Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
flexible thinking in reasoning about the nature of the world. To him, one could make sense
of natural and physical phenomena so long as one had a keen eye and a curious mind.
To Augustine, the most compelling evidence for a global flood was the widespread oc-
currence of plant and animal remains in rocks. Fossils seemed to tell the story as plainly as
the Bible. Far more interesting and controversial were questions about the symbolic mean-
ings and significance of Noah's story.
Augustine's contemporary, Saint Jerome, translated the Bible into Latin and institution-
alized allegorical interpretations. Jerome also extolled the virtues of thoughtful reasoning
in understanding scripture. Holding Earth's disrupted, broken, and twisted crust as eviden-
ce of God's wrath, he considered literal interpretation of the Bible as shallow reasoning.
Jerome cemented within the church a tradition of considering literal interpretations for the
illiterate masses and allegory for more advanced minds—that is, the clergy. For a thousand
years it was the clergy's job to offer deeper and more meaningful interpretations for those
lacking the interest, commitment, or intellect to take on the task. Eventually, the tide shif-
ted when Martin Luther led the sixteenth-century Protestant rebellion against an elite, al-
legorically minded priesthood, reclaiming the banner of biblical interpretation for the more
literal-minded.
Jerome's translation of Genesis introduced unintended fodder for conflicting interpreta-
tions when he chose to translate the Hebrew word “adamah” to Latin as
terra
, “earth,” in-
stead of
humus
, “soil.” His choice of earth instead of soil for this passage (Genesis 3:17) in
the Latin Bible sparked debate about whether God cursed the whole planet or just the fields
tilled by man. If earth meant soil, then Adam's punishment consisted of having to work
the land for a living. But if God cursed Earth itself, then perhaps topography was a mani-
festation of divine vengeance, the lasting signature of a world-shattering catastrophe. This
(mis)translation would greatly influence fellow Christians who believed in the ongoing de-
generation of both humanity and the world following Adam and Eve's fall from grace.
Both Jewish and early Christian traditions held that mountains formed after God created
the world, which initially was a more perfect form, like a sphere or an egg. Some held that
God scooped out the ocean basins and piled up the spoils to form continents and mountains
a couple of days before he created people. Others thought that topography arose from sin
but argued over the timing. Perhaps God inflicted the inconvenience of mountains to pun-
