What is the universe, according to Christianity?

Question

As the title says, what is "the universe", according to Christianity?

The term does not occur in the Bible, making it impossible to address this question through hermeneutics alone. However, many arguments about creation assert that God created it, whatever "it" is. See here for an example. What is it, and what is in it, according to Christianity? If there are different concrete interpretations of what the universe is, what are those arguments or definitions?

I am asking for an overview of viewpoints on this subject.

Answer 1

What is the universe, according to Christianity?

There is no reason to suppose that any Christian denomination would not accept the classic definition of what the universe is at a scientific level: ”the totality of existence".

The physical universe is defined as all of space and time (collectively referred to as spacetime) and their contents. Such contents comprise all of energy in its hvarious forms, including electromagnetic radiation and matter, and therefore planets, moons, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. The universe also includes the physical laws that influence energy and matter, such as conservation laws, classical mechanics, and relativity.

The universe is often defined as "the totality of existence", or everything that exists, everything that has existed, and everything that will exist. In fact, some philosophers and scientists support the inclusion of ideas and abstract concepts—such as mathematics and logic—in the definition of the universe. The word universe may also refer to concepts such as the cosmos, the world, and nature. - Universe

Most Christians would be at ease with the above definition as to what the Universe actually is. How it came into matter may be a different subject matter altogether. What is sure is that at one point of time God created the universe and all that it contains.

The classic Christian doctrine of creation is expressed as creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) is widely accepted. The writer who most thoroughly developed this concept was Augustine. He said God spoke the universe into being out of nothing. God did not take eternally preexisting matter or substance and reshape or reconfigure it into the present world. His creative activity is not like that of human designer or worker.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

The Bible really does not give us a definition of the universe, but Galileo Galilei makes a simple yet profound statement about the universe:

The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go. - Galileo and the Interpretation of the Bible

What Happened Before God Created the World?

How He created the heavens and the earth may remain a mystery even after we are in heaven. What He was doing before He created everything is another completely unanswerable question.

There was no time before creation.

Saint Augustine had two answers to those who asked what was God doing before creation. Jokingly he said, God was preparing Hell for people who ask such questions. On a serious level, he noted there was no time before God created and hence the question is meaningless. When God created the heavens and the earth He also created space and time. Before time began there was only eternity. God is a timeless being and time only began with His creation of the universe.

Answer 2

The word "universe" derives from a combination of Latin uni- meaning "one" or "united", with versus, which has the meaning "turned", cognate with modern "verse", as in a line of writing, a verse of Scripture or a song. It can also denote a furrow or the "turn of a plow".

The native meaning of the word "universe" is therefore "all that is". It is the sum total of everything written, everything planted, the field and furrow in which every object, being and act are sown and grown, and the consequence of every word spoken by God, now and in the future.

God is, and He is therefore part of the universe, therefore it must be understood when we say that He created the universe, that He did not create Himself. There does not exist a sensible definition of the term when intended to mean "all that is", if "all that is" were exclusive of God, because God IS (Exodus 3:14). Therefore there is also more to the universe than mortal man understands, and more to creation also, and Being precedes Creation.

Given that the universe is unimaginably vast, we need not preoccupy ourselves with the question of whether there can be more than one universe since, in a plural sense, multiple "universes" (multiple single lines of text or multiple furrows of the plow) would consist of all that there is, just as when the alternate meaning of "uni" is pursued (the union of), it also means "all that there is" encompassed within a single instance. With an infinite space and infinite expanse of eternity on either side, it is obviously true that there are more lines of text than one in many books and there are many books in the world and there are many worlds, and the whole universe contains them all. This suggests that as there are more galaxies and worlds than the eye can behold, there are also more words, more furrows, more lines, more fields, more worlds, and more verses to the song of Creation than mankind has ever conceived of.

It is never-ending.