Walking on Water, or Ice?

by heathervescent

Dr. Doron Nof, a professor of Oceanography at Florida State University set out to answer the question: "Did Jesus walk on water?" and what he theorizes, is instead Jesus walked on ice. There's been a fair amount of news coverage, included this article from the New York Times, but you'll have to go here to read the professor's abstract which explains his research.

Dr. Nof's does not set out to say definitively that Jesus walked on ice, but rather to provide a scientific explanation of the unique if unusual freezing phenomenon that occurs when specific meteorological conditions are met in the location where it is purported Jesus frequented.

In 1992 Dr. Nof's theory, scientifically explaining the parting of the Red Sea was picked up by many newspapers, including the LA Times. (Read the article here.) Dr. Nof theorized that wind blowing a certain direction for a consistent amount of time, could have uncovered a high ridge, which could have been used to cross. If the wind died down suddenly, the ocean would have immediately recovered the ridge.

The question remains, did Moses and Jesus take advantage of these meteorological conditions, or did they create them? And if they acted in conjunction with the Divine, what is much the difference?

| 04/06/06 | Beliefs