Samson

[Zzyzx]

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Bible tales about Samson

Judges 13:5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat.

19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle.

3 Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.� 4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, 5 lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,� he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.�

25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.� So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.� 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.� 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!� Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.


Summary:

1. Killed a lion bare handed
2. 'Struck down' / Killed thirty men
3. Caught 300 foxes and tied their tales together
4. 'Struck down' / Killed 1000 men
5. Lost strength when hair was cut
6. Regained strength and pushed down pillars of a large temple collapsing it onto 3000 people

Really? All true?

Killed 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey? Really? Did they just line up and kneel?

A haircut caused loss of strength? Really? (No wonder I haven't pushed down any temples lately)

Pushed down a large building? Really?

Columns two feet diameter and twenty feet high would weigh over 10,000 pounds each* – times two – not considering the resistance of the entire structure – not considering that downing two columns is not likely to collapse an entire building. (*area of 2' circle = 3.14 x 20' tall = 62.8 cubic feet x 170 pounds / cubic food marble = 10,700#)

Is it more rational to consider the Samson tale a myth, perhaps on the order of Paul Bunyan – with a tiny kernel of truth with a whole lot of exaggeration?

(Note: Historians believe Bunyan was based in large part on an actual lumberjack: Fabian Fournier, a French-Canadian timberman who moved south and got a job as foreman of a logging crew in Michigan after the Civil War https://www.history.com/news/was-paul-b ... eal-person )

[Zzyzx]

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…I remember debating someone who argued that none of that could be proved -- so it is 'just a matter of belief' -- and therefore s/he shouldn't be expected to prove any of the Bible tales...

I don’t say you shouldn’t expect, I just say, it is not possible to prove any historical matter, all history is matter of belief.

WWII is 'history', correct?

Is that war 'just a matter of belief'?

Is it not possible to prove that it occurred?

[Purple Knight]

WWII is 'history', correct?

Is that war 'just a matter of belief'?

Is it not possible to prove that it occurred?

Not absolutely no. Neither do I absolutely trust even my own memory.

I just acknowledge that I must behave as if I trust my own memory and that history is true even if I'm not 100.0000000% certain to ten significant figures.

I'm quite certain, however, since there is video evidence of WWII.

It's before that when, at some point, people could have all sat down, decided to replace history, killed everyone literate who disagreed, and they may have actually succeeded. This is implausible for a lot of reasons including capacity and motivation, but it's not impossible.