ASTRONOMYIN THE BIBLE

Dr.Robert C. Newman

BiblicalTheological Seminary

INTRODUCTION

Is religion, like music or food, amatter of taste?

Eachreligion claims to tell us how things REALLY are

OnlyChristianity offers much evidence to support claims

Here we compare Biblical statements in 4 areas ofastronomy with those of ancients and modern science

THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE

Bible: Ps 8:3‑4: amazing to Psalmist that Godcares about man; Jer 31:37: heavens immeasurable

Koran: Sura 2: earth a bed, sky a dome; Sura 22:holds sky from falling down; Sura 34: let a part fall

Anaximander, About Nature: sun most distant object, about 28xsize of earth away

Modern Science: objects apparently 10 billion light yearsaway (1 light year = 6 trillion miles); no end in sight

THE NUMBER OF STARS

Bible: Gen 15:5: large number; Jer 33:22, Gen 22:17:uncountable, like sand

Hipparchus, Ptolemy: anc. catalogues, about 1000stars (only about 6000 visible without telescope)

Democritus: speculated an infinite no. of worlds

Modern Science: 100s of billions of stars in each ofbillions of galaxies; Sir James Jeans, The Stars in Their Courses, 137: no. of stars like no. ofgrains of sand in all oceans of earth

THE EARTH'S SUPPORT

Bible: Job 26:7: earth hangs on nothing

Hindu Vedas: earth flat & triangular; 7 stages:honey, sugar, butter, wine, etc.; supported by elephants

Greek mythology: Atlas

Greek philosophers: water (Thales); air (Anaxagoras);nothing (Anaximander, contra Aristotle)

Modern Science: support is non‑material, bybalance of gravity and inertia

THE EARTH'S SHAPE

Bible: Job 26:10: boundary between light and darkness onearth's surface is a circle; Luke 17:34‑36: different times of day indifferent places

Greek philosophers: flat (Hecataios); pillar‑shaped(Anaximander); round (Pythagoras)

CONCLUSIONS

Have to postulate very lucky guesses to avoid Biblicalevidence; contrast ancient Jewish attempts to write Scripture: 1 Enoch 72:3‑7:sun's chariot, gates, winds; 3 Baruch 3:6‑8: bore thru heaven's dome

Looks like we have real evidence of God behind the Biblewriters here.