all i have to say about today is

MOTHER FUCK!

I got a fucking ZERO on my research paper. All because I didn't go to peer review. Who fucking wants to read a bunch of terrible papers from terrible students at a second-rate education (terrible) college?

NOT ME!

Which leads me to my decision of never, EVER EVER EVER wanting to teach at a junior college.

p&l
rachel

ps: I also got a 68 on my Bio test. But I did get a 96 on my World Civ 1 test. That's the only good news of the day.

And because I'm wallowing in my sadness of the research paper, I'm going to post it. Because I know it's worthy of a fucking 100, not a fucking zero. Disregard my MLA citations.

Bible: Fact or Fiction?

Questions always arise when talking about the Old Testament and its truth as a reference to ancient history. There is no definite answer to whether the first books of the Bible are historically accurate. Some scholars even question the authenticity of the Old Testament itself; there could possibly have been early first or second century BCE, to as late as fifth century, editors who had made changes for, then, Persian-rule benefit (Wilson 17). There is also question as to if some of the most prominent men in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Jacob and Joseph, were even actual historical figures (Wilson 10-15). However, through all the archeological and geological findings, there have been a few breakthroughs that have shed little light on some of the most baffling questions of the Old Testament and ancient history. These breakthroughs give a great deal information on what may have actually happened during this era of ancient history.

To research a story, one must start at the beginning: Noah and the Flood. Estimated to be roughly 6000 BCE, Noah is chosen by God to build an ark, put selected animals and his family onto the ark, and there would be rain for forty days and forty nights. He built the ark, and there was indeed a flood (Gordon, Rendsburg 39-40). Also around 6000 BCE, marine geological scientists have found that what became the Black Sea was once a freshwater lake that flooded, breaking land barriers and covering a probable 60,000 square feet. The marine geologists, William Ryan and Walter Pitman of Columbia University, found mollusks, native only to freshwater, embedded in the sediment of the Black Sea. Also, their research showed that as the Last Ice Age was ending, the glaciers were melting, which caused an overflow of the Mediterranean Sea, and surrounding waterways (Wilson 20-21). Where the ark landed is another topic that has been theorized by many. In the Bible, it is said Noah and his ark landed on the Ararat Mountain, located in modern-day Turkey, 200 miles from the Black Sea. There is a Turkish story about a man named Nahmizuli who had an ark very similar to Noah; Nahmizuli is the Turkish form of Noah. This ark also landed on Mount Ararat. Most religious texts tell a story told of a divine Flood covering the lands (19). Some, as in the Epic of Gilgamesh, are almost identical to the depiction of the Flood in the Bible.

Genesis 8:6-10
“At the end of forty days Noah opened the porthole he had made in the ark and sent out the raven. This went off and few back and forth. Then he sent out the dove to see whether the waters were receding. The dove, finding nowhere to perch, returned to him in the ark, for there was water over the whole surface of the earth. After waiting seven more days he again sent out the dove. In the evening the dove came back to him and there was a new olive branch in its beak. So Noah realized the waters were receding.”

Epic of Gilgamesh
“When the seventh day dawned I loosed a dove and let her go. She flew away, but finding no resting place she returned. Then I loosed a swallow, and she few away but finding no resting place she returned. I loosed a raven, she saw that the waters had retreated, she ate, she flew around, she cawed and she did not come back (Lawall, Mack 18).”
These texts, and others from the ancient Near East, are similar in theme and verse, such as the Sumerian tale of Ziusudra and the Babylonian “Atrahasis Epic,” which both date around the 19th century (Gordon, Rendsburg 51; Wilson 20).

Another story from the Old Testament is that of Abraham and his family. The Bible cites Abraham as leaving the city of Ur, “of the Chaldeans,” in Mesopotamia, traveling to Harran, in modern-day Turkey. Keeping in mind the possibility of early Persian editors, there has been archeological evidence that Abraham may not have come from Ur as first though, but from Urfa, which lies directly north west of Harran. Many of Abraham’s ancestor’s names relate to ancient names of places in the region of modern-day Turkey (Wilson 22-23). When Abraham journeys to Canaan, he was asked by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The description of the way he prepares Isaac to be sacrificed, tied in awkward fetal position, is significantly close to the sacrifices of the Minoans on the island on Crete. The religion of the Minoans on Crete had a great resemblance to the religion of the original Canaanites who worshiped the bull-god El (23-24).

Skipping ahead, the story of the Exodus is significantly important in trying to make sense of the Bible’s historic accuracy. Estimated to have occurred around 1500 BCE, Moses led his people from Egypt after the Biblical Plagues convinced the unknown Pharaoh to let them go. There are two possible pharaohs that could have ruled during the plagues: Ahmose or Queen Hatshepsut (Callahan 127; Wilson 45-51). Historically, this period was not well recorded; however, there are few historical documents, written by third century Egyptian historian Manetho, about Hyskos invaders in Egypt (Wilson 37-38). These invaders are believed to be the Canaanites brought to Egypt by Joseph. After the Hyskos took over Egyptian rule, they forced the Egyptians to live in Upper Egypt. A period of time passed, and King Ahmose created a militia that overthrew the Hyskos, recapturing Avaris/Ramsesses, the once Hyskos capital (Callahan 127; Miller 318). Some Hyskos were unable to flee from Ahmose fast enough, and became slaves, perhaps the slaves of Moses’ Exodus. Manetho wrote that within fifty years of Ahmose’s initial rule, a great disaster befell the Nile Delta. Simultaneously, around that period of time, a huge volcanic eruption occurred on the island of Thera, some 600 miles North West of Egypt. It was a massive eruption that affected a large scale of the surrounding area, even destroying the entire Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. This eruption could have aided in the idea of the story of the Biblical Plagues. There is scientific evidence from other volcanic eruptions that show the first nine plagues can occur from simply from an eruption (Callahan 141; Wilson 48-49). The final plague is easy to assume as “divine anger” by any who still lived in the Nile Delta and worshiped the Canaanite/Hyskos gods. A text was found at Ugarit, imposing a similar offer, “A first-born, Baal, we shall sacrifice. A child we shall fulfill” (Wilson 49).

Even with all the archaeological and geological evidence that has been accounted, still remain and cannot be truly satisfied with answers that are not definite. In almost all religions, it is important to have some sort of written account of beliefs, something to base their faith upon. Those of Muslim faith have the Qur’an, Judaism has the Torah and Hinduism has the Rig Vedas, among other religions respectively. One may never know the truth behind the history of the Bible; however, the facts that scientists have today can surely tell those with questions that whomever wrote and edited the Old Testament knew about physical happenings of ancient times. It gives a great insight to what the times would have been like back in the various Biblical eras.