The Bible: Superior To And Evidenced By Science

BY: AUGUSTINE ANYIMADU-AHENKAE

PREAMBLE: It’s been quite some time now, and while I recognize that much water has passed under the bridge in these few weeks, I’m also glad to be back, and thanks to you all for your emails and reminders that we have a duty here to do. With your prayers, we will continue to be present here. Please we need the prayers though, seriously. God bless you all.

PLEASANT SURPRISE

The debate rages on. Is the Bible scientifically outdated as claimed by its critics, chiefly atheist and anti-Christian apologists? Yes, we know the Bible is not a science textbook, but does it really contradict scientific facts as we’ve been made to believe?

Constant false accusations have been made through the years that the Bible is anti-science and scientifically outdated, and, because these have not been loudly rebutted enough in as many quarters as should have happened, the loud unanswered noise has given the critics a false hope that perhaps they were right. At the same time, many are those christians who, believing in the noise, have almost settled for this wrong assertion that the Bible is scientifically outdated, but have nevertheless put their hope in the fact that the Bible is not a science textbook, and therefore will not be bothered by the noise. I used to be one of such until I found out what I am going to share with you now. Such Christians are right in their resolve, that since the Bible is not a science textbook they should not be bothered by the noise; however, the pleasant surprise is that, the accusations are false, and therefore the fear is unwarranted.

The Bible is neither scientifically conflicting nor outdated. Rather, the Bible is superior to and corroborated or evidenced by Science. Forget about all the talk of conflict between Bible and Science. They don’t exist. It is lack of correct interpretation and deliberate or ignorant misrepresentations, as well as sheer lack of knowledge that make people jump into such conclusions. I hold confidently that the Bible is superior to science in the sense that, apart from it just being the word of God and science being the word of man, the Bible spoke of scientific truths at an age and time when the world did not as yet know or believe in those scientific truths, and, centuries later, recent scientific discoveries and inventions have come to corroborate or support the Biblical teachings. I repeat: the Bible spoke about scientific realities at times when Science itself did not as yet know of these realities, or even had wrong notions about them, and, thousands of years after those Biblical truths were written, Science has now come to know and “discover” them – but they had been in the Bible all along! Furthermore, the more archaeologists and scientists dig and find, the more they corroborate the Biblical stories. So which is superior – the Bible, which talks about these truths of nature, or science which takes thousands of years before discovering the truths of nature (scientific truths) so laid out in the Bible? And if Science, as it advances, keep discovering evidence and realities all of which corroborate the Biblical statements regarding the nature of the universe and all scientific phenomena, how on earth can anyone call the Bible scientifically outdated? Is it not rather science which is Biblically outdated, and which keeps updating its Biblical status with each new invention and each new discovery or find? If Science so testifies of the Bible stories, and science itself keeps playing “catch up” with the Bible only thousands of years after the Bible lays out the truth, which of them is to be believed more, which of them is more credible, and which of them is superior to the other? Surprised? Don’t be. “OTOROFO SE ME DANSEFO WO AKYIRI” – to wit, the liar says his witness is far away. My witness, however, is not far- fetched. For the purposes of this article, I provide brief treatment of the evidence I am talking about, but a much more detailed treatment will be found in my book on this topic, as I am endeavoring to do on most of the other topics, and readers can obtain copies of the books by sending emails to the email address given below or the website to be given out in subsequent articles. Now, let’s cut to the chase.

SCIENTIFIC FACT 1: 2ND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS (ENTROPY LAW), DISCOVERED AFTER 1850, SPOKEN OF IN MANY PLACES IN THE BIBLE.

One clear consequence of the second law of thermodynamics, also called the entropy law, is that everything is running down and wearing out as energy is becoming less and less available for use. Theoretically speaking, this natural tendency of things towards disorder and increasing entropy points towards the reality of the universe and everything else eventually wearing out to the extent that there will be a heat death and no more energy available for use.

All around us, from the scale of atoms to the scale of the galaxies, we see a natural tendency of all systems to move from order to disorder, complex to simple, burn out, decay, and wear and tear. Even the magnetic field of the earth is decaying, just as rotation of the earth is slowing down, atoms are decaying into simpler products, we die and our bodies turn into dust, machines wear out and tear, erosion is wearing out features of the earth, stars like the sun are burning out billions of tons of fuel by the second, until eventually the sun will exhaust its fuel (because it is exhaustible), the universe will become cold and dead, and all life will have ceased long before the last death throes of the universe.

Practically speaking, this points to a time when the universe and everything will burn out, and life will cease to be. This tendency towards decay and disorder is so pervasive in nature and the universe that science has called it a natural law, but even though we take that for granted today, it hasn’t always been so. It had to take science thousands of years after the Bible had predicted this, to come to this realization.

Dr. Thomas Barnes, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at El Paso, has observed in his monumental study, using scientific observations since 1829, that the earth's magnetic field has been measurably decaying at an exponential rate, demonstrating its half-life to be approximately 1,400 years.

The fact of the world ending some day is scientifically verifiable and seen from the nature of decay and wear and tear of this physical universe, but Science did not believe this until the 19th century discovery of the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY OF ENTROPY LAW

Developed during the 19th century AD, classical thermodynamics had as its primary architects scientists like Benoit Claperyon, James Clerk Maxwell, Rudolph Clausius, Sadi Carnot, and William Thomson (Lord Kelvin). However, it was the German Physicist Rudolph Clausius who, following from the work of Carnot, first explicated the idea of entropy, in his book “On Different Forms of the Fundamental Equations of the Mechanical Theory of Heat”, published in 1865, and “The Mechanical Theory of Heat”, published in 1867. Clausius’ original equation was S = Q/T, where S is the enthropy, Q, the heat content of the system, and T, the temperature of the system. This has been developed upon by others down the ages, and today, different fields of science have their own different equations of entropy. Without getting into the technical complexities of it, suffice it to mention that the effect of this second law of thermodynamics is that the whole universe is deteriorating, running down, and constantly becoming less and less orderly. This is a scientifically verifiable fact today, but it is not what the world believed until the 19th century.

BIBLICAL FORETELLING OF ENTROPY LAW:

Comparing the universe to a garment that waxes and burn, the Bible long ago spoke about the eventual decay, disorder and burning out of the physical universe as we know it:

1-PSALM 102:25-26, dated about 1000 BC

“25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

26They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:” (King James Version)

2- Isaiah 51:6 , dated 740-680 BC

“ 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”

3- Hebrews 1: 10-11, dated 64-68 AD

“ 10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;”

The Original Hebrew Transliteration of Ps 102 : 26

“eme (they) i abdu (they-shall perish) u. athe (and you) thomd (you shall stand) u. kl. m (and all-of them) k. bgd (as the cloak) i iblu (they-shall decay) k. lbush (as the clothing) thchliph .m (you shall change them) u. ich lphu (and they shall pass by) “

Original Greek Transliteration of Hebrew 1: 11

“ autoi (they) apolountai (shall be perishing OR shall be being destroyed) su (you) de (yet) diameneis (are-continuing OR are thru-remaining) kai (and) pantes (all) hos (as) himation (cloak) palaiOthEsontai (shall be being ‘olded’ OR shall be being aged)”

Analysis: Each of them emphasizes on the process of decaying for the heavens and the earth- the universe waxing old and decaying. Whereas the Hebrew talks about decaying, the Greek talks about perishing, and then being aged, just as Science now knows but didn’t know before the 19th century AD.

2.- SCIENTIFIC FACT 2: SUB –ATOMIC PARTICLES:

Today, science holds that all things are held by sub-atomic particles that are invisible to the naked eye. The first sub-atomic particle to be discovered by modern science was the electron, discovered by J.J. Thomson in 1897 AD

The Bible had talked about this over thousand eight hundred years earlier, that what is seen springs from the invisible, from what is not seen, but arrogant scientists with their over emphasis on the empirical would not believe. When they classify reality as that which is only perceptible to the senses, they forget that the origins of matter itself goes beyond the realm of the visually perceptible.

BIBLICAL FORE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS: Hebrews 11:3, dated about 64-68 AD

“ 3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Other translations have the second part of the verse as saying that the things which are seen were made of things not seen.

SCIENTIFIC FACT 3: BEGINNING OF TIME

3- BEGINNING OF TIME : Today, science knows time itself had a beginning. It’s difficult though to pin down the exact date for this realization, but what we know is that it may be related to some recent discoveries in cosmology, as well as the second law of thermodynamics. Some also wrongly attribute it to the “big bang” (another scientific illusion, just like evolution). Both the big bang theory and that of evolution, if we should hold them to be true for the sake of argument, necessitate the beginning of time. However, as far as the Bible is concerned, phrases like “bereshith” (in the beginning) in Genesis 1:1 and others already explicitly tell us there was a time when time was not (got that? See how limited we are in our expressions of realities!). The Bible had already spoken about this long time ago.

BIBLICAL FORECAST: 1 Timothy 1: 9, dated about 63 AD. Also Genesis 1:1.

“ 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”

The Greek expression in the latter part says: “pro chronon aionion” (before all eternity, literally), but notice the use of “chronon” rather than “kairos”. Both ‘chronon’ and ‘kairos’ in the Greek represent time, but whereas ‘kairos’ refers to ‘appointed’ or ‘opportune’ or ‘right’ time, as in time of fulfillment, chronon is the regular time as in history or as in sense of first, second, beginning, end, before, after, 9 am, 10 am, today, tomorrow, December, January, etc – in that sense. It is from ‘chronon’ that we get the English words ‘chronology’, or ‘chronicle’ so the English translation is exactly right: before all time began or before the beginning of time.

4- SCIENTIFIC FACT 4: THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE – DISCOVERED IN 16-17TH CENTURY AD

4- THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE: Before the 16th century AD, many scientists and philosophers accepted the erroneous Greek theory that spring water was purified sea water from deep within the earth, because rainfall was insufficient to feed springs and rivers. However, in 1580 AD, Bernard Palissy proposed the theory of the hydrologic cycle – that water evaporated from the sea into the form of clouds and dropped unto the land as rain. Pierre Perrault (1608-1680) carefully observed rainfall and stream flow in the Seine River basin, and confirmed Palissy’s theory, and the modern scientific knowledge of the hydrologic cycle began. But, before Science had come to know this, the Bible had already described it, even though the writers’ contemporaries didn’t know it. As a matter of fact, even after people had come to believe in the water cycle, they still thought wrongly that rain, being fresh water, came from rivers and lakes. Today, the water cycle is a common knowledge learned even in 3rd grade, and when we read it in the Bible, we take it for granted. If only we knew that it took thousand six hundred years after Christ before this became a common scientific knowledge- whereas the Bible had already described it in several places against the common knowledge of the Biblical writers’ days! So how come they knew all this and wrote about them, and this being the case, do we need any more testimony as to the authenticity of the Bible as the word of God?

BIBLICAL DESCRIPTION:

Amos 9: 6 dated 755 BC or earlier

“ 6 It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.” (emphasis mine)

Job 36: 27-28, dated 950 BC or earlier. How could Job describe the water cycle with such exactitude when it was against the conventional knowledge?

“ 27 He draws up the drops of water,

which distill as rain to the streams[a];

28 the clouds pour down their moisture

and abundant showers fall on mankind.” (NIV)

How about this truth- though not on the water cycle, but yet not so believed until the water cycle’s discovery ?

Ecclesiates 1:7

“ 7 All streams flow into the sea,

yet the sea is never full.

To the place the streams come from,

there they return again.

Isaiah 55:10, while not fully describing the water cycle, talks about evaporation of the rain water after wetting the earth.

5-SCIENTIFIC FACT 5: ROTATION OF THE EARTH Hinted at by Jesus

That the earth rotates on its own axis is the reason why some parts of the earth experience daylight at the same time when others are experiencing nightfall. This was certainly not scientifically agreed upon or known until the Copernician revolution in the middle ages. Remember Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), the German astronomer who popularized the heliocentric theory that it is not the sun but the earth which rather moves? Fact is, neither the earth’s rotation nor its concomitant variations in diurnal versus nocturnal experiences was a known fact in Biblical times, yet Jesus spoke of it with certainty.

He spoke of people experiencing daylight at the same time when others experience nightfall, in Luke 17: 31 and 34.

Luke 17: 31 and 34:

“31In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

34I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left”.

Original:

V31: en(in) ekeinE(that)tE(the) hEmera(day)hos (who)estai(shall be)epi(on)tou(the)dOmatos(housetop)kai(and)ta (the)skeuE(instruments, or gear)autou(of him)en(in)tE (the)oikia(home, or house)mE(no) katabatO(let him be down-stepping, or let him be –descending)arai(to lift, or to pick up)auta(them)kai(and)ho(the, or the one)en(in)tO(the)agrO(field)homoiOs(like as, or likewise)mE(no)epistrepsatO(let him on turn, or let him turn back)eis (into)ta (the)opisO(behind).

Remember that he spoke of those two experiences of day and night for different people at the same time. Today, this diurnal versus nocturnal experiences, as well as the rotation of the earth on its axis that causes it, is a common knowledge, but at that time, science neither knew nor accepted it, yet Jesus spoke of it with certainty.

How about Job 38: 13 -14? Even though I will not stick my neck out to say with certainty, I believe that it does not take any stretch of the imagination to see Job 38:13-14 as conveying the idea of the rotation of the earth. At the very least, we can take this as a food for thought. Job talks about the earth turning as a clay is turned to its seal, which could either convey the idea of spinning, turning, rotation, or the other possible idea of changing. While KJV translates it as turning, other versions translate it as “changing”. Some anti-christian apologists use the other English translations to debunk it. Since I was interested in it, I looked at a lot of Biblical commentaries for a possible resolution, including the authoritative New Jerome Biblical Commentary, and it appears the authors did not enter into the fray. NJBC just said the imagery was obscure as to its meaning. So as the last resort, I looked at the original Hebrew to see how the word was used. The original Hebrew supported the King James Version’s translation, as “turning”

“ ththephk” - “she is turning herself”

Furthermore, it is clear from the original that this turning is done by the earth herself, not someone else turning or changing it, it is “she” (i.e. the earth)herself who is turning herself. So if we should interpret it as “changing herself”, what then is she changing herself into?

Anyhow, like I said, I will not stick out my neck to claim with certainty that that is what Job says, so your own conclusions after the analysis are as good as mine.

6- SCIENTIFIC FACT : THE STARS ARE INNUMERABLE- DISCOVERED IN C19TH AD.

Before the advent of powerful telescopes in the nineteenth century AD, scientists and astronomers thought they could count the number of stars in the universe. Scientists like the famous Johann Keppler claimed the total number of stars was 1,005, while Brahe said they were 777, and Hipparchus put the figure at 1,022. Ptolemy put it at 1,056. After all that claim and disclaim, the trial and error, by the time of Galileo , and with the aid of powerful telescopes, science now came to accept the fact that the stars indeed were uncountable, just as the Bible had said all along.

BIBLICAL FORTELLING OF THIS FACT:

1- Genesis 15:5, dated 1450-1410 BC:

“He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

(Genesis 15:5, NIV).

2- Jeremiah 33: 22, dated 627-585 BC:

"I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore"

(Jeremiah 33:22, NIV).

See also Hebrews 11:12 et al.

7- SCIENTIFIC FACT: LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD, DISCOVERED IN THE C17TH-C19TH

Today, the medical world knows that life is in the blood. It didn’t use to be so. Until the middle of the 19th century, medical bleeding (often with leeches) as a treatment for various ailments was very common. As a matter of fact, many historians believe American President George Washington (1732-1799 AD) died from this very practice, as William R. Thayer writes in his biography of Washington (Thayer, William R., George Washington, 1922, p.240). It was in 1830 AD that Dr. Marshall Hall strongly opposed this practice. Writing in the February 2010 issue of the scholarly BJ Medical Journal, Doctor Gerry Greenstone noted that the history of blood letting had spanned at least 3000 years, and was only discredited in the middle of the 19th century as a treatment for most ailments.

Another famous casualty of bloodletting practice was King Charles II, 1630-1685. However, the entry into the fray of scientists like Dr. Pierre Louis( 1787-1872), studies by Louise Pasteur, Koch, and Virchow confirmed the validity of new scientific methods, thus limiting the use of blood letting. If only science knew at that time what they know now, and what the Bible had said long ago in Leviticus, that life was in the blood, they would not have aggressively pursued the practice of blood letting with its concomitant fatal consequences. Today, science knows that.

In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical life—confirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier

BIBLICAL VERSE: Leviticus 17:11,14, dated 1450-1410 BC

Lev 17: 11

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.”

8- SCIENTIFIC FACT: ROUNDNESS OR SPHERICITY OF EARTH DESCRIBED IN BIBLE

I know, that of all the points contained in this article, this is without doubt the most controversial, however, being controversial does not necessarily make it untrue. The controversy stems from the fact that over the years, the allegations have gone unanswered, and somehow many have come to believe that the Bible teaches a flat earth. The basis for the allegation is a misinterpretation of Biblical passages and imagery like “the four corners of the world”, “the devil took him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world” and others. Unknown to many, the Bible also explicitly teach about the roundness or spherical nature of the earth. Consequently, while I may have to touch on the misinterpreted phrases in the next article, I want to analyze here the direct quotation about the roundness or spherical nature of the earth from the Bible.

Aristotle was perhaps the first scientist/philosopher to suggest that the shape of the earth is spherical, in his book “On The Heavens”. But, at least 300 years before him, sometime between 740 and 680 BC, the book of Isaiah talked about the roundness or sphericity of the earth.

Isaiah 40: 22

“ 22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in..”

After reading pros and cons of this expression “circle of the earth” from opposing camps, the natural thing was to visit the original text. Before I say anything, it is already clear from the onset that the expression straight away cancels out any talk of flatness of the earth, for here we see the earth being described as circular. Critics opine that being circular does not mean being spherical – well be that as it may, what’s really the fuss about a spherical object being described as circular, not to a student who needs to calculate a surface area or anything but to someone who needs a retrospective picture of the object? Besides, is it not just an issue of semantics?

THE HEBRREW ORIGINAL OF ISAIAH 40:22

Like in all issues of controversy, the original text settled it. A look at the original text indicates that the word translated “circle” is the Hebrew word “chug”, which can also be translated as “circuit”, or “compass”, depending on the context. This gives the indication of a spherical, rounded, or arched.

Hebrew original: “e(the) ishb(one-sitting) ol (over) – chug(circle of) e (the) artz (earth)…”

Not satisfied, critics say Hebrew usage has the word “dur” for sphere, so why did Isaiah not use “dur” if he meant sphere?

They toss in Isaiah 22:18

“He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball (Dur) into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.” (Isaiah 22:18

What they forget though is that there have been various places that “dur”, the word they claim is for sphere, has been used and yet the reference cannot possible be for a sphere, but a circle.

For instance, in the same Isaiah, chapter 29, verse 3, he writes:

“And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.” -Is. 29:3

If “dur”, here translated as round about, should be taken as a “sphere”, how could the soldier encamp around a sphere? He rather encircles the city! Meanwhile “dur” is said to be the word for sphere!

The original says “ u (and) chnithi (I encamp) k (as) dur (the bowling-ball)oli (on) k (you) u (and) tzrthi (I besiege)….”

So in these two instances we see the two words “dur” and “chug” being used in reference to a circle, a round about, even though one is supposedly the word for sphere and the other for circle. The meaning is not confused, but the language uses the two words interchangeably. It is a matter of semantics! Another example is the question of “brother”. Just like the Akans, the Hebrews don’t have word for cousins, and call cousins as “brothers”, while at the same time calling those from the same womb also as brothers!

Come to think of it, a ball may be in the shape of a sphere, yet it is not the same word as “sphere”, so if it is strictly semantics we are talking about, then better show me where the word “sphere” is used rather than “ball”.

Furthermore, in all the six references “chuwg” is used in the Bible, the reference to the circular or spherical geometrical shape is clear, even though the word “sphere” or “duwg” is not used.

Consider: - The nominal infinitive form used in Prov 22:14, Prov 8:27, and Job 26:10

- Sir 43:12, where it describes a rainbow

- Isaiah 40:22 where it describes the circle of the earth (spherical nature of the earth)

- Is 44:13 where it is used as in “mechugah” – a compass.

THE BIBLE: SUPERIOR, MORE CREDIBLE, AND ALWAYS TRUE

The list is endless, and I’ll continue with the rest in part two. The point is clear though, that if Science continues to do catching up with the Bible, and takes thousands of years before discovering truths of nature which have been laid out clearly in the Bible millennia earlier, which of them is more superior to the other, more credible, and which demands our adherence more?

The psalmist said as far as the east is from the west, so does God’s forgiveness do to us. Today we know one can keep going eastwards or westwards and never end, because of the nature of the earth.

Every time archaeologists dig a new discovery, one or another Biblical history or story is corroborated. God is patient, He just looks at us and the stupid blasphemies we make, and allows us to discover things for ourselves, but His patience does not mean when the time is up he will not act. He will surely act. A word to the wise…..

God bless you all, and we shall continue.

God bless our homeland Ghana/ And make our nation great and strong/Bold to defend for ever/The cause of freedom and of right/Fill all our hearts with true humility/make us cherish, fearless honesty/And help us to resist oppressors rule/ with all our will and might for evermore.

Augustine Anyimadu-Ahenkae

New York City, New York

gtrabboni@yahoo.com

REFERENCES

Anyimadu-Ahenkae Augustine. Science Keeps Discovering The Bible: Which is the Master? New York: Inspired Word Publications LLC. 2011. Print

Anyimadu-Ahenkae Augustine. The Bible and Science: Necessary Partners, Not Enemies. New York: Augustine Publications LLC. 2011. Print

Greenstone, Gerry. History of Bloodletting. In BJ Medical Journal. Feb 2010 issue. Print.

Magner,L.N. A History of Medicine. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc. 1992. Print

Smith, A.W. & Cooper, J.N. Elements of Physics. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing. 1972.Print

Stuart,E.B & Brainard, A.J. eds. Deductive Quantum Thermodynamics in a Critical Review of Thermodynamics. Baltimore: Mono Book Corporation. 1970. Print

Thayer, W.R. George Washington. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1922. Print