Sodom and Gomorrah...Yikes!

Many of us are familiar with the Old Testament story of Sodom and Gomorrah.  If you're not familiar with it, you can check it out in Genesis 18 and 19.  Basically these cities were full of some pretty evil stuff, and God was going to destroy them with the exception of just a few faithful people, who He was going to allow to get out of the city before it's destruction.  In Genesis 19:24, the Bible says that the Lord rained "brimstone and fire" from heaven onto Sodom And Gomorrah.  (you can read this, and any other Bible verses online at www.youversion.com)

The cities, which have been discovered and carefully examined, are located in the plains area near the Dead Sea.  An early historian named Josephus (37-100 AD) recorded that during the time of his life these cities could still be seen...and they still remain today.  I won't go over all the mountains of evidence for the existence of the cities, and how they match up perfectly with the Biblical account...but there's lots of information and videos on the internet if you're interested in learning more.

For now, I'll share some pictures from the discovery of these toasted towns:

In the picture to the left you can see the ashen ruins of what are clearly remains of building structures.

All of the structures have been burnt through, leaving everything in a flaky, ashy state.  With a little bit of force, the layers of ash can be pushed away.  The ground surrounding these buildings is ash as well.  The ash is formed by Calcium Sulfate and Calcium Carbonate, which are by-products of burning limestone and sulfur.

The swirling effect seen in the remains in this picture, was caused by thermal ionization, electrons repelling and attracting at a temperature of around 6,000 degrees.  (God does "hot" well, eh?)


Here is also a picture of one of the pieces of brimstone they found (white center) surrounded by a burn ring. 

Another picture of the ashen structure remains.  The structure on the right is the remains of a tower.











Obviously, this is just a high level overview of the findings of Sodom and Gomorrah.  And although I do love seeing the Bible come to life in our modern world, this finding is a little bit scary.  Not just because it actually happened, but because this is what divine judgment can look like.  I'd much rather be on the "well done, my good and faithful servant" end of the judgment spectrum!

Was Joseph...Imhotep?

As I continue working my way through the Bible, I'm taking time to research some of the different people, places and events that it mentions. Growing up in a Christian home, I took for granted that the Bible is not only the Word of God, but that it's also completely true.  Now, as an adult, I have a new appreciation for the Bible and it's historic integrity.  

The first thing I decided to look into was Joseph, son of Jacob.  The story of Joseph from the Old Testament is pretty well known...although the Broadway musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" isn't as accurate as what we find in Genesis!

I stumbled across some information about Imhotep (not the creepy guy from "The Mummy", the real dude) and was surprised at how many similarities there are between him and Joseph!  Here are a few of them:

1. Both second in command under Pharaoh 

2. Both lived to be 110

3. Both stored corn during 7 years of good harvest

4. Both feed their people during 7 years of famine

5. Both known for interpreting dreams

6. Joseph was called "Zaphnath-paaneah" which meant "Over Physicians", and Imhotep was a physician

7. Both initiated a tax of 1/5

8. Both were one of twelve siblings

Wow!  That's a lot of similarities...but maybe a lot of people come from families with 12 siblings, live to be 110, and are second in command under Pharaoh...?

Now, there is a problem with this theory.  The Biblical timeframe given for Joseph's life doesn't match up with the years that Imhotep was in Egypt under Pharaoh.  After researching this a little further, I discovered a rather large community of scientists, archaeologists and historians who, regardless of their religion, believe that Egyptian chronology is incorrect!  That would make Joseph being Imhotep more plausible.  I won't go into the details of how their could be flaws with Egyptian chronology, but the information is out there if someone wants to look further into it.

Whether or not Imhotep was actually Joseph of the Bible doesn't really matter...but it's a neat thought that we may be able to learn more about this biblical character by studying what was left behind by the Egyptian legend Imhotep. Just something I thought was interesting!