Appendix F

LEONHARD EULER AND HIS DEFENSE OF THE BIBLE

Euler is considered the greatest mathematician of his time,

in what is now known as the Age of Enlightenment. A contemporary

of the French philosopher, Francois Voltaire, Euler helped put

Russia and Berlin at the forefront of mathematical and scientific

studies. He strengthened the many sub-disciplines of mathematics,

such as geometry and calculus, and he opened up other sub-

disciplines such as topology and number theory. He made immense

contribution to optics, astronomy, ship-building, actuarial

statistics, and gunnery.

Leonhard Euler was born in Basel, Switzerland on April 17,

1707, to Paul and Margaret. Paul Euler III was a Protestant

pastor in the Reformed-Calvinistic tradition. Paul would have

wanted his firstborn, Leonhard, to serve in the Christian

ministry. Leonhard studied the Bible and theology, among other

subjects, at the university of Basel. His tutor, the great

mathematician Jakob Bernoulli, convinced Paul to allow his son

tread a different path.

Leonhard thus went on to master the physics and mathematics

available to him. Yet, he did not leave his Reformed piety

behind. Every night Euler gathered his family, and the students

and research assistants living with them, for Bible reading,

defended the divine origin of the Bible against Voltaire and

other intellectuals who ridiculed Christianity. He also authored

three books explaining scientific ideas in a manner graspable by

non-specialists, pausing every now and then to tie the ideas

seamlessly with his biblical worldview. These three “popular

science” volumes were translated into several languages and saw

many published editions, making Euler and his intelligent faith

known throughout Europe.

Euler was a faithful family man and friend. Unlike Newton,

he was not vindictive or cruel. Unlike Gauss, he published his

work early for verification and critique. When Euler was wronged

or passed by for promotion, he did not retaliate or complained.

Euler supported his associates in the academy and acknowledged

the contribution of present and previous thinkers. Once, he and

Daniel Bernoulli were working independently on the same topic. He

refrained from publishing his work ahead of the other

mathematician so that the latter could receive the credit for the

discovery.

Euler was baptized a baby in Basel and was buried an old

blind man in Russia. He was a humble, joyful man whose Christian

faith was true and big enough to receive the proper contributions

of good science and math.

Many thinkers during the so-called Age of Enlightenment,

such as Voltaire and Diderot (whom Euler treated with respect and

honor) spoke unfavorably of Christianity. No doubt Euler heard

the arguments and ridicules when he was in Berlin for Voltaire, a

sworn enemy of the Christian faith, was there, too, at the court

of Frederick II. The “freethinkers” who questioned the Bible

exerted influence in many European cities and urban areas.

Against them Euler took the pen and wrote A Defense of the

Revelation Against the Objections of Freethinkers.

By “revelation,” Euler had in mind what God revealed of

himself and of his will in the Bible. Europeans in Euler’s time

were not yet questioning the existence of God. For them, the

existence of the Divine Being was a given. The issue for the

urban intellectuals was the divine origin and authority of the

Bible. In his published defense composed of fifty-three tightly-

argued paragraphs, Euler started out with what he held

philosophically in common with the freethinkers. He did not start

with statements from the Bible, for its divine status was the

center of debate. Instead, he began with the common ground he

shared with them in order to show them that where they stood led

to and was explicable only within the fact of a God-given Bible.

Euler discussed the common ground in paragraphs 1-18. It was

accepted that the soul has the faculty of understanding and the
faculty of the will. The soul is happiest when its knowledge

(understanding) and action (will) are perfect. Perfect

understanding comes in knowing the good and the truth. Since God

is truth and he made all things in perfect wisdom, one grows in

the direction of perfection as one gets to know more of God and

his works. As one knows who God is and what good is, he in turn

discerns what is evil. Also, perfect will comes in the knowing

and doing of our duties. Because God is supremely wise and

perfect, the duties he requires of us are good and lead to the

soul’s happiness. Indeed, we are truly blessed when our inner

being and outside behavior cohere with the divine precepts.

Violating our God-given duties is rebellion against God and

consequently earns just punishment; to deny this is foolishness

and blasphemy.

Starting in paragraph 11, and continuing with the common

ground, Euler described the difficulties in the soul’s attainment

of happiness. First, as one studies human history, one notes that

wrong ideas about God and his will abounded. Second, corrupt

passions prevent man from doing what is right. As the faculty of

understanding absorbs more truth, the faculty of will does not

necessarily grow in strength in the performance of duties. The

opposite is true: knowledge without virtue makes the human will

more weak and depraved. This fact opens to the possibility of

us.

To show his kindness to us, God must save us from the human

calamity from which we cannot extricate ourselves and necessarily

reveal his saving will, and that revelation is the Bible

(paragraphs 19-22). Freethinkers set aside the Bible for its lack

of pomp; Euler saw the lack as manifesting the divine origin of

the Bible, for pomposity and power displays do not heal or reform

the wicked human faculty of will.

Instead, the distinct attributes marking the divine origin

of the Bible would be manifest to those who sincerely want to

improve their will: the love of God and man as the motivation for

virtue (paragraphs 23-27), the providence of God as the

environment for cultivating virtue (paragraphs 28-31), and the

incontestable fact of the resurrection of Christ (32-37).

There are difficulties in the Bible and things in it that

people can disagree with. But such is also the case with science,

mathematics and other fields of knowledge, but people do not

thereby throw away science or math (38-43). In fact, all possible

objections to the Bible have already been answered. But

freethinkers continue to rail because they are not motivated by

true reason but by impure malice (44-53).

Euler ended his defense thus: “However, I hope with all my

heart that these reflections will be the salvation of some people

path those who had the imprudence and misfortune to listen to

dangerous ideas.” With these closing words Euler the

mathematician became Euler the Christian minister, one who wanted

to rescue people from perdition, not one who merely wanted to win

an argument.