Freethought & Rationalism Archive

David Gould · 04-15-2002, 06:28 PM

A friend has repeated to me a very bizarre and obviously untrue claim about this event.

He says that a scientist has studied ancient chinese texts and native american indian legends and identified a period of three days where the sun did not rise.

This period coincides with the day in question.

Now, this is obviously nonsense but I just wanted to know if there was a gentle way of rebutting it - for example, is it known on what day this event was supposed to have happened (the stopping of the sun, I mean)?

If no-one knows then the claim is obviously falsified.

Any help would be appreciated.

Haran · 04-15-2002, 07:09 PM

Interesting. Does this website of <a href="http://www.grmi.org/renewal/Richard_Riss/evidences/7longday.html" target="_blank">"Christian Evidences"</a> sum up what you were told?

I have no idea if what they say is true, but I'd be interested to hear more about this too.

P.S. -
<a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/still.html" target="_blank">Nasa Website?!</a> (Why's this seem to be on a Nasa Website?)
<a href="http://answering-islam.org/Hoaxes/joshua2.html" target="_blank">Answering Islam seems to think the Nasa thing is a Hoax</a> (though the above site isn't mentioned
<a href="http://sunnyokanagan.com/joshua/polar.html" target="_blank">Orbiting Sun</a> (What in the world?)

<a href="http://sunnyokanagan.com/joshua/wansdream.html" target="_blank">Analysis of Wan's Dream</a> (for anyone who can read Chinese and cares...)

Ah! Ha!
<a href="http://www.bible.org/docs/qa/qa.asp?StudyID=81" target="_blank">Biblical Studies Foundation</a>

Haran

[ April 15, 2002: Message edited by: Haran ]</p>

David Gould · 04-15-2002, 07:13 PM

Kind of, I guess, except my friend insisted that it was the exact date. He may of course have been exaggerating the claims made.

Dr. Evil · 04-15-2002, 08:33 PM

The only web sites I could find that talked about Chinese or Aztec myths concerning the sun standing still were at christian religious sites and provided no links to the source of their information.

[ April 15, 2002: Message edited by: Dr. Evil ]</p>

David Gould · 04-15-2002, 08:40 PM

My friend claimed that the chinese versions were not legends but were properly documented history.

Dr. Evil · 04-15-2002, 09:06 PM

Found this with some references you might want to check:

Quote:

Long Day Legends?

Some have argued that evidence for this long day is found in other cultures:

It is interesting to note that parallel accounts in the records of other nations show that the incident of "Joshuas Long Day" is not an isolated one. There is indisputable evidence from the modern science of ethnology that such an event occurred as Joshua records. In the ancient Chinese writings there is a legend of a long day. The Incas of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico have a like record. There is a Babylonian and Persian legend of a day that was miraculously extended. Herodotus, an ancient historian, recounts that while in Egypt, priest showed him their temple records, and that he read of a day which was twice the natural length of any day that had ever been recorded (Robert Boyd, Boyds Bible Handbook, pp. 122,123).

This, however, does not seem to be the case.

The record of the long day has been much debated. Parallels have been found in Chinese, Egyptian and Mexican stories, but these will not coincide with the date or time of day (E.W. Maunder, JTVI, 1921, pp. 120-148); and an astronomical aberration would not have gone unrecorded in Babylon (John Lilley, The New Laymans Bible Commentary, G.C.D. Howley, F.F. Bruce, H.L. Ellison, eds., Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1979, pp. 320,321).

04-15-2002, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David Gould:
<strong>My friend claimed that the chinese versions were not legends but were properly documented history.</strong>

The tree days that the sun stopped makes reference to the the time during which rebirth happens. It is legitimate claim to make because assimilation is archetypal in the wake of renewal and similar expressions can be found in all mythologies.

David Gould · 04-15-2002, 09:37 PM

Amos,

Yes, I agree that similar myths recur due to common human experience and thinking. However, it is the literal and not the allegorical I am looking for - can the common stories be dated to a single specific time?

Such a thing seems doubtful.

Do we know when Joshua existed? Do we know even the approximate date of the alleged event?

KeithHarwood · 04-15-2002, 10:20 PM

But if the sun did stop for a day for Joshua the Incas wouldn't have a legend of a long day, they would have a legend of a long night.

David Gould · 04-15-2002, 10:56 PM

Sorry - I have become confused.

My friend says that the legends of the americas and the historical records of the chinese record 3 days where the sun did not rise.

These 3 days match the time of the Joshua sun stopping event exactly. By this, I assume that the theory is that the sun was actually stopped in its tracks for three days, not 1 but I do not know.

Is it known exactly when this event is supposed to have happened? Do we have, for example '14 september, 385 BC'?

04-15-2002, 06:28 PM	#1
David Gould Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 759	Joshua and the day the sun stopped A friend has repeated to me a very bizarre and obviously untrue claim about this event. He says that a scientist has studied ancient chinese texts and native american indian legends and identified a period of three days where the sun did not rise. This period coincides with the day in question. Now, this is obviously nonsense but I just wanted to know if there was a gentle way of rebutting it - for example, is it known on what day this event was supposed to have happened (the stopping of the sun, I mean)? If no-one knows then the claim is obviously falsified. Any help would be appreciated.

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04-15-2002, 07:09 PM	#2
Haran Banned Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 1,490	Interesting. Does this website of <a href="http://www.grmi.org/renewal/Richard_Riss/evidences/7longday.html" target="_blank">"Christian Evidences"</a> sum up what you were told? I have no idea if what they say is true, but I'd be interested to hear more about this too. P.S. - <a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/still.html" target="_blank">Nasa Website?!</a> (Why's this seem to be on a Nasa Website?) <a href="http://answering-islam.org/Hoaxes/joshua2.html" target="_blank">Answering Islam seems to think the Nasa thing is a Hoax</a> (though the above site isn't mentioned <a href="http://sunnyokanagan.com/joshua/polar.html" target="_blank">Orbiting Sun</a> (What in the world?) <a href="http://sunnyokanagan.com/joshua/wansdream.html" target="_blank">Analysis of Wan's Dream</a> (for anyone who can read Chinese and cares...) Ah! Ha! <a href="http://www.bible.org/docs/qa/qa.asp?StudyID=81" target="_blank">Biblical Studies Foundation</a> Haran [ April 15, 2002: Message edited by: Haran ]</p>

04-15-2002, 07:13 PM	#3
David Gould Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 759	Kind of, I guess, except my friend insisted that it was the exact date. He may of course have been exaggerating the claims made.

04-15-2002, 08:33 PM	#4
Dr. Evil Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 42	The only web sites I could find that talked about Chinese or Aztec myths concerning the sun standing still were at christian religious sites and provided no links to the source of their information. [ April 15, 2002: Message edited by: Dr. Evil ]</p>

04-15-2002, 08:40 PM	#5
David Gould Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 759	My friend claimed that the chinese versions were not legends but were properly documented history.

04-15-2002, 09:37 PM	#8
David Gould Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 759	Amos, Yes, I agree that similar myths recur due to common human experience and thinking. However, it is the literal and not the allegorical I am looking for - can the common stories be dated to a single specific time? Such a thing seems doubtful. Do we know when Joshua existed? Do we know even the approximate date of the alleged event?

04-15-2002, 10:20 PM	#9
KeithHarwood Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Baulkham Hills, New South Wales,Australia Posts: 944	But if the sun did stop for a day for Joshua the Incas wouldn't have a legend of a long day, they would have a legend of a long night.

04-15-2002, 10:56 PM	#10
David Gould Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 759	Sorry - I have become confused. My friend says that the legends of the americas and the historical records of the chinese record 3 days where the sun did not rise. These 3 days match the time of the Joshua sun stopping event exactly. By this, I assume that the theory is that the sun was actually stopped in its tracks for three days, not 1 but I do not know. Is it known exactly when this event is supposed to have happened? Do we have, for example '14 september, 385 BC'?

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