Colour, Light and the Rainbow ( a Scientific and Biblical Look)

Colour, Light and the Rainbow

I’ve been reading a little about Physics lately ( an altogether new thing for me) and I was very excited when I came across the Electromagnetic Spectrum; that is,  the spectrum of energy-transferring waves from the highest frequency and shortest wavelengths on one side (Gamma Rays) to the exact opposite on the other (Radio Waves).   Right in the middle is what we know as “Visible Light”, and this is what really spiked my interest because I’ve always been fascinated with Light and Colour – both from a scientific perspective and from a spiritual one (i.e. what the Bible says about light -  Jesus said “I am the Light of the world.” And it has always intrigued me that in the creation sequence of Genesis, God created Light before He created the Sun.)

“White” light was originally thought to be the fundamental colour of light until Isaac Newton proved that white light entering a prism is refracted into different colours . The exact colours, in fact, that are in the Rainbow – you know the old “ROYGBIV” we learned in school ( red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet)?

These colours are, in fact, just different wavelengths – red having the longest wavelengths and violet the shortest. The cones (light-sensitive cells) in our eyes pick up three primary colours of light – red, green and blue. All colours we see are a mix of these base colours.

(Note: You will notice that in paints there is a different set of primary colours:  Red, Blue and Yellow or,  even more scientifically accurate: Magenta, Cyan and Yellow - now you know why your printer ink cartridges have these weird colour names on them !)

Back to light and colour now though – prepared to have your mind blown: When you shine one of each of the primary light colours (Red, Green and Blue) against a white wall, at the point where all three intersect you will get…wait for it… white light! How cool is that?

So all of this set me up to start looking at the phenomenon known as the rainbow more closely. I’ve always been intrigued by rainbows ( not as much as that guy on youtube but still..) and so I studied a bit more about them.

Webster’s definition first of all:

1

: an arc or circle that exhibits in concentric bands the colors of the spectrum and that is formed opposite the sun by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in raindrops, spray, or mist

When viewing a rainbow ( and there are different types mind you), we usually see seven distinct colours – however it is interesting to realize that the spectrum is actually all continuous changing colour.

Rainbows have been in the fabric of popular culture for a very long time. Whether it’s the leprechaun trying to hide his pot of gold at its end ( and the end of a rainbow, of course, doesn’t exist except optically) or Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz looking for a place “where there isn’t any trouble” queuing  the musical number “Somewhere Over the rainbow”.  

Aristotle was the first to really study the nature of it and Newton solidified the science of it.

But as I said, in addition to the beautiful science of it all, I wanted to see what the Bible said about it as well. In Genesis chapter 9 we read that Noah and his family have stepped off the Ark and God is about to establish a covenant (or promise) , not only with Noah, but with all humanity forever.

The promise is that He will never again destroy the sinfulness of man with a worldwide flood and the sign of this promise? The rainbow. (I realize many will not take this account as literal but that is up to you. I for one, based on all my studies and experiences with the Bible and about the Bible, do).

Gen 9:16 "The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

Imagine that – when we look upon a rainbow, God is looking upon it to.

 

As we look further into the Bible, we realize that this is part of a much larger and central promise of the Old Testament  - not to just not destroy the earth by water but , in fact, to SAVE the earth… by blood. His own.  That is what is played out years later at Calvary, the hill of Golgotha, where Jesus the Christ saved the world on the cross. Though, spiritually speaking,  He may have saved the world, it is still up to each individual whether they would believe Him and have His salvation.

Back to definitions for a moment. We have seen the English definition, now let’s look a little at the Hebrew and Greek words.

The Hebrew word qesheth means simply “A Bow” . An archer’s bow or an arc and , figuratively, it speaks of might and power (Gen 49:24). It is interesting that in Genesis God refers to it as “My bow” …“ in the cloud”. Apart from the ninth chapter of Genesis the rainbow is also referred to in the books of Ezekiel (1:28)  and Revelation (4:3 and 10:1)

Now here’s where things get really interesting – the Greek word for rainbow?   Iris.

Now we know this name for the flower ( referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species of Iris. *wik) and of course the coloured part of our eye , “ the opaque contractile diaphragm perforated by the pupil and forming the colored portion of the eye” *wik.

Again, how cool is that? – the coloured part of our eyes was named after the rainbow (and its colour).

What you may not know is that Iris was  also a goddess in Greek mythology who personified the rainbow (the goddess of the rainbow) and acted as a messenger between Heaven and Earth. Iris linked the gods with humanity (reminding me of God’s original purpose in Genesis).

So when all is said and done, the science, Biblical significance, culture significance and etymology of the “rainbow” is a fascinating topic.

In both Greco-Roman and Norse mythology, the rainbow was considered a path or bridge from the gods to humanity.  In light of our Bible study, we see the rainbow as a smaller picture of the way to Heaven and the mediator between God and humanity – Jesus Christ.

Science and faith were never meant to be separated but rather to fuel each other’s growth.  And Light, Colour and the Rainbow is a wonderful example of that to me.

                                         The Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo