Theories of the Earth
Thomas Burnet’s ‘Sacred Theory’
Title Page and Frontispiece
Stages of the Earth’s Development
• Chaos. A turbulent mixture of water, earth, etc.
• Paradise. A smooth sphere of fertile soil, with
the waters (waiting) beneath.
• The Flood. Brought about by natural
(‘secondary’) causes, even though it served a
Divine purpose. The soil dried out, cracked and
foundered in the depths.
• The Present (a wreck…). The natural world
seen as in decay, mountains seen as horrible &
threatening rather than beautiful. Explanations
of various geological phenomena are offered
here.
The Changes to Come
• Destruction by Fire. Armageddon & coal
fires. A link between volcanoes & the
Catholic Church.
• Paradise Restored.
• The Earth becomes a star.
The Relationship between Religion
and Science
At this point (late 17th Century) the idea that
science and religion could wind up in
opposition to each other is strongly
resisted:
No “truth concerning the natural world
cannot be an Enemy to Religion; for Truth
cannot be an Enemy to Truth, God is not
divided against Himself”
Two Books
• One important tradition in Christian
theology emphasizes the notion that we
have received two principle sources of
knowledge, in effect two books:
• The bible, of course, is one.
• The world is the other.
• Burnet clearly belongs to this tradition.
Push-back
• Other views of the present earth:
Providential accounts of the present state
of the earth are coupled with more
generous aesthetic opinions.
• In particular, a more positive take on
mountains begins to emerge (for example,
in the work of John Ray– an important
English naturalist.)
A Wider Concern
• For some, the act of mixing scientific ideas and
explanations with the stories of Genesis was
itself sacrilegious.
• But similar views and alternative positions
continued to emerge despite the condemnations
(and ridicule) Burnet encountered.
• Still, the attempt to bring scripture and
scientific/causal stories together clearly caused
serious difficulties for Burnet.
Where to from here?
• Others would take a different tack, treating the
scientific story in its own terms, without any
direct attempt to link it to the bible.
• But efforts to link the two remained significant in
geology up until the diluvialists of the early
nineteenth century.
• The main leader of the Diluvialists (Buckland)
finally recanted around 1830, declaring the
attempt to link geological evidence to the flood
“A scientific heresy”. But we have a few more
stories to tell before we get there.