Old Testament's Catastrophism
Christian Science & Archeology

Past Astral or Celestial
 Catastrophism! (3)

Past Astral or Celestial Catastrophism! (3)
An open the suspicion that Mars may have indeed interacted with Earth!(by Donald W. Patten ©) (3)(12)

It appears that some substantial-sized astral bodies have traveled along highly eccentric or elliptical orbits in early times, have crossed the orbits of the nearer in planets, and have wrought occasional havoc in varying degrees, at varying times, and at various locations. The evidences of this belief encompasses many fields, one of which is astronomy. Following are some of the circumstances and evidences, the first of which is the historical possibility of planetary opposition, and the resultant perturbation of planetary orbits.

Examples of astral catastrophism are substantially numerous in our solar system; it is likely that existing evidences reflect only a fraction of the number of historical catastrophes. Examples have been given from four different regions of the solar system, and including some six different categories.

Earth catches up with its neighbor Mars
and passes relatively close to it!
Planetary Interaction. W. Patten(3)

Planetary Interaction: When two planets approach each other, their gravities attract each other, while their magnetic fields, to a much lesser extent, also interact. The seriousness of such a clash depends on:

(1) The size and mass of each of the bodies,
(2) The nearness of the approach,
(3) The velocities of the bodies,
(4) The net electrical charges of the bodies, and
(5) The satellite systems which also are involved.

Examples of astral catastrophism are substantially numerous in our solar system; it is likely that existing evidences reflect only a fraction of the number of historical catastrophes. Examples have been given from four different regions of the solar system, and including some six different categories.

Like all the planets in our solar system, Earth and Mars orbit the sun. But Earth is closer to the sun, and therefore races along its orbit more quickly. Earth makes two trips around the sun in about the same amount of time that Mars takes to make one trip. So sometimes the two planets are on opposite sides of the sun, very far apart, and other times, Earth catches up with its neighbor Mars and passes relatively close to it. (Source: NASA)

Remarkable coincidence?

1. Mars has a rotational speed of 24 hours, 37 minutes in sidereal time. The Earth, coincidentally, has a rotational speed of 23 hours, 56 minutes, in sidereal time. This is a differential of 41 minutes, a differential of but 2.9%. This, in uniformitarian thinking, is a remarkable coincidence.

2. Mars has an axis which tilts 24° to the perpendicular of its orbital plane. Our planet has an axis which, by way of coincidence, tilts 23 1/2°. This is a differential of about 2%, a second remarkable coincidence.

3. A third coincidence in uniformitarian thinking, the allegory of Jonathan Swift is now recalled, along with the mythical Lilliputians and Laputans. The Laputans, according to Swift, possessed superior telescopes to the Europeans. The Laputans apparently knew all about the satellites of Mars, their physical diameters, their orbital diameters, and their speed of revolution some 150 years before such was discovered by later astronomers who eventually built better telescopes.  

This is an amazing coincidence. It was known that Earth had 1 moon, Jupiter had 4 and Saturn had 7 at the time he was writing his book. It was reasonable to suppose that Saturn might have an 8th moon hidden somewhere and, in that case, if Mars had 2 moons, there would be a nice list of numbers.

As one moved outward from the sun, beginning at Earth, the number of moons for each planet would be 1, 2, 4, 8. Then too, the moons of Mars would have to be small and close to the planet, or even Europeans with their "poor" telescopes would have discovered them.

Mars may have actually approached the Earth, and wrought havoc in its approach.

Then Deimos and Phobos may actually have been seen by ancient Grecian eyes. Ares, to them, was indeed drawn by two steeds, not two mythological steeds, but rather by two real steeds, at least in their view. Deimos is not really a moon in the general sense; it is a rock about five miles in diameter. Phobos is about 10 miles in diameter. They are moons in the minuscule sense. Apparently ancient Grecian eyes were able to see not only Phobos but also Deimos. Apparently they were not only able to see them, but were also able to measure them, track them, and correlate them to the rotation of Mars (or Ares). How close must a rock of five miles be to be seen, measured and tracked?

The Earth spiraling through space;
has a solid crust only 5 to 30 miles thick!

Our Earth is not like the huge major planets; the Earth is a small, fragile sphere, spiraling through space, with solid crust only 5 to 30 miles thick, containing oceans of hot magma within, and containing oceans of water upon it. Its crust is like a 'paper bag full of honey or molasses', swinging along at a rate of 1000 miles per hour in equatorial rotation, plus some 66,000 miles per hour in orbit. This neglects the galactic motion, which is much greater. The point is that our Earth's crust is markedly fragile!

The fact is that the Earth has been involved in more than one astral catastrophe in terms of multiplied thousands of years ago. The catastrophes have involved both counter dominating gravities (tide-raising forces) and discharging magnetic fields.

However, if the catastrophic proposition just happens to be correct, then one may ascribe historical interactions of the Earth (12):  

(1) with Mars¹ in the 8th and 15th centuries B.C.
(2) 'probably' with Venus in an era verging on the dateless past! 
(3) MARS in the 28th century B.C. is then the only remaining possibility to account for the Flood crisis!

Note¹: During the 8th century B.C., the Old Testament writers reveal that their world experienced a series of catastrophes, which seem to have had either 15 or 30 year intervals. Amos described one; Micah described one (also described by Josephus and later by Zechariah). Isaiah described the last of these, which was apparently also the worst. He described such phenomena as: 'the Earth wobbling like a drunkard, (Earth's axel is out of balance!) a blast falling from heaven, and the Sun returning, or suddenly going retrograde in the sky about 10°'. This was a time replete with celestial cosmology, disturbed calendars, intense earthquakes, and falling meteorites! (12)

During opposition, Mars and the sun are on directly opposite sides of Earth. From our perspective on our spinning world, Mars rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. Then, after staying up in the sky the entire night, Mars sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east. Since Mars and the sun appear on opposite sides of the sky, we say that Mars is in "opposition." If Earth and Mars followed perfectly circular orbits, opposition would be as close as the two planets could get.

Of course, nothing about motion in space is quite that simple! Our orbits are actually elliptical (oval-shaped), and we travel a little closer to the sun at one end of our orbits than at the other end.

This study does not postulate that the Biblical Flood was the only one of such catastrophes, nor does it propose that the Biblical Flood was either the first or the last of them; it merely proposes that it was most severe!

The specifics points of the Biblical Flood as given in the Genesis account. Considering its sudden engagement, disengagement (initiation and termination) and including its tidal nature! This does not necessarily mean that the reader needs to support the spiritual implications in the Flood story; but it may be a good idea to consider all of the described subjects!

ASTRAL CATASTROPHISM (or celestial catastrophism) is a basic view for the history of our planet, and of the other planets in our solar system. It presumes periodically disturbed and conflicting conditions, and those, at least to an extent, have been relatively recent. Evidence is derived not from just one or two planetary systems, but from most, and perhaps from every one of them.

Velikovsky may have confused Venus with Mars? (12)

VENUS is the planet which, according to Velikovsky, may have interacted with the Earth during the 2nd millennium B.C. This author prefers to lay open the suspicion that Venus may have indeed interacted with the Earth, but rather may have been responsible for the primordial hydrocarboniferous catastrophic era. This suspicion is increased with the evidence of heavy and complex hydrocarbons in the Venusian atmosphere. Velikovsky may have confused Venus with Mars.

The Earth was seemingly engaged in astral havoc at least four times.

1. One era was the 8th century B.C.
2. Another was the 15th century B.C.
3. A third era was approximately the 28th century B.C., the Flood crisis era.
4. Yet an earlier era of celestial havoc, prior to the age of man, was perhaps some 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.
5. And there may be others in the dateless past!

Concerning these specific catastrophes, it would be most likely that the other planets involved are still revolving around in the solar system, and especially in the inner regions of the solar system; it is not likely that they disappeared in the remote regions beyond Pluto. It would be likely that some of these bodies which engaged the Earth would have resultant perihelions closer to the Sun than does the Earth!

The guess of this writer is that Mercury may have been the 'Visitor' which interacted with the Earth during the Flood crisis. It may have subsequently interacted with Venus also. If Mercury is not that Visitor, it leaves only Mars and Venus for leading alternatives. With deference to Velikovsky, this writer agrees that Venus can be eliminated.

MARS is then the only remaining possibility to account for the Flood crisis; it can also be eliminated. Some of the reasons are described by Velikovsky. The reason Mars can be eliminated as the partner in the Flood celestial drama is because it apparently was the partner in another later celestial drama, the one in the 8th century B.C.

Now if Mars had just happened to approach
the Earth within...(12)

This is just uncomfortably close, but the ancients in the 8th century B.C. were just that uncomfortable, according to their writings integrated with their cosmologies. This would cause tidal upheavals along the ocean shores, but also in the magma within the Earth's crust, and would cause seismic shocks of major scales. And not only were the walls of Troy destroyed during this era; Isaiah describes the walls of Jerusalem, some 40 feet thick and 100 feet high, as suddenly breached, along with the aqueducts. Their repair became Hezekiah's leading WPA project. And also, Hezekiah found that the Passover festival was gradually becoming later and later in the spring. He found it necessary to add 5 intercalary days in order to make the calendar work.

Prior to the 8th century B.C. the Hebrew calendar included new moon festivals, celebrated every 30 days, and annual festivals, celebrated every 360 days. (Today the Moon has a 28 1/2 day orbit, and the Earth has a 365 1/4 day orbit.) And the Hebrew calendar of 360 days looks surprisingly similar to the geometric circle of the astronomical-minded Babylonians, who divided it into 360 degrees, as if it might have had something to do with the calendar.  Also, according to sundials and water clocks which have been unearthed by archaeologists (those which were constructed prior to 8th century B.C.), it seems as if they failed to measure true east correctly; their architecture was about 1° in error to our true east. Now if Mars had just happened to approach the Earth within 100,000 or so miles, this means  

(a) it passed well within the Earth-Moon system
(b) it passed well within the Earth's gravitational domain, which is some 1,600,000 miles in diameter
(c) it passed well within the influences of the Earth's magnetic field.

And it has already been noticed that Mars has such a sympathetic period of rotation to the Earth, plus a surprisingly sympathetic tilt to the axis upon which it rotates. A slowly turning armature can be accelerated if it passes within the magnetic field of another rotating armature; they needn't touch. Is it not possible that Mars disturbed the Earth's axis and orbit slightly? And is it not possible that the Earth, with a mass 10 times greater than Mars, substantially reorganized Mars' rotation and axis to resemble its own? This study suspects just that; it suspects more.5

One might wonder why Mars is so heavily pocked
or scarred with astroblemes?
(12)

One might wonder why Mars is so heavily pocked or scarred with astroblemes. The face of the Moon is fairly heavily pocked, but not so much so as the backside of the Moon. And the backside of the Moon is not nearly as heavily scarred as is Mars. Mars has craters overlapping and/or within craters, overlapping upon craters, in places in a triple overlay.

Why is Mars so heavily scarred with astroblemes? Could this be related to a former orbit, of greater eccentricity, which entered the zone of the asteroids? Where did Mars pick up its two rock-like, asteroid-like satellites, Deimos and Phobos? What is this legend of Electra, a former sister planet in our solar system, all about? Surely, according to Lyellian logic, Mars has been orbiting in its current orbit for millions, or perhaps billions of years. But then what planet caused the fragmentation of Electra, if not Mars?

Relative to Mars, its satellites, its astroblemes, its cosmological position among the ancients, its rotation, its axis, And Asimov described but a small portion of these coincidences in the most extreme possible language which he could command.

Astronomy in History

Catastrophism has been clearly and consistently associated with Biblical doctrines. Catastrophism has been identified therewith. These evidences may indicate that one can by no means assume that the Earth was exempt from such historical cosmic conflict.

Whiston came to the opinion that a large astral body, traveling in an eccentric (highly elliptical) orbit, would be sufficient to cause a great flood through tidal mechanisms. He concluded that this was the mechanism of the Biblical Flood. He further concluded that recurring events of an astral nature, involving highly eccentric orbits, were the basis for explaining later astral phenomena, cosmic traditions, celestial mythology (the sky gods) of ancient times. This included such historical descriptions as the long day of Joshua, equated to the Phaethon myth of Egypt, the Phoenix myth, the Deimos and Phobos tradition among the Greeks, among many other traditions. He analyzed the renditions of Plutarch, Seneca, Suetonius, Virgil, Homer and many other ancient writers from the perspective that their celestial traditions were founded on historical astronomical principles. They possessed a core of truth.

In his first major work, A New Theory of the Earth (1696), Whiston set forth the mechanical and astrophysical theory, correlated to ancient flood dialogues, for understanding of the physical cause of the Deluge. He repeatedly attributed the physical cause to the provision of Divine Providence. This was followed by another work, Astronomical Principles of Religion (1717), which put greater emphasis on the scope of celestial themes in ancient mythology

When people began finding fossils in every province of...

Fossils would be found amid formations of alluvium compressed into strata. Many evidences in natural science suggesting huge watery cataclysms would be unearthed in the next 100 years. This agreed in very well with Biblical tradition and Newtonian-Whistonian mechanics. The basis for 18th century catastrophism was apparent; part of it was religious, part of it was historical, part of it was geological, part of it was astronomical.

Thus, when people began finding fossils in every province of Europe and at virtually every elevation, the literature of Genesis was recalled. Marine fossils were found high in the Swiss Alps, the mountain backbone of Western Europe. This they attributed to the Flood. Terrestrial fossils, often of extinct forms, were found in widely separated locations, and again, this pointed to the Flood. Then, when coal miners, working in shafts below sea level, also ran into terrestrial fossils, again people recalled the Flood.

Hardly  to indicate that the Earth was exempt
from such astral catastrophes!

This study proposes that the catastrophic premise is far superior! Our proposition is based on a series of areas of evidence. One is the inherent validity of the Biblical record, paralleling other ancient literatures, motifs, traditions and folklores. Another is the geological record, replete with sedimentary strata, repeated universally across the several continents. But there are other evidences, of at least equal importance. They speak of ancient days when catastrophes occurred within our solar system. They speak of different kinds of astral catastrophes and of different locations of catastrophes. They hardly indicate that the Earth was exempt from such proceedings.
 
If ancient astral catastrophism is correct, then certain elementary conclusions must follow. One refers to the position of the Earth, in a relatively inner position with respect to most of the planets, and close-in with respect to the orbits of some comets and meteor streams. The Earth, in this inner position, is among the more likely candidates for periodic visitations. The Earth's location within the solar system indicates that it would be unlikely that it would be excluded from such ancient conditions!

 The Ice Epoch which engulfed the Earth
at another time in the history?

Ices, in short, along with hydrogen, are the most common components of the Saturn system. Hence it is not really surprising that Saturn's rings are composed of ice; it would be surprising if they weren't. But further, this is suggestive that within the history of our solar system, at least one icy catastrophe has overtaken the planet Saturn. Could this be a clue as to the Ice Epoch which engulfed the Earth at another time in the history of our solar system? This is a subject which is reserved for Chapter 6! Æ (The nature of the Earth's Ice Epoch!)
  A similar assertion that celestial disasters could have taken place when men on Earth were watching had already been made by the Harvard astronomer, Fred L. Whipple, who suggested that the swarm of asteroids which orbit between Mars and Jupiter were disturbed by a cometary collision there as recently as 4,700 and 1,500 years ago.

Traditions among ancients of explosions in the heavens
Past Celestial Catastrophes  (3)

There are traditions among ancients of explosions in the heavens. One includes a location in the zodiac known to the Romans as Cancer, or "the crab." Egyptians called Cancer a beetle, the Greeks and Chaldeans also pictured it as a crab, and the astrologically-minded Hindus called it a tortoise. It is not the purpose in this chapter to introduce the cosmological themes of ancient civilizations; however it would be well to recall that in Greek legend, there were seven sisters, or planets, which were visible to the naked eye. The seventh, Electra by name, could not bear to watch the destruction of Troy, so she withdrew from the heavens.

Our Scar-Faced Satellite--The Moon!

Our Scar-Faced Satellite--The Moon. Our scar-faced satellite exhibits yet other examples of astral catastrophism. The Moon has been presumed to be a solid; yet recent observations have indicated the possibility that it may be substantially fluid like the Earth with a thin crust. Volcanic action has been reportedly observed recently. The Moon, unlike the Earth, has no atmosphere, no weather, and virtually no erosion. Ancient scars have not healed over, as they have on our planet through processes of erosion and vegetation.

The Moon has many craters, of many sizes. The craters on the Moon's side facing the Earth may exceed 30,000 in number, and range all the way from pitlets up to 150 miles in diameter. The crater named in honor of Copernicus is approximately 40 miles in diameter and has an average wall height of 12,000 feet. In addition to craters, the Moon has scratches on its surface, indicative of explosions either at or near its surface, another indication of a less-than-serene history.

The face of the Moon is fairly heavily pocked, but not so much so as the backside of the Moon. And the backside of the Moon is not nearly as heavily scarred as is Mars. Mars has craters overlapping and/or within craters, overlapping upon craters, in places in a triple overlay. (12)

(Z Figure 3) This chapter has already considered evidences of astral catastrophism throughout our small solar system; other kinds occur beyond our solar system. In this chapter for consideration about the evidences from four different regions: Neptune, Saturn, the asteroids, and our own Moon. It has considered evidences of one kind of cause (approaching astral bodies, traveling eccentric or elliptical orbits). But it has considered evidences involving two kinds of results. One result was perturbations of the orbits of the astral bodies concerned. This was a disturbance of path. The other result was tide-raising forces. This caused upwelling's of fluids such as magma and/or water when at moderate intensity, but caused fragmentization when at extreme intensity. This kind of result (tide-raising forces) was an internal phenomena whereas perturbations of orbits were external phenomena. Both, however, have an identical kind of cause, but are merely different kinds of results of different magnitudes of counter-dominating gravitational forces.

It seems that the meteor streams, the fragility of comets, and the information from ancient literature indicate that comets are recent of origin. The balance of the above quotation regarding their birth by eruption, seems to be more questionable. But the mortality rate of comets is indicative of recentness. Some have suggested, as in the above instance, that they have been born within our solar system; others have suggested that they entered from beyond our solar system. In the former case, a birth is indicated; in the latter case, an entry is indicated. Both reflect astral catastrophism as a principle, with timing that may well be quite recent!
 

About the author Donald W. Patten & his scientifically written book!

Donald W. Patten, a geographer by training and lifelong interest, was born on November 11, 1929, in Conrad, a small town on the high plains of Montana near Glacier National Park. He entered the University of Montana in 1947 and engaged upon a series of studies including ancient history, ancient literature, climatology, genetics, geography, geomorphology, mathematics and philosophy.

While absorbing humanistic viewpoints, he also began to read the Bible, and to reflect upon its claims. In 1948, he experienced conversion to Biblical Christianity, and through a coincidence, was given pulpit duties as a student at a small, rural community church in the village of Lolo. Following his conversion, this further experience in lay preaching and teaching was a most profound influence in his young manhood, coming in the midst of his studies.

The author contends that, through the agency of astral principles, the Earth became engaged, or engulfed, in simultaneous gravitational upheavals and magnetic conflicts. There came with suddenness to our fragile, spiraling sphere, THE BIBLICAL FLOOD AND THE ICE EPOCH. Readers of this unique book will find a challenging and refreshing view of ancient catastrophism and its conclusion, Divine Creation, a subject of importance in this age of increasing intellectual rootlessness.

It is over and against the prevailing monopoly of uniformitarian thought (which proposes that oceans of time are necessary for anything and everything, both geologically and biologically) that Mr. Patten proposes his view of historical celestial crises, global catastrophes. Such catastrophes may explain many features about several planets. Such catastrophes, relative to the Earth-Moon system, explain the raising up of mountain ranges, sweeping across the face of the Earth in arcuate alignment, similar to the mountain patterns of the Moon.

This was achieved suddenly, and by tidal upheavals within the oceans (of centrifugally rotating lava) within the Earth's crust. Simultaneously, tidal upheavals engulfing the oceans raised tides of subcontinental dimensions on the Earth's crust, thus the historically recorded Deluge, or Flood.
 

This "Teaching & Information in the form of a Neutral" site of “Science of Noah' Flood” is created

The biblical flood and ice epoch was conceived in 1960, and has been generated by his interests in various fields of geography, history and science.
With permission (13 May 2008) and cooperation by:
by  Donald W. Patten ©; Copyright 1964,
Judy Fenton (Daughter)
Seattle, WA 98125 USA

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