Wayne

Thank you for the comment.
Wayne

In the meantime, God bless and keep up the good fight.

I will look for something a little more solid than the Thera eruption for proof of Red Tide in the ancient Med.

2) That explanation of the Exodus plagues was a popular one around the turn of the 20th century, largely because it provided a naturalistic explanation for what is portrayed as a miraculous event. In short, some irreligious people were trying to argue that the miracles in the Bible were actually misunderstood natural phenomena (so the burning bush, for example was just an ignited plume of natural gas behind the bush that made it “appear” that the bush was burning). I don’t know of anyone who tries to “explain away” miracles this way anymore, though. Most scholars today either accept that miracles happen or say that the Biblical writers just made them up.

Finally, rereading my comments here, I recognize that my tone was less than cordial. I study the ancient world, specifically ancient Israel, for a living, so sometimes a get a bit overzealous. Apologies for my lack of courtesy.

There is a theory out there that also say’s that Red Tide in the Meditteranian was due to volcanic eruptions such as the Thera eruption during the approximate time of the Exodus. Is this definitive proof, no, but neither is what you have provided. So let’s not have different standards.

I’m not married to the idea the HAB’s never occurred in the ancient world, although I seriously doubt that they posed any more of a threat than other meat born illnesses. (Since why would the Greeks eat so darn much of something if it kept making them ill?)

If I find the article you mention, I’ll shoot you the bibliographic information for your records.

If you have any evidence to support that assertion, feel free to provide it.

At any rate, since I haven’t provided a link for my claim, I guess I can’t blame you for not believing my claim, given that it is poorly substantiated. Still, given that I can’t examine the evidence that you’ve brought forth for your claim, I don’t think that I’ll change my own opinion on the issue quite yet (though I don’t hold to it dogmatically, so you could yet convince me ).

Again I am not say that you are wrong, I am saying that what you have asserted wasn’t supported by the link you provided.

You can take your condescension and stick it in the same place as your attitude.

Sorry to offend you by questioning you far superior knowledge of ancient Red Tides.

Regarding Dalby’s book, you can find the relevant material if you (carefully) follow these instructions:

Go here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415156572#reader

In the “Search Inside this Book” box, type “shellfish.”

Then click on the entry contained in page 73. It’s discussed in the pages around that but if you view too many pages in the Amazon preview it will block you out from seeing more, so browse wisely.

I think you’ll have to admit that I’ve done more than enough to help you along here. If you’re stubborn enough to refuse to consider that you might be wrong despite the fact that you have absolutely no evidence supporting your position, I don’t know what else I can do for you.

So you can pretty much take your attitude and stick it.

As far as the Greeks go again you provided a link (a very weak one) and I am challenging it, now I think you know that I can’t get the Dalby book right this second and read all of it just to find a couple of sentences that prove your point, so with that in mind maybe you could just quote the relevant text. This is also an assertion by you so you should provide the proof.

And yes Peter not Paul…sorry for mixing the two up.

You’re welcome, however, to believe that I made the sentence up whole cloth if that’s gentler on your presuppositions.

I’m not sure what kind of evidence you want me to cite to prove that something that no one mentions in any ancient source didn’t exist. Something along the lines of “My dear friend, Timmaeus, isn’t it great that we don’t encounter algae blooms that infect our shellfish and make us sick?” in a Socratic dialogue?

It seems that all you need to do is to provide one ancient source describing something that might possibly be “Red Tide” in the ancient Mediterranean. You won’t find it, but you’re welcome to try.

Concerning the ancient Greek diet, as I said, see Dalby’s book as well as the others cited on the Wikipedia page. They’ll direct you the the classical sources and archaeological material that demonstrate the diet of the ancient Greeks.