Math and the Bible

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The Bible was the inspiration for set theory and other accomplishments in math. Many of the great mathematicians, such as Bernard Riemann and Kurt Gödel, were avid readers of the Bible.

Potential remains for additional mathematical discoveries based on insights gleaned from the Bible.

Infinity

The concept of infinity was hotly disputed, and often rejected, by Greek mathematicians and philosophers.[1] Aristotle and Pythagoras, for example, both rejected the existence of actual infinity.[2]

Infinite Time, or Eternity

Infinity with respect to time, or eternity, was rejected by the ancient Greek philosophers. Plato was one of the first even to consider the possibility of eternity, but he thought that time was limited to the existence of the material universe (the heavens).

In contrast to the views of Greek philosophers, the concept of infinite time exists in the Old Testament, and is emphasized in the New Testament.

Infinite Nature of God

The word "infinite" is mentioned three times in the text of the King James Version (Job 22:5; Ps 147:5; Nah 3:9), and once in an explanatory footnote (Nah 2:9), all in the Old Testament.[3]

Modern understanding of the full nature of infinity is based on the work of devout Christian Georg Cantor, who studied infinity as a way to understand God better. Several teachings of Jesus explain that infinity is the real nature of God:

  • Matthew 20:1-16 (Parable of the Vineyard Workers)
  • Luke 15:11-32 (Parable of the Prodigal Son)

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Infinite Nature of Jesus

In addition, the concept of infinity is set forth in Hebrews in explaining that Jesus is infinitely superior to angels:[4]

  • Hebrews 1:4 ("having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs")

Coherence of Math

Several references exist in the Bible for the concept that mathematics is coherent, inerrant, and unchanging logic, as made possible by God:[5]

  • Hebrews 13:8 ("Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.")

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References

  1. ↑ http://descmath.com/diag/ancients.html
  2. ↑ [1] In modern times, such ideas are formalized by the mathematical school of Intuitionism, founded by Luitzen Brouwer.
  3. ↑ http://classic.net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Infinite
  4. ↑ Biblical quotations are from ESV.
  5. ↑ Quotations are from ESV.

See also

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