About seventy years ago, Immanuel Velikovsky wrote a bestseller, Worlds in Collision based on the literature from many ancient nations. Here is an excerpt from the preface: "Worlds in Collision is a book of wars in the celestial sphere that took place in historical times. In these wars the planet earth participated too." "The historical-cosmological story of this book is based in the evidence of historical texts of many people around the globe, on classical literature, on epics of the northern races, on sacred books of the peoples of the Orient and Occident, on traditions and folklore of primitive peoples, on old astronomical inscriptions and charts, on archaeological finds, and also on geological and paleontological material."

Velikovsky interpreted the ancient accounts as: Venus closely interacted with earth in the 15^th century BC, which affected the orbit of both bodies. He suggested that some of the phenomena in the Israelite exodus from Egypt were due to interactions with Venus. Fifty years after the Israelites left Egypt, Venus again made a close encounter that caused the Sun and Moon to remain in place (Joshua 10:12 - 13). Here a few quotations from his book relating to this event.

From the New World: "In the Mexican annals it is stated that the world was deprived of light and the sun did not reappear for a fourfold night." "Sahagun, the Spanish savant who came to America a generation after Columbus and gathered the traditions of the aborigines, wrote that at the time of one cosmic catastrophe the sun rose only a little way over the horizon and remained there without moving; the moon also stood still." [Worlds in Collision, p.62]

"In the manuscripts of Avila and Molina, who collected the traditions of the Indians of the New World, it is related that the sun did not appear for five days, a cosmic collision of stars preceded the cataclysm; people and animals tried to escape to mountain caves. 'Scarcely had they reached there, when the sea, breaking out of bounds following a terrifying shock, began the rise of the pacific coast. But as the sea rose, filling the valleys and the plains around, the mountain of Ancasmarca rose too, like a ship on the waves. During the five days that this cataclysm lasted, the sun did not show its face and the earth remained in darkness.'" [Worlds in Collision, p.76]

From China: "At the time of the miracle is said to have happened that the sun during a span of ten days did not set, the forests were ignited, and a multitude of abominable vermin was brought forth.'In the lifetime of Yao [Yahou] the sun did not set for full ten days and the entire land was flooded.'" [Worlds in Collision, p.114] "Thereupon Yaou [Yahou] commanded Hi and Ho, in reverent accordance with the wide heavens, to calculate and delineate the movements and the appearances of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the zodiacal spaces; and to deliver respectfully the seasons to the people." [Worlds in Collision, p.116]

"Pomponius Mela, a Latin author of the first century. wrote: 'The Egyptians pride themselves on being the most ancient people in the world. In their authentic annals . . . one may read that since they have been in existence, the course of the stars has changed direction four times, and the sun has set twice in the part of the sky where it rises today.'" [Worlds in Collision, p.119]

Velikovsky's theories were vehemently rejected by the scientific community, except for the proponents of the electric universe. Here is a letter from Albert Einstein (originally written in German) explaining that Venus' orbit cannot change without violating the laws of physics.
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July 8, 1946
Dear Mr. Velikovsky:
I have read the whole book about the planet Venus. There is much of interest in the book which proves that in fact catastrophes have taken place which must be attributed to extraterrestrial causes. However it is evident to every sensible physicist that these catastrophes can have nothing to do with the planet Venus and that also the direction of the inclination of the terrestrial axis towards the ecliptic could not have undergone a considerable change without the total destruction of the entire earth's crust. Your arguments in this regard are so weak as opposed to the mechanical-astronomical ones that no expert will be able to take them seriously. It were best in my opinion if you would in this way revise your books, which contains truly valuable material. If you cannot decide on this, then what is valuable in your deliberations will become ineffective, and it may be difficult finding a sensible publisher who would take the risk of such a heavy fiasco upon himself.
I tell you this in writing and return to you your manuscript, since I will not be free on the considered days.
With friendly greetings, also to your daughter,
Yours
Albert Einstein
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How should Christians understand the solar system's history? We should never seek to interpret the Bible with science. There is not a single verse in the Bible that requires a scientific mind set to understand it as a contemporary would.

What about physics? Velikovsky was unable to show a physical reason why planet orbits should change. Christians should use biblical physics, not the scientific physics that was built on a single assumption from a pagan Greek. In Genesis the placing of the Sun, Moon and stars in the raqiya, the spreading out place, uses an incomplete action verb. Repeatedly the Old Testament describes the spreading of the heavens in unbroken continuity. What is the causal reason? The whole creation is phthora, fundamentally changing. If matter is always changing its properties, then orbits and rotations would both gradually change. Scientific empiricism is based on the assumption that matter is not changing itself - relationally. Fundamental changes in matter cannot be measured in a lab since even the units of measurement, the instruments and the mathematics are affected in parallel, together. Yet fundamental changes are visible. We see the past with sight. No perpetual motion atoms shine from billions of ancient galaxies. Yet scientists presuppose atomic perpetual motion and use it in their definitions, measurements and mathematics. They fill the whole universe up with phantom matter and vacuous processes to preserve their assumption that atoms are perpetual motion machines.

Velikovsky is not science and neither is the Bible. Not a single verse in the Bible requires a scientific mind set to understand it hermeneutically. A scientific mind set has a historical basis: Aristotle's assumption that the properties of matter are not emergent. We verify biblical physics with sight. We see how ancient galaxies were packed densely with close together stars. We see the ejections and globs of stars spreading out. We see how they continually spiral outward, taking up more volume, as the properties of matter continually change. Since we see how billions of galaxies grew into huge, local, growth spirals, the descriptions of our ancestors of an expanding solar system surely have validity. Biblical physics is very simple. It accepts what is visible as fact, that all matter changes relationally. Think about it.

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Last modified on February 15, 2008