Imagining the Creator God

by Georges S. J. De Schrijver

Overview

Ever since it was demonstrated in the 1920s that the universe, with its trillions of galaxies, is caught up in a process of steady expansion, it became evident that it must have originated from an ""initial singularity,"" a ""Big Bang,"" which gave rise to the formation of subatomic parts, atoms, molecules, clouds of gas, and finally, stars and galaxies. Running this expansion back in time, scientists began to reckon with the miracle of an evolving universe of which we are the outcome: the iron in our blood has been formed in the stars. This book gives an overview of the cosmologies that were in vogue in antiquity­--the Jewish and Christian concepts of Creation, and the classical thinkers in Greek cosmology: Plato, Aristotle, and Ptolemy--and in modern times, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton. The book brings us right down to the present day with a careful and readable treatment of the scientific innovations inaugurated by Einstein and the specialists in quantum physics, and to recent developments in astrophysics. This path of exploration opens the avenue for imagining a Creator God who is so generous that he invites creation to share in his own creativity. For the back Cover: ""Written with the clear prose and deft illuminating touch of a master teacher, this book fills a real gap for theologians, other scholars, and lay readers alike. Its engaging trek through the history of thought about the cosmos delivers not only scientific information but also theological insight as to how each cosmology shapes our understanding of the God who creates. A valuable resource for grappling with how today's move from a static to an evolving picture of the world shapes our understanding of the divine."" --Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Fordham University (New York); Past President, Catholic Theological Society of America How we imagine and think about the universe has an enormous influence on the way we see its Creator. This book traces the cosmologies that have shaped our thought, and provided the context for our theologies of God, from Genesis and Plato to Stephen Hawking and beyond. A book of enormous learning, it is, nevertheless, wonderfully clear and accessible, honed by years of teaching. It will be of great help to teachers and students of theology, as well as general readers seeking to understand the universe and its relationship to God. -- Denis Edwards, Australian Catholic University Front page of book: ""Fr. Georges DeSchrijver is one of only a handful of contemporary writers on religion and science who exhibits equal competence in the history of Western philosophy and theology and in natural science from ancient times to contemporary quantum theory. Most writers are experts in one area or the other but not both. Hence, Fr. DeSchrijver's defense of a Trinitarian process-oriented understanding of the relation between religion and science deserves careful reading. Moreover, he explains subtle arguments from both philosophy/theology and natural science in relatively straightforward terms suitable for the educated lay reader. The book is thus suitable for use in undergraduate classrooms."" -- Joseph Bracken, SJ, is professor emeritus of Theology of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio ""Written with the clear prose and deft illuminating touch of a master teacher, this book fills a real gap for theologians, other scholars, and lay readers alike. Its engaging trek through the history of thought about the cosmos delivers not only scientific information but also theological insight as to how each cosmology shapes our understanding of the God who creates. A valuable resource for grappling with how today's move from a static to an evolving picture of the world shapes our understanding of the divine."" --Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Fordham University (New York), Past President, Catholic Theological Society of America How we imagine and think about the univ

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781532610158
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	11/02/2016
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

It was Father Georges LeMaitre, the Belgian priest, astronomer, and professor of Physics at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Catholic University of Louvain) who first proposed the theory of the expansion of the universe, the hypothesis of the "primeval atom" or the "cosmic egg," which later came to be known as the "Big Bang Theory." Father Georges De Schrijver, SJ, professor emeritus of Fundamental Theology at the same university, has carried on a commitment to the study of the important relationship between science and faith and developed this commitment through a fascinating course, Creation Stories Ancient and New, which has benefited generations of students around the world from its inception in 1992 until the present day. This book is the fruit of that research, writing, and teaching. Beloved by generations of students who affectionately referred to him simply as "Father George," he continued his research and writing after his retirement and in recent years has lectured in Nigeria, India, China, and the Philippines, as well as the United States. Father George was teaching in the Philippines and was surrounded by his beloved Filipino colleagues, friends, and students when he died on Friday, October 7, 2016, as this book was being prepared to go to press.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Chapter 1 The Creation Narrative in Genesis

The Creating God Brings About Order 1

Genesis and Exodus 3

God's Transcendence vis-à-vis the World 5

The Question of Secondary Causes 7

Chapter 2 Plato's Creation Narrative in the Dialogue Timaeus

Cosmology and Theology 9

The Good Creator and the Beauty of the World 10

The World as a Living Organism: The Role of the World Soul 12

The Musical Construction of the World Soul 17

Intermezzo. The World Soul and the Self-activation of the Universe: Whitehead's Appreciation of Plato 22

Cosmic Ballet and the Music of the Spheres 25

The Creation of Animals and Humans 29

Chapter 3 Aristotle

Physics instead of Mathematics 31

Nature in Motion 33

Cosmic Movers "Up There" and the Quest for a Prime Mover 36

Cosmic Orchestration: Growing Complexity 39

The Concept of God in Metaphysics. The Highest God and His Auxiliary Movers: The 55 Cosmic Intelligences 44

Chapter 4 Christianity's Assimilation of Greek Cosmology

Patristic Period 49

The Nicene Creed 54

New Testament Sources 58

Chapter 5 Medieval Times

Saint Bonaventure 61

Thomas Aquinas 69

Chapter 6 The Copernican Turn and its Confirmation Kepler Galileo

End of the Religiosity of the Cosmic Spheres? 77

Copernicus 79

Tycho Brahe and Kepler 86

Galileo's Condemnation 93

Chapter 7 Newton

The Laws of Motion 103

The Universal Law of Gravitation 110

Newton's Doctrine of God 117

Chapter 8 Einstein

Special Theory of Relativity 129

General Theory of Relativity 138

Chapter 9 Quantum Physics

Exploration of the Atom 151

The Copenhagen Interpretation 155

Probability Calculus: The Schrödinger Equation 158

The £PR Paradox 161

Pauli Exclusion Principle 163

The Discovery of Antiparticles 166

Quantum Field Theories 168

Further Prospects: Grand Unified Theories 178

Chapter 10 The Origin of the Universe

The Expanding Universe 185

The Emergence of the Universe 193

The Formation of Galaxies and Stars 203

Chapter 11 The Place of Humans in the Universe

Anthropic Principle 211

Intelligent Design Revisited 217

Evolution of the Cosmos 219

Lessons from the Past 223

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Written with the clear prose and deft illuminating touch of a master teacher, this book fills a real gap for theologians, other scholars, and lay readers alike. Its engaging trek through the history of thought about the cosmos delivers not only scientific information but also theological insight as to how each cosmology shapes our understanding of the God who creates. A valuable resource for grappling with how today's move from a static to an evolving picture of the world shapes our understanding of the divine."
—Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Fordham University (New York); Past President, Catholic Theological Society of America

How we imagine and think about the universe has an enormous influence on the way we see its Creator. This book traces the cosmologies that have shaped our thought, and provided the context for our theologies of God, from Genesis and Plato to Stephen Hawking and beyond. A book of enormous learning, it is, nevertheless, wonderfully clear and accessible, honed by years of teaching. It will be of great help to teachers and students of theology, as well as general readers seeking to understand the universe and its relationship to God.
— Denis Edwards, Australian Catholic University

Front page of book:

"Fr. Georges DeSchrijver is one of only a handful of contemporary writers on religion and science who exhibits equal competence in the history of Western philosophy and theology and in natural science from ancient times to contemporary quantum theory. Most writers are experts in one area or the other but not both. Hence, Fr. DeSchrijver's defense of a Trinitarian process-oriented understanding of the relation between religion and science deserves careful reading. Moreover, he explains subtle arguments from both philosophy/theology and natural science in relatively straightforward terms suitable for the educated lay reader. The book is thus suitable for use in undergraduate classrooms."
— Joseph Bracken, SJ, is professor emeritus of Theology of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio

"Written with the clear prose and deft illuminating touch of a master teacher, this book fills a real gap for theologians, other scholars, and lay readers alike. Its engaging trek through the history of thought about the cosmos delivers not only scientific information but also theological insight as to how each cosmology shapes our understanding of the God who creates. A valuable resource for grappling with how today's move from a static to an evolving picture of the world shapes our understanding of the divine."
—Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Fordham University (New York), Past President, Catholic Theological Society of America

How we imagine and think about the universe has an enormous influence on the way we see its Creator. This book traces the cosmologies that have shaped our thought, and provided the context for our theologies of God, from Genesis and Plato to Stephen Hawking and beyond. A book of enormous learning, it is, nevertheless, wonderfully clear and accessible, honed by years of teaching. It will be of great help to teachers and students of theology, as well as general readers seeking to understand the universe and it relationship to God.
— Denis Edwards, Australian Catholic University

"With expert attention to the tangled histories of scientific and theological accounts of the nature of the universe, De Schrijver prepares here fertile ground for an image of the Creator God as One who endows the world with its own 'intrinsic creativity.' Imagining the Creator provides a rich vision of contemporary Christian cosmology in which creation is always new."
— Julia Feder, Creighton University

In his book Theology for a Scientific Age, the late scientist theologian Arthur Peacocke stated that theology is "most creative and long-lasting when it has responded most positively to the challenges of its times." Imagining the Creator God: From Antiquity to Astrophysics by Georges De Schrijver, SJ, is exemplary in this regard, a tour de force of research and intellect that persuasively demonstrates how theology has responded to the emerging insights of both philosophy and science throughout the ages to articulate its understanding of the Creator God. With skill and creativity, Fr. Georges orchestrates the voices of an amazing choir of scholars, ancient and contemporary; demonstrates the resonance between their worldviews and prevailing images of God; and challenges both readers and theologians alike to move beyond static conceptions of God and creation ensconced in outdated cosmologies and modes of thought. The lenses of contemporary science enable us to see that God is revealing something new and Fr. Georges exhorts us to perceive it.
—Gloria L. Schaab, SSJ, PhD, Professor of Theology, Director of Graduate Programs in Theology and Ministry, Associate Dean for General Education, Barry University
 
I had the pleasure of having many conversations with Father Georges when he stayed with the Alemany Brothers at Saint Mary's College during his visits here, and was able to read this brilliant work in manuscript form as the individual chapters were produced and were being edited by Father Dave. It is great to see the final product of years of good, careful scholarly work and reflection. Father Georges' Imagining the Creator God: From Antiquity to Astrophysics is a tour de force in solid Catholic theology, a theology that values truth wherever it is found and that seeks to integrate truth from many disciplines and perspectives in the search for wisdom, and, in this case, for wisdom about the cosmos and about the God who created it. I highly recommend this superb book.
Brother S. Dominic Ruegg, FSC, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Catholic Theology
Saint Mary's College of California

Editorial Reviews

"Written with the clear prose and deft illuminating touch of a master teacher, this book fills a real gap for theologians, other scholars, and lay readers alike. Its engaging trek through the history of thought about the cosmos delivers not only scientific information but also theological insight as to how each cosmology shapes our understanding of the God who creates. A valuable resource for grappling with how today's move from a static to an evolving picture of the world shapes our understanding of the divine."
—Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Fordham University (New York); Past President, Catholic Theological Society of America

How we imagine and think about the universe has an enormous influence on the way we see its Creator. This book traces the cosmologies that have shaped our thought, and provided the context for our theologies of God, from Genesis and Plato to Stephen Hawking and beyond. A book of enormous learning, it is, nevertheless, wonderfully clear and accessible, honed by years of teaching. It will be of great help to teachers and students of theology, as well as general readers seeking to understand the universe and its relationship to God.
— Denis Edwards, Australian Catholic University

Front page of book:

"Fr. Georges DeSchrijver is one of only a handful of contemporary writers on religion and science who exhibits equal competence in the history of Western philosophy and theology and in natural science from ancient times to contemporary quantum theory. Most writers are experts in one area or the other but not both. Hence, Fr. DeSchrijver's defense of a Trinitarian process-oriented understanding of the relation between religion and science deserves careful reading. Moreover, he explains subtle arguments from both philosophy/theology and natural science in relatively straightforward terms suitable for the educated lay reader. The book is thus suitable for use in undergraduate classrooms."
— Joseph Bracken, SJ, is professor emeritus of Theology of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio

"Written with the clear prose and deft illuminating touch of a master teacher, this book fills a real gap for theologians, other scholars, and lay readers alike. Its engaging trek through the history of thought about the cosmos delivers not only scientific information but also theological insight as to how each cosmology shapes our understanding of the God who creates. A valuable resource for grappling with how today's move from a static to an evolving picture of the world shapes our understanding of the divine."
—Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Fordham University (New York), Past President, Catholic Theological Society of America

How we imagine and think about the universe has an enormous influence on the way we see its Creator. This book traces the cosmologies that have shaped our thought, and provided the context for our theologies of God, from Genesis and Plato to Stephen Hawking and beyond. A book of enormous learning, it is, nevertheless, wonderfully clear and accessible, honed by years of teaching. It will be of great help to teachers and students of theology, as well as general readers seeking to understand the universe and it relationship to God.
— Denis Edwards, Australian Catholic University

"With expert attention to the tangled histories of scientific and theological accounts of the nature of the universe, De Schrijver prepares here fertile ground for an image of the Creator God as One who endows the world with its own 'intrinsic creativity.' Imagining the Creator provides a rich vision of contemporary Christian cosmology in which creation is always new."
— Julia Feder, Creighton University

In his book Theology for a Scientific Age, the late scientist theologian Arthur Peacocke stated that theology is "most creative and long-lasting when it has responded most positively to the challenges of its times." Imagining the Creator God: From Antiquity to Astrophysics by Georges De Schrijver, SJ, is exemplary in this regard, a tour de force of research and intellect that persuasively demonstrates how theology has responded to the emerging insights of both philosophy and science throughout the ages to articulate its understanding of the Creator God. With skill and creativity, Fr. Georges orchestrates the voices of an amazing choir of scholars, ancient and contemporary; demonstrates the resonance between their worldviews and prevailing images of God; and challenges both readers and theologians alike to move beyond static conceptions of God and creation ensconced in outdated cosmologies and modes of thought. The lenses of contemporary science enable us to see that God is revealing something new and Fr. Georges exhorts us to perceive it.
—Gloria L. Schaab, SSJ, PhD, Professor of Theology, Director of Graduate Programs in Theology and Ministry, Associate Dean for General Education, Barry University
 
I had the pleasure of having many conversations with Father Georges when he stayed with the Alemany Brothers at Saint Mary's College during his visits here, and was able to read this brilliant work in manuscript form as the individual chapters were produced and were being edited by Father Dave. It is great to see the final product of years of good, careful scholarly work and reflection. Father Georges' Imagining the Creator God: From Antiquity to Astrophysics is a tour de force in solid Catholic theology, a theology that values truth wherever it is found and that seeks to integrate truth from many disciplines and perspectives in the search for wisdom, and, in this case, for wisdom about the cosmos and about the God who created it. I highly recommend this superb book.
Brother S. Dominic Ruegg, FSC, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Catholic Theology
Saint Mary's College of California

From the Publisher