You might already know this, but that’s kind of the whole point of the story in the Bible. Based on what I’ve read, their trip should have, ironically, only taken 11 days. The problem was that most of them lacked faith that God could help them do what he told them to do, so instead God made them wander the wilderness so that the younger generation would learn from the additional trials of their parents that God provides a way.
So they just kept following that one guy who has an abysmal sense of direction but who is also freakishly good at convincing everyone that he knows what he is doing. Then he died of old age and someone just went “hey look, the exit sign is right there”
Wait, are you implying that religion is… stupid? Couldn’t be. All the magic and hatred.
Also, “40” is supposedly a number that’s meant to signify “long enough to get the job done”, which is why it rains 40 days and nights, why Jesus is in the desert for 40 days…
The real strength of Yaweh is that It kept the Jews corralled for 40 years. (I’ve decided to start using It for deities. What’s It gonna do, smite me?)
I love the Caligula type scene in 10 Commandments to demonstrate their lack of faith. Women flailing togas as they roll around golden calf idles. Classic.
The deification of Macedonian monarchs perhaps began with the death of Philip II, yet it was his son Alexander the Great who unambiguously claimed to be a living god. As pharaoh of the Egyptians, he was already entitled as Son of Ra and considered the living incarnation of Horus by his Egyptian subjects (a belief that the Ptolemaic successors of Alexander would foster for their own dynasty in Egypt). However, following his visit to the oracle of Didyma in 334 BC that suggested his divinity, he traveled to the Oracle of Zeus Ammon (the Greek equivalent of the Egyptian Amun-Ra) at the Siwa Oasis of the Libyan Desert in 332 BC to confirm his divine status. After the priest there convinced him that Philip II was merely his mortal father and Zeus his actual father, Alexander began styling himself as the ‘Son of Zeus.’
Alexander the Great: “I am God.”
Don’t trust times from the Bible. There used to be lunar years and shite.
Also the creation story has days before there was earth. I.e. just a random period where stuff happened. You could justify that time flows differently for God but that’s not relevant to your point.
It also says night was separated from day before stars were created… I don’t know how you have day without the sun.
Edit: The Christian apologetics are coming out of the woodworks for this one.
I mean, English also distinguishes the sun from the stars in non-technical language. “You can’t see any stars during the day, because the sun is too bright,” for example.
“Thumb” and “fingers” show a similar relationship. In some contexts the odd one out belongs to the set in question, and in others it doesn’t.
Edit: you’re right - this point is moot because the sun wasn’t created until Day 4 anyway.
Sure, but it doesn’t say he created the sun. It says he created light. Then only later he fills the sky with stars.
Kind of tracks with the big bang. First there’s a high energy concentrated field including photos and light, then stars form later on.
Not even close. The earth didn’t exist before light from the big bang.
Yeah, but that’s a different point. Light did exist before stars, and both of them, as well as the day/night cycle (elsewhere), existed before earth.
No, it’s the exact same point. You can’t separate night from day without an earth for there to night and day on (in the context of the Bible).
“Let there be light.” Solar ignition.
All this while leaving absolutely no archaeological trace whatsoever, be it in Egypt or in the desert.
They burned their trash. Hence the burning bush.
“What? A guy can’t want to take the scenic route for a change?” -Yahweh, probably
At the time they were Hebrews, not Jews. Also no one says YHWH, it is a poor transliteration of unpronounced letters
One of the greatest generals, a living god, with superior military technology and tactics goes on a long conquest.
A refugee population following one god wandering around the desert. Macedonians had other gods as well.
The Jews were so poor, they only had one god.
It had always baffled me how “fast” humans can be. You could walk from Mexico to Canada in less than a year while keeping a healthy diet and sleep schedule. It doesn’t make any sense.
The real issue is keeping supplied along the way!
And not getting lost.
Soldiers marching vs a population of old, young and everything in between. So just 3,6x faster. Seems normal
Uh, but the Macedonian route is also much, much longer.
47 days, from Egypt to Mount Sinai, then they were wandering around for the remaining 40 years.
“You go yahweh and I’ll go my way” said Alexander the Great, probably.
