By Jacqueline Kelly –
According to Biblical Scholars of the 21st Century translation of the Old Testament are of the opinion that there were ten plagues.
Also read first part: Pandemics During the Biblical Times
- The Nile river turns bloody, fouling drinking water and killing fish.
- Frogs leave the Nile for dry land, invade Egyptian homes and die, causing a great stench.
- Annoying small insects swarm
- Annoying large insects swarm
- An epizootic kills different types of livestock in pasture
- Boils affect animals and humans.
- A severe thunderstorm with lightning and hailstones destroys crops near harvest.
- Strong winds bear swarms of locusts to destroy remaining crops.
- “Palpable darkness” obscures all light.
- Firstborn Egyptians and their surviving first born animals die, while Israelites and their livestock live.
Smallpox originated in Egypt and India for 3000 years. The earliest evidence of smallpox came from the mummified remains of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses V who died in 1157 B.C. and whose corpse bears the smallpox marks on the skin. A large scale decline in the Roman Empire around 108 A.D. was due to smallpox in the form of the Antonine Plague. Almost seven million people were killed.
Plagues took place during the reign of the Roman Empire. The most common Biblical Plagues occurred in Egypt during the time of Moses. [Exodus 32:35] gives an example of this.
Antonine Plague of the 2nd century [165-180 A.D.] was named after Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus is referred to as the Plague of Galen [Greek Physician who lived in the Roman Empire]. The cause may have been either smallpox or measles. The Plague which might have killed a quarter of the Roman Empire, led to the spread of Christianity as Christians cared for the sick and were spiritual models.
Cyprian Plague [250-271 A.D] is named after a Bishop of Carthage [Modern Tunisia]. It set off the Crisis of the Third Century in the Roman Empire and swept across Egypt. Saint Cyprian believed that the pestilence signalled the end of the world, reportedly claiming 5,000 victims a day in Rome. The cause is suspected to have been either smallpox or measles.
The first detailed report of Justinian Plague plague is from the Byzantine Empire under the rule of Justinian I during the 6th century A.D.[541-542 A.D.] It killed millions of people in the Mediterranean Basin. Merchant ships harboured rats that carried fleas infected with plague. Emperor Justinian himself contracted the disease, but survived.
Bubonic Plague is referred to as Black Death. It resulted in the deaths of 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia and Europe from 1347-1351. It was most likely carried by fleas living on the black rats that travelled on merchant ships spreading throughout the Mediterranean Basin reaching the rest of Europe via the Italian Peninsula. There were not enough survivors to bury the dead.
It took 200 years for Europe’s population to recover to its previous level. The disease was terrifying.
For centuries, plague has proved disastrous in Asia, Africa Europe and the Roman Empire. These epidemics claimed millions of lives, spread far and wide and changed the course of history.
Diphtheria and Tuberculosis have been known for many centuries and have been and still are the major causes of illness and death. In the Middle Ages T.B. was known as the “King’s evil”.
Tuberculosis was already found in the remains of Bison dating back 17,000 years. TB and Diphtheria have also been found in Egyptian mummies. TB has claimed the lives of millions of people all over the centuries and has not yet disappeared from the world map.
Leprosy has struck fear into human beings for thousands of years. It was reported as early as 600 B.C. in India, China and Egypt. Jesus cleansing a leper is found in all the three Gospels of Matthew [8:1-4], Mark [1:40-45] and Luke [5:12-16].
It causes considerable deformities and disabilities. People are ostracised by society. Leprosy is still prevalent today, but goes by the name Hansen’s disease Measles – The first description dates back to the 9th Century A.D. Measles epidemic struck ancient world settlements time and again. Measles still kills 85,000 people every year, despite the availability of the vaccine.
Chicken pox – In the early 1500’s it was thought of as a type of Scarlet fever. Chicken pox was more prevalent in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was common to the English for centuries and they called it blistering disease or boils disease.
Typhus – The first written description of typhus among Troops were during the Siege of Granada in 1489 A.D. The death toll among the Spanish troops were 17,000. The French Army at the Siege of Naples in 1527 and typhus outbreaks were also seen during the Napolean Wars and the Irish Potato Famine of 1846-49 which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Influenza – The first cases in humans were said to be around 6000 years old. The first records of Influenza outbreak are from 1580 A.D. which were reported in Asia Minor and Northern Africa. The biggest blow was the Spanish Flu in 1918 which killed around 50 million people.
The most recent is the COVID-19 pandemic, declared by WHO on March 12, 2020 which originated in Wuhan, China. The current outbreak is so aggressive that doctors think it could be one of the worst epidemics in modern history.
The pandemic is certainly calling us for a change in our behaviour towards society by following social distancing. Let us not lose hope. When we are desperate, the Lord is closest to us. Let us not distance ourselves from the Lord. Let us overcome fear with faith. Turn to the Lord and wait in prayer.
Let us be sensitive and responsible as we face this new corona virus threat. Let the history of science and medicine come up with the vaccines and solutions to the diseases that plague the earth.
In the midst of a calamity we often judge God’s goodness. We yearn for God to respond to our prayers. And, God does over time. God does not always give us the answers we seek, but He does give us more of Himself. In the midst of the confusion, we should allow the grace of God to consume us.
May the Lord Jesus Christ protect you and your families. Wishing you good health always….