by Tucker Lieberman

Created on: July 27, 2006   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

Scientific literature documents the scientific process of answering questions through observation, experimentation, and logic.

The Bible does not even attempt to do this. It is a collection of stories focusing on human relationships and philosophies, and it makes relatively few references to the natural world. Natural phenomena in the Bible are invariably assigned metaphoric meanings. For example, lightning, earthquakes, floods, and plagues are perceived as punishments from God; the sun represents God's radiance; plant and animal agriculture implies health, happiness, and prosperity; and the recurring number 40 appears to simply mean "a lot."

These references were meant to be understood as powerful metaphors. Natural objects and events were considered important, not for their quantity, weight, dimensions, temperature, or other scientifically measurable properties, but for their meaning in human life. The people who composed and passed down these stories during the first millennium B.C.E. would likely be bewildered or offended at the modern-day assumption that their artistic, spiritual storytelling was a mere literal recording of their observations about the desert.

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