Most improbable Bible story?

[Difflugia]

In the Samson thread, it's noted that the story includes a number of improbable elements: he killed a lion with his bare hands, single-handedly killed thirty men of Ashkelon, found three hundred foxes and tied them together, and killed a thousand men with a donkey bone. Since each of these must be true individually for the story to be true as a whole (at least in a literalist sense), the probability of the whole story being true is the individual probabilities multiplied together.

Taken in a literal way, which Bible story requires the most outrageous set of contingent probabilities? Is Samson the worst?

[Difflugia]

In 2 Chronicles 1:6, Solomon sacrificed "a thousand burnt offerings" on a single altar in a single day (note verse 1:7, "In that night..."). If Solomon used all twenty-four hours to their fullest, that's a sacrifice every minute and a half for a solid day.

In 2 Chronicles 7:5, Solomon and the people offered 144,000 animals (sheep and oxen) at the new temple. The text even says that they had to open up a second altar because the first one couldn't handle all the sacrifices. If we allow every minute of the full fourteen days mentioned in 7:9 for the dedication and feast, that's seven sacrifices every minute, night and day, between two altars.

[Thomas123]

Easter is coming and I always struggle with the resurrection story.i personally do not countenance it happening as written. It is the culmination of a long rhetoric allegedly dating back to Isaiah. I respect that Christian's see this differently but I personally find it like a ladder with steps that disappear after you take your foot off them.
There is an historical account of a Roman crucifixion survivor, who was saved by an official who knew him. I think it mentions that there were two others with him who did not survive this brutal execution.The official sounds like the man who's tomb was donated. It is intriguing that in the Easter narrative the soldiers do not break the Jesus figure's legs, to fulfill scripture we are told thus leaving the possibility of Jesus not being clinically dead. There is a rush to get him interred because of the Sabbath allegedly.
Foxes being tied together is obviously mythical exaggeration, and not to be taken literally, but this Easter thing is a whole different matter and the central cornerstone of the Christian faith. Personally, I cannot get my head around it.

[marco]

Since each of these must be true individually for the story to be true as a whole (at least in a literalist sense), the probability of the whole story being true is the individual probabilities multiplied together.

Multiplication of probabilities applies only when each item is independent. In your example that's not necessarily so.

The story of Samson is a tale to interest nomadic fighters while they are eating. The tale of the boy David killing the hefty giant is similarly meant for martial consumption. I recall liking these stories as a child. Then I read Paul and put them away.

[marco]

Easter is coming and I always struggle with the resurrection story.

Presumably you simply examine the details and then, using reason, dismiss them. Why repeat this process every Easter ? The story doesn't change over time.

When we hear of a young angel sitting idly in an empty tomb waiting to deliver a message from the vanished naked Christ or read that corpses dragged themselves ghoulishly to the city, we can dismiss a literal resurrection with a good conscience.

[Purple Knight]

Easter is coming and I always struggle with the resurrection story.

It could have been basically true if Jesus wasn't actually dead.

We don't have a full handle on sorting dead from alive in modern day, and you want me to believe some Roman soldier with less than ideal medical experience poking people with a stick is 100% foolproof?

Unless you do expect me to believe that, I say there's a reasonable chance Jesus was never dead to begin with. Add some sympathetic ally rescuing him from the cave and there you go.

I'm not saying it did happen; I'm saying it's possible.

[Difflugia]

There is an historical account of a Roman crucifixion survivor, who was saved by an official who knew him. I think it mentions that there were two others with him who did not survive this brutal execution.The official sounds like the man who's tomb was donated.

The story you're thinking of is from Josephus's autobiography:

And when I was sent by Titus Caesar with Cerealius, and a thousand horsemen, to a certain village called Thecoa, in order to know whether it were a place fit for a camp, as I came back, I saw many captives crucified, and remembered three of them as my former acquaintance. I was very sorry at this in my mind, and went with tears in my eyes to Titus, and told him of them; so he immediately commanded them to be taken down, and to have the greatest care taken of them in order to their recovery; yet two of them died under the physician's hands, while the third recovered.

Some commentators have noticed that the Aramaic for "Joseph, son of [bar] Matthias" and "Joseph of Arimathea" are similar enough that the Gospel story might be a corrupted form of the story from Josephus. Since Josephus lived during the first century and was contemporary with the authors of the Gospels, this wouldn't be out of the question timewise.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by Difflugia]

Without is just presupposing the truth of naturalism, I dont see anything improbable in the Samson account. Indeed if there is an omnipotent God and it was His will they remain unharmed, its most improbable a lion could ever overpower one of Gods approved servants.


JW

[Zzyzx]

.

Without is just presupposing the truth of naturalism,

Yes, if we ignore the real world we inhabit . . .

I dont see anything improbable in the Samson account.

Of course not.

Indeed if there is an omnipotent God

IF is the key term. There is no assurance that any of the proposed 'gods' are anything more than products of human imagination. Many apparently prefer imagination to the real world.

and it was His will they remain unharmed, its most improbable a lion could ever overpower one of Gods approved servants.

In imagination and Bible tales 'God's approved servants' may overpower lions in hand-to-hand combat. In the real world lions win.


Thank you for providing readers with a religious perspective on these matters.

[Tcg]

[Replying to post 1 by Difflugia]

The story of the great flood has to be a contender:

• - Nephilim, fallen angel/human hybrids, roamed the earth
  
  - Noah, a +/- 500 year old man, was tasked to build a massive ship
  
  - He was also instructed to collect enough food to feed 8 humans and a tremendous number of animals for just over a year
  
  - A sampling of all "kinds" of animals came to Noah
  
  - None of the animals that were limited to just a pair died during their year long confinement
  
  - Along with rain, "fountains of the great deep" flooded the earth
  
  - The untested ship not only floated, but didn't break up during this worldwide flood
  
  - The crew of 8 were able to feed, water, and remove waste for a massive number of animals
  
  - Fish and other sea creatures survived a severe change in the salinity of water
  
  - Plant life was able to survive the massive changes brought about by the flood
  
  - After the flood, the animals dispersed throughout the earth
  
  - Carnivorous animals survived without eating meat during the flood and presumably for some time after
  
  - Noah lived to be 950 years old

I'm sure there could be others, but this is at least a partial list.


Tcg