Question:

I co-teach an astronomy class at Bethesda Chevy-Chase high school and am working on my masters in special education with a certification in Biology. In astronomy, we know that the most abundance element in the universe is hydrogen. Many astronomers believe that hydrogen was the most abundant in the singularity. I know that hydrogen itself is not water but means water forming. I also know that the singularity was in complete darkness because light had not been created yet which could explain the darkness over the deep. The question is this, is it reasonable to believe that when the bible says that the spirit of God was hovering over the waters could mean that God was forming the singularity that formed the Big Bang? I am studying genesis in light of its ancient near eastern neighbors, but I wanted a scientific approach to this.

Answer:

To be honest, I think it would be stretching Genesis 1:1 a bit to imply any specific information about the original singularity. Genesis 1 is principally a theological, not a scientific treatise. I am not saying that there is zero scientifically valid content in Genesis 1, but that it is not principally a scientific statement. I think you could say this (about the hydrogen produced by the big bang being the “waters” of Genesis 1:1), but as a general rule, I like to be conservative and not stretch more from a passage than is fairly strongly indicated by the passage itself. I think that the waters over which the Spirit was hovering were more likely the waters which covered the earth before continents emerged and life was formed in that water. Even this is a bit speculative, but it is more in line with what a Jew from the second millennium BC might have been able to comprehend. I do not rule out your interpretation, but would not publish this idea as a claim that Genesis 1 contains information about the big bang. To do so would be to open myself up for very reasonable criticism.

Up to you, but that is my thought.

John Oakes