The Treasured Fleece

Centuries ago Aristotle described the anatomy and physiology of the seal. (Some species inhabit the neighboring Caspian Sea). The Greeks named a city, Phoceae, in honor of the seal. Possibly, the badger skins used in the tabernacle were actually seal skins found in the Red Sea. The seventeenth century mariners described the small whale-like creatures which they found in great herds on the islands bordering the southern tip of South Africa and South America. However, these unattractive oily...