Were the heavens and the earth created 6,000 years ago, as the Bible suggests? Or did the universe expand into existence nearly 14 billion years ago from a spontaneous "Big Bang"? Both dates cannot be right - or can they?
Imagine that there were some medieval manuscripts, written eight hundred years ago, that could help us decipher Genesis to pinpoint exactly when the universe began, as identified by our most up-to-date cosmological theories. Further, suppose that these same manuscripts could help us extract from Genesis the timelines for the development of life on Earth, precisely as identified by the latest scientific evidence from the fossil record.
The Genesis One Code offers a careful examination of the relationship between scientific theory and biblical teaching. The book targets the origins debate from a fresh perspective informed by scientific and spiritual research.
This exploration demonstrates an alignment between the dates of key events described in Genesis 1 and 2 with those derived from scientific theory and observation. This alignment provides a compelling perspective deserving of thoughtful consideration.
Can faith and science ever be brought into alignment? More specifically, can the Biblical 6,000 year timeline of creation ever to brought into alignment with science’s 13.5 billion years? This is the question Daniel Friedmann poses in The Genesis One Code, a book that makes no attempt to discredit faith or science, but looks clearly and faithfully at both.
“Following scientific observation, the results can be organized, summarized, and applied to develop and test theories,” says the author, describing an objective approach to science. By contrast, while “not primarily intended as a science textbook, the Torah... is the blueprint of the universe and for humankind’s existence from a faith-based perspective...” Thus “key facts... must be equal.” So what about those different ages of the universe?
The author convincingly argues from relativity (a topic I've enjoyed) how different observers might measure time differently, so different measurements can still mean the same. But, he points out, the argument is not new. The first person to suggest the universe might be billions of year old lived in medieval times.
The book is well-ordered, with clear headings and a similarly clear direction, making it easy for readers familiar with part of the argument to skip ahead, while others can enjoy an eminently readable explanation of current and historic theory. Well-drawn tables and visual illustrations clarify history, science and faith. And the rich symbolism of the ancient Hebrew text is truly fascinating. Jewish sources are used to tell, for example, the exact time of Adam and Eve’s sin, thus helping establish the human-time of their existence. Complex commentaries are nicely explained, and an intriguing blend of mystical interpretation with scientific accuracy leads to some truly astounding conclusions.
“The Torah speaks in the language of men,” but it does not speak in analogies, and so each word matters more, not less, and a day of creation is not a word for something else, it’s a “creation day,” says the author. The numbers are fascinating, and their explanations truly intriguing. Extensive references, from science, history and faith, make the whole book enormously impressive.
Part of what I enjoyed most is the presence of historical mysticism in the mix, carefully explained and analyzed. It results in a description of Adam and Eve that’s not quite the same as I’ve imagined; and even a mystically scientific explanation of mass extinctions. By the end of this book I have much to think about, and I’m well reminded, my thoughts are quite small. I don’t usually enjoy “religious code” books, this one is truly fascinating and highly recommended!
Review for “The Genesis One Code” By Daniel Friedmann The main theme of “The Genesis One Code “is about the facts and analysis of the development of the universe and appearance of life on earth is author’s insightful written presentation. The key concepts of Genesis are Formation and creation. Scientifically the development of universe and laws, fossil records, Big Bang theory and development of life on earth helps us understand timeline for major events. Religious beliefs from Holy book Bible and Torah which contains written and oral law is considered word of God, presents a representation of key events for analysis of timeline. Discussing more in details like Creation view with God has created the universe with all species in past, Theistic evolution concept that earthly species evolved and God intervened at various points in creation process and evolution with scientific facts are interesting attributes of the book. Integration of timeline using Big Bang Theory and fossils record measuring time with use of abundance of related nuclides with radio-metric dating helps us to understand, to date the key events scientifically and chronologically is the main focus of authors perceptive. We gain knowledge of Genesis as part of Torah, which includes the conversion of Creation Time, used by God to communicate with us and Human Time is derived from science using Kabbalistic works. Further, learning that there is surprising amount of emerging agreements between science and Bible about the age of universe gives more interesting aspect to theme. Explanation of Creation Time from Beginning of Day 1 to Day 4 and end of Day 4 gives us idea of expanding Universe in Genesis. Scientifically Big Bang Theory describing similar process of hydrogen appears followed by Dark Age, later universe lit up and galaxies in sky with light and darkness, birth of stars, formation of Milky Way and completion of Sun and Moon are final stages narrated in an interesting manner. Author’s interpretation on Life’s appearance and corresponding details for understanding concept of complex life on earth having living creatures Kind: animals, creeping beings, beast and completion of all living creatures are profound life formation events. Finally, extinction concept elaborated scientifically and biblically by its occurrence involving demise of species seems inevitable due to ambitious human physical actions. The book gives us a great idea of scientific and spiritual facts to analyse our appearance of life in earth and origin of universe. Blending the scientific explanation and spiritual facts should help human kind to lead better life on this beautiful planet. Aishwariya Jayakumar
BOOKPLEASURES review by David W. Menefee, March17, 2013
Just exactly when did the universe begin?
When Daniel Friedmann, the CEO of a large aerospace corporation, MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., shows interest in solving this ancient question, your ears perk up. You become doubly excited over the fact that he has thirty years’ experience in the space industry, has published more than twenty peer-reviewed scientific papers on space industry topics and cosmology, authored Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why, and has also studied religion from every perspective throughout his entire life. By all probability, he seems just the man to reconcile the Bible and Torah account of creation with scientific observation—if the two can be equated—and if he has enough passion to unravel clues dotting manuscripts as old as 800 years, and if he can compute the algebraic formulas necessary to merge logical scientific data with those religious artifacts. Accomplishing this task without being branded a heretic or a lunatic would prove daunting for most researchers.
Daniel Friedmann’s The Geneis One Code may startle the most hardened skeptics.
Most people may be inclined to rest on either side of the debate. At one end, we have those who believe what the Bible and the Torah suggest, which is that the Earth and the universe were formed in six days, with a day to God being equal to 1,000 years in human terms. On the other hand, we have the scientific community, who profess to have calculated that the Earth and the universe are billions of years old.
They can’t both be right. Can they?
Readers must explore hundreds of books to pin down a research work as carefully annotated, illustrated, and documented as The Genesis One Code. The author divides the book into 11 chapters spread out over 205 pages, and each chapter is subdivided into highly detailed sections that clearly explain each step of the author’s monumental investigations. He expertly footnotes every source on each page and meticulously amplifies them further in several Annex sections in the back matter, along with a helpful Glossary and an Index. Have no fear that the author writes over the average person’s head. His writing style embraces excellent grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and spelling, yet explains the intricate details in layman’s terms. Accompanying a history detective on a profound investigation has never been so easy.
Were the heavens and the earth created 6,000 years ago, as the Bible and Torah suggest? Or did the universe expand into existence nearly 14 billion years ago from a spontaneous "Big Bang" event? Can anyone decipher the Book of Genesis to pinpoint exactly when the universe began, as well as match those beliefs with the most up-to-date cosmological theories? Can those same manuscripts outlay timelines for the development of life on Earth in a way that precisely coincides with the latest scientific evidence from the fossil records?
Amazingly, The Genesis One Code demonstrates an alignment between the dates of key events described in Genesis 1 and 2 with those derived from scientific theory and observation. This configuration provides a compelling perspective showcased in one of the most astoundingly sensible theories ever stated. Readers come away either convinced that the ancient riddle has been solved or enthralled by the author’s mesmerizing attempt to unravel one of life’s oldest mysteries. Either way, reading the can’t-put-it-down book provides an exciting experience.
Friedmann dares to draw some firm conclusions. By page 86, he summarizes a mathematical explanation that concludes the universe is 13,743,005,773 years old, based on information gleaned from the Book of Genesis. Then, on the following page, he summarizes how information harvested from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and the Hubble Space Telescope have produced countless images of our own solar system to the edge of the observable universe supporting a claim that the universe is 13,75+ billion years old. The facts the author details are plain and simple, and his revelation that the two sources are in agreement proves compelling.
Some naysayers may argue that the Bible and Torah are mere collections of ancient myths and legends, but the author proves their relevance by equating them with tangible and undeniable evidence that Humankind evolved from earlier species, with various Homo species coexisting for some time, but with only our species surviving today. He expresses certainty that Humankind descended from one small group spreading throughout the earth from Africa. He states with conviction that Humankind bearing an appearance consistent with ours today dates back to 195,000 years ago, but that humans exhibiting modern behavior appeared much more recently. He seems certain that our current Human species first settled into proto-states and undertook a more modern way of life by building cities, using agriculture, fashioning metal tools, and domesticating animals about 6,000 years ago. All these scientific theories he points out are mirrored quite equally and accurately in the Bible and the Torah, although he never digresses into any affirmation of his personal faith in God. You have to wonder.
The Genesis One Code should be read by everyone, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, or otherwise. Those curious about the past will find the book compelling. Those wishing that the long prophesied End Times were just over the horizon will find the book encouraging. Those searching for solidity in the security of scientific summaries will find the book persuasive. The Genesis One Code has something for everyone.
Friedman practices Kaballah, A Jewish sect. He has some interesting theories but they will sound curious to the ears an Evangelical. His arguments attempt to reconcile scientific theories with mystical teachings of Kaballist rabbis. A careful reading may yield some nuggets of wisdom, but Friedmann's ideas seemed contrary to the plain understanding of the scriptures in my opinion.
This book is an excellent explanation of the dichotomy between the Bible and science. It lines up perfectly with my own book, The Beginning of Days, which is available at Amazon.
How things started has been a hot topic since Darwin's theory of evolution and the subsequent discoveries of physicists and scientists throughout the subsequent centuries . Usually a book appears as a rant, descrying the 'other side' of the debate from the vantage of the writer's opinion: either the universe was created billions of years ago by a Big Bang OR it was created in a religious mystery of great beauty called Creation. The genuine pleasure of reading this book - THE GENESIS ONE CODE - is the gentle manner in which author Daniel Friedmann marries the two concepts, not debunking either, but demonstrating through his scholarship how he believes that scientific theory and spiritual theory enhance each other.
It is very helpful to understand the background of Daniel Friedmann and how he devised his concept, and from his biographical data we learn the following: `Daniel Friedmann is a student of the origin of the universe and life on earth both from the scientific and biblical perspectives. As author of The Genesis One Code, he demonstrates an alignment between the times of key events described in the creation narrative in the book of Genesis with those derived from scientific theory and observation. He is currently writing a second book entitled Adam and the Homo sapiens which will demonstrate an alignment between the key events and timeline recounting the appearance of humans in the book of Genesis with those derived from the fossil record and genetic studies. Born in Chile and raised in Canada, he is currently CEO of Canada's leading aerospace company that built the Canadarms, and is involved in space exploration and the Hubble telescope. He is a professional engineer and holds a master's degree in engineering physics. He has 30 years' experience in the space industry, having worked on projects in fifteen countries while throughout the decades conducting extensive scientific research. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific papers on space industry topics and cosmology. He is also a longtime student of religion and for the past 14 years has attended the Vancouver Kollel center for learning. His work on reconciling the biblical account with scientific observation utilizing his biblical clock formula has been reported in various newspapers, magazines and radio talk shows. He is passionate about helping young adults put science and the Bible in correct context.'
The Genesis One Code presents a careful examination of the relationship between scientific theory and biblical teaching, offering a fresh perspective informed by scientific and spiritual research. The book demonstrates an alignment between the dates of key events described in Genesis 1 and 2 with those derived from scientific theory and observation. This alignment provides a compelling perspective deserving of thoughtful consideration. What the book does not do is further separate the two visions of the beginning of the universe and the beginning of life: Friedman has taken the time to study the forms of the various names of the creator and the terms of the steps of development of the universe as we have grown to know it and to explore it, and in doing so he acts as the glue to bind both theories, putting to rest the hostilities of the arguments from both sides as being the only way conceivable!
Whether the reader enters this discussion from the purely religious side or from the purely scientific side, the one (of many) points that Friedman makes is that there is no reason for combative separatism. His honesty and humility are most welcome, no matter the preconceived notions of the reader.
Dan was my former CEO, as such I am fully acquainted with his relentlessly incisive intellect.
I stumbled on his book, quite by accident, during my pursuit of texts related to the Vedas and Kabbalah. Anyway, surprised as I was, I read his work and scribbled all over it during my Christmas vacation in Egypt wandering under the stars and architecture of ancient times.
I have no quibbles about the mapping from Biblical to Earth time. Those sufficiently concerned will fine tune the transposition algorithms over time. Thanks in advance!
However, I was left with a far greater fascination with the personages of seers like Moses.
What is the make of such men who are so attuned with the motions of the universe to capture such deep insights? Today, we tease out truths with the scientific method (is it random? can we reproduce it? can we manipulate it?). Moses' truths came from a different place ... from that GOD thing.
I look forward to reading about what Dan, or anyone else, has to say about Moses' access into such fundamental truths.
Overall: Worth reading and pondering over. Thanks.
Read the free kindle version of this in one evening (last night), and found his research to be well done and well documented. The footnotes alone are a huge source of information. A very interesting Jewish perspective and, while I do believe science and religion can co-exist painlessly, I am not sure I accept all of these ideas as fact. Thought provoking nonetheless.
A very interesting book. I'm not sure I buy all the arguments, but he does make a great case for synthesizing the Biblical record of creation with the evolutionary record. The only reason I hesitate to recommend this book, is that I believe that evolution has been totally discredited, and I don't want people to start buying into evolution.
Does a wonderful job of using Jewish wisdom literature to explain how God created the world and how the Genesis account can be reconciled to the scientific theory of how the world was formed as well as how old the universe is.