Anthrax / Smallpox in Exodus

[Guest Nauticus]

Assuming (please, go with me on this) the Bible is a decent factual base, how much evidence is there for Smallpox or Type 1 or 2 Anthrax as the agent that plagued Egypt in the book of Exodus?

 

I am new, and would appreciate some help. If this should be phrased differently, please let me know.

[blike]

Well, do you have any reasons to suspect that it IS?

[Guest Nauticus]

Yes.

 

Now, I realize I could be wrong at any point here; please point that out to me.

 

From my research, I have determined that Thutmose III was pharoah during the Exodus (not Rameses V).

 

In his rule, he carried out multiple campaigns against the agrarian nations of Syria and Ethiopia. The plaque of the exodus bears a striking resembelance to Smallpox / Type 2 Anthrax.

 

I was wondering if any of you know of plaques occurring in the mediterranean area around 1450 B.C.

 

Also, would you say that Smallpox or Anthrax are likely candidates for these symptoms:

 

(Excerpt from Exodus)

So they gathered soot from the furnace and went to see Pharaoh. As Pharaoh watched, Moses tossed the soot into the air, and terrible boils broke out on the people and animals throughout Egypt.

 

I was considering that they might not have actually gotten the "soot" from a furnace, and that it might instead be spores...?

[YT2095]

wouldn`t Mosses have needed a HazMat suit to have survived it though?

[blike]

I'm sure google would yield some good information on ancient egyption plagues.

[YT2095]

apparently, one theory (and it sounds perfectly plausible as there are historic and geological evidence to support it).

that is wasn`t atcualy a plague at all, a volcano blew some hundreds of miles away, it rained down ash (mostly micro scopic glass splinters covered in sulphuric acid) it was THAT which caused the sores and the pain, our natural instinct would be to rub it off, that would make things worse!

the frogs came out of the water as the PH was too acidic also (they can sense that). the locusts happened regularly anyway, and naturaly the sky would go dark, and rivers turned red with oxides. The End

 

Source: Discovery Channel, "Great stories of the Bible" a few nights ago

 

[andy]

In an Ancient Egyptian book I have it says that Rameses skull bears evidence of Smallpox

[ed84c]

By MazMat suit i prosume u mean the same as NBC suit

[YT2095]

HAZMAT (HAZardous MATerial) yeah and NBC or ABC suit would do the same kinda thing

[atinymonkey]

andy said in post # :

In an Ancient Egyptian book I have it says that Rameses skull bears evidence of Smallpox

 

It does indeed. It was endemic during the period, Rameses V certainly show evidence he contracted it. Died around 1150 BC, from whatever caused the markings. It had/has a low mortality rate, but was a real danger.