Q: In Ezekiel 1:22, in Ezekiel's vision of God's Throne-Chariot, "The likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above." For the next few verses, this firmament is mentioned. Doesn't this contradict scientific data about the nature of the sky?
A: No. The entire vision here in Ezekiel 1 is posited as a heavenly scene. The "firmament" here is not the same as the "firmament" described in, say, Genesis 1. Here in Ezekiel 1, the "firmament" is more like a translucent filter; it's not the place where birds fly or where the stars shine.
Since this firmament is situated within an otherworldly vision, it poses no scientific problem. Many visions and dreams feature items which are not natural -- seven thin cows eating seven fat cows, for example -- but since it's part of a vision or dream, the non-naturalness of the item or event should not considered a challenge to scientific data. Scientific data is by definition data about the observeable natural world, and that's not the subject of this text.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: No. The entire vision here in Ezekiel 1 is posited as a heavenly scene. The "firmament" here is not the same as the "firmament" described in, say, Genesis 1. Here in Ezekiel 1, the "firmament" is more like a translucent filter; it's not the place where birds fly or where the stars shine.
Since this firmament is situated within an otherworldly vision, it poses no scientific problem. Many visions and dreams feature items which are not natural -- seven thin cows eating seven fat cows, for example -- but since it's part of a vision or dream, the non-naturalness of the item or event should not considered a challenge to scientific data. Scientific data is by definition data about the observeable natural world, and that's not the subject of this text.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
