Aslan,

ANCIENT CHINA

I did not say it East Asia History was not peer reviewed. I said that I could not retrieve it as a peer reviewed journal. That is, if I use the library’s general catalogue it retrieves. If enter, physical sciences, astronomy and tick the peer review box, it does not retrieve. More recently, I went to the journal’s site. It would appear to be a referred journal for students. My “guess” is doctoral students publish here for feedback, before their topic defence. Some journals show the dates of revisions above the abstracts.

With the oracle stones you can point a Radio Telescope to confirm the position of star that no longer exists based on its radiation signature. I think that is pretty amazing.

Relatedly, the Christians went on a book-burning spree in 391. Nonetheless, many records survive from earlier periods. Similarly, records survived in China.

SCIENCE

There is a maxim in Science, “ninety percent of the published works in physics do not have permanent stature”. Look back at Sir John Eccles’ comment on theory. Einstein made a very similar comment to Eccles. Science highlighting its own fallibility equals progress. What you see as a weakness, humour even, I posit is a great strength. No other primates can do think like us.

BIBLE

Under what conditions would you remove a one gospel and replace it with another? It doesn’t have to be Thomas replacing Mark.

Would you oppose God killing innocent children in Sodom?

Should a Christian work for a Bank (usery)?

Why do you feel Toynbee is wrong? Akin to Gibbon, he is no lightweight historian.

More in a few days… busy.

Philo,

I just re-read an earlier post. Are you saying the poetry in the Bible can be metaphorical, in the sense that radiance or a blessing can be represented as, non-literal sunshine? Interesting.

Neo,

Welcome.

Thanks Oliver

Boaz you may try the social welfare or the 'it just wasn't like that' argument but when the bible talks about the OT God saying kill the neigbouring tribe and take the virgins as sex slaves, well it comes up short. Some Fundies are quite happy saying well he is God he can do what he wants but I don't think you are in that crowd. You may want to take it up on that link while it is active.

Don't worry I believe that most world views by their nature cannot be consistent or non-arbitrary but that's another topic.

Pls Boaz and Aslan consider posting on that thread I'd be very interested to hear your point of view explained.

The level of scientific understanding by some of the GB's is really quite astounding.
Please everybody remember in the GB’s world earth quakes are cuased by a unhappy God:-)

At the creationist museum of Earth History in Eureka Springs Arkansas
they belive that Tyrannosaurs rex was a vegetarian and only started eating meat after the apple incident.

Aslan,

PART ONE

I actually printed off Keenan’s paper and read it.

You will note that the coefficients used with parabola appear to relate to levels of luminosity. Herein, Keenan seems to wish to impose tighter conditions, with respect to the level of “calculated brightness”. In this regard, he finds that for a period of 960 seconds that the Ancient Astronomers’ observations would not meet an acceptable standard of shadow to be called an eclipse. It would seem the Chinese were designating the penumbra, as the ellipse. Also, it would seem the Ancient Astronomers also wrongly added atmospheric phenomena into their calculations or more accurately did not deduct these darkness factors to increase the coefficient, so, the level of brightness was to great to be designated an eclipse.

Keenan mentions Earth is inconstant in its rotational speed, but does not mention, how he creates a common orbit time for his modern calculation and the eclipse. This is necessary because the Earth is slowing in its orbit. In primary school we learned that when we calculate using fractions, we look for a common denominator. Similarly, when comparing times across millennia we need to do the same. We can use scientific seconds or relate both observations to a common frame, i.e., the length of the “1901” orbital year. Perhaps, this factor is buried somewhere in his NASA tables? But he did not say so.

Thus, we find we are talking about the shadow was in umbra or penumbra over a period of 960 seconds, without knowing if modern calculations make allows for Sideral Time or whether other atmospheric further darkened the Chinese Astronomers’ sky. For goodness sake! I for one admire their accomplishment.

Now, regarding Joshua, even given, we are looking at earlier period still, surely, the Chinese would recorded the Earth stopping dead on its axis for 36,000 seconds and what would have been 15 degrees of the planet’s rotation.