Science and the Bible

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The various books of the Hebrew Bible contain descriptions of the physical world, and can be considered a source of information of the history of science in the Iron Age Levant.

Contents 1 Agriculture 2 Astronomy 3 Biology 4 Ecology 5 Mathematics 6 Medical knowledge 6.1 Mental health 6.2 Sanitation 7 Biblical foreknowledge 8 See also 9 References

[edit] Agriculture

In the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:31, Luke 13:18–19), the Kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed, "smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil" which "grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches". Gleason Archer points out that there are smaller seeds known on the Earth, but that Jesus was speaking within the framework of ancient Palestinian farming.^[1]

Leviticus 25:1-12 speaks of leaving fields fallow for a year, advice regarded sound by modern science.^[2]

While modern agricultural science recognizes intercropping can be beneficial in providing increased resistance against pests and disease, and there is mounting scientific evidence that intercropping increase yields and sustainability, ^[3][4] the Jewish religious laws proscribe it(Lev. 19:19, Deut 22:9).

[edit] Astronomy

Further information: Biblical cosmology and Babylonian astronomy

The Hebrew Bible reflects the geocentric view of the universe, and describes the moon as giving off light, perhaps meaning reflecting light from the sun. Ezekiel 32:7, Genesis 1:16 As in Babylonian cosmography, the Hebrew Bible imagines a flat Earth^[5] covered by a solid sky-dome^[6][7] (the Firmament) to which the stars were attached. Isaiah refers both to "the circle of the earth" (40:22) and the "four quarters of the earth" (11:12).

Lactantius and Cosmas Indicopleustes insisted on the flat Earth model on scriptural authority as late as the 5th to 6th century, long after the spherical shape of the Earth had become common knowledge in Hellenistic astronomy, and had been generally accepted by their fellow Christians.^[8]

Augustus Hopkins Strong presented one explanation of the astronomical inaccuracies reflected in the Hebrew Bible in his work, Systematic Theology: The Doctrine of God^[9]. Strong pointed out idiomatic usage of moonlight and sunset are still prevalent in current times as in ancient times, and that firmament has been used in literature where no one would suggest the author believed in flat earth or solid firmament theology.^[9] He illustrated the point by asking if Dickens believed the firmament was "a piece of solid masonry" when "in his American Notes, 72, [Dickens] describes a prairie sunset: 'The decline of day here was very gorgeous, tinging the firmament deeply with red and gold, up to the very keystone of the arch above us'."^[9] Modern scholars (other than those ascribing to some form of Biblical inerrancy doctrine) generally accept that such metaphors in the Bible reflect the authors' underlying belief in the literal truth of this cosmological model.^[10]

[edit] Biology

Leviticus 11:20-23 inaccurately describes locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, and crickets as four-legged creatures. Although the specific references in this passage indicate that insects were the creatures under consideration, the Hebrew word `owph here translated "winged" or "flying" is the same word used six times in the creation story (Genesis 1:20-30) and used twelve times in the Genesis account of the flood^[11] to refer to birds. In the KJV and ASV, the word is translated "birds" or "fowls" in all of these places.^[12] The KJV, in fact, uses "fowls" to open the Leviticus passage cited above: "All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you."

Deuteronomy 14:7 also described hares and rock badger as cud-chewers. While they have no compartmentalized stomachs that the modern definition of ruminants includes in order to be determined cud-chewers, the close relation to rumination is apparent in many English translations of the Bible, which use the word cud in an expanded sense to indicate food that is re-chewed through the coprophagy process used by lagomorphs.^{[13] [14]} Coprophagy, the eating of their own feces, is used as a dietary supplement^[15] through the production of special soft pellets, called cecotropes, which recycle B vitamins, fiber, and bacteria required for proper digestion.^{[16] [17]} The cecotropes (or caecal pellets) are eaten directly from the anus, unless the animal is pregnant or obese.^[16] This process is also used by guinea pigs.

Proverbs 6:6-8 described the ant as an industrious creature, "which having no chief, overseer, or ruler provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in harvest." Although ants are labeled as queens, workers, soldiers, and drones, biologist Deborah Gordon points out there is no authority in the queen as she does not oversee the workers.^[18] She also states that "no ant is able to assess the global needs of the colony, or to count how many workers are engaged in each task and decide how many should be allocated differently".^[18]

[edit] Ecology

See also: Ecology

The Mosaic code has provisions concerning the conservation of natural resources, such as trees (Deuteronomy 20:19-20) and birds (Deuteronomy 22:6-7).

[edit] Mathematics

Questions of plausibility formed the subject of Anglican bishop John William Colenso's book, The Pentateuch and Book of Joshua Critically Examined^[19] An example of Colenso's sort of analysis is provided by chapter III, "The Number of the Congregation".^[19] Leviticus 8:1–4 says that "the Assembly was gathered unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation". To Colenso "must surely be understood" that phrases such as "the Assembly" refer to "some reasonable proportion to the whole number" of the people — at all events, the adult males in the prime of life," which would in turn include "the 603,550 warriors" mentioned in Numbers 2:32.^[19] Colenso says there are multiple references to this whole congregation's being assembled within the court of the Tabernacle.^[19] Exodus 27:18 gives the court's dimensions as 100 × 30 cubits, which he calculates as "1824 feet" by "54 feet" (or 98,496 sq feet^[20]), and "allowing 2 feet in width for each grown man" in ranks of nine, and "allowing 18 inches between each rank of nine men", the required area would be "of more than 100,000 feet".^[19]

[edit] Medical knowledge

The Old Testament contains a variety of health related instructions, such as isolating infected people (Leviticus 13:45-46), washing after handling a dead body (Numbers 19:11-19), and burying excrement away from a camp (Deuteronomy 23:12-13).

Civilizations such as Ancient Egypt, the Aegean civilization, the Hittites, and the Elamites had large cities with public sanitation systems.^[21]

Believers of Biblical inspiration sometimes contend that the degree of effectiveness of the Mosaic dietary restrictions and hygienic strictures indicates "it has taken science thousands of years to discover what the Bible taught all along".^{[22] [23] [24]}

[edit] Mental health

The correlation between mental and physical health has found much examination and discussion in modern psychiatric research.^{[25] [26] [27]} Passages within the Book of Proverbs relate the two: 12:4, 14:30, 15:30, 16:24, 17:22, and modern science has found that these proverbs contain accurate advice toward sound mental and physical well-being.^{[28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33]}

The New Testament mentions demons as responsible for physical and mental illnesses (Matthew 17:14-20, etc.).^[34]

According to James 5:14-16, faith healing will cure the sick.

See also: Faith healing and Exorcism

[edit] Sanitation

The Deuteronomic Code contains several sanitation instructions; in particular, Deuteronomy 23:12-14 contains instructions to dispose of human excrement away from the population, in order to keep the camp holy, and to avoid God being offended by the sight or evidence of defecation as he walked through the camp at night.

Recent discoveries suspect that the Essenes' rigorous ritual latrine and purification practices, combined with a lack of running water, contributed to increases in parasites and potentially fatal pathogens.^[35]

[edit] Biblical foreknowledge

Main article: Scientific foreknowledge in Sacred Texts

[edit] See also

• Criticism of the Bible
• History of science in early cultures
• Biblical archaeology
• American Scientific Affiliation

[edit] References