Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
the sea overflowed, rain fell incessantly. Rivers dumped eroded soil into the sea, making it
overflow all the more. In other words, Steno gathered the floodwaters from everywhere he
could—sea, sky, and the subterranean abyss. While much of what he deduced about how
rocks form and how fossils become part of them stood the test of time, his interpretation of
the geologic history of the Tuscan landscape did not.
This would not have bothered him. Steno viewed science as a spiritual endeavor, a quest
for better understanding God and better interpreting scripture. Seeing humility as import-
ant in both science and religion, he eventually became disillusioned with his colleagues'
petty rivalries, arrogance, and lust for fame and converted to Catholicism on All Souls'
Day, November 2, 1667.
For months he had been agonizing over whether to abandon his native faith and join the
Catholic Church, troubled by the problem that Protestants and Catholics alike were con-
vinced that theirs was the one true faith. Both could not be right. The dichotomy of these
two worldviews haunted Steno and eventually led to a life-changing decision. The root of
his angst was the inclination of Protestants toward literal interpretation of the Bible versus
the allegorical and metaphorical lens Catholics used to address obscure passages and in-
ternal inconsistencies. And which version of the Bible was authoritative—Hebrew, Greek,
or Latin? Not trusting standard translations, Steno applied his analytic powers to com-
pare the theological claims of Protestants and Catholics against original Hebrew and Greek
manuscripts in the Medici library.
In the end, however, it was not rigorous scholarship that convinced him to convert but
a chance event while walking down a Florence street. Meditating on the issue, he heard a
woman from an open window call for him to cross over to the other side. In addition to the
implied warning about what she was about to toss out onto the street below, he interpreted
this as a sign from God.
He converted, became a priest, took a vow of poverty, and gave up his studies as a sac-
rifice to God. Equal parts genius and saint, he routinely gave his money to the poor and
often went without food himself, sometimes by choice or because he was too broke to buy
it. He annoyed wealthy parishioners and fellow clergy by vociferously advocating for the
poor, even selling his bishop's ring to help feed the hungry. When Steno died in 1686 his
worldly possessions consisted of a few worn-out garments. Three centuries later, in 1988,
