“I wanted to become a theologian; for a long time I was unhappy. Now, behold, God is praised by my work even in astronomy.” – Johannes Kepler
“What more powerful form of study of mankind could there be than to read our own instruction book?” – Francis S. Collins
“Those who have dissected or inspected many [bodies] have at least learnt to doubt; while others who are ignorant of anatomy and do not take the trouble to attend it are in no doubt at all.” – Giovanni Battista Morgagni
“The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan
“[Defining Life] The constant uniformity of phenomena under diversity of external influences.” – Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus
“The significant chemicals of living tissue are rickety and unstable, which is exactly what is needed for life.” – Isaac Asimov
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
Volume: 2, Issue: 2, March 2016 Publisher: EDIS - Publishing Institution of the University of Zilina Powered by:RCDST (Research Center on the Dialogue between Science & Theology), Ovidius Univesity of Constanta. Romania
The article deals with the theme of the Logos` immanence in the creation. The first part includes a scientific perspective while the second, a theological one. The first evidence that the universe has a beginning dates back to the 20s of last century. Most scientists believed until then that the universe was stationary and had always existed; there are references to the big bang, string theory, M theory. The second part encompasses a perspective on the theme of the rational nature of the world which constitutes a firm foundation for dialogue between Theology and science. The logoi have a particularizing or a unifing function, and the complete unity of the logoi is realized through and by the Logos, the Word of God. The essential difference between paradigms and logoi is that the latter belong to the temporal level and to the empirical world, while the former preexist synthetically into God.The uncreated divine energies are the logoi in the action of creating and supporting of the beings.
Author keywords
big-bang
string theory
M theory
anthropic principle
divine paradigms
rationality and logoi of the creation
References
[1] Sfântul Maxim Mărturisitorul, "Răspunsuri către Talasie" (Quest. ad Thal.), în
Filocalia, vol. III, Sibiu, 1949, p. 45-46.
[2] It had been said "current" because in the East was not made the mistake of dogmatise
certain scientific theories and therefore to consider them to be the ultimate
possible. See books cited in this presentation, and other important recent works
about cosmology and anthropology: Francisco J. Ayala, Darul lui Darwin către
Știință si Religie (Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion). București: Curtea
Veche, 2008; John Polkinghorne, Quarci, haos şi creştinism (Quarks, Chaos and
Christianity), București: Curtea Veche, 2006; Idem, Teologia în contextul
ştiinţei (Theology in the Context of Science), București: Curtea Veche, 2010;
Martin Rees. Doar șase numere (Just Six Numbers), Humanitas, 2008; Ian Stewart,
Numerele Naturii (The Numbers of Nature), Humanitas, 2011; Denis Alexander, Creaţie
sau Evoluţie. Trebuie să alegem? (Creation or Evolution ? Do We Have to Choose ?)
Curtea Veche, 2010; Peter Atkins, Amprenta lui Galileo. Cele 10 mari idei ale
științei.(Galileo’s Finger.The Ten Great Ideas of Science) Bucureşti: All, 2007;
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Este Dumnezeu mathematician? (Is God a Mathematician?), București: Humanitas, 2009;
Andrew Robinson, Măsura lucrurilor. (The Measure of Things) București: Art, 2008;
Bruce Rosemblum, Fred Kutter. Enigma Cuantică. (Quantum Enigma) București:
Prestige, 2011; Smolin Lee, Spaţiu, timp, univers, (Science, Time, Universe)
Humanitas, 2008; Steven Weinberg Descoperirea particulelor subatomice (The Discovery
of Subatomic Particles), Humanitas, 2007; Trinh Xuan Thuan, Melodia secretă (The
Secret Melody), Curtea Veche, 2012- see especially pp.139-140 - "the great cosmic
ballet" enormous speeds with which the planets, stars and galaxies are moving: the
earth rotates with 30km / s (108.000km / h) around the Sun and 1673 km / h at the
equator around its axis; the solar system rotates around the center of the Milky Way
with 230km / s (828.000km / h). In turn, the Milky Way "falls by 90km / s (324.000km
/ h) towards its companion galaxy, Andromeda" and the two galaxies go towards the
super cluster to cluster of galaxies Hydra and Centaur 600km / s (2.160.000km / h) .
In their turn, the latter go "to another large cluster of galaxies, which astronomers
in the absence of further information, call the" Great Attractor ‘ "(p.139).
[3] Stephen W. Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow, Marele plan (The Grand Design), Humanitas,
2012, 2015, p. 104, 105.
[4] Ibidem, p. 106
[5] Ibidem, p.108, 109
[6] Roger Penrose, Mintea noastră … cea de toate zilele, despre gândire, fizică și
calculatoare, (The Emperor’s New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of
Physics) București, Ed. Tehnică, 2006, p. 613- 614.
[7] Image credit: NASA / WMAP Science Team http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/media/101080/
index.html
[8] Image credit: NASA / WMAP Science Team http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/media/060915/
index.html
[9] Steven Weinberg, Visul unei teorii finale. În căutarea legilor ultime ale naturii,
(Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist’s Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature)
București, Humanitas, 2010, p.213, 214.
[10] Stephen W. Hawking, Teoria universală. Originea și soarta Universului, (The Theory
of Everything. The Origin and fate of the universe) Humanitas, 2012, 2015.
[11] Ibidem, p.140. Steven Weinberg is skeptical about the future of a final theory: "The
final theory might come to us in centuries from now and it could be completely
different from what we imagine now", The dream of a final theory, op. cit., p. 187.
[12] Known forces of the nature can be divided into four classes: 1. Gravity. It is the
weakest of the four, but it is a long-range force acting on any thing in the universe
as an attraction. This means that for large bodies, forces are added together and
dominate all other forces. 2. Electromagnetism. It’s a long-range force too, but
much stronger than gravity, and acts only on particles having electric charge; same
kind charges repel and opposites attract. This means that electrical forces between
big bodies cancel each other, but at the scale of atoms and molecules, they are
dominant. Electromagnetic forces are responsible for all chemistry and biology. 3.
Weak nuclear force. It explains radioactivity and plays an essential role in the
formation of elements in stars in the early universe. 4. The strong nuclear force.
This force keeps protons and neutrons together inside atomic nucleus. It also
maintains, together protons and neutrons themselves, which is necessary because they
are particles composed of still smaller quarks. The strong force is the energy source
of the sun and of nuclear plants. Stephen W. Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow, Marele plan,
Humanitas, 2012, 2015, p.87-88.
[13] See, ibidem, p. 92-102.
[14] Stephen W.Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow, Marele plan (The Grand Design), Humanitas,
2012, 2015, p. 142.
[15] Ibidem, p. 98-99.
[16] Ibidem, p.100: "Supergravity, however, had the opportunity to take precedence when
physicists tried to save string theory: they added the 11th dimension to the 10, and
the result was surprising. The five versions of the theory, competing with each
other, proved to be variants of the same fundamental theories which began to make
sense again. With the addition of the 11th dimension the theory was transformed as
follows: strings, which are supposed to underlie the matter in the universe expanded
and combined. The extraordinary conclusion was that all matter in the universe was
connected in one huge structure called the membrane. This new theory was named "M
Theory" from the word "membrane" and boosted again seeking explanation for all things
in the universe. What is known, however, about the 11th dimension? It was quickly
discovered that it lengthens indefinitely, but it is very small in width, i.e. it
measures one millimeter divided by a 1 followed by 20 zeros, as Ovrut Burt says. Our
mysterious membrane universe is floating in this space. But soon after the M theory,
there was again a new idea, that at the opposite end of the size 11 is another
"universe-membrane" pulsating" https:// ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teoria_M.
[17] Ibidem, p.100, 101.
[18] Stephen W.Hawking, Teoria universală (The theory of Everything), op.cit,,p.135 și
sq.
[19] Cristian Presură, Fizica povestită (Physics as a Story), Humanitas, 2014, 644p.
(format A4).
[20] Ibidem, p. 581.
[21] Ibidem.
[22] Ibidem; see also: Brian Greene, Universul elegant, supercorzi, dimensiuni ascunse
și căutarea teoriei ultime (The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions,
and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory), Humanitas, 2003 – It is the first book in
Romanian that provides a systematic, clear and intuitive view on the string theory,
one of the most read books in science in recent years. The book has at the end a very
useful glossary of scientific terms.
[23] Cristian Presură, Fizica povestită (Physics as a Story), op.cit, p. 584.
[24] Ibidem, p.585.
[25] Brian Greene, Universul elegant (The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden
Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory), op.cit., p. 391.
[26] https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KoubJU2dpcE și https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=Fz3TZaKvY1I
[27] Pr. Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae, TDO, vol. I, p. 354, sq.
[29] Roger Penrose, Mintea noastră … cea de toate zilele, op.cit., p. 780.
[30] Ibidem, p. 782.
[31] Stephen W. Hawking, Teoria universală (The theory of Everything), op. cit., p. 133;
see also p. 92: "Why do not we notice all these extra dimensions, if they really
exist? Why do we see only three spatial dimensions and one time?" S. Hawking answers
that other dimensions are coiled in a very small space, something around the order of
a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a
centimeter. We see only three dimensions of space and time in which the space-time is
flat (p.132)
[32] Martin Rees. Doar șase numere (Just Six Numbers), Humanitas, 2008, p.11
[33] Preotul Profesor Dumitru Stăniloae, Teologia Dogmatică Ortodoxă (TDO), (I), 2003,
p.171- 177
[34] Ibidem, p.173
[35] Thomas F. Torrance, Reality and scientific Theology, Scottish Academic Press,
Edinburgh, 1985, p. 1.
[36] B. Russell, My Philosophical Development, London, 1959, p. 16.
[37] A. Einstein, The World as I See It, London, 1953, p. 60; apud T.F. Torrance, op.
cit., p. 2.
[38] T.F. Torrance, op. cit., p. 3.
[39] Ibidem.
[40] Ibidem, p. 6.
[41] Jean Guitton- membru al Academiei Franceze
[]Bucharest, nr. 1, (1958), p. 23.
[42] Ibidem, p. 50, quoted also on http://blog.
darwincentral.org/2007/10/17/unclosetingthe-
discovery-institute-the-idea-that-darenot- speak-its-name-part-1/ and many other
websites.
[43] Prof. Nicolae Chiţescu, "Paradigmele divine şi problemele pe care le ridică ele
pentru teologia dogmatică"
[44] Ibidem, p. 24.
[45] Logoi spermatikoi represent the adaptation of the stoic Aristotelian eide
(appearance, constitutive nature, form, species, idea) which are immanent to matter
and conduct the entire structure of teleological individual essences; cf. Michel
Spanneut, Permanence du Stoicisme, De Zenon a Malraux, Ed. J. Duculot, S.A.,
Gembloux, 1973.
[46] Prof. Nicolae Chiţescu, op. cit., p. 42.
[47] Ibidem, p. 45.
[48] Probably on the basis of the stoic logos spermatikos, Origen is the first thinker of
the Church to have presented a theory on the logoi of creation. He considers them as
ideas present into Christ as Wisdom (In Io. I, 34; De princ. I, 2, 2) where they form
– in the Platonic sense – the intelligible world, a model for the sensitive
world. They represent ‘the original goodness’ of those created. This line of
thought can be traced to a certain degree to Saint Athanasius too who affirms that
God, aware that a world differentiated according to different logoi would be a
divided one, created the world according to His Logos (Or. contra gentes 41; P.G.,
25, 84A) and is reflected at Augustin who uses rationes for logoi whom he considers
unmovable eternal principles. (De div. Quaest. 83, 46, 2; P.L., 40, 30). But the
dominant influence in this respect on Saint Maximus has been that of Evagrius’ and,
especially, Saint Dionysius` who introduced a dynamic and intentional understanding
of the logoi. Evagrius emphasizes the logoi of providence and judgement (Cent. gnost.
5, 16; P.O. 28, p. 183), and the idea of a final ‘spiritual contemplation’ where
logoi are seen in mystical communion to God. (Ibidem, p. 193), Lars Thunberg, Man and
the Cosmos – The Vision of St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Press, Crestwood, New York, 1985, pp. 77-78.
[49] I.H. Dalmais, "La théorie des «logoi» des créatures chez saint Maxime le
Confesseur", Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques, 36, (1952), p. 244.
[50] Pr. Prof. Dr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Introduction. to Ambigua., Rom. trans. P.S.B., 80,
pp. 28- 29.
[51] J.C. Larchet, Introduction to: Saint Maxime le Confesseur, Ambigua, commentaries par
le Pere D. Stăniloae, Les Editions de l’Ancre, 1993.
[52] Ambig. 22,1256D-1257A.
[53] Ibidem 15,1217AB; 17,1228A-1229A.
[54] Ibidem, 15,1217A.
[55] Ibidem, 41,1312B-1313B.
[56] Ibidem, 7,1072C.
[57] Ambig. 7,1077C,1081BC;14,1313AB.
[58] Ibidem, 7,1077C.
[59] Ibidem, 7,1080B; 42,1328B,1329BC; 7,1081.
[60] Ibidem, 7,1081AB,cf.42,1328B: "For in Him, all reasons are firmly established and it
is said about these reasons that he knows them all before they are created, in their
very truth, as ones which are in Him and to Him, even if all these that there are and
will be have not yet been brought into existence along with their reasons, or since
they have all been known by God, but each receives its effective existence in due
time, after the wisdom of the Creator, since they have been created according to
their reasons. Their Maker always exists eternally effectively – kat’energeian,
whereas the creatures only exist potentially – dynamei, but not effectively".
[63] Alain Riou, Le monde et l’Eglise selon Maxime le Confesseur, Beauchesne, 1973.
[64] 1077C-1081C11: 1. ontological formulation: logoi –Logos. a) small parts of God:
the multitude of the creatures’ logoi and their unity into the Word who
participated to creation. The presence of logoi in Logos by preexisting and
participating. b) have issued from above: the union of the creature and God is
ensured by the conformity to the right logos according to which it was created in due
time. This logos is in and at God1081C11- 1085A6 - 2. the ascetic formulation:
participating in Christ by virtues, our Saviour is the essence of all virtues
(1Co1:30) for in Him "we live, and move", and have our "being" (Acts 17: 28).
Therefore, any man who participates in virtues, participates in Christ. The triad
einai, eu einai, aei einai: a) man is "part of God" in three senses: as existing,
through his logos which is in God as good, through his logos of good existence which
is in God as God (through grace), through his logos of eternity which is in God; b)
man "has fallen" (issued) from God, going further away from his own logos through his
will 1085A7-C5. 3. the economical formulation: logoi as divine wills a) the reminding
of the abyss that separates God from the creature. Since He is uncreated, God does
not know the creatures in a created way (sensitive or intelligible) but, since they
are created by His will, He knows them according to His own will; b) every man
adheres to this will of God or rejects it as a manifestation of his free will -
proairetike kinesis - Ibidem, pp. 46-47.
[65] Ambigua 7,1077C.
[66] Ambig. 7,1080AB.
[67] Ibidem, pp. 55-56.
[68] Div. Nom. 5, 8; P.G. 3,824C.
[69] Pseudo-Cyril, De Trinitate, P.G. 77,1145C; Saint John of Damascus, De fide orthodoxa
I,9; P.G. 94,837.