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The Bible & Ancient Science: Principles of Interpretation
Over half of Americans believe science and religion are in conflict.
Theologian and scientist Denis O. Lamoureux suggests that a common assumption of biblical interpretation fuels this struggle. Many Christians think Scripture is supposed to align with science in some sort of way. This idea is known as "scientific concordism" (or simply "concordism"). But Lamoureux demonstrates that the Bible has an ancient science. During the inspiration of Scripture, the Holy Spirit came down to the level of the biblical writers and allowed them to use the science-of-the-day as a vessel for delivering life-changing, inerrant spiritual truths. Dr. Lamoureux explains how moving beyond concordism leads to a peaceful and God-honoring relationship between modern science and our Christian faith.
Theologian and scientist Denis O. Lamoureux suggests that a common assumption of biblical interpretation fuels this struggle. Many Christians think Scripture is supposed to align with science in some sort of way. This idea is known as "scientific concordism" (or simply "concordism"). But Lamoureux demonstrates that the Bible has an ancient science. During the inspiration of Scripture, the Holy Spirit came down to the level of the biblical writers and allowed them to use the science-of-the-day as a vessel for delivering life-changing, inerrant spiritual truths. Dr. Lamoureux explains how moving beyond concordism leads to a peaceful and God-honoring relationship between modern science and our Christian faith.
- GenresScience
218 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2020
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51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 1, 2022
4.5/5
Lamoureux succeeds in casting significant doubt on scientific concordism. This book isn't intended to be a comprehensive takedown or proposal. It is written for lay people, with an irenic tone that seeks to be charitable & winsome, with the aim of liberating evangelical Christians from an unjustified & constraining hermeneutic.
The biggest question this book leaves open is what implications the rejection of scientific concordism might have for historical concordism and biblical ethics. (E.g., How are we to handle the overlap between scientific and historical statements about/involving the natural world? Are there ethical principles in Scripture whose moral logic depends on ancient science? If so, how are we to regard them if we are indeed free to reject the ancient science that underpins them?)
Lamoureux succeeds in casting significant doubt on scientific concordism. This book isn't intended to be a comprehensive takedown or proposal. It is written for lay people, with an irenic tone that seeks to be charitable & winsome, with the aim of liberating evangelical Christians from an unjustified & constraining hermeneutic.
The biggest question this book leaves open is what implications the rejection of scientific concordism might have for historical concordism and biblical ethics. (E.g., How are we to handle the overlap between scientific and historical statements about/involving the natural world? Are there ethical principles in Scripture whose moral logic depends on ancient science? If so, how are we to regard them if we are indeed free to reject the ancient science that underpins them?)
December 8, 2020
This book primarily deals with one question: Is the Bible a book of science? Lamoureux’s answer is laid out in the form of his discussion of 22 hermeneutical principles.
The most important hermeneutical principle in the book is Lamoureux’s Message-Incident Principle, which “states that the ancient science in Scripture is incidental because God’s central purpose in the Bible is to reveal messages of faith, and not scientific facts about his creation.” (p. 46)
Lamoureux discusses scientific concordism, which is “the assumption that statements about nature in the Bible align with the facts of nature.” (p. 27) Lamoureux notes that the presence of a 3-tier universe in the Bible is definite proof that scientific concordism fails. In his discussion of the 3-tier universe, unlike other recent books that focus on the ancient Near East literature to improve our understanding of the Old Testament, Lamoureux’s book refreshingly accomplishes the same goal by focusing on the Bible in his comparisons.
This leads to his discussion of the hermeneutical principle of biblical accommodation, which “refers to God adapting his revelation to the level of humans in order that we may understand his inerrant spiritual truths.” (p. 53) Lamoureux points out that “it is possible to reveal inerrant spiritual truths without using actual scientific facts." (p. 56)
Lamoureux points out that since almost all Christians no longer accept the ancient geocentric astronomy of St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin, we can also reject their ancient biology regarding the origins of plants, animals, and humans. Lamoureux believes that the purpose of the accounts of origins in the Bible is to reveal inerrant messages of faith, namely that God created plants and animals, made humans in the Image of God, and all of us have sinned against him and against other humans.
The excursus on “Hermeneutical Brakes” (pp. 95-97) does an excellent job of explaining why we can in good faith not take Genesis 1-11 literally, but can take the miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus literally. Whereas the ancient authors of Scripture and their readers did not understand the shape of the universe or the relative size of mustard seeds, they were competent to understand that Jesus had physically died and then physically rose from the dead. This should “stop anyone from sliding down the so-called ‘slippery slope’ and doubting the testimony recorded in the Bible of those who saw and experienced Jesus; miracles and resurrection.” (p. 97)
In discussing the differences in the creation accounts of Gen. 1 and Gen 2, Lamoureux suggests that the Holy Spirit allowed these contradictions to point us away from using the Bible as a book of science. Thus, the order of God’s creative acts in these two accounts of creation is ultimately incidental and not relevant to our faith.
Lamoureux’s conclusion is that the Bible is not a book of science. It does not reveal how God actually created the universe and life. Its purpose is to reveal messages of faith.
The book includes several excellent tables that support his arguments, including (1) differences between Genesis 1 & Genesis 2, (2) Jesus and Ancient Science, (3) The Ancient Science of the Bible & the Failure of Scientific Concordism, and (4) Christian Positions on the Origin of the Universe & Life
I particularly recommend this book to evangelical Christians who are struggling with [relating science and Christianity.
The most important hermeneutical principle in the book is Lamoureux’s Message-Incident Principle, which “states that the ancient science in Scripture is incidental because God’s central purpose in the Bible is to reveal messages of faith, and not scientific facts about his creation.” (p. 46)
Lamoureux discusses scientific concordism, which is “the assumption that statements about nature in the Bible align with the facts of nature.” (p. 27) Lamoureux notes that the presence of a 3-tier universe in the Bible is definite proof that scientific concordism fails. In his discussion of the 3-tier universe, unlike other recent books that focus on the ancient Near East literature to improve our understanding of the Old Testament, Lamoureux’s book refreshingly accomplishes the same goal by focusing on the Bible in his comparisons.
This leads to his discussion of the hermeneutical principle of biblical accommodation, which “refers to God adapting his revelation to the level of humans in order that we may understand his inerrant spiritual truths.” (p. 53) Lamoureux points out that “it is possible to reveal inerrant spiritual truths without using actual scientific facts." (p. 56)
Lamoureux points out that since almost all Christians no longer accept the ancient geocentric astronomy of St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin, we can also reject their ancient biology regarding the origins of plants, animals, and humans. Lamoureux believes that the purpose of the accounts of origins in the Bible is to reveal inerrant messages of faith, namely that God created plants and animals, made humans in the Image of God, and all of us have sinned against him and against other humans.
The excursus on “Hermeneutical Brakes” (pp. 95-97) does an excellent job of explaining why we can in good faith not take Genesis 1-11 literally, but can take the miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus literally. Whereas the ancient authors of Scripture and their readers did not understand the shape of the universe or the relative size of mustard seeds, they were competent to understand that Jesus had physically died and then physically rose from the dead. This should “stop anyone from sliding down the so-called ‘slippery slope’ and doubting the testimony recorded in the Bible of those who saw and experienced Jesus; miracles and resurrection.” (p. 97)
In discussing the differences in the creation accounts of Gen. 1 and Gen 2, Lamoureux suggests that the Holy Spirit allowed these contradictions to point us away from using the Bible as a book of science. Thus, the order of God’s creative acts in these two accounts of creation is ultimately incidental and not relevant to our faith.
Lamoureux’s conclusion is that the Bible is not a book of science. It does not reveal how God actually created the universe and life. Its purpose is to reveal messages of faith.
The book includes several excellent tables that support his arguments, including (1) differences between Genesis 1 & Genesis 2, (2) Jesus and Ancient Science, (3) The Ancient Science of the Bible & the Failure of Scientific Concordism, and (4) Christian Positions on the Origin of the Universe & Life
I particularly recommend this book to evangelical Christians who are struggling with [relating science and Christianity.
November 1, 2020
I very much enjoyed this book and found the hermeneutical principles useful in understanding scripture better. This book is written for the regular person who desires to understand the Bible faithfully, especially the areas that discuss the natural world. Here’s a summary of each chapter (principle).
Chapters/Hermeneutical Principle:
1. Literalism – This chapter looks at the appropriateness of reading the Bible literally. The author uses Biblical examples to illustrate the faulty premise that the Bible ought to be read 100% literally.
2. Literary Genre – Chapter 2 builds on chapter 1 now looking at various literary genres in the Bible, starting with the sermon on the mount.
3. Scientific Concordism & Spiritual Correspondence – This chapter defines 2 approaches for viewing science and the Bible and promises to explore biblical examples for the reader to decide which makes the most sense.
4. Eisegesis vs. Exegesis – Phil 2:5-11 describes the 3-tiered universe understood by the ancients. We need to read out of Scripture what the original author intended, not read into it our own thoughts.
5. Ancient & Modern Phenomenological Perspectives – This chapter has the reader stepping into the mind of the ancients to understand ancient phenomenological astronomy and biology.
6. The Message-Incident Principle – (I think this is my favorite principle.) The message of the passage contains spiritual truths that are inerrant while the description of the incident is through an ancient phenomenological perspective. Note that this principle has limited applicability and must be utilized appropriately.
7. Biblical Accommodation – An infinite God must come down to our level to communicate or we would never understand. The best example of this is Jesus incarnate.
8. Authorial Intentionality: Divine & Human – The Bible contains both a human authored intention and a divine authored intention. There is no evidence that the Holy Spirit overrode ancient scientific understandings to impart modern scientific ideas.
9. Biblical Sufficiency & Human Proficiency – Some passages of Scripture are far more useful, critical even, in transforming lives and capturing souls. Ancient scientific statements are not such passages. They just don’t contribute much to the development of a personal relationship with Jesus.
10. Modern Science and Paraphrase Biblical Translation – This chapter looks at a few Bible passages and how they might read with modern science rather than ancient science.
11. Textual Criticism – “…Modern translations of the Word of God are very good and very reliable. Read any English translation on your knees with an open heart and you will not only discern the central messages of the Christian Faith, but you will also personally meet Jesus.”
12. Implicit Scientific Concepts – The ancients viewed the biology of human reproduction like Russian dolls with one person inside of another. It was thought that a man planted his “seed” into the fertile “soil” of the woman and the itty-bitty person inside of his seed would grow. They did not understand that women contributed an egg.
13. Scope of Cognitive Competence – The ancient people did not have a modern understanding of infertility and instead thought of biological reproduction in terms similar to agriculture with which they were familiar. But this doesn’t mean ancient people were unable to testify that Jesus rose again.
14. Historical Criticism – “The message of faith is the “Word of God”. The incidental ancient vessel that delivers the inerrant spiritual truths are the “words of humans in history.” (pp 99-100)
15. The 3-Tier Universe: Ancient Geography – The “ancient geography” in Scripture is a vessel that delivers inerrant messages of faith. The author makes a strong and very convincing case against concordism.
16. The 3-Tier Universe: Ancient Astronomy – Various biblical passages that mention the structure of the universe are examined to show the ancient astronomy held by the ancient people.
17. The Accommodation of God’s Creative Action in Origins – This chapter compares and contrasts other ANE (ancient near eastern) creation accounts with the Bible’s.
18. De Novo Creation of Living Organisms: Ancient Biology – This chapter explores gaps in nature versus gaps in knowledge and that we see a pattern of the latter and never the former.
19. Does Conservative Christianity Require Scientific Concordism? – This chapter looks at the views of prominent church leaders of the past (Luther, Augustine, etc.) and points out that conservative Christians today reject their ancient understanding of astronomy. So no, conservative Christianity does not require scientific concordism.
20. Literary Criticism – This principle looks at the literary style of Genesis 1 and its poetic and parable-like features. The author reminds us that many literary styles are used in the Bible and one is not better or more holy than the others.
21. Source Criticism – The author compares and contrasts Genesis 1 and 2 and proposes 2 authors were inspired to communicate inerrant spiritual truth about God the creator and all he made.
22. Biblical Inerrancy: Toward an Incarnational Approach – “The accounts of origins in Genesis 1-3 are the inerrant and eternal Word of God written in the incidental and imperfect words of men and women in history”. (p 190)
23. Conclusion: Beyond Scientific Concordism – The Bible is “living & active”. “Young earth creation and progressive creation fail to recognize and respect that God’s creative action in Genesis 1 and 2 is accommodated/filtered through an ancient scientific understanding of origins.” (p 192)
In addition to a few quotes above, these are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Therefore, spiritual correspondence refers to the belief that God personally communicates life-changing spiritual truths to men and women through the Bible.” p 28
“It is not the ancient scientific idea of a 3-tier universe that has led you to a personal relationship with Jesus. Rather it is the eternal and inerrant spiritual truth that Jesus is Lord of the entire world that he has powerfully changed your life.” P 52
“…Modern translations of the Word of God are very good and very reliable. Read any English translation on your knees with an open heart and you will not only discern the central messages of the Christian Faith, but you will also personally meet Jesus.” p 75
I found The Bible & Ancient Science immensely helpful and enjoyable too. I think so much confusion and disagreement in the discussion of origins, creation, science, and faith would evaporate if more people would read this book and understand the interpretational principles herein.
Chapters/Hermeneutical Principle:
1. Literalism – This chapter looks at the appropriateness of reading the Bible literally. The author uses Biblical examples to illustrate the faulty premise that the Bible ought to be read 100% literally.
2. Literary Genre – Chapter 2 builds on chapter 1 now looking at various literary genres in the Bible, starting with the sermon on the mount.
3. Scientific Concordism & Spiritual Correspondence – This chapter defines 2 approaches for viewing science and the Bible and promises to explore biblical examples for the reader to decide which makes the most sense.
4. Eisegesis vs. Exegesis – Phil 2:5-11 describes the 3-tiered universe understood by the ancients. We need to read out of Scripture what the original author intended, not read into it our own thoughts.
5. Ancient & Modern Phenomenological Perspectives – This chapter has the reader stepping into the mind of the ancients to understand ancient phenomenological astronomy and biology.
6. The Message-Incident Principle – (I think this is my favorite principle.) The message of the passage contains spiritual truths that are inerrant while the description of the incident is through an ancient phenomenological perspective. Note that this principle has limited applicability and must be utilized appropriately.
7. Biblical Accommodation – An infinite God must come down to our level to communicate or we would never understand. The best example of this is Jesus incarnate.
8. Authorial Intentionality: Divine & Human – The Bible contains both a human authored intention and a divine authored intention. There is no evidence that the Holy Spirit overrode ancient scientific understandings to impart modern scientific ideas.
9. Biblical Sufficiency & Human Proficiency – Some passages of Scripture are far more useful, critical even, in transforming lives and capturing souls. Ancient scientific statements are not such passages. They just don’t contribute much to the development of a personal relationship with Jesus.
10. Modern Science and Paraphrase Biblical Translation – This chapter looks at a few Bible passages and how they might read with modern science rather than ancient science.
11. Textual Criticism – “…Modern translations of the Word of God are very good and very reliable. Read any English translation on your knees with an open heart and you will not only discern the central messages of the Christian Faith, but you will also personally meet Jesus.”
12. Implicit Scientific Concepts – The ancients viewed the biology of human reproduction like Russian dolls with one person inside of another. It was thought that a man planted his “seed” into the fertile “soil” of the woman and the itty-bitty person inside of his seed would grow. They did not understand that women contributed an egg.
13. Scope of Cognitive Competence – The ancient people did not have a modern understanding of infertility and instead thought of biological reproduction in terms similar to agriculture with which they were familiar. But this doesn’t mean ancient people were unable to testify that Jesus rose again.
14. Historical Criticism – “The message of faith is the “Word of God”. The incidental ancient vessel that delivers the inerrant spiritual truths are the “words of humans in history.” (pp 99-100)
15. The 3-Tier Universe: Ancient Geography – The “ancient geography” in Scripture is a vessel that delivers inerrant messages of faith. The author makes a strong and very convincing case against concordism.
16. The 3-Tier Universe: Ancient Astronomy – Various biblical passages that mention the structure of the universe are examined to show the ancient astronomy held by the ancient people.
17. The Accommodation of God’s Creative Action in Origins – This chapter compares and contrasts other ANE (ancient near eastern) creation accounts with the Bible’s.
18. De Novo Creation of Living Organisms: Ancient Biology – This chapter explores gaps in nature versus gaps in knowledge and that we see a pattern of the latter and never the former.
19. Does Conservative Christianity Require Scientific Concordism? – This chapter looks at the views of prominent church leaders of the past (Luther, Augustine, etc.) and points out that conservative Christians today reject their ancient understanding of astronomy. So no, conservative Christianity does not require scientific concordism.
20. Literary Criticism – This principle looks at the literary style of Genesis 1 and its poetic and parable-like features. The author reminds us that many literary styles are used in the Bible and one is not better or more holy than the others.
21. Source Criticism – The author compares and contrasts Genesis 1 and 2 and proposes 2 authors were inspired to communicate inerrant spiritual truth about God the creator and all he made.
22. Biblical Inerrancy: Toward an Incarnational Approach – “The accounts of origins in Genesis 1-3 are the inerrant and eternal Word of God written in the incidental and imperfect words of men and women in history”. (p 190)
23. Conclusion: Beyond Scientific Concordism – The Bible is “living & active”. “Young earth creation and progressive creation fail to recognize and respect that God’s creative action in Genesis 1 and 2 is accommodated/filtered through an ancient scientific understanding of origins.” (p 192)
In addition to a few quotes above, these are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Therefore, spiritual correspondence refers to the belief that God personally communicates life-changing spiritual truths to men and women through the Bible.” p 28
“It is not the ancient scientific idea of a 3-tier universe that has led you to a personal relationship with Jesus. Rather it is the eternal and inerrant spiritual truth that Jesus is Lord of the entire world that he has powerfully changed your life.” P 52
“…Modern translations of the Word of God are very good and very reliable. Read any English translation on your knees with an open heart and you will not only discern the central messages of the Christian Faith, but you will also personally meet Jesus.” p 75
I found The Bible & Ancient Science immensely helpful and enjoyable too. I think so much confusion and disagreement in the discussion of origins, creation, science, and faith would evaporate if more people would read this book and understand the interpretational principles herein.
May 18, 2023
Very well written. Hermeneutic principles are introduced clearly and supported with examples. As an agnostic reader, I appreciated that the book was self contained.
I only take issues with the passages directed strictly to a Christian audience.
I only take issues with the passages directed strictly to a Christian audience.
March 19, 2022
A bit too repetitive and simplistic for me.
March 27, 2022
A must read for all Christian’s. Especially if they consider themselves young earth creationists or have questions about how the current assertions of science seem the conflict with the current popular interpretations of scripture.
The content is 5 stars, the overall layout/writing of the book is the reason for the lost star. It is good, could have been improved.
The author is well educated and shares simplified versions of different theories for the reader to take into consideration. He is not forceful, in fact he takes the reader on a journey through the book, growing arguments until the reader may be ready for the larger reveals nearer the end.
Highly recommended.
The content is 5 stars, the overall layout/writing of the book is the reason for the lost star. It is good, could have been improved.
The author is well educated and shares simplified versions of different theories for the reader to take into consideration. He is not forceful, in fact he takes the reader on a journey through the book, growing arguments until the reader may be ready for the larger reveals nearer the end.
Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews