His Bark And His Bite Were Both Bad
Considered the largest meat-eater to walk the earth, Tyrannosaurus rex (T-rex) lived in North America. Standing as high as 20 feet and up to 40 feet long, it could weigh 8 tons. Recent finds, though, may diminish T-rex’s status just a bit, because in 1997 an excavation in Montana found a few bones that may belong to a creature even larger than T-rex. Yet, for now, T-rex still lives up to its name as the “Tyrant Lizard King.”
In 1900, the first T-rex fossils were found in western Wyoming and originally named Dynemosaurus imperious (powerful/lizard imperial—the Imperial Powerful Lizard). The fossils are located today in the British Museum of Natural History in London. Henry Fairfield Osborn named it Tyrannosaurus rex in 1906. Of course, he wasn’t the first to name T-rex. Adam originally named all the animals (Genesis 2:20). However, we do not know Adam’s original name for the giant.
While T-rex may have become a meat-eater, it was originally vegetarian (Genesis 1:30) and was created with all the land animals on the sixth day (Genesis 1:24–56). A second fossil was found in Hell’s Creek, Montana, in 1902. About 50 percent complete, it is in the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Very little evidence of other T-rexes was found until the 1980’s. Then, a 90 percent complete T-rex was found in 1988 in McCone County, Montana. While still going through preparation at the Museum in Bozeman, Montana, red blood cells in this new T-rex were found in a partially unfossilized femur. This is powerful evidence that these fossils are not 60 million years old, but no more than a few thousand years old.
The 11th T-rex was found in 1990 in South Dakota and named “Sue” after its discoverer. It is also nearly 90 percent complete and the largest T-Rex ever found. Its 5-foot-long skull contains about 50 teeth, each 6 to 8 inches long with serrated edges. Apparently, new teeth were constantly growing to replace old worn-out ones. A 1998 study of the biting force of T-rex’s mouth suggested his bite was the most powerful of all time.
T-rex’s large head on a short neck was balanced by a long and powerful tail which probably served also as a weapon. T-rex had two short, two finger-and-claw, arms that reached neither its mouth or the ground. The two hind legs were huge and exceptionally strong, with broad feet with three forward toes and a spur-like rear toe. It is unclear how fast a T-rex could run. Some suggest a speed of up to 30 miles per hour (as fast as a galloping horse). T-rex was the scourge of its era—and probably of all time.
BSP 12:4 (Fall 1999) p. 131
Jerusalem
106
Jerusalem Talmud
30
Jones, H.
121, 123
Jones, J.
45, 47, 51
Josephus
43, 44
Joshua
5, 21, 36
Jupiter
47ff
Kallai-Kleinmann, Z
103, 108
Kanitz, L.
45, 51
Kaufmann, Y.
14, 20, 103, 108
Keil, Josef
49
Kelso, J.L.
94, 103, 108
Kenyon, Dr. Dean H.
58, 60
Kenyon, Kathleen
2, 19, 33, 35, 42, 98, 99
Khanazir
68
Kitchen, Kenneth
2, 29, 30, 78, 80, 97, 99
Kitchener, H.
92, 94
Klosterman, E.
22, 30
Knauf, E. A.
69
Kourtara, V.
123
Kreitzer, L.
46, 51
Lake, K.
123
lamp, slipper
96
Lapp, N. L.
18, 20
Late Bronze Age
2, 22, 25, 35, 105, 109
Late Bronze walls
35
Law of Biogenesis
58
Lazenby, J.
115, 123
Lederman, Z.
102, 108
Lightfoot
52, 56
Lisan Peninsula
68, 79
Livingston, David
6, 13ff, 20, 30, 94, 95ff, 101, 108
Lot
68
Lower Beth Horon
106
Lubenow, M.L.
125, 127
Luddeni Michael
84
Luke, Gospel of
52
Luz
29
Lydia
53
MacDonald, B.
68, 69, 80, 87
Madaba Map
63, 68, 83, 87
Magen, Y.
15, 22, 30, 102, 103,108
Maqatir, Kh. el-
1, 6, 7, 12, 21ff, 90, 91, 102, 104, 109
Mardikh, Tell
74
Mar Saba monastery
82
Martial
48, 49
Maryam, Tell
102, 103
Mattingly, G.L.
48
Mazar, A.
5, 10, 29, 30, 78, 80
Mazar, Benjamin
18, 20
MB II/LB I
19
McCown, C.C.
18, 20, 23, 30
McCreery, D.W.
70, 80
McRay, J.
55, 56
Meinardus, O.
121, 123
Merneptah Stela
99
Micmash
101
Middle Bronze Age
18, 97
Miller, J. M.
67, 80
Miller, Kevin D.
2
millo
26
Minerva
48
Miqne, Tel
18
miracle
65
Mispeh
18
Moab
84, 87
monasteries
83, 88, 91
Monastery of Lot’s Cave
84, 87, 88
Moore, C.
123
Morris, H.
59, 60, 65
Moses
36
Mt. Vesuvius
122
Mukhmas
102
Mulder, M.J.
67, 80
mummy
128
Mystery Babylon
50
Na’aman, N.
5, 10, 102, 103, 108
natural selection
58
Neev, D.
75, 80
Nehemiah
29
Nero
46
Netzer, E.
43, 44
Newton, C. T.
115, 123
Nicol, M.B.
102
Nile
65
Nisya, Kh.
6, 7, 11, 13ff, 85, 95ff, 102
Numeira
68
Origin of Species
58, 60
Osborn, Henry Fairfield
129
Palestinian Department of Antiquities
36
Paley, William
58, 60
Pararas-Carayannis, G.
122, 123
Parker, G.
59, 60
Pasteur, Louis
58
Patmos
45, 115ff
Patterson, Colin
57, 60, 125, 127
Pesagot
95
Peter’s House
81
Pettinato, Giovanni
79
Philippi
52ff, 65
Pilgrim of Bordeux
23, 103
pithoi
24
pithos
26
Pliny the Elder
115
Pliny the Younger
47
politarchs
52, 54
Politis, K.D.
69, 80, 84, 87ff
Pontius Pilate
96
Popper, Sir Karl
127
pottery, Canaanite
33
pottery, Cypriot 33
pottery, Late Bronze 105
praetors
55
prison
56
Pritchard, J. B.
20
Prochorus
120
Rabbi Yohanon
30
Rabinovich, A.
44
Rackham, H. 1
115, 122, 123
Radice, B.
123
Rahab
37, 40
Rampino, M.
122
Rast, W.E.
67, 80
Ramsay, Sir William
46, 51
Raup, D.
60
Revelation, book of
45, 115, 121
Ritmeyer, Leen
84
Robbins, Austin
57ff, 125ff
Robinson, Edward
22, 30, 91, 94, 106
Rohl, David
97, 98, 99
Rolfe, J.
45, 47, 51
Ross, Mark
128
Saffrey, H.
115, 123
Safi
68, 69, 87
Sanctuary of Holy Lot
84
Sanders, J. N.
120, 123
Santorini
121
Sapelli, M.
47, 51
Sarna, Nahum
65
scarab
19
Schaub, R.T.
67, 80
Schlatter, A.
102, 108
Schlegel, Bill
90
Schmidt, G.
103, 108
Schneider, A.M.
92, 94
Schunk, K.-D.
103, 108
Scientific Method
9
Seleucids
29
Sellin, E.
36, 37, 42, 102, 108
Septuagint
16
Seutonius
46
Shanks, Hershel
33
Shea, W.S.
69, 80
Shechem
22, 104
Sherwin-White, A.N.
52
Shiloh
99
Silas
56
Simons, J.
14, 20
Simpson, R.
115, 123
slingstones
24, 27
Smith, G.A.
91, 94, 102
Sodom
65, 67ff
Sommer, A. Kaplan
63
Son of Man
46, 48, 51
species
59
Stanley, A. P.
123
Stone, T.
121, 123
Strabo
121
Strauss, M.
123
Strothers, R.
122, 123
Svitil, Kathy A.
128
Suderland, L.D.
57, 60, 127
swimming pool
44
Swindoll, C.
115, 123
Syria
74
Tacitus
122
Taiyibeh
22, 29, 91
Tarn, W
55, 56
temple
18
Ten Plagues
65
Tertullus
52
Thera
121
Thessalonica
52, 55
Thomas, R.
50, 51
Thomson, W. M.
92, 94
Tiberius Caesar
122
Titus
45
Touchette, Nancy
128
Tozer, H.
123
Trajan
47
Tsafrir, Y.
85
tsunami
122
Tulul Abu el-Alayiq
43
Tuttle, R. H.
60, 125, 127
Tyrannosaurus rex
129
Ussher’s chronology
18
van Haarlem, W.M.
97, 99
Vespasian
45, 50
Via Dolorosa
61
Via Egnatia
56
Vougiokalakis, G.
121, 123
Watzinger, C.
36, 37, 42
Webb, D.M.
60, 125, 127
Wegner, Max
50
Whitcomb, John
18
Wickramasinghe, Chandra
58, 60
Wilkinson, J.
23, 30, 103, 108
Wilson, Charles
92, 94, 102, 108
Wilson, J.
123
Wood, Bryant G.
1ff, 6, 21ff, 30, 33, 35ff, 65, 67ff, 80, 92, 97ff, 98, 99, 101ff, 108, 109ff
Wright, Karen
128
Wysong, R. L.
57
Young, R.
20
Zarethan
30
Zeboiim
69
Zered River
69, 74
Zeus
48, 49
Zevit, Z.
5, 10, 14, 20
Zoar
68, 84, 87
Scripture Index
Genesis (Gn)
1:24–26, 30
129
1:31
126
2:20
129
3:1
126
6:16
16
12
11
12:4
72
12:8
16, 21, 22, 29, 30, 84
13:3
16
13:10
67, 70
14
71, 79
14:3
67
14:3, 8
79
14:10
67
14:11
71
16:3
72
17:1
72
18:1
82