The biblical miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand with just five loaves and two fishes is well-known, but scientists now reckon it was a natural phenomenon that caused the event. Researchers have been studying Lake Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee in the New Testament, monitoring oxygen levels in the water and wind speed and direction on the surface.

These devices enabled them to cross-reference results with historical accounts of fish die-offs, events which see the sudden mass deaths of fish in a particular region. According to Answeringgenesis.org, their research found short periods of time when winds across the surface of the lake were strong enough to pull oxygen from its depths.

This would result in a sudden die-off. To someone on shore or in a boat, it would appear as a mass number of fish slowly rising to the surface of the lake, allowing them to 'be easily collected by a hungry populace' as described in The Bible.

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They believe when Jesus told his weary disciples, who'd fished all night and caught nothing, to throw their nets on the other side of the lake their success was due to a mass die-off.

Matthew 14:13-21 tells the story: 'Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns, reports .

'When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.

' But Jesus said, 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat'. They said to him, 'We have only five loaves here and two fish.

"'And he said, 'Bring them here to me'.'Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.'

However, Biblical scholars have disputed the research, saying in the scripture there was no mention of the fish being 'easily caught'.

And they suggested the scientists needed to re-read the passages discussing the miracle.

The Answering Genesis article added: "Jesus simply took the five loaves and two fish, thanked God, broke the loaves, handed everything to his disciples, and the disciples handed the food out. No fish were caught!".