The bible says authoritatively that the ten plagues of Egypt were caused by God through Moses and Aaron.

Scientists like Wotton(and much earlier, Darwin) collect some readily available superficial information and then go into "wild imagination" mode for proving themselves to be unique in the world, being sure of the ready publicity for such things offered by the media.

The scriptures of the world contain faithfully and scientifically recorded matter, as against the recognition-oriented sweeping statements of certain "scientists".

JS Karkada, Bangalore, India

To frank in kent, lets just call it a series of coincidences which science can not explain(how convenient). Man will always seek shelter, thats common sence 'Doh'. To Alan Cowe, I suggest you understand what i am saying before you speak. Read and understand then speak. The word was 'And other lab manufactured biological agents' . I suggest you read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_agent . I guess you think anthrax came from some remote place in Africa. Yes i am a faith head and yes i continue to amaze you because i read and gain knowledge rather than speak cos i can. I live on earth what planet do you live on where you have seen man create life on his own without using any living cells,etc from another human? If you know something i dont then please tell us how you created life in your backyard. Like i said before science wont answer all questions beyound reasonable doubt rather tries to explain events based on theories and probabilities. By the way I am a law graduate Alan.

Adegbola, London, England

Jesus? - Did He Really Die on the Cross? (Evidence says, NO!.)
Bible - Is It the Word of God? (Experts say, NO!.)
Tinity- Did Jesus or anyone teach this? (Bible says, NO!.)
"Only Begotten Son of God"? Was this Jesus? (Bible, says - NO!).
Are children born in original sin? (Bible says, "Yes!" - but Jesus says, "NO!")

All this & more - internets site to compare Ä°slam & Christianity:
http://bibleislam.com

Peace, Washington, California

It makes me laugh when I see people trying to justify or prove that God doesn't exist using precisely Science. Amazing discoveries occur every day from the deep seas to galaxies and scientist have no idea such things could exist and have no intelligent or logical explanation to them..... When men get to understand many -let's call'em- "weird" things, then new ones have to be studied and analyzed, and so on and on and on.

lUPITA, Panama City, Republic of Panama

What breathes fire into the equations that DESCRIBE our universe? We have been given a nice explanation of how the plagues happened, the Bible tells us why and who sent them.
The planet is not a clockwork device but is FULLY dependent on the will of God for its continued existence. Creation is chaotic, non-causal and non-deterministic which leaves plenty of space for God to act - after all, YOU can act in it and make a change, why not God?
If you punch a button on a keyboard a charcter appears on the screen. Would a child watching the screen presume it just happened on its own if he hadn't witnessed your action?
So a volcano erupts. Can the eruption not be seen in the same way as the character appearing on the screen?
Does God always have to be obvious, blatant and conspicuous for people to believe... We are becoming so superficial and shallow in our understanding and interpretation of the working of the universe.
Why would God not work through the very creation He made?

Nathan, In, UK

Does God always have to work through the supernatural rather than through the natural? Why does the concept that God may choose to work through the natural seemingly cause such confusion.

EAG, Maritimes, Canada

How about, the 10 plagues never happened? It was all made up!
There is no physical evidence that the jws were in egypt. There is no evidence that they crossed the red sea and there is no evidence that they were in the desert for 40 years.

john, london,

Do we really need an article in an academic journal, and a fairly lengthy piece on it in a newspaper of record, to state the bleeding obvious!

Mark Allen, Nottingham,

We need to realise that our restrictions as internal creations living in a three dimentional existence are limited and to explain and use theories over the past have been proven to be wrong time and time again.
Yes there are events which have happened in nature and there are records and witnesses to record these events but we should remember the Landlord has given us a planet of which we sadly have to some extent made a mess of. Being so our actions bring about consequences and the 10 plagues could also be a result of our actions or simply that God who is not restricted by nature and has complete control can and at His will and pleasure use nature for His purposes. Even so please remember that He is a God of love and the real problem is within ourselves. God has given us an expression of free love where we can express and feel true love but sadly we choose the opposite and as you know history is full of disasters, wars and natural catastophes.
1 Corinthians 2: 12 - 14

KAW, Manchester, England

You must keep these occurrences in proper context, the Bible and the illustration of religious and spiritual beliefs and fears. Perhaps they were all natural occurrences that happened in very close proximity to one another, causing alarm among those people who believed in God's power and interpreted them as his warning and curse !

Carmen, Nashville, TN USA

Muslims that conquered north africa & other parts in asia did not force the christian population to convert, simply because they werent there to spread Islam but to build an empire, & also they needed & prefered the taxes & dhimmi levy that they paid, why convert them & lose a fortune? Egypt had a strong coptic majority untill 3 centuries later when the muslim minority took over as the majority but that was due to plagues & migration & not force conversions, like what happened in Spain in the 15th century when the christians forced muslims & jews to either convert or leave.

S Ahmed, Cairo, Egypt

No it wasn't Islam that overthrew polytheism in Egypt, Islam was a very late arrival, North Africa was very Christian by the time the Muslim armies conquered it. Islam enforced itself by the sword, onto a Christian population.
Oh dear, scientists should stick to science. Every heard of Augustine of Hippo, Origen of Alexandria, Tertullian. Clement of Alexandria, Bishop Donatus, the Monophysite church - now the Copts, ten percent of Egypt and still savagely persecuted.
Pure ignorance of Christian history. Arabs were a late arrival.

Fati, Dalston, UK

adegbola, London, UK

So cancer and AIDS are manufactured in labs? Well well, the ignorance of faith-heads never ceases to amaze me.
Man can't create life? Dear oh dear, what planet are you on?

Alan Cowe, Bixter, Shetland

Someone once said "I find it harder to believe the various attempts to explain away the miracles referred to in the Bible than I do to believe in the miracles themselves."

R. G. Rennie, White Rock, B.C. , Canada

To O T Tang. The next time you communicate with God 'meditatively' could you please ask Him to remove the pathogens He created that cause massive suffering to mankind? It would be much appreciated. Thank you. (Oh, and You).

William Garrett, Harrow,

I am a Christian of over 40 years and I read professor Wotton's article and found no reason for the Times headline. The professor is merely stating scientific facts which I feel give even greater credence to and actually support the Biblical account. While it is certainly reasonable for
one who doubts the veracity of scripture to give his own views on the account, I find the professor's views entirely reasonable from a mind that is limited to belief in empirical type of evidences. For the Biblical account to be accurate does not require God to create the plagues out of thin air. He may certainly arrange things for years ahead of time to prepare the show. God seems to like drama too. We may someday find that there is a scientific way to determine which sibling is the firstborn. This will still in no way detract from the power of the Biblical account. May God bless you Professor Wotton and give you even greater depth of understanding!

Jeffrey Phelps, Redding , Ca

Atheists and secularists will love this regurgitated theory. Religious may question whether their is some validity in man's science. A Christian will know the truth of Almighty God, and hope others will come to know the truth.

Phil Anslow, Brentwood, England

It's natural to dig and delve. To question is part of our nature. It leads us never to shut off from seeking proper, adequate and ultimate explanation. That's why we let ourselves down in the process if we say 'if God exists'. Of course He does. His existence is more real than ours. His causality in things like the plagues almost certainly has to be thought of in the less proximate way that many of us have been doing for decades.

Father Bryan Storey, Tintagel, UK

I found this article very interesting. I like to have these
things explained. In fact I think they need to be looked
into. It gives us perspective on the past which is always
a plus.

Jerry Scroggin, Phoenix, Arizona/USA

Professer Wotton's article is supported by previous theories made by scholars and scientists.
Regarding the "deaths of the first born", there can be no proof that his actually happened as it would have been impossible to collate all the deaths in Egypt in a specific period, and analyse them. Maybe a few children died who were the firstborn through disease and starvation, but that happens even today.
Well done Professor. Keep up the good work.

P.Nobleza, Houston, USA

Regarding the 'death of the firstborn' question, it should be noted that this actually related to Egyptian first born males. As many societies are known to give preferential treatment to this group, I would suggest that Professor Wotton gives consideration to dietary differences or even eating utensils, that may have applied to that group..

I say the latter, as the Roman aristocracy 'madness and infertility' problems are now known to have been instigated by their use of lead plates and using lead to sweeten wine.

Therefore, it is possible that a preferential difference given to the firstborn male, but not to his siblings could account for that 'plague'.

@adegbola, poking noses in, is what scientists do. It is also just one reason why you are not living in a tent in London in 2007.

Frank , Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

With the insight which modern science has given us, what Professor Wotton has said can all be accepted as reasonable and true.

One knows the existence of God not so much because of miracles described in the Bible. There is the confidence of perceiving his presence, and the ability to communicate with Him meditatively.

O T Tang, Singapore, Singapore

In his book, "Act of God", Graham Phillips attrtibutes all the plagues, plus the parting of the Red Sea (actually the less-dramatic Reed Sea) to the eruption of Thera (the remains of which are ow Santorini).

Bill Peter, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

But isn't the Bible the only place where the ten plagues are described?

There is no supporting evidence - so why waste time on it?

Bill McCann, Suzhou, China

I think scientists should stick to solving current problems like cancer, aids and other lab manufactured biological agents which were made for war. Stop poking your head where it doesn't belong. Man is inquisitive but we dont know all and we can't create life so why try to prove what you dont understand.

adegbola, London, UK