Not a single detail of the battle between יהוה and his cosmic enemies (named elsewhere: Ps 74:14; 89:11; Isa
59:11) is recounted in Psalm 8, but it is alluded to, and the outcome is
evident. יהוה is ensconced in his
heavenly palace, where he reigns over all: “You founded a fort before your foes,
putting to rest upstart and enemy” (verse 3).
The act of
creation is also not recounted, but the relation of every element in it to the
other and to the Creator is defined in verses 4 to 9.
Psalm 8 is charged with awe for all that is,
and who made it. For text and translation, go here.
I have often encountered a sense of wonder
among scientists of the natural world. Even scientists who see no reason, at
least for the purposes of science, to posit an intelligent designer of the
intelligible whole, marvel at the natural world’s fierce beauty and the
mathematical perfection of its laws.
The psalm’s pivot is an open question: the
place of humankind in the scheme of things: “What is man that you mind him;
children of dust, that you note them?” (verse 5).
The same question, and others like it,
animate science.
Science thrives on open questions. So does
faith rightly understood. Both are journeys into the unknown with the lightest
of equipment: a metanarrative or mathematical formula for a compass, and a few fixed
reference points on a map that may, who knows, be turned upside down.
Psalm 8 is full of wonder at the extreme
power built into the universe. Humankind is also seen as empowered. With great
power comes great responsibility, and questions which will and must remain
open.
Wonder and awe constitute a path of knowing,
a motor of inquiry. Faith and science share a common epistemology. Generally
speaking, neither religionists nor scientists seem very aware of the fact.
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