Historians see light on eclipse day in the Bible

THE first solar eclipse recorded in the Bible has been pinpointed by British scientists to October 30, 1207 BC, it was revealed last night.

The timing could now mean historians can date within 12 months the reign of Egyptian pharaohs, including Ramesses the Great and his son Merneptah.

The presumed solar eclipse, mentioned in the Book of Joshua, tells how Joshua is said to have prayed: “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon. And the Sun stood still, and the Moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.”

Cambridge University’s Professor Sir Colin Humphreys said: “Solar eclipses are often used as a fixed point to date events in the ancient world.

“Using new calculations, the reign of Merneptah began in 1210 or 1209 BC.”

The study was published in the Royal Astronomical Society journal Astronomy & Geophysics.