The same letter of Ray's to Lhwyd in 1695 that I posted recently goes on to explain Ray's feelings about the new flood theories that were being promoted in the late 1600s and some observations on fossils.   The letter reveals Ray's reading of the prevailing interpretation of the flood narratives of Genesis in his day. ... Continue Reading →
The following quote is by John Ray from a correspondence with Mr. Edward Lhwyd on April 8 1695.  The quote is from a publication of Ray's letters called the Further Correspondence of John Ray Edited by Robert W. T. Gunther and printed for the Ray Society in 1928. I need to set the scene for... Continue Reading →
I am working my way through John Walton's Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology and really enjoying it. I would say that if you are already familiar with his writing this book may leave you wishing for more as I was hoping for a greater expansion of his ideas outlined in The Lost World of Genesis... Continue Reading →
Here at Naturalis Historia we hope to bring a greater awareness of the importance of science and religion in the 17th and 18th century. A time when many discoveries were being made that impacted our views of the earth and its history.  Such an emphasis may unintentionally perpetuate the myth that the Middle Ages where... Continue Reading →
The worlds largest rock tumbler? This story caught my eye this morning.  GSA press release - The Strange Rubbing Boulders of the Atacama. It seems that every other day I read about some place on earth that has a strange story to tell and usually that story is difficult to understand without an earth that... Continue Reading →
Can cancer become an infectious disease? Usually with think of cancer as limited to the individual in whom the cancer formed. But what if cancerous cells could infect other individuals. Here is a link to a story on the sad case of what happens when cancer "learns" to infect more than one individual: BBC News... Continue Reading →
A note on Genesis 1:21 and the creation of the great sea creature From page 328 of the 2011 translation of Cotton Mather’s Biblia Americana vol 1 we find the following question and answer: “Q. What are the Creatures intended in the Original, where our Translation reads, Great Whales? V.21. A. Job Ludolphus ha’s demonstrated,... Continue Reading →
PART 5: Â GENESIS 1 WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE PENTATEUCH AND COVENANTS Summary:Â Genesis 1 is all about the covenant with God's people and the land he promised them. In the future I will be presenting the views of a number of natural historians/theologians and pastors from the late 17th and early 18th century... Continue Reading →
An interesting new resource for research into 17th century natural history has been made available this year in the form of the first of what will be 10 volumes of the monumental work Biblia American by Cotton Mather (1663-1928).   The first volume coves this American puritan's commentary on Genesis.  Unfortunately the book is rather expensive... Continue Reading →
I can't go into all the issues that Sailhamer interacts with but I will try to hit some of the ones that are most important in distinguishing his ideas from some others. Most of these will be explored in separate posts over the next few weeks. 1)     What is the meaning of the phrase "tohu... Continue Reading →
John Walton's follow-up book to The Lost World of Genesis 1 is finally out.   I have ordered my copy and will be providing a review and excerpts in the near future.   This book was promised two years ago and many people, including myself, have been waiting for what has been pitched as the scholarly update... Continue Reading →
The following quote is from page 152 of the 1735 edition of Wisdom of God, Ray's best known book.  He is bemoaning the fact that so few professors have any experience from observation but appear to be content with the knowledge of the past which they have gained from books. Let us not suffice us... Continue Reading →
Perspicuity, Exegetical Populism, and Tolerance: A Reply to G. I. Williamson - Reformation21 Blog. by William B. Evans Double posting today only because I thought this short article was worth receiving more press. Below is a small portion from this article linked above that discusses Christian liberty and the tolerance of different eschatological views withing... Continue Reading →
John Sailhamer calls his interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 Historical Creationism. He distinguishes it from the Scientific Creationism which he sees as starting with the assumption that "modern science holds the answer to the meaning of the biblical text."Â Â A:Â Overview A brief summary of the Historical Creationism thesis of John Sailhmer is... Continue Reading →
The questions we are faced when we seek to interpret Genesis 1 and 2. Before diving into Sailhamer’s book, Genesis Unbound we need to lay out a list of some questions concerning the meaning of Genesis 1 and 2 that any consistent interpretation of this text must be address. This is far from a comprehensive... Continue Reading →
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