Scientists ‘disprove' one of Jesus Christ's best-known miracles as study claims it was just ‘a natural phenomenon'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A TEAM of scientists claims to have debunked one of Jesus Christ's most famous miracles — saying the Son of God may not have fed 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish after all.
Instead, researchers believe it could have been a freak natural event in Israel's Lake Kinneret — known in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee — that brought a massive haul of fish to the surface for easy collection.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
Ghent – Crucifixion paint on the wood from side altar in underground chapel of st. Baaf's Cathedral from 16. cent. on June 23, 2012 in Gent, Belgium.
Credit: Getty
4
A vintage illustration of Jesus Christ, published in Germany, circa 1900. (Photo)
Credit: Getty - Contributor
The story of the 'Feeding of the 5,000' is told in all four Gospels, where Jesus is said to have blessed a small amount of food and miraculously distributed it to feed a vast crowd.
But in a 2024 study published in Water Resources Research, scientists monitored oxygen levels, water temperature, and wind speed across Lake Kinneret — and say they discovered evidence of sudden mass fish die-offs caused by unusual weather patterns.
Strong winds sweeping across the lake, they say, can churn the water and cause an 'upwelling' of cold, low-oxygen water from the bottom, which kills fish and sends them floating to the surface.
According to the researchers, to anyone watching from the shore, it would look like fish were suddenly appearing by the thousands — creating the illusion of a miracle and allowing them to 'be easily collected by a hungry populace'.
The team believes this could explain the Gospel passage where Jesus tells his disciples — after a fruitless night of fishing — to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, suddenly hauling in a bounty.
However, Biblical scholars aren't buying it.
Critics slammed the theory for missing the point entirely, pointing out that no fish were caught during the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
The article on AnsweringGenesis.org hit back, saying: 'Jesus simply took the five loaves and two fish, thanked God, broke the loaves, handed everything to his disciples, and the disciples handed the food out. No fish were caught!'
According to Matthew 14:13–21, Jesus 'saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.'
Brit shares 'proof' he's found Jesus's TOMB & Ark of the Covenant in cave
When his disciples told him to send the people away to find food, he replied: 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.'
After blessing the five loaves and two fish, the Bible says: 'they all ate and were satisfied.
'And they took up 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over.'
Despite the backlash, the researchers argue that understanding how fish may have mysteriously appeared in huge quantities doesn't take away from the spiritual message of the event — which many see as symbolic of generosity and faith.
Still, religious sceptics say the study adds weight to theories that Jesus' wonders may have had natural explanations — while believers insist some things just can't be explained away by science.
It comes after a stunning AI-generated video claims to reveal the true face of Jesus Christ — using images based on the mysterious Turin Shroud.
Believers say the Shroud of Turin was the burial cloth wrapped around Jesus after his crucifixion.
4
AI has created a video of Jesus Christ by feeding it the Turin Shroud
Credit: X
4
Christ can be seen smiling, blinking and praying in the video
Credit: X
Now, photos of the ancient linen have been processed through Midjourney, an AI image generator, to create a realistic image and video of Christ.
The video shows Jesus blinking, smiling, and praying — potentially as he did before his crucifixion around 33AD.
He appears with shoulder-length brown hair, a beard, brown eyes, a straight nose, and high cheekbones.
His skin tone is pale, which has sparked debate among academics and online.
Last year, The Sun also used AI to recreate the Son of God's appearance.
The Gencraft tool was fed the prompt 'face of Jesus based on the Shroud of Turin' and returned images of a man with hazel eyes, a gentle expression, a neat beard, clean eyebrows, and long brown hair.
Under his weary eyes, signs of exhaustion were visible.
Many researchers agree that the man wrapped in the Shroud appeared to be between 5ft 7in and 6ft tall, with sunken eyes and a full beard.
The markings on the cloth also show what some believe to be crucifixion wounds — including injuries to the head, shoulders, arms, and back, consistent with a thorn crown and Roman whips.
The Bible recounts that Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers, crowned with thorns, and forced to carry his cross before dying in agony.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Scots scientists breeding sheep to make them FART less to be more eco-friendly
LITTLE BO PARP Scots scientists breeding sheep to make them FART less to be more eco-friendly SHEEP are being bred to be kinder to the planet — by making them fart less. A new research study is developing ways to identify farm animals who emit smaller amounts of gas, which can then be selected as part of breeding programmes. 3 sheep-field-looking-camera-1000393705 Credit: Getty 3 Flock of curious sheep Credit: Getty Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and the British Texel Sheep Society have teamed up with partners from other sheep-breeding nations to provide a platform for national and global comparison of methane and carbon dioxide emissions. Around 450 hill sheep from SRUC's Hill and Mountain Research Centre near Loch Lomond are participating in the research, which will run until 2027. Methane is a natural byproduct of the digestive process of ruminant animals, where microbes in the rumen ferment feed and produce methane as a waste product. Globally, there are an estimated 1.2 billion sheep, producing around seven million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere. The Sustain Sheep builds on research which suggests that, by exploiting the natural variation in methane emissions between individual sheep, selective breeding could reduce emissions by one to two per cent per year, without compromising genetic improvement in other traits. The study uses portable accumulation chambers for individual animal methane measurements. Dr Nicola Lambe, from SRUC, said: 'A crucial aspect of this project is understanding what impacts there might be of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) on other animal characteristics such as growth, feed intake and efficiency, and quantifying the effects of these. 'This will enable recommendations for breeding programmes to be determined in tandem with the economic implications of selecting for low-methane sheep. 'In the UK and other countries there is chronic under-adoption of genetic improvement as a means to meet policy targets for lower GHG emissions, and there are many barriers to taking up new outcomes from research by the sheep industry. 'The robust science from the project will provide a mechanism for national and global comparisons to underpin Governmental GHG reduction targets for the successful implementation of science into policy.' Moment Scots family run away screaming & kids in tears as animal breaks into home It is expected the research will provide tools and knowledge to help steer the direction of future breeding programmes and related government policies, so that UK sheep producers can see clear benefits from reducing methane emissions from their flocks. John Yates, of the British Texel Sheep Society, the largest pedigree sheep society in the UK, said: 'Methane measurement using Portable Accumulation Chambers (PACs) is still in its early stages, but if scalable and affordable, it could play a vital role in breeding programmes to support the government's net-zero target.' Sustain Sheep is funded through the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation (R&I) programme.
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Eerie Roswell crash memo holds key to cracking UFO mystery after ‘FOUR alien bodies found,' expert insists
An eyewitness recalled seeing alien remains and their craft A BIZARRE memo about the Roswell UFO crash could unlock secrets and expose the truth about the 'flying saucer' mystery. A prominent ufologist made the startling claim after aliens were rumored as being spotted dead among the wreckage. Advertisement 6 The mystery material was recovered from the Roswell site after a 'flying disk' apparently crashed in the New Mexico desert in 1947 Credit: Getty 6 A Ufologist believes this photo of a memo may be key to cracking the case Credit: Kevin Randle and Philip Mantle The so-called Roswell Incident happened on July 2, 1947, in a remote desert area in New Mexico. Conspiracy theories and mystery swirling the alleged crash have fascinated UFO watchers for nearly 80 years. Back in 1947, the 509th Bomb Group - based in Roswell - released a press release claiming a UFO had crashed in the area, and the United States Army Air Forces were in possession of a 'flying disk." However, confusion ensued after that release was later retracted, and replaced with a statement saying the object was in fact a high altitude weather balloon. Advertisement READ MORE US NEWS FATAL ACCIDENT Parents arrested for letting boy, 7, walk home 'unattended' before he died The news alert had initially been issued by 1st Lt. Walter Haut, the public information officer at the base. Decades later, his daughter, Julie Shuster, was adamant that his original 'flying disk' statement had been accurate. But he had to keep everything "secret." A similar view has been expressed by veteran researcher Kevin Randle, a prominent ufologist who is regarded as one of the top experts on the reported crash. Advertisement Former army officer admits he saw ' beat up ALIEN the size of a 10-year-old child' after world famous Roswell UFO crash Randle has written multiple books about UFOs and the Roswell story. He's adamant that he has 'eliminated all possible terrestrial explanations." 'What we can say with authority is that something fell at Roswell,' he said. 'We have eliminated all the terrestrial explanations." Advertisement The expert, who served in the Air Force and National Guard, said the UFO case could be solved by delving into a historic memo. 6 The site of the Roswell crash Credit: Reuters 6 Expert Kevin Randle has spent years investigating the reported UFO crash Credit: Kevin Randle The eerie memo can be seen in a black and white photograph sent out on the news wires at the time. Advertisement The grainy note appears to say the words 'victims of the crash.' The memo itself can be seen in the old pic being held by Brigadier General Roger Ramey, who at the time of the crash was commanding officer of the 8th Air Force in Roswell. Ramey is holding the piece of paper slightly turned away from the camera. But, fortunately, some words can now be read using technology. KEY MEMO 'The Ramey memo could be the key to this whole thing," Randle said. Advertisement 'Ramey was holding the memo in his hand when he was photographed with the debris in his office. 'And what's interesting is we know when the picture was transmitted over the wire, we know who took it and we can see Ramey is holding the document in his hand. 'So we pretty much have the provenance nailed down. 'There are words in the document when you blow it up, that you can read. Advertisement 'Some people interpret the critical line as saying 'victims of the wreck.' 'Well, 'victims of the wreck' takes it out of the realm of a weather balloon - but it's kind of an interpretation of what you see." Randle has interviewed some 600 people over the past few decades in his search to establish the truth around the mysterious case. POLITICAL HOAX He has concluded that the weather balloon story is nothing but a "government hoax" to fob off those intrigued by UFO sightings. Advertisement Randle said, 'What they've said officially is that the Roswell crash was a weather balloon and [radar-type] target from this experiment being conducted in New Mexico. "What I discovered is that while [the radar-type] targets were a part of the experiments conducted on the east coast, when they got to New Mexico, they didn't use those targets. "That kind of points the finger at this being a government hoax to explain away the Roswell case.' KEPT SECRET Julie Shuster, Walter Haut's daughter, told SBS News, a broadcaster based in Australia, that she had many conversations with the former Army PR man about the "flying disk" he wrote about in 1947. Advertisement She said before her death in 2015, 'People began to talk about Roswell in the late '70s after several decades of keeping quiet. "I would ask dad to tell me the whole story, and he told me the same thing he told everybody: 'I put out the press release', and nothing else." It was not from this Earth, it was something manufactured off this Earth. It later emerged that Haut had been sworn to secrecy by base commander and close personal friend, Colonel William Blanchard. But, Haut was unhappy about keeping such a big secret, and prepared a signed affidavit to be opened after his death. Advertisement Originally from Chicago, Illinois, he died in Roswell in 2005. 'Basically dad said yes, he did see the bodies, yes he did see the craft and much more than that,' said Shuster. 'At one point I asked him about the size, and he said the craft was about 25 feet in diameter." EGG-SHAPED Thomas Carey, who co-authored a book with Shuster, Witness to Roswell: Unmasking the Government's Biggest Cover-Up, published in 2007, said his big secret "all came out in his sealed statement after he died." Advertisement Carey added, 'The ship which he described was about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, more of an egg-shaped object, and he did see a number of bodies. 'He described them as being the size of children. "And when asked point blank if what he believed it was that he had seen, without hesitation he'd say, 'It was not from this Earth, it was something manufactured off this Earth.'' A retired cop claimed that he saw the remains of dead aliens being lifted with a crane and hauled away. Advertisement Former Deputy Sheriff Charles H Forgus of Howard County, Texas, recalled traveling to Roswell to pick up a prisoner with Sheriff Jess Slaughter. Forgus claimed he saw four alien bodies with big eyes and brownish-colored skin being taken away by military personnel. 6 Kevin Randall has been researching Roswell since the 1980s 6 Sheriff Jess Slaughter was with Deputy Sheriff Charles Forgus at the time of the discovery Credit: Philip Mantle
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Man who 'died' for 45 minutes during surgery reveals what he saw... it made him question everything
A man who died on the operating table for 45 minutes during his surgery has claimed he saw Jesus standing over him who showed him heaven. Mike McKinsey, from California in the US, experienced the terrifying near-death experience while undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed. In what doctors described as 'the worst case they'd ever seen, the procedure took an unexpected turn, leaving him temporarily 'dead'. This means a person's heart has stopped beating and they've stopped breathing, but they may still be able to be revived. In Mr McKinsey's case, doctors were forced to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, to restart his heart and bring him back to life, he revealed in a recent viral video posted on the YouTube channel Coming Home. Once 'clinically dead', he said he saw Jesus who he described as looking 'like an Arab man'. Wearing a white robe, the holy figure had 'wavy brown hair' and 'dark greenish-blue eyes', that he said 'looked right into' his soul. When he reached out to take the hand Jesus offered him, he said he was transported to a meadow. He recalled being barefoot in nothing but his surgical gown, standing on 'perfectly manicured' grass—with heightened senses allowing him to take in the moment. Then, as he adjusted his eyes to the white, he said to his right was a bight light which 'all of a sudden starts sending these beams.' 'I felt the surgical room is now replaced with this beautiful warm feeling. All of a sudden somebody is pulling a curtain from my right to my left. 'The white whatever it was—the white fog or veil or the just whiteness gets pulled to the side and now I'm looking at this beautiful scenery.' He described standing on a hill above little flowers with soft petals that moved like they were dancing in the wind—which confused him as there was no wind. 'There's one big gold dome like a capital and there's other smaller gold domes—I mean the city's huge. It is miles apart,' he said. There was 'the most beautiful' sunset he had ever seen and then he noticed one of the tubes 'of white' hit the top of a tree. 'It was like it had a diamond on it because when that thing hit the top of the tree it burst into hundreds of tiny little light streaks. 'Pretty soon the whole mountain is lit with these bursting white beams of light and they kept' which he described as being like 'a big giant firework show. When he looked at the source of the light, he said: 'Jesus says to me "it's the glory of the lord".' This was when he said he knew he couldn't die, and was brought him back to the surgery room. The first thing he remembers is the doctor asking him if he remembered his name or where he was. This was when he realised there were five other people in the room dressed in scrubs and he heard someone say 'he's back'. He realised he must have been resuscitated when he saw a crash cart next to him with one of the resuscitation paddles 'kind of laying aside' and 'chords hanging down'. 'It was obvious somebody had used it. Someone was over there putting them back together—and I thought, oh boy, I did die' he said. He spent 12 days in hospital losing two and a half stone, as he was initially on a liquid diet for six days, before being eventually allowed to eat banana. Mr McKinsey first began to experience health problems in August 2024, when he started to suffer stomach issues while at a wedding, but it wasn't until three days later he went to hospital. It was at the hospital in Ventura, an hour-and-a-half drive to west of Los Angeles, he discovered his appendix had burst—which can be life-threatening. He recalled the medical staff starting the IV, rolling him down the corridor, and saying goodbye to his wife. While, he also doesn't say whether his heart stopped and if so for how long, it is possible to be clinically dead for 45 minutes and survive with a defibrillator. The phenomenon of near-death experiences has fascinated people and experts for millennia, but until recently there had been no scientific explanation. In 2023, Dr Jane Aspell a professor of cognitive neuroscience at Anglia Ruskin University revealed recent research shed light on how the brain generates the experience of one's self—and what happens when it goes wrong. 'There is now strong evidence that out of body experiences, and related experiences, are caused by abnormal functioning in parts of the brain that process and combine signals from our bodies. She explained it may be caused by damage to a vital part of the brain responsible for processing senses and balance. This could explain why those who have come close to death, taken drugs or suffered from a brain injury are among those who have reported out of body experiences. Such accounts have detailed cases of sufferers floating above their body that is lying down beneath them just after a traumatic event or accident. The professor explained recent research shed light on how the brain generates the experience of one's self—and what happens when it goes wrong. The right side of the temporal parietal junction, which sits just above the ear is associated with out of body experiences, Dr Aspell explained. This part of the brain is active during social functions, and needed to process empathy and memory. It also draws on the senses of vision, sound and touch to create a coherent feeling of the self inside the body. Part of the temporal parietal junction, called the vestibular cortex, acts as the balance system in our ears, helping us know where we are in relation to gravity. The vestibular cortex could offer further explanation on out of body experiences, Dr Aspell believes. If this area is not working properly, 'the experience of being one single body might therefore be disrupted,' explained Dr Aspell. If the brain cannot combine information from this balance system with other senses, it can give the feeling of floating above your own body, explained Dr Aspell.
