Re: Looking for references about Noah's Ark

tdavis@mcis.messiah.edu
Thu, 11 Jul 96 11:14:00 -0400

Dick Fisher mentioned the problem he had with David
Balsiger. I have had a similar problem. Several
years ago, when Balsiger was working on another television
episode, he called me with questions about the Bartley
modern Jonah story, which I wrote up for the ASA journal
in December 1991. He had been referred to me by someone who
had read my article.

I was eventually able to persuade him not to use that
story in his film, and also not to use the equally
spurious story of the "confirmation" of Joshua's
missing day invented by Totten in the 1890s. However
I could not persuade him of the questionable nature of
the various "arkeology" reports that have circulated,
so he went full speed ahead with that. He wanted to
use me as a consultant and pay me a fee (quite handsome),
but I did not want my name to appear at all in his film,
so I declined.

To my horror, a person named "Ed Davis" was interviewed
in the film -- apparently a genuine person with the same
name as me -- about the ark and named in the credits. Thus
far, however, no one has mistaken me for him.

My overall impression is that Mr. Balsiger is interested in
selling a story to television, whether or not good research
supports it.

.......................................................................

Ted Davis
Assoc Prof of Science and History
Messiah College
Grantham, PA 17027
717-766-2511, ext 6840
tdavis@mcis.messiah.edu