Inspiration # 6

The Bible and History

If the Bible gives us true and actual records of events it is reasonable to expect that the people at the time of those happenings would have some record of them in either written or oral form. Consider a few of those things recorded in the scripture and compare them with human history and lore.

I. Traditions of Creation.
A. Greek mythology represents Prometheusas molding the first human beings of clay and giving them life by means of fire, stolen from heaven. Sound like a borrowed story?
B. Peruvian Indians referred to the first man as ‘Alpa Camasca’ or animated earth.
C. Mandans, a North American Indian Tribe, The Great Spirit formed two figures of clay and animated them with the breath of His mouth. One was called First man and the other ‘Companion’
D. Otahuitos, another Indian Tribe, ‘God made man of red earth.’ {Adam means ‘ruddy’}
E. Dyacks of Borneo said He made man of the dust of the earth.

II. Lineage of Patriarchs before the flood. The Bible tells us of a lineage of ten patriarchs from Adam to Noah. It would have seemed strange if the descendants of his three sons didn’t know about them.
A. Assyrian monuments tell of ten kings before the flood.
B. Legends of the Parsees of India tell of nine ‘Brahmadikas’ and Brahma who are called ‘the ten fathers.’
C. Chinese count ten emperors who reigned before recorded history.

III. The Deluge.
A. The Egyptian Tradition: The sun god Ra became so disgusted with the human race he determined to exterminate them.
B. The Chaldean Story; Kronos appeared to Xisthruthrus. Told him to build a huge boat. Following the flood he sent out some birds that failed to come back after the third time.
C. According to Hindu Legend: there are many points of commonality except in their version the flood lasts for several years.
D. Chinese tradition: Depicted in plaster in the Temple of 800 gods. Kwan Lin, Goddess of mercy looks down upon lonely Fu-He is in an ark among raging waves. Dove with olive branch flies toward vessel.
E. Mexico: Explorer, Von Humboldt told of five tribes in Mexico with paintings of a deluge at the time of one they called Cox- Cox.
F. Among the Fiji Islanders: After the Islands were peopled, a huge rain caused the oceans to rise but two canoes came rowed by one of the gods and saved eight of the people.

IV. Joshua’s long day. Josh 10:12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
Josh 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Josh 10:14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
A. Greece: Herodotus wrote that Egyptian priests told him of a day in which the sun rose twice in the west.
B. China: In the essays of Huainan, Tzu told of a long day in which the Duke of Yang needed more time to win a battle.
C. India: Legends of a time when the sun stood still to listen to the pious chants of Akroon about Krishna.

Next- The Bible And the Creator