The author presents a difficult and interesting topic that includes the theory of relativity, E=MC2, etc that is easy (or at least more easy) to understand than other books on the same topic.

Can you be a creationist and an evolutionist?

Gerald Schroeder's answer, validated through the use of einstein's special and general relativity, fossil records, trends in biological organizations, and of course biblical statements and commentaries, is an astounding YES.

How is it possible?
The bible says the world was created in 6 days and in one day he rested.

The answer is time dilation. What might be perceived as 6 24 hour days might actually have been reflective of a much longer timespan (15 billion years).

And how do we explain the Neanderthal man or Homo erectus, when the bible tells us Adam and Eve were created 5768 years ago?

The answer is Neshamah ("soul" in hebrew). God gave Adam and Eve soul, something that was not given to the earlier forms of man-like creatures.

This book is filled with more interesting insight showing the mutual agreements between the biblical explanation for the creation of life, and the modern perspectives on origins of life as researched by modern physicists, chemists, and biologists.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in origins of life and religion.

Can you be a creationist and an evolutionist?

Gerald Schroeder's answer, validated through the use of einstein's special and general relativity, fossil records, trends in biological organizations, and of course biblical statements and commentaries, is an astounding YES.

How is it possible?
The bible says the world was created in 6 days and in one day he rested.

The answer is time dilation. What might be perceived as 6 24 hour days might actually have been reflective of a much longer timespan (15 billion years).

And how do we explain the Neanderthal man or Homo erectus, when the bible tells us Adam and Eve were created 5768 years ago?

The answer is Neshamah ("soul" in hebrew). God gave Adam and Eve soul, something that was not given to the earlier forms of man-like creatures.

This book is filled with more interesting insight showing the mutual agreements between the biblical explanation for the creation of life, and the modern perspectives on origins of life as researched by modern physicists, chemists, and biologists.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in origins of life and religion.

This book presents a compelling argument that the events of the billions of years that cosmologists say followed the Big Band and those of the first six days described in Genesis are, in fact, one and the same----identical realities described in vastly different terms.

Using language easily understod, Dr. Schroeder reconciles the observale facts of science with the very essence of Western religion: the biblical account of Creation. I enjoyed this book very much and give it 5 stars.

I have long believed that Man's endowment with a soul by God was the "beginning." It was exciting to read and follow the logic Dr Schroeder presented that confirmed, in my mind at least, what I had come to believe. Anyone who wants to believe that the age of the universe as computed from the Bible and by science can be the same should read this book.

Recently I have begun to study books that deal with the combination of theology and science. The reason for this is that, as I go through my seminary training, I realize that it is vitally important that I understand (as best as I can) God's creation that surrounds me. Especially when dealing with the bridge between Genesis and science. Thus when I found this book that explores the subtle nuances between Genesis 1 and 2 and science, such as the cosmology and theology of the Big Bang, God's relation to the science of relativity, among other points to ponder, I was quite happy. While I understand some of the math behind cosmology and theoretical physics, this book is easy for both the scholar of theology and science or the mere layman who wishes to understand the balance between God and science. Schroeder's work is easy to understand, comprehend, but has so much depth that you are often left breathless by the possibilities found herein the book. Schroeder is engaging, friendly, so you feel like you are sitting with him drinking a cup of tea while talking. The book is not a large book, doesn't have to be, and he doesn't waste words. You are not going to get a lot of fluff theology or science, Schroeder takes his time and makes each point poignant. I highly recommend that students of theology and/or science to pick this book up and see where it leads you-but be warned, you must have an open-mind when reading this book. If you are coming to this book with either a set presupposition (theologically speaking or scientifically speaking), then you are not going to allow yourself to learn. The only problem is that the book needs to be updated--I would like to see information on dark matter, I would like to see information on cosmic black holes, I would like to see information on the many-worlds theory. Still, a great and timely book.

Every culture in the world has it's own creation stories. The writer did nothing to try and tie all the creation stories from every culture in the world into this book. He only took one viewpoint of it. I'm sure as humans we would like to find a way to tie all our creation stories into known facts of science, but if this is done correctly, we must look at all creation stories from every culture in the world, Not just one. Maybe if we did that, then the ideas and viewpoints of religion and philosophy and science must at last acheive some intellectual logic and harmoney which would both help explain the universe and lead us to a more profound understanding of ourselves.

Dr. Schroeder enlightens readers with easily understandable wording of complex cosmological concepts. He shows that the biblical account in Genesis is in no way out of harmony with modern science. According to Galileo, the Bible has never been out of harmony with science: "The Bible teaches us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." Many of Schroeder's books deal with physics and God; this is a good introduction to his work. I also recommend following up with "The Hidden Face of God" and "The Science of God."

The good: (a) easy to follow explanation of the underlying physics; (b) author got all his degrees including his two PhD's from MIT, and thus is well qualified; and (c) the book brings to light a lot of the wisdom of ancient Jewish scholars.

The bad: (a) no detailed explanation on how via Einstein's time dilation, the six 24-hour days of the Genesis account syncs with the 15 billion years given by modern cosmology; (b) no reconciliation given on the conflict of the sequence of the formation of the Earth vs. the stars [i.e., per the Bible vs. modern cosmology]; (c) no mention of the 'distant starlight' problem; and (d) no reference to the New Testament whatsoever.

The last point is understandable given that Schroeder is Jewish.

On the other hand, given that Schroeder's main thesis is that the period before the Creation is unknowable, and given on the other hand that there's a lot of New Testament references to the period before the creation of the world, Schroeder to the Christian robbed himself of what would have been a treasure trove of information.

The bottomline: it's a good read for anybody interested in the latest scientific formulation of the old earth ('day age') creation view of the Bible.

I am currently finishing one of his other books. In all I have read 3. I think Dr. Schroeder aproach is very good. I do not have a back ground in physics but I am thinking of maybe taking some classes to continue on what I have read.

I am currently finishing one of his other books. In all I have read 3. I think Dr. Schroeder aproach is very good. I do not have a back ground in physics but I am thinking of maybe taking some classes to continue on what I have read.

This book has enlightened me, but not convinced me on the literal meaning of the bible. If my understanding is correct he believes in "punctuated equilibrium" through God's hand. Interpreting the first book of the Torah through the english language can be problematic. If one is to behold Genesis through Hebrew a whole new meaning can be derived. There are a couple statements he has made that I question. There are also some areas that he did not cover, leaving holes. Other creation books, such as Morris should be added to the reading. We all need to realize though, there are some things that are unknowable. Overall, an extraordinary book. He flows information from the previous chapters in to the next very well. The probability that life erupted by pure chance is so astronomical it might as well be 0. For those of you who believe in a literal bible, this book will give you new insight. For the atheist, you may need to rethink. For those of you somewhere in between, this books for you.

This book has enlightened me on the literal meaning of the bible. If my understanding is correct he believes in "punctuated equilibrium" through God's hand. Interpreting the first book of the Torah through the english language can be problematic. If one is to behold Genesis through Hebrew a whole new meaning can be derived. There are a couple statements he has made that I question. There are also some areas that he did not cover, leaving holes. Other creation books, such as Morris should be added to the reading. We all need to realize though, there are some things that are unknowable. Overall, an extraordinary book. He flows information from the previous chapters in to the next very well. The feasibility that life erupted by pure chance is so astronomically high it might as well be 0. For those of you who believe in a literal bible, this book will give you new insight. For the atheist, you may need to rethink. For those of you somewhere in between, this books for you.

The detailed and insightful analysis that Prof. Schroder has conducted in his trilogy of books (The Science of God and The Hidden Face of God being the others) is very impressive. It shows that there is nothing about the Genesis account of Creation that cannot be reconciled with current scientific knowledge. I suspect that Prof. Scroeder agrees with much of what the ID school argues, but I feel that he approaches the subject in a different way from authors such as Behe, Johnson and Dembski.

Whereas I feel that ID tries to justify itself against the kind of nonsense that people like Dawkins put out, Schroder just quietly gets on with the science involved and makes the whole subject intelligible and interesting. I commend this book and the whole trilogy not just to believers but to anyone leaning towards atheism and seeking hard facts rather than rhetoric.

The rampant lunacy and blatant buffoonery in this book is such that it should not be read in one sitting.

Genesis 1:1-2:3
The Genesis 1 creation account conflicts with the order of events that are known to science. In Genesis, the earth is created before light and stars, birds and whales before reptiles and insects, and flowering plants before any animals. The true order of events was just the opposite.
God creates light and separates light from darkness, and day from night, on the first day. Yet he didn't make the light producing objects (the sun and the stars) until the fourth day (Gen 1:14-19). And how could there be "the evening and the morning" on the first day if there was no sun to mark them? Gen 1:3-5
In Genesis 1 the entire creation takes 6 days, but the universe is at least 12 billion years old, with new stars constantly being formed. 1:31.... Let's not fall for "One day in Genesis is not 24hrs but rather a really long period of time" ......Its is stated that "evening and the morning was the first DAY!!!!! Hence, 1 day = 24hrs. Besides, plants were created BEFORE light, if one day was a long period of time the plants would have died before god got around to creating light.
God curses the serpent. From now on the serpent will crawl on his belly and eat dust. One wonders how he got around before -- by hopping on his tail, perhaps? But snakes don't eat dust, do they? 3:14
"There were giants in the earth in those days." Well, I suppose it's good to know that. But why is there no archaeological evidence for the existence of these giants? 6:4

THE FLOOD
Gen 7:20
The flood covered the highest mountain tops (Mount Everest?) with fifteen cubits to spare.....GOOD GRIEF!!!! Every eighth-grader knows that Mount Everest is so high that it has its own weather at its summit. It could be sunny and calm in the valley but on its peak a swirling snow blizzard. The atmosphere at the top is so thin it's unbeatable. Yet good ol' Noah and a boat fill with two of every "kind" of animals bobbing around, floating free with now problems. I get it!!!! Noah and the gang had individual breathing apparatus for the thin air and sub-zero thermal protection for could. OR ....Mt. Everest was just a mole hill way back then..... Oh Please!!!!!!!

The flood story was adapted by the Hebrews from an earlier Babylonian myth called the Epic of Gilgamesh which is a lot older than the biblical tale and virtually identical.
Gerald spilled much ink trying to harmonize scientific facts with the Genesis mythology that I cant help wondering who on earth he would reconcile other biblical nonsense such as:

James 5:7 By praying, Elias was able to keep it from raining for three and a half years.
Act 5: 15-16 The sick were healed just by touching the shadow of Peter.
Luke 9 39 Epilepsy is caused by devils.
2 Kings 13:21 A dead body is brought to life when it accidentally touches the bones of Elisha.

Be afraid, be very afraid. This is the sort of trash proposed by creationists for inclusion in our high school science curriculum. ......WHAT PLANET DO WE LIVE ON AGAIN???????

This is an absolutely fascinating book. We have seen so many "Science/Religion" books from a Christian perspective (and almost always a fundamentalist Christian perspective); Schroeder's Jewish perspective is just stunningly fresh, relying as he does on Maimonides and the Talmud (among other sources). By the time I finished this book, I had fallen in love with Maimonides - very down-to-earth, very all-truth-is-God's-truth.

Schroeder's Jewish perspective on the Scriptures is worth the price of the book all by itself. His comments on the "evening-morning" sequence of the creation story, taken from Nahmanides, were beautiful. "Evening" in Hebrew is related to "confusion, disorder", whereas "morning" is related to "clarity, order". Thus the "evening-morning" sequence, while it seems intuitively backwards, is actually making a huge point about creation, and how God brought order out of disorder. Just wonderful.

And his use of relativistic time-dilation as a means to harmonize the biblical six days with cosmology's 15 billion years was sharp (although I'd have liked to have seen at least some sort of thumbnail calculation, even just as a footnote); I hadn't seen anything like that before.

As a working physicist, Schroeder can certainly be trusted to know what he's talking about; he's not speaking out of ignorance, but out of real, deep understanding of the physical realities he discusses. This is certainly one of the better books of its type I've come across.

Good service, fast delivery and book was in excellent condition and most interesting.

This was one of the best books on the subject of Science and Religion and the support each gives to the other, I have ever read. Many insights supported beliefs I already harbored, some provoked new thoughts or touched base on what had not occured to me and definitely inspired me to read more. I have now read all three of Gerald Schroeder's books each one as inspiring as the last. And never once did I feel that there was any conflict with the traditional Biblical account I learned through years of church influenced study. I highly recommend all of Mr. Schroeder's books to anyone who is seeking personal growth and understanding of their beliefs.

I just bought this book. Just by reading few paragraphs it dawn on me why this two theorie are important to most people, especialy me and the author. He got great explaination on both side. I myself have a lots of question about the begining of mankind. Science and religion don't answere my questions. I wonder wish came first science or religion or vise-versa. For anybody who is interisted in this two theory here a great start.

The author goes to great lengths in this work to bridge the gap between science and the bible (particularly Genesis) calling upon astrophysics, the Theory of Relativity, and the theory of the Big Bang. But if you do not have a background in physics or math then you might find `God, Science and the Cosmic Jigsaw', by Jonathan Kingsley, an easier read. The latter covers the same ground, but in a very different way, and one in which any reader can get to grips with by the simple application of logic. Kingsley's hypothesis is that there was a two-phase creation - evolution followed by divine intercession as part of God's overall plan - and Genesis is shown to agree with this very well. Thankfully, he also debunks Erich von Daniken's theories about us being descended from spacemen, as fall-out from his own theory, by providing the evidence that Adam (son of God) was God's divine creation from the `dust of the earth' - in fact, divinely created using the genetic blueprint of evolutionary man - and that the Fall of Man resulted from interbreeding between the divine and evolutionary races. Heady - but interesting - stuff. So you may care to read both these books - but don't overlook Kingsley's, if this is an area that intrigues you!

Schroeder's book is well written, informative, seemingly objective and I can find very little in it to disagree with. However, at times, he seems to imply that chance is the sole operating mechanism in abiogenesis by using mathematics to illustrate evolution-by-chance-alone impossibility (by high improbability). The fact that ribozymes can catalyze RNA splicing is not due to chance. The fact that clay and other minerals can concentrate amino acids and other organic monomers is not due to chance. It occurs because the monomers bind to electrically charged areas on clay particles! There are chemical and physical laws at work in the universe as on early earth!

To his credit he goes to a great length to show that life has a common ancestor. He understands the second law of thermodynamics (unlike most creationists), recognizes that life shares a common ancestor, admits that there were hominids existing before Adam, rejects biblical literalism, accepts the Big Bang, and the old earth.

While some attempt to refute the bible with science, others attempt harmonisation. _Genesis and the Big Bang_ is one such example. Gerald Schroeder is described as being an applied physicist and theologian. It is my belief that the latter rather than the former is the victor when it comes to Schroeder's belief system. He is a very clever man that has a dream to reconcile those ever persistent foes: religion and science. If you don't have a very scientific background and you believe in a God (whatever form, shape and name you care to ascribe to him/her/it), then you will love this book. Schroeder carefully assembles a set of arguments using scripture and scientific discovery to convince the reader that the universe which is billions of years old and the account in Genesis (Six days of creation) are the same. He uses Einteinian physics to declare that from God's perspective the creation took 6 days, however from our perspective it took billions of years. He harmonises the two by briefly(!!) going through the theory of general relativity and explaining how this could be so. There is unfortunately a large flaw in his argument. His theory will hold as long as science doesn't change its mind as to the age of the universe. Already it has been reported that the universe is indeed slightly older, and therefore Schroeder's theory comes tumbling down. In my opinion this book is basically for those readers that would like to explain away the discrepancies between Science and Reigion using 21st century scientific technology. This is an insult to anyone who knows better. I personally am of the mind that religion and science should remain in their separate domains. Unfortunately, when they are brought together, feathers fly when analysing all the inconsistencies. Another important point that I might mention is that Schroeder lectures in Israel, to would-be orthodox Jews and attempts to fill their young impressionable brains with his theories to comfort them as they swim in a world of science. What might be shocking to some of the more conservative amongst his readers is that he fully acknowledges the concept of biological macro-evolution. Usually in orthodox circles this is a no-no. However he interestingly integrates the concept of prehistoric man in his theory claiming they were one of the animal varieties in the garden of eden that Adam didn't want a relationship with. This is an interesting twist to the theory, however as with many of the apologetics that ooze from the mouths of theologians with an agenda, it is pure speculation and has no factual basis. Furthermore, if one looks hard enough in the Bible or post-biblical writings, one can find a proof or justification for virtually anything. Unfortunately, for every point of view that you find justifying your position, you can find two that contradict it. Overall, I must admit that I enjoyed reading the book, unfortunately Schroeder was unable to convince me that his theory was anything more than a product of a very vivid imagination. I do recommend that people read the book and come to their own conclusions. Jewish readers may find this book more relevant to them as it cites many post-biblical Jewish sages, however it is written in such a way that it can be relevant for any type of audience.

I will not attempt to add fuel to the debate as to whether or not Dr. Schroeder has a valid arguement by reason of proofs. He has done that quite well himself. This was one of the best books I have read in recent years and having read it after "The Science of God" I found it to be much more basic. In fact, I feel this work to be a wonderful starting point for the layperson being introduced to the possible truth that 6 days and 15 billion years are both the correct timing for the creation of the universe.

One great aspect of Dr. Schroeder's works is his "silent encouragement" for readers to seek out the truth. The fact that he doesn't just pick up any Bible and attempt to glean his hypothesis from present translations but rather has a deep understanding of the Hebrew and Greek languages it was written in is refreshing. One thing science tends to do is dismiss religion in general and Christianity in particular without studying it as deeply as it would, for example a rock formation or new bacteria. This is rather hypocritical. Religion on the same token is no better. I often hear educated men with doctorates stand behind a pulpit and chop science to bits without any real knowledge of what they are discussing. Religious leaders who dismiss science away as God's way of sending confusion into the world, but at the same time find it easy to believe the words of their doctor (medicine is a science) or their computer technician (computer science) are rather hypocritical themselves. People from all walks of life and with all types of beliefs tend to "pick and choose" their own version of the truth and perpetuate it as long as possible. Until everyone puts down their stereotypes and digs deeper into the "truth" as a whole, we will forever wage this complex if not childish battle between science and religion.

This book brings intuitive notions into full view. The beauty of Schroeder's idea is how simple and harmonious the connection between observed reality and biblical revelation can be. That the two seemingly incongruent viewpoints of faith in science and faith in god can be reconciled seamlessly is a worthy investigation even for the most skeptical among us (including the author himself). Highly recommended for those who find themselves on either side of the debate.

The Bible uses allegory, figures of speech and other literary devices on occasion. Often this is obvious, but occasionally scholars disagree on whether a passage is literal or symbolic. But is this the case in Genesis 1-11? What do the Hebrew grammarians, lexicographers and linguists have to say? The answer is a resounding "no". There is no way in which the Hebrew text of Genesis 1-11 can mean anything other than what the fresh-faced child, picking it up for the first time without preconceptions, has always seen as obvious.

The following is an extract from a letter written to David C.C. Watson on April 23, 1984, by Professor James Barr, who was at the time Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford. Please note that Professor Barr, consistent with his neo-orthodox views, does not believe that Genesis is literally true, he is just telling us, openly and honestly, what the language means.

Professor Barr said,

"Probably, so far as l know, there is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the writer(s) of Gen. 1-11 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that (a) creation took place in a series of six days which were the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience (b) the figures contained in the Genesis genealogies provided by simple addition a chronology from the beginning of the world up to later stages in the biblical story (c) Noah's flood was understood to be world-wide and extinguish all human and animal life except for those in the ark. Or, to put it negatively, the apologetic arguments which suppose the 'days' of creation to be long eras of time, the figures of years not to be chronological, and the flood to be a merely local Mesopotamian flood, are not taken seriously by any such professors, as far as I know."

There are many theologians (as opposed to Hebrew language experts) who insist on long days, for example.

But the above makes it clear that it is hardly likely to be the text itself that leads them to this conclusion. Rather, it is almost certainly the desire to accommodate and harmonize opinions and world views (in this case, the idea of long geological ages) which arise from outside Scripture.

Of course, arising from outside Scripture does not necessarily make anything wrong; but in this case, the clear, unmistakable teaching of the scriptural text is completely incompatible with, even opposed to, the extra-biblical viewpoint we are considering. It is, therefore, completely unacceptable to claim that Scripture may actually be teaching this view!

Faced with such a unanimous consensus of scholarly linguistic opinion (backed by the common sense understanding of countless millions of Christians through the ages), it is no longer intellectually honest to say that the issue of the time and mode of creation (or the related issue of global versus local flood) is in the same category as disagreements over mode of baptism, church government, or prophecy. Disagreements over these latter issues arise from different understandings of Scripture itself, not from seeking to accommodate (or to defuse debate over) a world view that directly opposes a teaching of Scripture which is unanimously declared by experts to be the plain meaning of the text!

I suggest that the only intellectually honest approach for a Christian is either to believe what the writer of Genesis is saying, or reject it as untrue.

To disbelieve it brings the following problems:

1. How can you know which other parts of Scripture are in error as well--that is, how can you reliably know anything at all about Christianity?

2. What about the New Testament evidence that Jesus and the Apostles (including Paul) regarded Genesis 1-11 as inspired Scripture, giving us 'true truth' about historical characters and events?

3. What happens to the very basis of the Gospel - that is, the Fall into sin, death and bloodshed of the whole creation for which the Saviour shed His blood in death (I Corinthians 15:21, 22; Romans 5:12; Romans 8:19-22)? Those who insist that the days could be millions of years often forget that these "millions of years", in the popular view, are represented by layers of fossils which are interpreted not as the results of the biblical Flood, but as creatures having lived (with struggle/pain/bloodshed) and died before anyone called Adam could have appeared.

To put it simply, there were Genesis "days" before man appeared and if you read the days as "ages" (remember that these "ages" are said to be shown by layers containing dead things called fossils) you've just put death and bloodshed before Adam!

If the reader is by now feeling despair, the answer to the dilemma is to look again at the modern world view you may have been trying to harmonize with Scripture. It is not--it cannot by definition be--based on the scientific method (repeatable testing and observation). It is based on faith in the opinions of men who were not there at the beginning, and who are part of a humanity in rebellion against its Maker.

Finally, there is a large amount of scientific evidence consistent with a recent, six-day creation and a global flood. To accept, by faith, the biblical statement "Thy Word is true from the beginning" (Psalm 119:160) is a reasonable position, which reasonable people, including large numbers of highly qualified, intellectually honest scientists, have accepted over the popular, atheistic, philosophical alternative.

For additional information, I recommend visiting the "Answers in Genesis", "Institute for Creation Research" and "True Origin" websites.

Also, I'd recommend picking up a copy of books like, "Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe" by Steve Austin, "The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods" by John Woodmorappe and "The Revised Quote Book" (available from the Answers in Genesis online book store).

It's pretty good. I don't agree with everything he says, but I don't agree with everything I say.

The best thing about his book is that he relies only on the best and most reputable scientists and theologians (albeit almost exclusively Jewish). He never quotes crackpots or weirdoes or makes outlandish claims.

The worst thing about his book is that he says "Maimonides says" and "Nahmonides says" (two important Jewish commentators) but he rarely quotes the guys. We're just supposed to take his word on it.

But if what he claims is true, I want to read Maimonides' commentary and Genesis and his "Guide to the Perplexed." Supposedly (back in the 10th century, I'm pretty sure) Maimonides said, based only on his exegesis of Genesis, that there were man-like creatures before Adam, that the entire universe was created from something smaller than a mustard seed, that the six days are not comprehensible according to our time-scale (which makes sense, since how can you have a day before you have a sun?), and a whole list of other things that are remarkably consistent with modern scientific views.

Anyway, there's a lot there and it's fairly interesting. It also provides a pretty good overview of the history and development of the universe.

He has three big points.

+ Secularists have to quit kidding themselves. The physical constants and properties of the universe are so carefully fine-tuned to create the conditions necessary for life that it speaks of design, and that the sudden appearance of life on earth -- basically as soon as conditions would permit -- is so horribly improbable as to be impossible.

+ Biblical fundamentalists have to quit kidding themselves. (He says he wrote this book for his son who was taught in Hebrew school that the world was made in six days no matter what those scientists say.) The evidence for an old earth, pre-Adam hominids, change in species over time, etc., is unquestionable. He doesn't really address the flood and he says the punctuated model of evolution is the only reasonable one -- and again he says the driving force behind these "punctuations" can't be chance. He seems to favor the view that living systems are designed with an inherent ability to adapt and change, and that these spurts in evolution are kinda already there (as far as information potential is concerned), waiting for the right circumstance to make them happen.

It seems reasonable to me to say that living systems have an innate ability to change (in their descendants, anyway) to survive in changing conditions, and that this innate ability is the stuff that natural selection works on. IOW, the design of living systems deals with the fact that environments aren't stable, so they are pre-programmed to adapt.

It seems absolutely impossible to me to say that this ability to change is not designed. There's simply too much information and intelligence there. And I suspect that we've only scratched the surface of the complexity of life. Just as with elementary particles, the deeper we dig into the stuff of life, the more complex and amazing it will become.

His third point is that ...

+ All of this is consistent with a traditional reading of Genesis -- that the "sages" (as he calls them) had hints and glimmers of this before science discovered any of it.

I'd like to learn more about that last point, but from several things I've read recently (see, e.g., Genesis Unbound by Sailhamer -- http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0880708689/gregkrehbishomep) it seems that the modern approach to Genesis is atypical in the history of Christian and Jewish thought, and may be more of a knee-jerk reaction to Darwinism than anything else. I suppose that's why the RCC has made accommodating statements about evolution. The traditional interpretation of Genesis (so these guys say) really doesn't say that it was six, 24-hour days, etc.

One funny thing about the book is that the author says it really is six, 24-hour days, but from God's frame of reference. He says that it's silly to talk about an absolute age of the universe because time has no absolute meaning -- it all depends on your frame of reference.

It's pretty interesting stuff. In the very end he makes some weird theological points, but I'm not that familiar with the ins and outs of contemporary Jewish theology, so maybe it's normal Jewish thought.

Greg

I am a big fan of Gerald Schroeder and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would recommend you also read "The Science of God" if you are interested in creation theology and God from a physicists point of view. I am glad someone is finally going in the right direction with creationism! Schroeder carefully examines the scientific facts that help prove and explain creationism. This book is a must read for those Christians who are interested in learning more about the Bible from a modern viewpoint. Another standing ovation to Dr. Schroeder.

One person from New Joisey is most definately clueless!!! But of course that is his opinion. Thank the very God of the Genesis for free speech rights. There are some folks that do KNOW the Truth. Hooray to Mr. Schroeder.

I love a good midrash, but this is not one of them. Schroeder's attempt to mesh science and theology is to say the least a real stretcher. For comic effect (comic, not cosmic), though, it is amusing and I laughed out loud at several passages wondering if Schroeder was writing a parody of creationist "science". He's not. This book will convince no one who is not already convinced of the creationist credo, or has no capacity to think criticially.

Schroeder's idea is fascinating and challenging. I find that the argument is plausible.

I am inclined to say that some of the previous reviews do not reflect a serious attitude on the part of the reviewers. For one thing, our universe is expanding, and that's why the recent trend is towards believing that there is a beginning.

Then, the book's argument is that IN THE BEGINNING, just after the big bang, the universe was expanding at a very fast rate, so that the passage of time would appear to be much slower that our present situation. This is how we arrive at the 6 days to 16 billion years correspondence.

It is well known that our universe is ever expanding, yet the rate of expansion keeps on decreasing. And I don't see that the author is wrong in this respect.

To anyone that knows a good deal about physics, this book is a joke. There have been many attempts to harmonize the six days of creation with modern sciece, and none of them have come even close. Most obvious example - the sun would have become visible much sooner than plants started appearing on the earth (plants were allegedly created on the third day, the sun on the fourth.) And the idea of six days meaning 15+ billion years simply doesn't work, for reasons mentioned previously by another reviewer. The average reader may be fooled into thinking that Genesis 1 and modern science are compatible, but the educated know better.

Now, let's try to see someone harmonize science with the creation story found in Genesis 2! Do men have less ribs than women? I think not!

To the unscientific mind - a good reader and perhaps inspiring. To those who have any knowlege of the basics of the special theory of relativity and/or cosmology - utter rubbish! In fact I was surprised to find so many fundamental errors from a physicist.

For a start - the equations regarding time dilation are wrong - implying that moving clocks run fast and not slow, as is implied by the Special theory of relativity. In fact to call it "the law of relativity" is quite a bold statement in the first place.

Second - As we can't tell that we are moving through the Universe - we cannot tell that our clocks are running slow - this is one of the two principles of the theory (the other being the invariance of the speed of light). Based on the cosmological principal that the Universe is homogeneous and isotropic - all cosimic time is the same (Harrison - Cosmology, 2nd Ed. 2000).

So there is no way for us to convert 6 days into 16 billion years.

AND even if we could detect our motion through the Universe - a dilation factor on 1,000,000,000 would be required and so we would have to be moving at a speed of 0.9999999999 the speed of light - pretty fast, and it would be us who measure the 6 days and G-d the 16 billion years.

And last of all - assuming that most readers of this book have little or no knowlege of physics to the depth where they could understand the actual "PHYSICS" of the matter, such a book should be read and presented with caution and not to try and convince anyone of any religious beliefs.

Schroeder's insight helps to bridge the gap between science and the bible (particularly Genesis). After the first days of creation, the bible very much follows the geological and historical record, so why is Genesis so seemingly out of alignment? (for me, this has always been a tough nut to crack) This book presents a viable explanation of the reconciliation of the two opposing viewpoints, utilizing astrophysics, the Theory of Relativity, and the theory of the Big Bang to hypothesize a secular model that might overlay on the traditional theistic belief of the six days of creation. I urge people to weigh the reviews here carefully because there are several negative reviews here that might have caused me to skip over this book. Some seem to suggest incompetence on the part of the author and/or mistakes, but none offers any substantial explanation. I am not a Ph.D., but I have a decent background in physics and while this book may be based on principals and equations that are not for the layman, Schroeder does an excellent job of presenting the case for a marriage of the secular and theistic viewpoints that anyone can easily grasp. He is also an unquestionable authority in his field, with an impeccable reputation.

When Torah and natural science seem to conflict, one or the other is being incorrectly interpreted. That's the principle Gerald Schroeder propounds and defends in this remarkable volume. And I can only think that Moses Maimonides would have been delighted.

What Schroeder argues, basically, is that the biblical account of creation in six days can be read as taking place over six _literal_ days -- and that not only does this reading fail to conflict with modern science, indeed science itself supports that reading. The solution? The six days are "God's time," reckoned from within one frame of reference, and the millions of years with which science deals are "earth time," reckoned from within another. The two are reconciled by the theory of relativity. Moreover, this reading is firmly grounded in traditional Jewish texts that predated the theory of relativity by one or two thousand years.

I'll let Schroeder fill you in on the details. But whether those details are sound or not, his _approach_ is refreshingly sane.

On the one hand, we have various sorts of Bible-thumper insisting that all our knowledge must come from the Word of God and nothing else -- an insistence that turns easily into anti-intellectual ranting against science. On the other, we have various sorts of scientistic yahoo insisting that religion is bunk and science is the royal road to truth.

Rubbish, on both counts. The Torah does indeed bear signs that it is a Divine communication, and people who believe this are being entirely reasonable. (See, e.g., Lawrence Kelemen's _Permission To Receive_ for a defense of this view.) However, the Bible itself insists that human beings are made in the Divine image, that rationality is that very image, and that the "natural" universe provides abundant evidence of the workings of the Divine. And it is _this_ view, in one form or another, which -- as a matter of history and logic -- gave rise to modern science in the first place; without the "substrate" of rationalism implied by the view that the entire universe is the creation of a single rational Mind, "empirical" science can't even get started. There's no need to decide between the Bible and science; they can't really be separated anyway.

So it may be that some of Schroeder's details require revision (and I understand that some of them are in fact revised in his next book, _The Science of God_). Nevertheless the lesson to learn from this book is still sound: that whenever science and Torah seem to be at odds with one another, the proper procedure is to suspend final judgment, think, and wait. Further information may provide unexpected resolutions.

(And by the way, the review below picks on Schroeder for an absolutely ridiculous "error." The big, round figures used in those calculations aren't anywhere near precise enough to locate us in the "middle of the fifth day" as opposed to the sixth, and Schroeder doesn't say they are.)

"Dr. Schroeder is a physicist from MIT who has resided in Israel for the past twenty years. He claims to believe in a literal interpretation of Genesis, including six literal twenty-four hour days. However, he also believes the 15 billion-year-old universe which evolutionists purport is the same as the six twenty-four days. He believes that God used the Big Bang, and that it started the "first day". According to Dr. Schroeder, since the universe started as a very tiny area, the first twenty-four day was a time period of 8 billion years. As the universe continued to expand, the second day was only 4 billion years, the third day was 2 billion years, the fourth day was 1 billion years, the fifth day was � billion years and the sixth day was � billion years for a grand total of 15 � billion years. He justifies this reasoning by dividing the 15 billion years by the degree of expansion of the universe, which he defines as a million million (1,000,000,000,000), and then multiplying that by 365 for the number of days in a year. He states that the answer is approximately 6, proving his theory, which states that we are in the afternoon of the sixth day. However, the actual answer is 5.475, meaning that we have not yet reached the sixth day. Therefore, according to his theory, animals and humans should not be around. Dr. Schroeder continues by saying that because we are in the "sixth day" of creation, the Sabbath Day, the seventh day of rest, has not yet occurred. However, Genesis 2:1.2 clearly states that God "ended his work", "he rested", and "he blessed it and sanctified it because in it he rested". All of these statements are made in the past tense. How could this be if we are still in the sixth day as Dr. Schroeder claims? Dr. Schroeder also states that the basic Hebrew root word for `evening' is `chaos' and the basic Hebrew root word for `morning' is `order'. According to him, this shows the universe started with the chaos of the Big Bang and was later ordered by God. Does this then mean that each "day" started with chaos and ended with order? Did things go through a six "day" cycle of chaos to order to chaos to order? In Dr. Schroeder's creation scenario, the sun was actually created on Day Two. However, since the atmosphere was translucent, it could not be visibly discerned from the earth until the atmosphere became transparent on Day Four. In contrast, Genesis 1:14-19 clearly states that the sun and moon were made on Day Four and placed in the firmament. While Dr. Schroeder may not believe in evolution per se, he bases his theory on evolutionary dating methods and on an evolutionary interpretation of the fossil record. If one accepts his theory (which places the fossil record before the advent of man), one must accept that billions of years of death, disease and struggle preceded the entrance of man, and therefore the entrance of sin. This then takes away death as a penalty for sin, and nullifies the work of Jesus on the cross."

The only logical answer we can surmise from THE DATA is in perfect harmony with the One who was there to create it all.

This is definately a book worth reading and particularly comparing to the books by Hugh Ross. I found some of the arguments to be unique and well thought out. WARNINGS: if you would like to better undertand the theory of relativity, Hawking does the best job of explaining it, so it may be a good idea to read 'A Brief History of Time' in order to fully understand what Schroeder is proposing. ALSO: check out his theological statements with a good concordance handy, and if you are a Christian, understand that some of the traditional Jewish methods of understanding scripture are not used by serious Christian Theologians. Overall this book is good, it has some new interesting ideas, and if read with the above in mind, is very enjoyable, and is a book worth reading.

I have read all those reviews highly praising G. Schroeder's book and completely disagree with them. G. Schroeder set out on an ambitious and commendable road to prove that science and the Bible are fully compatible. He failed. His considerations are mostly unfounded and contain a number of erroneous statements. Some of the errors could hardly be expected from a PhD in Physics, as an undergraduate student would get an F for such statements.

Dr. Schroeder is a world class physicist and an Orthodox Jew. On the one hand empirical science points to an ancient universe. The Torah strongly supports a six day (24 hour days) creation around 6,000 years ago. He could not deny either. His research uncovered a very startling conclusion. BOTH ARE CORRECT. How can that be? Read the book!

The main text is accessible from a good high school education. The proofs are summarized in appendices, for those who can follow them.

Dr. Schroeder has demonstrated that our understanding of science has progressed to a point which can reconcile two seemingly exclusive positions. When Einstein showed the world that time was relative, he simply caught up to something clearly declared in Psalm 90. It has taken the better part of a century for someone to make a case which, in hindsight, is quite obvious. This is not to say that Dr. Scroeder should not be accorded every credit. For sometimes, true genius is evident when someone sees something new in the familiar as opposed to something new in the never seen. Schroeder skillfully combines a scientists critical thinking and a keen cosmological awareness with the the surprisingly astute observations of the kabalists of the Middle Ages. A must read for the skeptic!

Dr.Schroeder's book is clear and concise, aligning a Biblically based explanation with up to date scientific discoveries. It will appeal to the average layman while satisfying the intellectual cravings of those familiar with Relativity, Cosmology and Quantum Mechanics. The books goes into adequate detail to show that the modern understanding of Cosmology was understood by those who knew the revelation in the Hebrew Bible much earlier. It firmly establishes a rational foundation for belief in a God of creation, the God of the Bible.

You'll be amazed at what the original Hebrew suggests about cosmology

Dr. Schroeders book explains that the Biblical story of creation and the scientific theory of the Big Bang are in agreement; the world was created in 6 days AND 15 billion years, simultaneously. Using relativity, experimental and theoretical science, physics and the Jewish sages, he shows how science and religion are compatible. It is easier to read if you have a basic background in physics and math, but I think he has done a wonderful job of simplifying the theories to a level that someone without this knowledge can still easily read and understand this book. Highly recommended!

As some one who has long struggled with the concepts of God and Genesis versus the modern teachings of science, this book honestly changed my life. It gave concrete facts to my arguements that the two are not polar.

It is a tough book to get through if you are not versed in physics. I was lucky enough to have my father work with me on a few of the concepts. I suggest everyone who reads this finds someone to help guide them through. The book offers as much in teaching about physics as anything else.

I lost my copy a few years back, and was lucky to find it here. Most book stores no longer carry it. I suggest that everyone gives this book a try.

I continually return to this book as I begin to understand bits and pieces of physics and cosmological theory more thoroughly. It is fascinating to ponder the source of medievil inspiration which led philosophers like Nahmanides to propose theories identical with those of modern cosmologists for the origin of our universe. Gerald Schroeder's explanation of difficult (for me) relativity and quantum mechanic theories were especially enlightening. Read together with other popular physics explanatory texts, such as Stephen Hawkings "A Brief History of Time" and Richard Feynman's "Six Easy Pieces", my understanding of our universe is starting to come together, and the whole process infuses my mundane reality with wonder and appreciation

Dr. Schroeder's book is an excellent, enlightening book that works wonders in the reconciliation of Judeo-Christian Creationist tradition with modern astronomy, comsmology, and biology. I recommend this book to all