The Biblical Clock The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God’s Plan by Daniel Friedmann and Dania Sheldon is an interesting Creative and speculative work. Friedmann approaches this curious subject as a scientist and one interested in Rabbinic scholarship. His is an intentional and passionate bid to reconcile scientific discoveries and Biblical accounts for the origin, development and future of the universe and man. Friedmann adopts a narrative style uses various methods to reconcile the apparent contradictions. He uses history, science, Hebrew numerology and Jewish Kabbalah literature to relate scientific discoveries. His research on Jewish Kabbalah literature and numerology draws from writings on deep thinking and mystic experiences of some of the rabbis.
With its lucid narrative style and interesting twists and turns in the plot. The Biblical Clock for those familiar with biblical narratives and have a scientific bent of mind, is a special treat to speculate on very important questions about origins of the universe, life and existence. The author takes giant leaps in imagination to read into simple biblical words and phrases to match with the extant scientific dating of the origins of the universe and humanity. This non-fiction is a very interesting read unraveling the mystery of existence from deciphering biblical accounts on creation and history.
There seems to be a suggestion of a general overall repeating pattern in the design of God’s ways in history. This seems to suggest that God’s ways are repetitive. That God could be understood to act in a predictable and mechanical fashion in future as well. This extrapolation seems to suggest a limited view of God based on selected texts about the nature of God revealed in the Bible. Another point Is that God is referred to as male. This use of gender language needs clarification. With all the scientific advances especially in Israeli security measures by the year, the CHAPTER 10: Reckonings, the final war Gog-Magog could have been even more imaginative.
I was curious to find out what the Jewish answers are to the big questions of the existence of the universe and humanity. It has since piqued my interest to explore more on this. It deserves 3 out of 4. Although Friedman has given some reading guidelines, it needs more clarity on its biblical content and Jewish literature and language for those not familiar with these.
The following are some of the suggestions and comments:
The main text reads well with few grammatical issues. However, in the entries in Bibliography there are a few format issues
On p. 295, there is italics missing for the book title, As Light Before Dawn: The Inner World of a Medieval Kabbalist.
On p.295, missing italics for the title of the book, Immortality, Resurrection, and the Age of the Universe: A Kabbalistic View.
On p.294, missing italics for the title of the book, The Stone Edition Tanach, The Torah/Prophets/Writings: The Twenty Four Books of the Bible, Newly Translated and Annotated.
On 296, missing italics for the title of the books
Kaplan, Aryeh. The Age of the Universe: A Torah-True Perspective. New York: Rueven Meir Caplan, 2008.
Kaplan, Aryeh. The Aryeh Kaplan Reader. The Gift He Left Behind: Collected Essays on Jewish Themes from the Noted Writer and Thinker. New York: Mesorah Publications, 1983.
On p.311, missing italics for the title of the book, Ezekiel: A New Translation with a Commentary Anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic and Rabbinic Sources
On p.314, missing double quotation marks for the title of the article,
wrote:Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 38b.
On p.314, missing double quotation marks for the title of the article,
wrote: Exodus Midrash Rabbah 32:1.
On p.317, typos for “APPENDIX A: scientific viewS oN the age of the universe”
On p.330, typos for “APPENDIX E: Biblical mESSIANIC prophecies”
There are a few logical inconsistencies. For instance, on page 279, the clause, “But the trees wouldn’t let their leaves be used for this purpose,” suggests that trees have will power. Whereas it was already said that only man had this power.
******
The Biblical Clock
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
