Jules Szanton is a third-year Political Science major at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his involvement with the Sinai Scholars Society, Jules serves on the board of the Jewish Students Association and belongs to the Hopkins Orthodox Minyan. Jules is also a third-year Army ROTC cadet, and will become an Army officer following graduation. He hopes to attend law school, and then serve as an attorney in the US Army JAG Corps.
Jules' paper examines whether an Orthodox Jewish reading of the Genesis creation narrative is compatible with the conclusions of modern cosmology and evolutionary biology. Some narrative passages of Torah are meant to be interpreted non-literally. A non-literal reading of the creation narrative is supported by traditional Jewish sources, and makes the most sense in light of contemporary scientific research. The Theory of Evolution poses philosophical challenge for Orthodox Jews, but can also be a source of meaning and inspiration. While challenging, it is critically important for contemporary Orthodox Jews to reconcile the eternal theological truths of Genesis with the contemporary realities of modern science.
This presentation was delivered at the Sinai Scholars Academic Symposium 2012.
The Sinai Scholars Symposium is a yearly conference for university students, hosted by the Sinai Scholars Society. Students from around the world gather with an esteemed panel of Ivy League professors, world-class Torah scholars and experts in their field to study, discuss and present their thoughts on various subjects that deal with Judaism and the modern world. Each student prepares an academic paper which they present to their colleagues and a panel of judges.
