History Shorts: Rome Falls (476 A.D.)

The Book of Revelations prophesy about the end of the world came to pass in 476 A.D. That year, the Roman Empire ceased to exist. The empire teetered for a century before finally collapsing. The economy collapsed in the 3^rd century, but it sputtered on. Over time, a series of problems befell the empire. These included falling birthrates, crop failures, a shrinking tax base and military, which allowed barbarians to overrun the empire’s borders.  Barbarians sacked Rome in 410 and 455. Attila the Hun ravaged Italy in the 450s. The military could no longer defeat the invaders. In 476, barbarian leader Flavius Odoacer deposed Emperor Romulus Augustus and proclaimed himself King of Italy. The Western Roman Empire ceased to exist. However, the Eastern Empire continued for another 1000 years.

476 the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9g_Mt_xyVg

Overview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcJPQSTuGQE

The Last Legion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvXSz6Ssgik

Sci Fi History: Superman debuts (1938)

The world needed a hero in 1938. Nazism marched through Europe and America remained locked in the Great Depression. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster developed a super villain with telepathic powers hell bent on global domination. Later, they changed the character completely turning him into a hero and modeling him on Douglas Fairbanks. Then, the pair developed an alter ego for the hero. Later, they incorporated mythological concepts into the character. Eventually, Samson and Hercules combined with Fairbanks to create Superman. By the end, Superman stood for truth, justice, and the American way. Siegel and Shuster’s creation spawned many comic books, pulp magazines, graphic novels, comic strips, movies, television shows, and radio programs. In the end, Superman may be the king of the superheroes.

History Shorts: The Bible is written

The Bible is a collection of religious stories compiled into one text. It includes the Hebrew Bible, which represents the Old Testament and the Christian texts that make up the New Testament. The New Testament was written by a number of authors between 50 and 150 A.D. Later, the church decided which books to include and exclude. Since the Bible’s conception, it has served to govern nations, inspire believers, and inform church doctrine. It’s also a masterpiece of literature.

The following clips deal with the Bible and pop culture’s take on the book.

Who Wrote the Bible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suseKsLEWKo

Mel Brooks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk

Charlton Heston:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7dFrzrjSRg

Noah’s Ark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M6VKgyz8eI

The Sermon on the Mount:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDCbJ4vnMNg

Jesus Christ Superstar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvVr2uks0C8

Superman as a Christ figure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3keuiWzY-Q



　

History Shorts: The Ten Commandments (1250 BC)

Like the Code of Hammurabi, the Ten Commandments help form the basis of western law. The Ten Commandments are wrapped in the Biblical story of Exodus. Scholars and the faithful have debated the Exodus and whether or not it happened, but there does seem to be some evidence to support the event. Despite this, we do not have a clear date for Exodus or the Ten Commandments. It seems to have occurred somewhere between 1550 B.C. and 1250 B.C.

The commandments and Exodus have provided pop culture with material for centuries.

Here are some modern examples:

Mel Brooks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk

Yul Brynner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqowzbnKLqs&feature=related

Parting the Red Sea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vxnApK4O48&feature=related

Ten Plagues of Egypt

Could the ten Plagues of Egypt have occurred? Of course. The question is whether or not they could have occurred in a short period. Some think they never happened. Some think they did happen, but occurred over a long period of time. Could they have happened in quick succession? It is possible.

Let’s assume there was a volcanic eruption (yes back to volcanoes). Here is how an eruption could have pulled off the ten plagues:

1. Water turned to blood. Pollution from an eruption turns the Nile Red. This kills the fish.

2. Frogs. The frogs left the polluted river. Kermit is not dumb.

3 and 4. Biting Bugs/flies. Frog population is depleted leading to a bug invasion.

5. Disease. Bad water, dead animals, lots of insects=disease.

6. Boils. Same explanation as 5.

7. Fire hail. Volcano-duh!

8. Locusts. Locust swarms are common today, so this is nothing unusual for this area with or without a plague. However, dead predators and dead crops means more locusts.

9. Darkness. Volcanic Ash.

10. Death of the firstborn. OK, this one is tougher. However, if the food supply was cut because of the volcano and volcanic ash contamination, then the first born would have received most or all of the rations. The end result was illness from poisoning. Another explanation is sleeping arrangements. Sleeping closer to the ground was a privilege as it was cooler. The first born usually received this privilege. When gasses were released due to geologic activity, they were poisoned.

Also, the parting of the Sea of Reeds (not the Red Sea) could have been achieved by a Tsunami caused by an eruption. This is not to say a volcanic eruption caused these events or that they even happened. However, it is an explanation based on science.

Exodus

Did the Exodus occur? Let's take a look at the evidence...

The traditional date for Exodus used to be around 1450 BC or so. There is no evidence for this other than the Bible. Since that has to be taken with a grain of salt, 1450 BC is not a likely date.

There is some archaeological evidence for a migration of people around 1250 BC. However, history is full of mass migrations of people for various reasons. There is some evidence of the destruction of ancient cities around this time as well. That would fit. However, some cities, Jericho in particular, do not seem to have been destroyed during the correct time frame based on a 1250 BC Exodus.

The best case for Exodus as described in the Bible is about 1600 BC. The Thera Volcanic Eruption on Santorini could create conditions that could cause the plagues described in the Bible. However, the date of the eruption is debated. There is also an Egyptian Stele that describes a plague from an unknown god.

So, did Exodus happen?

Considering history is full of mass migrations, there is probably some truth in the Bible story. However, this is probably how it went down: A group of slaves left Egypt led by Moses. They were monotheistic. They ran into a group of nomads from Canaan. The two groups merged and became rather large. They eventually wandered into the promised land.

Why is this important? Modern Israel claims descent from the Ancient Israelites. A 5000 year claim legitimizes Modern Israel's claims to Palestine. So, what happened 4000 years ago matters!!!