Scripture and Cosmology: Reading the Bible Between the Ancient World and Modern Science

by Kyle Greenwood

Christians often claim to hold a biblical worldview. But what about a biblical cosmos view? From the beginning of Genesis we encounter a vaulted dome above the earth, a "firmament," like the ceiling of a planetarium. Elsewhere we read of the earth sitting on pillars. What does the dome of heaven have to do with deep space? Even when the biblical language is clearly poetic, it seems to be funded by a very different understanding of how the cosmos is put together. As Kyle Greenwood shows, the language of the Bible is also that of the ancient Near Eastern palace, temple and hearth. There was no other way of thinking or speaking of earth and sky or the sun, moon and stars. But when the psalmist looked at the heavens, the delicate fingerwork of God, it evoked wonder. Even today it is astronomy and cosmology that invoke our awe and point toward the depths of divine mystery. Greenwood helps us see how the best Christian thinkers have viewed the cosmos in light of Scripture―and grappled with new understandings as science has advanced from Aristotle to Copernicus to Galileo and the galaxies of deep space. It's a compelling story that both illuminates the text of Scripture and helps us find our own place in the tradition of faithful Christian thinking and interpretation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Old Testament, Biblical Studies

251 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2015

Reviews

[Nicki Chapelway · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be retitled;

My [Kyle Greenwood] Interpretation of Scripture and Cosmology: Choosing What to Read in the Bible (and ignoring the rest) In Light of the Primordial and Evidently Flawed Ancient World and Modern Science Which is Without a Doubt Never Flawed

[Kristine Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes a look at what the Bible says about cosmology (the structure of the universe) and what various biblical scholars, writers, theologians, and church fathers have written in their wrestling with how to reconcile the biblical text with their current “science”. The book is not too long (221 pages plus indices and such) and suitable for a general audience. According to the back cover, the author has a PhD in Hebrew and “is an associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew language at Colorado Christian University. He is the author of several studies of the Old Testament in its ancient Near Eastern environment.” The book is structured with a preface, acknowledgments, abbreviations, 3 parts with 8 chapters, an extensive bibliography, image credits, author and work index, subject index, and scripture index. By the middle of chapter 1, I was hooked and, as I was recovering from a cold, spent a good part of the past several days with a cup of hot tea, a box of tissues, a blanket, and this book.

The preface sets the stage for this book. Through it we see the heart of the author, that his goal is to honor scripture and be faithful in understanding it while at the same time being cognizant of the millennia of wrestling through interpretive challenges of some of the texts. I like that the abbreviations are listed right up front for a handy reference when reading the book.

Chapter 1: Scripture in Context
The author’s intent in this book is to demonstrate that “the biblical texts reflect [the three-tiered cosmology] worldview in their written communications. … First, I will establish the diverse ways in which the ancient Near Eastern concept of the three-tiered cosmos projects itself onto the biblical texts. Second, I will show that as astronomical advances were made concerning the structure of the universe, interpreters had to accommodate their views of Scripture in light of that new information. Finally, I will draw conclusions regarding an appropriate posture toward biblical interpretation in light of other points of contact between science and Scripture.” p29. We learn that “among scholars of the world of ancient Israel today, there is no significant disagreement over how the ancients viewed the structure of the cosmos.” p28.

Part One: Scripture and Cosmos in Cultural Context
Chapter 2: Ancient Near Eastern Cosmologies
This chapter looks at the cosmologies of various peoples in the Ancient Near East and shows, that while they are not homogeneous, they all hold to a three-tiered view of the cosmos. The three-tiered cosmos is similar to a snow globe with a flat disk for the land, a hard dome above that includes the sky, sun, moon, stars, and planets, and a sea below/around the land. It was thought that the land was held up on pillars and that God (or gods) sat on a throne above the dome. Nowhere is there any indication that they thought of these ideas as metaphors or merely phenomenological descriptions of a more sophisticated understanding. “Finally, we know that ancients thought of the cosmos in terms of the heavens, earth and seas because eventually these ideas were challenged by Aristotle and Ptolemy, whose ideas were later challenged by Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler.” p69.

Chapter 3: Cosmology and Cosmogony in Scripture
Regarding 13 creation texts in the Bible, the “objectives for this chapter are (1) to provide a basic understanding of the consensus of scholarship, and (2) to help readers of the Bible become more aware of the cosmological worldview assumed by the biblical authors and their original audiences.” p105. “There is not a single instance in which God revealed to Israel a science beyond their own culture.” p106. One thing I found interesting is the way Greenwood called Genesis 1 “antimyth” on p109 as commonly the genre of creation stories in various cultures is referred to as “myth” implying that Genesis 1 is a polemic against other ancient near eastern creation stories. After analyzing the biblical text describing God’s creative acts, the author summarizes 6 conclusions. “Finally, the general guiding principle for the authors of these creation accounts is the three-tiered cosmological structure. God is the maker of the heavens, the earth and the seas.” p119.

Part Two: Cosmology and Scripture in Historical Context
Chapter 5: Scripture and Aristotelian Cosmology
In this fascinating chapter, Greenwood looks at how post-Aristotelian theologians wrestled with reconciling geocentrism with the three-tiered cosmology in the Bible. Many attempted to impose a type of scientific concordism that tried to fit biblical descriptions of the heavens, firmament, and waters above into their understanding of the Earth as a globe with the sun, moon, planets, and stars in circular orbits around Earth.

Chapter 6: Scripture and Copernican Cosmology
During the Renaissance, developments in science led Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler to advance heliocentrism. “The challenge of the new science … was not that it lacked observational data to support its claims. The problem was that it was directly opposed to deeply seated “philosophical and theological assumptions” rooted in Aristotelianism.” p169. “Both Catholics and Protestants found reasons to dismiss Copernicanism on theological grounds.” p170. “As Christians of great intellect and curiosity continued their investigation into the world God created, the new science not only became more and more acceptable but also came to be understood as a fuller revelation of God’s magnificent creation.” p183.

Part Three: Scripture and Science
Chapter 7: Cosmology and the Authority of Scripture
“Some Christians like to think that all they need is the Bible and the Holy Spirit to hear God speak directly to them. Two passages in the Bible, however, remind us that sometimes it requires additional explanations.” p171. Examples given include Nehemiah 8:2-8 where Nehemiah had multiple experts teaching the people how to understand the scrolls after the return from exile and Acts 8 where Philip explained Isaiah and Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch. I think a third example is when Jesus explains the Old Testament to his disciples on the Road to Emmaus after his resurrection (Luke 24:27). “God condescends his language to the language of humanity. This is not to say that God is condescending but that he speaks down to the cognitive ability of his human audience.” p194. “In the incarnation God himself condescended to us in the most fundamental capacity. He made his incomprehensible, inconceivable, invisible self clearly comprehensible, conceivable, and visible.” p197.

Chapter 8: The Authority of Scripture and the Issue of Science
“If we have learned anything from the history of the church, though, we will take care not to ignore biologists, geologists, and chemists simply for the sake of standing on the inspiration of Scripture.” p219. “We must be attentive to all the ways God reveals himself to us, and to all the ways that Scripture and science inform each other.” p219. After a timeless quote from Augustine, Greenwood eloquently says, “These sage words from Augustine remind us that when we pit Scripture against science, or written revelation against natural revelation, we are defending the faith not from secularism but from sincerity. Sincere Christians with sincere questions are not helped by artful interpretations of Scripture that ignore the world God created.” p220-221. “The God who created the cosmos and spoke through Scripture is not threatened by their coexistence but revels in revealing himself through both.” p221.

I think this is a very important, well-researched, and convincing book and I really wish that more people could understand the concepts discussed. I will definitely recommend this book for people today who are wrestling with how to read and understand scripture well, especially in light of what we now know about the universe in which we live. Examples of how faithful Christians in the past worked through similar issues should be a guide for us as well. When surveys consistently show that many people are leaving the church because they perceive a conflict between science and faith, we need more than ever to make the message in this book widely understood.

[Lucas G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins with a simple premise: in order to understand the meaning of scripture we need to understand the historical and cultural context. After establishing that point, Greenwood quickly moves into an analysis of Ancient Near Eastern cosmology and its relationship to scripture. He largely spends the first half of the book outlining how the Biblical authors assumed an Ancient Near Eastern cosmology (such a cosmology involved a flat disk-shaped earth with a dome structure overhead which was supported by pillars). According to Greenwood, however, this does not make scripture fallible, since the intent of the creation passages was theological rather than scientific.

Throughout the second half of the book Greenwood explores how the Church has responded to major shifts in scientific thinking during the middle ages and the scientific revolution. The church seems to have largely baptized Aristotelian cosmology, the predominant philosophical worldview when Christianity came into being. This included adopting a geocentric cosmological model where the spherical earth sits at the center of the universe.

When discussing the impact of Copernican cosmology on Christian doctrines Greenwood unfortunately makes an embarrassing mistake. He blatantly conflates geocentrism with anthropocentrism. In fact, he openly equates the two with one another by stating that the Church found geocentrism theologically appealing because it made humans the center of creation. This is an especially embarrassing argument for Greenwood to make because the references in his footnotes reveal that he is familiar with the scholarship of historians like Ronald Numbers which clearly outlines how Aristotelian geocentrism viewed the center of the universe as the lowest point of the universe - the place where the most corrupt and filthy material rested. This obvious error calls into question much of Greenwood's analysis of the Church's response to Copernican cosmology.

Greenwood ends his discussion by outlining how science ought to inform our understanding of scripture. Since the same God who gave us the scriptures also created the universe, Christians have nothing to fear about engaging with the leading scientific theories and allowing them to inform our understanding of scripture. This, he argues, was the model assumed by the early church fathers and ultimately he believes this approach will be the best one for the Church to adopt today.

All in all, this is a decent book that provides some valuable insights into the thinking of the Ancient Near East and how that thinking is reflected in scripture. For this reason it is a worthwhile read. However, in light of the mistakes in the discussion on Copernicus, the book falls short of meeting expectations.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are several things that I liked about this book by Kyle Greenwood.

1. When writing about a topic (cosmology) that can be extremely academic and feel very complicated, Greenwood does a good job of making his explanations accessible and relatively simple. This is NOT a lengthy tome going into extreme detail. Rather, I would say this is an introductory work to the topic of how views of cosmology and Scripture interact through history. This is exactly what I was hoping this book would be in terms of accessibility and length.

2. This book gave a basic approach to how science and Scripture can be interpreted, as well as giving a historical view of the interplay between changing views of cosmology and Scripture over time.

3. Regardless of whether you agree with Greenwood's general approach to understanding science's interaction with Scripture, his explanation about Ancient Near Eastern cosmology (the cultures surrounding and including the ancient Israelites) was very helpful for understanding some of the language used in the OT to describe the structure of the universe.

Overall, I felt this book was really helpful, however I did feel like the last chapter talking about the interaction of science and Scripture was really just scratching the surface of the topic. While I wouldn't disagree with the overarching principle of what Greenwood was suggesting, I really wanted to see more examples of how that has and is playing out regarding specific Scriptures and scientific issues. Greenwood moved from the more specific topic of cosmology to a more general approach to the interaction of science and scripture in the last chapter, and because of how broadly he was speaking, it felt pretty general. But again, part of the reason I liked this work is that it was an introduction to the subject. I think he did a great job of explaining views of cosmology and how people responded to these changing views in the church. I think to look at the current issues of science and Biblical interpretation and how they are playing out in detailed form is beyond the scope of this book, and no doubt there are numerous other books addressing the issue.

[George P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle Greenwood, Scripture and Cosmology: Reading the Bible Between the Ancient World and Modern Science (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015). Paperback

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth,

by understanding he established the heavens;

by his knowledge the deeps broke open,

and the clouds drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:19–20 express the who, what, and how of creation. Who? The Creator is “The Lord,” that is, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What? He created “the earth,” “the heavens,” “the deeps,” and the “clouds.” And he did so expertly, with “wisdom,” “understanding,” and “knowledge.”

These verses also express an ancient Near Eastern cosmology. Israel shared with its Egyptian, Syrian, and Mesopotamian neighbors a three-storied universe consisting of heaven, earth, and seas. Though there were variations in the details of these culture’s cosmologies, the basic three-tiered structure was the same.

Modern people hold a very different cosmology than the ancients. We know, for example, that the earth revolves around the sun, not vice versa as the ancients believed. We know that the sun and the moon are not planets, as the ancients believed, and that there are more planets and planetary moons than the ancients could observe with the naked eye. Moreover, we know that our solar system is one among many in the Milky Way galaxy, which itself is one among many galaxies in an expanding universe.

The differences between ancient Near Eastern and modern cosmologies raise questions in the minds of Christians about “reading the Bible faithfully.” Kyle Greenwood outlines both questions and answers in Scripture and Cosmology: Reading the Bible Between the Ancient World and Modern Science. Greenwood is associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew language at Colorado Christian University, whose Statement of Faith makes this declaration regarding the Bible: “We Believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.” Though readers of all perspectives will find Greenwood’s presentation informative, Christian readers with a high view of Scripture will find it most helpful.

Scripture and Cosmology opens with a chapter about the importance of reading Scripture in context. In it, he states his book’s thesis: “a high view of Scripture employs a hermeneutic that accommodates the biblical writers’ immersion in their ancient, pre-Enlightenment cultural context. Therefore, as with other cultural matters, such as social customs and language, the biblical texts reflect that worldview in their written communications.”

Part One consists of three chapters that outline the similarities (and differences) between the cosmologies of the ancient Near East (specifically Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia) and of Israel. Greenwood argues that both ANE and biblical texts assume a three-tiered universe consisting of the earth, the heavens, and the sea. He also contends that this three-tiered understanding of the cosmos serves as a better “guiding principle” for the Old Testament various creation accounts than does Genesis 1’s seven-day formula.

Part Two consists of two chapters that describe how the Christian church dealt with the challenges to this three-tiered biblical cosmology posed by first Aristotelian cosmology and then Copernican cosmology. Whereas ancient Near East cosmology depicted the earth as “small, flat and round”—a disk, in other words, Aristotelian cosmology pictured it as a sphere. And whereas Ptolemaic cosmology put Earth at the center of the universe, with the sun, moon, and heavenly bodies revolving around it; Copernican cosmology put the sun at the center, with the heavenly bodies, including Earth, revolving around it. (Contemporary cosmologies understand that the cosmos is acentric; neither the sun nor the earth is the center.) What Greenwood writes about the Aristotelian challenge might be equally applied to Copernican challenge: “The most notable trait we see among the Aristotelian-era interpreters is the willingness to adapt their interpretation of Scripture in light of new understandings of the physical universe.”

Part Three offers a theological rationale for this adaptation. Terming it “the doctrine of divine accommodation,” Greenwood explains the rationale this way: “God condescends his language to the language of humanity. This is not to say that God is condescending but that he speaks down to the cognitive ability of his human audience.” He offers this example: “Just as a father uses simple vocabulary and analogical language to communicate complex ideas to his children, so the heavenly Father accommodates his language to his children by speaking to his audience’s mother tongue and also employing analogical language.” Applied to biblical cosmology, accommodation entails that God speaks to Israel and its surrounding culture in terms of a three-tiered universe because that is what it believed. Were God revealing himself to our culture, he would accommodate himself to our cosmological speculations.

Over the centuries, accommodation has proved to be a fruitful line of thinking for Christians wrestling with the issues raised by a better scientific understanding of the physical universe. That doesn’t mean it is problem free. One wag has defined accommodation as “the theory which states that God goes along with the commonly accepted story even though he really doesn’t believe it.” Accommodation assumes that we can neatly distinguish between what culture assumes about a given topic and what Scripture teaches about it. Christians largely agree that accommodation is a good strategy when the Copernican Revolution is on the table, but Christians vehemently disagree when evolution is. Perhaps this indicates that while accommodation is a good interpretive strategy, it doesn’t necessarily decide all scientific cases.

Regardless, I commend Scripture and Cosmology for its in-depth look at the specific issue of biblical cosmology. It is well versed in the Bible and the texts of the ancient Near East, as well as cognizant of Scripture-science discussions throughout church history. And it is a thoughtful, irenic presentation of how to navigate the tensions between ancient cosmology and modern science.

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P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.

[John Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle Greenwood is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew Language at Colorado Christian University. He earned his M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies from Hebrew Union College. Greenwood is author of several peer-reviewed articles related to ancient Near Eastern studies, contributor to Ancient Israel’s History: An Introduction to Issues and Sources edited by Bill T. Arnold and Richard S. Hess, and the author of Scripture and Cosmology: Reading the Bible between the Ancient World and Modern Science (IVP Academic, 2015).

Scripture and Cosmology is separated into three major sections: (1) Scripture and Cosmos in Cultural Context, (2) Cosmology and Scripture in Historical Context, and (3) Scripture and Science. Greenwood’s top-down approach is both logical and necessary to build the proper framework for the conversation at hand. For Greenwood, context is everything. The entire first section of the book, nearly a third of the total page count, is dedicated to developing an ANE context for understanding the cosmology of the surrounding world, including Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Israel. The second section details the historical challenges of ANE cosmology and how the Church dealt with the three-tiered (i.e. earth, heavens, and sea) cosmology of the biblical world. The two major worldviews Greenwood discusses are Aristotelian Cosmology (the earth at the center of the universe, with the sun and moon revolving around it) and Copernican Cosmology (the sun at the center, with the earth and everything else revolving around it). The third section is an attempt to offer theological justification for the difference between ANE and the modern scientific cosmologies. Greenwood does an exceptional job connecting the dots for the reader and provides (at least in part) rationale in God meeting the original audience’s cognitive abilities (i.e. “divine accommodation”; 194).

There is much to be praised about Greenwood’s effort in Scripture and Cosmology. This is a wellspring of interaction with ANE sources and a fair and balanced treatment of a controversial subject to evangelical circles. Both Greenwood’s approach and organization are suitable for the outcome of this book, and the emphasis that he placed on the ANE context is to be applauded. The subject matter of Scripture and Cosmology is generally challenging to digest for the average reader, but Greenwood is both engaging and accessible throughout. Moreover, while readers will inevitably find some disagreement with Greenwood’s conclusions at points due to the nature of the topic, his eagerness to engage the issue and continue to uphold a high view of Scripture is both admirable and praiseworthy. Scripture and Cosmology is a thorough survey that will inform and equip readers concerning ANE cosmology. In short, Greenwood is not only qualified for the task established in Scripture and Cosmology, but after reading this book, I am confident that he will be preferred.

[Trevor Rolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all this is a pretty good read. It covers some tough topics such as what the original authors of ancient works would have thought about the world, and how that coincides with what we should expect out of the Bible concerning how it interacts with modern science. As a note, this is a fairly academic book while remaining as untechnical as possible to communicate the main ideas. I gave it a 3 star rating simply because I wasn't enthralled by Greenwood's conclusions and presentations. However, some others might love it. My rating is based on what I prefer, not what the contents are. The book is solid, and it does a good job clarifying how Christians might think about engaging with science. A good tool to attach Christian ignorance.

[Bruce Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I found some interesting observations in this work, overall I was disappointed. I was hoping for a solid examination of cosmology based on Scripture. Instead, the author presented a variety of opinions and argued that Christians not dismiss science in their study of Scripture. I concur with the latter assessment, however, I thought the work suffered because it did not emphasize the fact that the Bible IS REVELATION FROM GOD. Science, not revelation/inspiration, were the focus of Scriptural interpretation.

To those considering this work, I recommend you look elsewhere.

[Jace · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay read, depending on your interest in the subject. Greenwood shows how much of the cosmology of scripture is rooted in ancient Near Eastern understanding. He also traced the development of cosmological thought through the ages - both secular and Christian. Greenwood helpfully explains divine accommodation in an accessible manner. I am grateful for his commitment to the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. That's said, it is an academic work and I found Greenwood's writing a little dry. Also, I was disappointed that he didn't engage with the rise of modern beliefs in a flat earth.

[J. Tayler Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for any wanting to further explore the idea of Christian Creationism. This book in particular does a good job at explaining the progressive view of this topic in light of the study of stars and the origin of the universe.

[Danny Barulli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit frustrating. Greenwood presumed theistic evolution without any consideration for old earth creationism.

[Juan Laureano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thought provoking and insightful. An amazing book into how literal the scripture can be based on the authors' view of the world.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone wanting to understand how the biblical authors viewed the structure and nature of the world and cosmos; and how that view is reflected in Scripture. There was an ancient cosmology that informed how the original Hebrew audience understood the Genesis creation account. From "Scripture and Cosmology":

Given that the ancient Israelites breathed the same cultural air as their geographic neighbors, it is no wonder that the biblical view of the cosmos has much in common with the broader ancient Near Eastern worldview. In the Bible and in ancient Near Eastern literature and iconography, the earth was considered a flat disk, not a sphere, supported by foundational pillars. It was a relatively small plot of land, whose four compass points indicate the ends of the earth. Sheol, or the abode of the dead, lay beneath the earth. This “land of no return” was situated at the opposite end of the cosmos as the heavens. The heavens were divided into the lower and upper heavens by a dome or tent-like structure known as the firmament. In the lower heavens were the birds, planets and stars. The upper heavens were reserved for deities and angels. Surrounding the entire cosmos were the cosmic seas. The seas above were suspended by the firmament, which had windows through which precipitation fell. The seas below, also known as the deep, were the source of springs, wells, rivers, and lakes. The seas were also the source of chaos, whose powers needed to be constrained. Although some of the specifics vary between Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Israel, this general cosmological viewpoint was held throughout the ancient Near East. (pp. 101-102)

Cosmology is simply another aspect of the foreignness of the ancient biblical world. Just as the ancient Hebrews spoke in a forgotten language, so they thought according to a forgotten worldview. They rarely traveled far from were they were born. Their lives consisted of basic subsistence—finding green pastures for their flocks or fertile land for their fields. Even if they were aware of plate tectonics, celestial orbits or hydraulic cycles, those matters were of little consequence for their survival. But they were concerned that the sun would shine, that rain would fall, that their ancestors were buried and that God (or the gods) were in control of it all. (pp. 192-193)

Greenwood also interacts with the cosmologies of Aristotle and Copernicus and their influence on Scripture and its interpreters. He discusses and quotes commentators of Scripture from the time of Augustine through the Reformation, especially Luther and Calvin. He also touches on the impact of Darwin and how evangelicals of 100 years ago, such as James Orr and B. B. Warfield, responded to Darwin.

[Anthony Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent work dealing with the Hebrew Bible's view of cosmology in its cultural and historical context. Greenwood is writing from the perspective of an evangelical Christian and evangelicals appear to be his primary audience, although those of other perspectives can definitely benefit from reading the book.

The work is divided into 3 parts and 8 chapters and includes a nice bibliography.

Part 1 works out the view of the ancient Near East as a 3-tiered cosmology and shows how this perspective is reflected in the biblical texts.

In part 2 the author then outlines the views of various writers through the centuries with one chapter devoted to the Bible and Aristotelian cosmology and another on Copernican cosmology.

The author then wraps things up with part 3 on the issues of science and cosmology and its relationship with the authority of the Bible. This section is especially geared towards evangelicals in an attempt to get them to be able to accept both the Bible and modern science.

This work shows the complex relationship between the biblical narratives on cosmology and how those views impacted people throughout the centuries.

I highly recommend this book to all readers, whether Christian or not.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greenwood has provided the church with a wonderful, accessible introduction to the way ancient people understood the earth. The first two-thirds of this book are spectacular: easy to digest, well-researched, and (dare I say) fun to read! Many phrases in the Bible suddenly make sense in the light of Greenwood's arguments here (ends of the earth, the firmament, the waters, Sheol, etc.); additionally, the summary provided of the church's history regarding engagement with scientific ideas is remarkably helpful. Those chapters will help any lay-reader gain an appreciation for the complexities of such debates, even today.

In my opinion, the book falters slightly in the final section (hence the 4-star rating) regarding the practicalities of how to move forward today. However, the majority of this book is a 'home run' and I highly recommend it!

[Nate Claiborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle Greenwood’s Scripture and Cosmology focuses on one main aspect of understanding the ancient Near East. Thanks to IVP Academic, I was able to give it a read a while back. On the whole, I think it’s a helpful primer on the intersection of ancient Near Eastern literature and Scripture. While there are different aspects of this intersection, cosmology is perhaps the most relevant to making sense of Genesis in light of modern science. This book will introduce that touchy subject well without being the definitive last word (which it doesn’t aim to be).

Read more on my personal blog: http://nathanielclaiborne.com/scriptu...

[James Criswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting discussion of Biblical Cosmology in light of other Near East Ancient Cosmologies, and also a look of how the church has historically viewed Biblical cosmology in light of that, Aristotle, and Copernicus.

[Радостин Марчев · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не лошо въведение, което обаче не казва нищо ново. Написано е ясно и с определена позиция, о без всякаква предизвикателност и полемичност.