In my last article, I looked at the decision-making analogy of the four-faced creatures of Ezekiel’s chariot. I mentioned that when I started looking for science in the Bible, I was drawn to the wheels of Ezekiel’s chariot vision.
I wondered why wheels, which are a human invention made of solid material, were attached beneath Ezekiel’s vision of angel-like figures and surmounted by a figure surrounded by flames. The text stresses that when the chariot descended, the wheels touched the ground and it moved. A wheel running on the ground brought to mind a trundle wheel, often used to measure distances. As a wheel turns, it covers a finite distance on the ground. So, as the chariot moved on the ground, it was measuring out a distance. But measurement is a hallmark of science. In the 19th century, Lord Kelvin said that without measurement there can be no science. Measurement turns unknown lengths into standard units that can be examined, compared and interrogated. Was the chariot trying to tell us something about science?
Ezekiel is the book of the Bible that contains the most measurements. The volume, precision and specificity of these measurements differ from elsewhere in Scripture and seem to tell us something about Ezekiel’s approach to prophetic revelation. He gives frequent exact dates of events; he compares Jewish weights and measures and standardises them; he gives the exact weight of food and volume of drink that people would have during the coming siege of Jerusalem, illustrating that it was below the minimum needed to sustain life; he is told to gauge the depth of a river at four precisely measured intervals; and he records 101 measurements of the size of a visionary temple he sees.
But why did Ezekiel make so many precise measurements? If we look at what was happening in Babylonia at the time, we find that mathematics was highly advanced. The king used the positions of the planets and stars to help him plan battles and make other state decisions, so the royal astrologers became adept at mathematics capable of predicting planetary movement. It was recently discovered that the Babylonians developed an early form of calculus, long before it was thought to have been invented, and their discoveries have been described as the “first scientific revolution”. Ezekiel’s use of measurement was very much in keeping with his environment and suggests that he, too, may have been using measurement for its precision.
Are there specific instances of scientific “experiments” in Ezekiel? Two of his visions include repeated precise measurements: the Vision of Water Flowing from the Temple (Ezek 47) and the Temple Vision (Ezek 40–46). In the first, Ezekiel is told to measure a stream of water by crossing it and noting how far up his body the water came. He had to cross over four times, each crossing being a precise 1,000 cubits measured with a line. The repeated precision of these measurements raises the account to a scientific level, as it allows Ezekiel to conclude that the river is not behaving like a normal river and is therefore supernatural. He is asked by the divine voice: “Son of man, have you seen this?” – inviting him to draw this conclusion.
In the Temple Vision, Ezekiel is told to record 101 precise measurements made by a man with a measuring reed. These measurements have allowed scholars to produce a precise drawing of the visionary Temple, revealing 11 levels of holiness and offering new insights. In each of these two visions, measurement and inference allow a conclusion that would not have been possible without the measurements. In each case, what is revealed is the sacredness of the measured object. God, through Ezekiel, appears to show that measurement and careful observation can help us reach supernatural conclusions.
A scientific experiment begins with an abstract hypothesis and leads to new concrete conclusions. An experiment is therefore a particular way of making the abstract concrete. A prophet may similarly interpret signs or events that are too abstract for others to grasp. Through measurement, science can become an aid to understanding the spiritual. This is especially striking in the context of Ezekiel’s complex visions, where he was instructed to use a methodical approach that yielded fresh insight. Through Ezekiel, God seems to endorse the careful use of reason and observation in making abstract truths intelligible.
Although human beings have spiritual souls, we also have bodies and need truths to be expressed concretely in order to understand them fully. The written Bible is itself a concrete expression of abstract spiritual truths, forming a permanent and readable record. Young children tend to think in concrete terms, as tangible objects are easier to reason with and can serve as building blocks for developing abstract understanding. The human brain functions between the abstract and the concrete through the use of symbols. These play an important role in Ezekiel’s message, and I will discuss them in the next article.
From this we may argue that the book of Ezekiel contains elements analogous to the scientific method, and that science is embedded within Scripture. Science and religious belief are not opposed but complementary. Science can be seen as a God-given tool that helps us to discover new truths and to interrogate creation responsibly. The Church should therefore use science in defending truth, while also defining the ethical limits within which science must operate, always respecting moral absolutes.
Rev Dr Patrick Pullicino is a retired neurologist and Maltese Catholic priest ordained for the Archdiocese of Southwark in south-east England. He has recently obtained a PhD from St Mary's Twickenham on Ezekiel entitled: The Science of Ezekiel's Chariot of YHWH Vision as a Synthesis of Reason and Spirit.
