Review of The Biblical Clock

[Bear Tamplen]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Biblical Clock" by Daniel Friedmann and Dania Sheldon.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In The Biblical Clock Daniel Friedmann and Dania Sheldon aim to link Christian and Judaic biblical scriptures with the currently accepted scientific timeline for the creation of the universe. The authors then use this theorized link to attempt to predict the unfolding of future events. The Biblical Clock weaves an interesting tapestry of universal events, while its authors explain the background for their mathematical theory.

Unfortunately, knowing that everything used as explanation was derived from fiction makes it difficult to take the theory of the link seriously. Too many factual inaccuracies plague the prose. For example, the book mentions a few behaviors that are supposedly unique to humans and not found in any other animals. However, that list includes using language and symbolic behavior. Chickens have around 30 different calls used to communicate various messages; that’s the essence of language. Chimps mark their territories with certain stones, bears deliberately leave claw marks on trees, and penguins offer pebbles to potential mates as a sign of interest. All of these behaviors, and countless others, are evidence of animals portraying symbolic behaviors.

Further, in chapter 12 it says that the deity cursed the snake with a gestation period longer than that of cattle, but some snakes only gestate for 28 days, with 270 days being the maximum gestation period for any snake. Conversely, cattle gestate for 281 days. Finally, page 395 mentions that Adam and Eve were not meant to consummate their marriage until the end of the day, but instead they did so immediately upon meeting; I find it odd that a book titled The Biblical Clock would completely dismiss the time of the true original sin.

Luckily, there were positive points to the text as well. For example, the Rabbi’s recounting of his god’s creation of the universe was intriguing. His explanation closely mirrors the creation of a black hole, which is one current theory of how the universe began. Also, the hypothetical 2125 Moscow summit meeting that takes place in chapter 10 reminded me of World War II; the plan the General describes mimics what America did to Nazi Germany. Lastly, the table on page 407 was hilarious! When I read that Adam fathering children equated to the beginning of a bad event I literally laughed out loud. The authors give an explanation for that equation later in the text, but seeing it listed like that was fantastic!

I didn’t entirely enjoy this book, but I still rate it 3 out of 4 stars. The various dialogues and theories were well thought out, and the ideas were very well presented. I found no grammatical or punctuation errors, suggesting the book was professionally edited. Overall, it was an entertaining work of fiction. I presume most members of the Christian and Jewish faiths would be an ideal audience for The Biblical Clock. It could also be enjoyed by lovers of fiction in general, as well as readers who have any interest in math-based theories.

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The Biblical Clock
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[Soraya Bayah]

Although I enjoyed your review immensely, I will unfortunately skip this book, just for the fact that I am not the intended audience. Despite that, I found your approach captivating and made me want to read more of your reviews. Thank you for the detailed review.