Annotated Bibliography: Key Sources in Astrophysics and Patristics

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1. Edwin Hubble, The Realm of the Nebulae (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1936).
    Groundbreaking empirical demonstration of universal expansion, foundational to contemporary cosmological models and theological reflection on creation.

2. Planck Collaboration, “Planck 2024 Results: Cosmological Parameters,” Astronomy & Astrophysics 686 (2024): A1–A80.
    Latest statistical analysis of cosmic microwave background data, providing the most refined constraints on key parameters shaping contemporary cosmology.

3. Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (New York: Bantam Books, 1988).
    Integrates singularity theorems, quantum mechanics, and philosophical questions of existence, influencing both scientific and theological debates.

4. Vera Rubin, “Rotation of the Andromeda Nebula from a Spectroscopic Survey of Emission Regions,” Astrophysical Journal 159 (1970): 379–403.
    Pioneering study of galactic rotation, empirically substantiating the existence of dark matter and reshaping conceptions of cosmic structure.

5. James Webb Space Telescope Science Team, “First Observations of High-Redshift Galaxy Candidates,” Nature Astronomy 8 (2024): 121–134.
    Recent peer-reviewed analyses of JWST data, providing unprecedented insight into early galaxy formation and cosmic evolution.

6. Andrea Ghez et al., “The Galactic Center Massive Black Hole and Nuclear Star Cluster,” Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 58 (2020): 205–245.
    Seminal work on the Milky Way’s central black hole, combining empirical discovery with philosophical reflection on cosmic origins.

7. Roger Penrose, The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe (New York: Knopf, 2004).
    Explores the mathematical foundations of physical reality, providing philosophical resources for both scientists and theologians.

8. Pew Research Center, “Religion Among Scientists in International Context: 2023 Survey Results,” Washington, D.C. (2023).
    Statistical analysis of religious belief among scientists, highlighting contemporary trends in science-faith engagement.

9. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry (New York: W. W. Norton, 2017).
    Accessible account of modern cosmology, engaging with the metaphysical limits and existential significance of scientific inquiry.

10. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, trans. Henry Chadwick (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991).
     Theological meditation on creation, time, and desire, foundational to Western Christian metaphysics and spirituality.

11. Augustine of Hippo, City of God, trans. Henry Bettenson (London: Penguin, 2003).
     Presents the created order as a reflection of divine wisdom, integrating theology, philosophy, and science.

12. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, trans. John Behr (Yonkers, NY: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2011).
     Develops a theology of the natural world as a locus for divine self-disclosure, linking Christology and cosmology.

13. Basil the Great, Hexaemeron, trans. Agnes Clare Way (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1963).
     Patristic commentary on Genesis, illustrating the synthesis of scriptural exegesis and empirical observation.

14. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and the Resurrection, trans. Catherine P. Roth (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1993).
     Philosophical and eschatological reflection on time, space, and ultimate destiny, bridging metaphysics and faith.

15. Journal of Early Christian Studies, vol. 32, no. 1 (2024).
     Current thematic scholarship examining the engagement of early Christian theology with contemporary cosmological and philosophical debates.

16. Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks, trans. G.W. Butterworth (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1919).
     Engages logos theology and cosmic order, drawing connections between Greco-Roman philosophy and early Christian doctrine.

17. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis, trans. Robert C. Hill (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1986).
     Exegesis on the wisdom of creation, integrating pastoral theology and cosmology.

18. Maximus the Confessor, Ambigua, trans. Nicholas Constas (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2014).
     Articulates cosmic Christology and the integration of creation within the divine economy.

 

Notes

¹ Planck Collaboration, “Planck 2024 Results,” A&A 686 (2024): A1–A80.
² Hubble, Realm of the Nebulae, 1936.
³ Planck Collaboration, 2024.
⁴ Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988.
⁵ Rubin, “Rotation of the Andromeda Nebula,” Astrophysical Journal 159 (1970): 379–403.
⁶ Tyson, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, 2017.
⁷ James Webb Space Telescope Science Team, Nature Astronomy 8 (2024): 121–134.
⁸ Augustine, Confessions, 1991.
⁹ Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 2011.
¹⁰ Basil, Hexaemeron, 1963.
¹¹ Journal of Early Christian Studies, 32, no. 1 (2024).
¹² McGrath, The Territories of Human Reason, 2019.
¹³ Penrose, The Road to Reality, 2004.
¹⁴ Gregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and the Resurrection, 1993.
¹⁵ Ghez et al., Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 58 (2020): 205–245.
¹⁶ Pew Research Center, “Religion Among Scientists,” 2023.
¹⁷ Hubble, 1936.
¹⁸ Hawking, 1988.
¹⁹ Penrose, 2004.
²⁰ Augustine, City of God, 2003.
²¹ Basil, 1963.
²² Gregory of Nyssa, 1993.
²³ Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks, 1919.
²⁴ Basil, 1963.
²⁵ Hawking, 1988.
²⁶ Augustine, Confessions, 1991.