biblical stories; and especially to anyone already invested in the subject." What was the book’s purpose and did it achieve it? (4/4) Was it interesting? (Writing/Style) (2/4) - Author's comment: it was never intended to read like a novel, but rather to present my theories in a scientific manner Was it original? (4/4) Was it organized (grammar/structure/theme)? (3/4) - Author's comment: it is very difficult to present so much information in brief format - please bear with me Was it well researched? (4/4) ~ Online Book Club (3/4), http://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/index.php?id=162&p=2132
