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ARCHAEOELECTRICS AND THE ISRAELITES

Glow discharges of various kinds have long been of interest to man, no doubt evoking a great deal of wonder in times past. The forms of discharge are so varied that it was only during the twentieth century that they were shown to be different aspects of the same basic physical phenomenon: In every form, the glow discharge is a manifestation of the conduction of electricity through gases. One form occurring in nature is the faint glow known as St. Elmo’s fire, seen at the top of ships’ masts at night when thunderclouds are near, named corona after the Latin for crown.

In our generation, we all have grown up in the midst of electrical technology. We have no difficulty distinguishing luminous electrical phenomena from the chemical luminosity of fire. But suppose that electricity were unknown except through its natural manifestations. How would ancient man have described a corona discharge? Most certainly as fire—the process of combustion.

Atmospheric electric fields are commonplace; however, various ancient descriptions of strange fire suggest that in the past these fields achieved magnitudes far greater than is usual today. These and related natural electrical phenomena seem to explain a number of otherwise mysterious events recorded in the Old Testament.

In Exodus 3:2 & 4, we read that “. . . the angel of the Lord appeared to [Moses] in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush . . .”

Many mundane explanations have been offered for Moses’ experience. Moses wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t looking at some brightly colored plant. This was unusual enough to cause him to turn aside to examine it. Furthermore, a bush that burned without being consumed was not on fire. This was a naturally-occurring corona  discharge. (God’s presence was another matter.)

It seems that natural electrical activity was rampant during the time of the Israelite Exodus. The Shekinah Glory above the Israelite Tabernacle was a much more magnificent version of the same phenomenon. The Seventy Elders (Exodus 34:29-30) experienced this in a personal way. The coronas enshrouding each of them were believed to be the Spirit of God. There were also negative ramifications from some of this electrical activity, however, causing many deaths.

Holy Scriptures of antiquity often had their origins in the inexplicable. They contain records of events that could be perceived only as miraculous. Natural electrical phenomena, not to be comprehended for millennia, provided ample cause of both wonderment and fear. The developmental pattern of this literature was incomprehension, then transcription and veneration, and then exegesis. The sacred writings of the ancients generally had a basis in reality, and they tell us more than their authors knew themselves.

For a more comprehensive and detailed analysis of the Israelite experience, see my book MAN AND HIS PLANET – An Unauthorized History. Go to www.letthereberight.com