Premium
Geological events in the bible
Author(s) -
Bentor Y.K.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.1989.tb00382.x
Subject(s) - mount , geology , landslide , flood myth , volcanism , volcano , atmosphere (unit) , paleontology , earth science , archaeology , seismology , history , tectonics , meteorology , geography , computer science , operating system
The books of the bible contain numerous, frequently very exact, descriptions of geological events. Some of these are discussed here: earthquakes and their accompanying landslides (the crossing of the River Jordan), seiches and tsunamis (the flood), flooding (Sodom and Gomorrah), faulting, burning gas seepages (the Burning Bush) and volcanism (Mount Sinai). These geological events appear in the biblical text mainly for artistic reasons; they serve as a suitable background to dramatize the biblical account; they create a supernatural atmosphere for the main stories, but the time and place at which they occurred are of no importance to the narrator and might be shifted freely.