OnlineBookClub.org
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
“Big Bang Theory” or “Creationism”?
The Biblical Clock, authored by Daniel Friedman with Dania Sheldon, is the culmination of many years of study and research into world history, religious warfare and the beginning of life, and our efforts to reconcile the theories regarding the different beliefs of how the world began.
To quote the author, “This book attempts to resolve the differences between scientific and spiritual beliefs with respect to the timing of the formation of the universe and the appearance of life on earth”. It explores the many different theories regarding when and how the world began and how it may come to an end.
For the theory of Creationism, it was determined by Isaac of Akko that the six days of creation were actually one thousand years; a thousand years for each biblical day. Other authorities disagreed with this explanation, stating that the universe was static, or never changing.
The idea that the universe was eternal and static has been around at least since Aristotle and was also believed by Einstein, until Edwin Hubble discovered that spiral nebulae were moving away from the earth, thus forming the conclusion that the universe was expanding outwardly and therefore was not static. Various religions continue to doubt the accuracy of Hubble’s findings and the debate goes on, with some scholars and sages continuing to believe that cosmology, or, “ The Big Bang” was indeed the answer to the beginning of the universe.
It is obvious that a great amount of research was put into this book, and it left me full of speculation and with a desire to discern which possibilities are the most feasible. What I appreciated the most is the factual information, particularly when it comes to religious history and that of religious warfare.
My favorite story in this book was the defeat of Gallus when the thermobaric bomb mysteriously went into the Mediterranean, and the earthquakes prevented the ground attacks from succeeding. Were these acts of God or of science?
Chapter ten was particularly interesting, as the author outlined what could happen if the world continues on its current path.
My least favorite stories were of the annihilation of the Jewish people and their land.
The book was very well edited and I noticed no errors. There was no profanity whatsoever.
The glossary was helpful and I had to refer to it many times. It may have been more helpful if it had been at the beginning of the book or if there were some pronunciation guidelines for a more flowing read and ease of understanding.
The reading required some knowledge of titles and geographic regions, which made the flow somewhat cumbersome while reading, but it was worth the effort. It is a very educational read. Overall I appreciate the knowledge I gained regarding world history and I rate this book a 3 out of 4
******
The Biblical Clock
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
