God is not somewhere else, hidden from us;
God is right here,
hidden from us.
“We are part of something greater: a vast web of existence constantly expanding and evolving. When we gaze at the nighttime sky, we can ponder that we are made of elements forged within stars, out of particles born in the big bang.... Beyond any star or galaxy we will ever identify lies the horizon of spacetime, fourteen billion light years away. But neither God nor the big bang is that far away. The big bang didn’t happen somewhere out there, outside of us. Rather, we began inside the big bang; we now embody its primordial energy. The big bang has never stopped.”
—from Chapter 11
To discover the presence of God throughout the cosmos and in our everyday lives, Daniel C. Matt draws on both science and theology, both fact and belief, both cosmology and Jewish mysticism, taking us on a deeply personal, thoughtful and inspiring journey. This update of the award-winning first edition gives us a fresh look at the growing topic of science and spirituality, helps us find our place in the universe and shows us how the universe is reflected in our very being.
Scientists and Theologians Praise God & the Big Bang
“Matt’s timely revision of his classic book accurately recounts key recent surprising cosmological discoveries, while his mastery of the Zohar helps him reveal and interweave their important spiritual messages.”
—Howard A. Smith, PhD, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; author, Let There Be Light: Modern Cosmology and Kabbalah, a New Conversation between Science and Religion
“Daniel Matt is this generation’s greatest poet/scholar of Kabbalah. In a thoroughly contemporary way, he weaves the wisdom of ancient mysticism with the honesty and questioning of science to produce a rare treasure: a book that will enlighten, transform, elevate and educate!”
—Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL, author, God of Becoming and Relationship: The Dynamic Nature of Process Theology and Renewing the Process of Creation: A Jewish Integration of Science and Spirit
“Tackles profound, difficult and complex issues and makes them understandable.”
—Rabbi Laura Geller, Temple Emanuel, Beverly Hills, California
“Contributes in a significant and distinctive way to the contemporary dialogue between science and theology.”
—Robert J. Russell, PhD, Christian theologian; director, Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
“Playful, imaginative and thoughtful … carries the dialogue between religion and science to new levels.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A lively and fascinating volume that should provide the basis for much further dialogue and discussion.”
—Dr. Arthur Green, author, Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow
“Revel in the informed, unexpected correlations this master of our mystic literature finds between his Kabbalah and our cosmologists’ learned imaginings.”
—Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz, Sh’ma
“This poetic book ... helps us to understand the human meaning of creation.”
—Joel Primack, leading cosmologist; professor of physics, University of California, Santa Cruz
“Highly recommended for the general reader.”
—Library Journal
“Truly inspiring.... A lyrical, meditative poem describing a dance between science and Kabbalah. Provides countless insights—small and large—about God, consciousness, Torah and living in the universe.... I have rarely felt so cared for and so moved by an author/teacher.”
—Rabbi David W. Nelson, author, Judaism, Physics and God: Searching for Sacred Metaphors in a Post-Einstein World
“Admirable clarity and wit…. Will be appreciated by everyone who takes an inclusive approach to the riddles of creation and the creator.”
—Timothy Ferris, author, Coming of Age in the Milky Way
“Incredibly rich and immensely practical…. Anyone interested in science and spirituality will find this account of interest.”
—ALA Booklist