Endnote 10 – The Search for Biblical Blue

Herzog, Porphyrology. Herzog concluded Janthina was the best option when he found that the Murex only gave a purple color and that the color of the dry polished shell is brown and not “similar to the sea” as described in the Talmud. But his doctorate is written about Murex, and only when faced with the two problems did he suggest Janthina. He even admits that he prefers the Murex alternative. Had he seen a Murex snail covered with blue-green algae and had he understood the chemistry and seen its intense blue dye, I am sure he would have proclaimed the Murex as the source of tekhelet.