possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

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Ryan07
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possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by Ryan07 » Mon May 26, 2014 7:26 pm

From a book called Parasite Rex:
People knew about parasites elsewhere in the world. The ancient Egpytians and Chinese prescribed different sorts of plants to destroy worms that lived in the gut. The Koran tells its readers to stay away from pigs and from stagnant water, both sources of parasites. For the most part, though, this ancient knowledge has only left a shadow on history. The quivering strings of flesh— now known as guinea worms— may have been the fiery serpents that the Bible describes plaguing the Israelites in the desert. They certainly plagued much of Asia and Africa. They couldn't be yanked out at one go, since they would snap in two and the remnant inside the body would die and cause a fatal infection. The universal cure for guinea worm was to rest for a week, slowly winding the worm turn by turn onto a stick to keep it alive until it had crawled free. Someone figured out this cure, someone forgotten now for perhaps thousands of years. But it may be that that person's invention was remembered in the symbol of medicine, known as the caduceus: two serpents wound around a staff.

so, well they are excruciatingly painful when they come out. The area around them becomes infected and can kill the person.

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TK
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Re: possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by TK » Thu May 29, 2014 9:46 pm

Is there a reason they could not have just been serpents?

TK

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Ryan07
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Re: possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by Ryan07 » Thu May 29, 2014 10:47 pm

Well sometimes there's a logical explanation and sometimes there isn't. I just like to explore possibilities.

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TK
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Re: possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by TK » Fri May 30, 2014 9:26 am

Hi Ryan

I am not trying to be contentious or anything but why would the serpents being actual serpents be illogical?

If the text said they were some unknown creature I would understand your point better. But poisonous snakes aren't that uncommon.

I was wondering if there is something in the text that strikes you as impossible-- unless of course you are talking about the idea that the people were saved by looking at the brass snake. Granted that would seem to be a miraculous event and if we aren't willing to accept the possibility of a miraculous event then much of the Bible would have to be chucked.


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Ryan07
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Re: possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by Ryan07 » Fri May 30, 2014 9:56 pm

Weren't they "fiery serpents"? Also ancient cultures did not know what parasites were. Shoot as little as a few hundred years ago people didn't know what they were. What language would they use to describe the phenomenon? And why snakes twining around sticks? They are just interesting commonalities. I'm not trying to convince you of anything.

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possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by TK » Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:02 pm

I always like hearing novel ideas so I appreciate the discussion.

I always took "fiery" to mean nasty and poisonous, not fire breathing. I think God wanted Moses to lift up a snake to pre-figure Christ crucified. Even Jesus used the analogy.


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Re: possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by Ryan07 » Fri Jun 13, 2014 4:56 am

With the parasites I mentioned nasty definitely fits. After they infect you and incubate or whatever they make their way down into your foot where they come out the top of the foot. It takes days to a week or more of the worm slowly coming out and it has to be twined on a stick since if it breaks it dies and then you die from the infection it causes. The area around it's exist point can become deathly infectious as well and start to rot and the whole process is just awful.

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Re: possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by TK » Fri Jun 13, 2014 11:53 am

But how do you deal with the statement of Jesus in John 3:14?:

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up"




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Re: possible explanation for the "fiery serpents"

Post by Ryan07 » Fri Jun 13, 2014 10:03 pm

I'm not even sure of the connection? Honestly I had been reading this book called "Parasite Rex" and it was just so intensely fascinating. Eventually I had to close it down as it was blabbing on about evolution way too much.

The amazing thing is a lot of these parasites even have the ability to rewrite their host's DNA. To inset different DNA into them.

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