The Age of the Universe

The universe is about 13.8 billion years old.

Evidence

Method Measured Age Additional Information
Cosmic Microwave Background 13.8 billion years Remnant radiation from the early universe
Hubble Constant 13.7-13.8 billion years Rate of universe expansion
Oldest Known Stars 13.2 billion years HD 140283 "Methuselah Star"
Globular Clusters 12-13 billion years Ancient stellar populations
Light from Distant Galaxies 13+ billion years Time required for light to reach Earth

Other Data

Multiple independent lines of evidence support the age of the universe:

  • The cosmic microwave background radiation
  • The abundance of light elements in the universe
  • The distribution and motion of galaxies
  • The age of the oldest known stars
  • The rate of cosmic expansion

Young Earth View

The traditional interpretation of Genesis, popularized by Archbishop James Ussher in 1650, calculates the age of the universe as approximately 6,000 years by:

  • Adding up the genealogies in Genesis
  • Taking the six days of creation literally
  • Assuming no gaps in Biblical genealogies

Proposed Harmonizations

Various theories attempt to harmonize Genesis with modern science:

Day-Age Theory

This theory interprets each "day" in Genesis 1 as representing long ages of time, potentially millions or billions of years. However, it faces several linguistic challenges:

  • The Hebrew word "yom" when used with ordinal numbers ("first day", "second day", etc.) consistently refers to literal 24-hour days throughout the Old Testament
  • The phrase "evening and morning" is used to define each day, which makes no sense for long ages
  • Exodus 20:11 explicitly connects the six days of creation to our work week
  • The order of creation in Genesis 1 (plants before sun, birds before land reptiles) conflicts with the evolutionary sequence
Gap Theory

This theory proposes a gap of millions of years between Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning God created the heavens and earth") and 1:2 ("The earth was formless and void"). However, it faces significant problems:

  • The Hebrew grammar forms a continuous narrative using the waw-consecutive construction, indicating sequential events with no time gap
  • The theory requires death before Adam's sin, contradicting Romans 5:12
  • It requires two separate creations and destructions, which has no biblical support
  • The Hebrew phrase "formless and void" (tohu wabohu) describes an uninhabited state, not destruction
Framework Hypothesis

This view sees Genesis 1 as a literary framework organizing creation topically rather than chronologically. However:

  • The text presents itself as historical narrative using standard Hebrew narrative markers
  • The numbered sequence and "evening and morning" formula suggest chronological order
  • Other Scripture treats Adam and creation week as historical (Ex 20:11, Matt 19:4)
  • The proposed framework structure (days of forming/filling) is forced and inconsistent
Analogical Days View

This interpretation sees the days as God's work days that are analogous to, but not identical with, human days. Issues include:

  • No textual indication that these are divine rather than earthly days
  • Exodus 20:11 directly compares God's work week to the human work week
  • The view still requires death before sin
  • It offers no clear alternative for how long creation actually took