(February 6, 2014 at 6:58 am)Tonus Wrote:(February 6, 2014 at 2:51 am)max-greece Wrote: The earliest reference I can find to camels in the Bible is in Genesis 12, 16.If Ur was located somewhere in the area where Iraq is today, then that was quite a long trip to make on foot during a famine. It's interesting to see that Abram has such little faith in god at this point that he decides he'll lie to Pharaoh to avoid being killed, and winds up making out like a bandit. The story could be interpreted to show that he kept all of the gifts he received as a sort of dowry for his "sister."
According to the story Abram has left Canaan during a famine and gone to stay in Egypt:
It should be obvious that a person writing these stories many centuries after the period in question would mention camels in Egypt. And if writing these as moral tales, would not worry about having an elderly couple drag their large entourage 400-800 miles across a pretty inhospitable land during a famine. If this is what passes for putting those uppity atheists in our place, it's a pretty poor effort.
Let me just clarify something. I am not making any reference to the credibility of the story, its morality or anything else beyond the fact that, as stated, the incorporation of camels into the story doesn't appear to be all that problematic.
Actually I'd argue it is the least problematic element of the whole thing. I too pondered on the length of the journey and its feasibility for a man in his 70's.
Therefore - strictly in terms of the OP and Drich's response I'm going with plausible for the camel bit. The rest? Nah.
Kuusi palaa, ja on viimeinen kerta kun annan vaimoni laittaa jouluvalot!