Reply #3: There's been a theory about Exodus and the volcano for many years.

[bklyncowgirl]

The volcano on the Island of Thera erupted. It spewed ash and caused tsunamis that devestated nearby Crete. Ash from the volcano has been found in Lower (Northern) Egypt and it's possible that the tsunami may have reached the Sinai peninsula.

The theory is that before the tsunami hit, the sudden withdrawal of water from the Red Sea--actually the Sea of Reeds a swampy area in the Delta where the Suez canal is now--let the Israelites pass safely. When the Egyptian chariot troops followed, they were wiped out by the tsunami. Neither the Egyptians nor the Israelites had any idea of what hit them. The Israelites called it a miracle--wouldn't you?

One problem with this scenario is that the dates don't work. Thera probably blew around 1700-1500 BC. Moses is usually placed around 1300 BC around the time of Rameses II. There is a minority opinion that places him during the reign of Thutmose III and his stepmother Hatshepsut (around 1450 BC) A few years ago an Egyptologist interpreted an inscription of Hatshepsut's as describing the sea devouring the footsteps of some group of Asiatic nomads who'd offended the Egyptians--no mention of an Egyptian army being drowned, of course. This interpretation has been questioned and is not generally accepted. More importantly, the Thutmose III dates are a stretch for Thera.

It's lots of fun to imagine the foundation of western religion being based on primitive people's misinterpretation of a natural disaster but of course we really don't know. Maybe some day some archaeologist will find something that will clear the whole thing up.

By the way, Thera has also been proposed as the source for the story of Atlantis.