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Esau: I have enough my brother, let that which is yours be yours.
Jacob: Please take my gift because God has shown me grace, and I
also have enough.
Esau: Let us take our journey together then, and I will go before you.
Jacob: I will journey according to the pace of the flock and children
until I come unto you, my lord, unto Seir.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................7
PART I SALVAGING CREATION FROM THE SCIENTIFIC WORLDVIEW
1 Spiritual and Material Perspectives ......................................................9
2 Coming Full Circle: The Copernican Revolution ..................................11
3 Returning to the Garden of Eden ........................................................14
4 Reconstructing the Language of Creation ...........................................16
PART II HEAVEN AND EARTH IN BIBLICAL COSMOLOGY
5 Heaven and Earth: A Spiritual Perspective ..........................................21
6 The Universe As a Language ...............................................................24
7 Symbolism and the Spiritual Worldview .............................................27
8 The Linguistic Rules of Symbolism ......................................................30
9 Example: The Cherubim of Ezekiel I ....................................................33
10 Light and Darkness: A Spiritual Perspective ........................................35
11 The Spiritual and Material Dimensions ...............................................38
12 Example: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream I .................................................40
13 Example: Wisdom and Understanding ...............................................42
PART III HEAVEN AND EARTH ON THE HUMAN SCALE
14 Humanity and the Image of God ........................................................46
15 Adam As Microcosm: The Breath and the Body .................................48
16 Example: Manna and Flesh .................................................................51
17 Adam As Mediator: Naming Animals and Hosting Angels ..................54
18 Example: Abraham As Mediator I .......................................................57
19 Sexuality As Microcosm: Adam’s Reproduction ..................................60
20 Sexuality As Microcosm: Adam’s Multiplication .................................63
21 Example: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dreams II ...............................................66
22 Example: Raising a Nation from the Earth ..........................................68
23 Example: Materializing Laws from Heaven .........................................72
24 Example: Authority and Power ...........................................................75
25 Adam’s Descendants As Microcosm ...................................................78
26 Example: Building the Temple I ...........................................................82
27 Example: Building the Temple II ..........................................................85
28 Example: The Cherubim of Ezekiel II ...................................................88
29 Noah’s Descendants As Microcosm ....................................................91
30 Example: Jacob’s Ladder .....................................................................94
PART IV TIME AND SPACE IN BIBLICAL COSMOLOGY
31 Time and Space: A Spiritual Perspective ...............................................99
32 Flooded Land versus Dry Land ............................................................102
33 Time and Space As Mediators of Knowledge ......................................106
34 Symbols of Space and Time: The Pillar and the Axle ..........................109
35 Symbols of Space and Time: Foundation Stone and Scandal Stone ...112
36 Time As Mixture and Space As Purity .................................................115
37 Time As Continuous and Space As Discrete ........................................117
38 The Creator of Space and Time: Revealed and Concealed .................120
39 Example: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dreams III ..............................................123
40 Example: The Cherubim of Ezekiel III ..................................................125
41 Work and Rest in Ancient Cosmology .................................................128
42 Symbols of Space and Time: Tools and Instruments ...........................131
43 Time As Absurdity and Space As Reason ............................................134
44 Time As Irrationality and Space As Rationality ...................................137
45 The Creator of Space and Time: Positive and Negative ......................140
46 Example: Wisdom versus Folly ...........................................................143
47 Example: Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal ..........................................147
48 Example: Jubilee and the Walls of Jericho I ........................................152
49 The Sabbath As Balance of Time and Space .......................................155
50 Symbols of Space and Time: The Pinnacle Stone ................................158
51 Symbols of Space and Time: Seals and Ornaments ............................161
52 Example: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dreams IV ..............................................164
PART V TIME AND SPACE ON THE HUMAN SCALE
53 Humanity and the Garden of Eden .....................................................168
54 Adam As Microcosm: The Blood and the Bones .................................171
55 The Tree(s) of the Garden As Mediator(s) of Knowledge ...................174
56 Adam As Microcosm: The Left and the Right ......................................178
57 The Definition of Sin ...........................................................................181
58 Eating Forbidden Fruit ........................................................................183
59 Adam As Microcosm: Naked or Dressed .............................................186
60 Adam As Microcosm: Sleeping or Working .........................................191
61 The Symbolism of Work and Rectification ..........................................195
62 The Symbolism of Dreaming and Wandering .....................................199
63 Trees and Snakes As Mediators of Knowledge ....................................204
64 Example: The Miracles of Moses I ......................................................208
65 Example: The Miracles of Moses II .....................................................213
66 The Symbolism of Clothing and Costumes .........................................218
67 The Symbolism of the Eyes .................................................................221
68 Example: Grace in the Eyes of God .....................................................224
69 The Symbolism of Cooking and Blood ................................................228
70 Adam’s Descendants in Relation to Space and Time ..........................232
71 Sexuality As Microcosm: Male and Female Dominance .....................236
72 Sexuality As Microcosm: Reproduction and Recreation .....................239
73 Cain’s Descendants in Relation to Space and Time .............................243
74 Example: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream V ................................................247
75 Sexuality As Microcosm: Taboos and Cyclical Time ............................250
76 Example: Jubilee and the Walls of Jericho II .......................................253
77 Example: Giants and Fallen Angels .....................................................256
78 Example: Abraham As Mediator II ......................................................261
79 The Rainbow and Other Covenants ....................................................264
80 The Symbolism of Wine and Fermentation ........................................267
81 Noah’s Descendants in Relation to Space and Time ...........................270
82 Example: Building the Temple III .........................................................274
PART VI TRANSCENDING THE SCIENTIFIC WORLDVIEW
83 A Metacognitive Model of the Universe .............................................281
84 Interpreting the Bible with the Language of Creation ........................284
INTRODUCTION
As our technological knowledge distances us from nature, we
find it increasingly difficult to reconcile the current scientific worldview
with the biblical worldview. I have written this commentary to provide
the reader with the necessary tools to interpret the Bible from its own
cosmological perspective instead of the materialistic paradigms of
modern science.
In the first section, I discuss the differences between scientific
and traditional cosmologies, as well as the importance of rediscovering
the ancient biblical worldview. This is followed by a brief commentary
on the first day of creation with a focus on the cosmic duality called
“heaven and earth.” The practical implications of this duality are then
examined in the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah.
In the second half of this commentary, I examine the first three
days of creation and the concepts of space and time as understood in
ancient cosmology. I review the early stories of Genesis and discuss
the implications of these concepts at the level of human experience.
Finally, I revisit the difference between materialistic and traditional
worldviews in light of the information presented in this commentary.
7
PART I
SALVAGING CREATION
FROM THE SCIENTIFIC WORLDVIEW
CHAPTER 1
SPIRITUAL AND MATERIAL PERSPECTIVES
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
Unlike modern science, traditional cosmology did not attempt
to describe reality in terms of atoms, energy, and mechanical causality.
Instead, most ancient cultures perceived the world in terms of spiritual
principles such as angels, demons, and mysterious sea monsters at the
edge the world. So before attempting to interpret a book like Genesis,
it is important to understand why our current worldview is so different
from that of the past.
As illustrated above, scientific and traditional cosmologies see
reality from two completely different perspectives: 1) in terms of its
practical and material implications, and 2) in terms of its higher mean-
ing. The first is the specialty of modern science, which conceptualizes
all things in terms of meaningless matter and mindless causality. The
second is the specialty of religion, which interprets every phenomenon
as the manifestation of spiritual truth.
9
When interpreting reality, each of these worldviews raises its
own types of questions. For example, when looking at a plant from a
material perspective, one might ask the following questions: “What is
this plant made of?” and, “How does it work?” However, when look-
ing at the same plant from a spiritual perspective, one might ask the
following questions: “What is the meaning of this plant?” and, “What
higher truth does it embody?” Not surprisingly, these questions have
little or nothing in common, which demonstrates the distinct nature of
these worldviews.
That said, the goal of this commentary is not to bridge the gaps
between the material and spiritual perspectives, but to rediscover the
lost spiritual worldview and to interpret the Bible accordingly. For that
purpose, we must learn how to look at the world from a very different
point of view, to see reality not as a heap of meaningless atoms and
energy, but as the physical expression of metaphysical truth.
10
Description:The Language of Creation is a commentary on the primeval stories from the book of Genesis. It is often difficult to recognize the spiritual wisdom contained in these narratives because the current scientific worldview is deeply rooted in materialism. Therefore, instead of looking at these stories th
