Study Guide for Earth History CRST290: History of Life
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The Early Church
Ancient church we go right back to the beginnings of the ancient church after the completion of the New
Testament canon.
Clement of Rome- First Patristic Father writer. Lived and wrote between 90 and 100 A.D. Mentions Adam
and Genesis. He wrote a letter to the Corinthian church that Adam existed. He was the 1st human who
was the father of the human race.
Theophilus of Antioch-Died 183-185 A.D. After Clement Wrote to defend the Gospel. Christianity against
Greek philosophers who were critical of Creation origins has divinely given the expansion of the 6th day.
Autolycus-Idolater and Scorner of Christians who particularly were critical of the Christian holding to
Genesis as an account of origins. Was challenged by Theophilus who Defended and maintained that God
actually had created all things in 6 days' time and order stated. On the 4th day...luminaries knew what
they were going to say. He says Gen 2 as divinely given expansion. Literal tradition is evident and
extended. Produced by heavenly bodies.
Irenaeus 3rd century
Tertullian
Hippolytus of Rome – (3) Great Theologian's patristic age holds to the literal reading of (Gen 1-2) 3 other
great theologians and writers of the Patristic age who also very explicitly hold to a literal reading of the
text of Genesis.
Philo- Neoplatonism approached. Jew Iliad theodicy to primitive to take literally. Influenced by Greek
philosophy. Allegoric approach to the text Alternative stream to Genesis text Jew, not a Christian.
Influenced by Greek philosophy.
Clement of Alexandria- 2nd and 3rd Century Greek philosophy
Origen- followed Clement of Alexandria and didn’t take God 6 days to create heaven valued spiritual
sense above material. Greek philosophy Temporal expression valued spiritual above material. Human
origin corresponded to Adam as a spiritual being. Beneath God to take 6 days. Instantaneous. Adam was
pre-existent. Instant creation. Adam spiritual being only. Figurative approach early vs physical. Figurative
Basil of Caesarea- Literal reading of school of Antioch figurative
John Chrysostom- Great Preacher
Ambrose of Milan-
Alexandrian approach. Were days actual days: Spiritual over material? Allegorical approach literary
device
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Augustine- The allegorical approach did not depart from instant creation. Did not depart from the literal
approach. Ancient universe all believe God created less than 6k years since the world was created
Greco-Roman philosophies- The ancient universe world was 10k years old even allegorists 6k years The
Medieval Period- European theology mostly carried on with the Patristic streams of Genesis
interpretation and while the Genesis 1 and 2 accounts of the creation of Adam and Eve were commonly
understood to be a literal account of human origins, we do see in the medieval period proponents of
allegorical hermeneutics. Origine and Philo Allegorical-
The way this philosophy of interpretation had been transmitted by the theologians Augustan all at the
same time in the medieval period other medieval theologians continued to maintain a vibrant respect
for and commitment to the literal sense of the text of early Genesis in its entirety including the days of
creation and the account of human origins.
Bede English monk and scholar who lived from about the year 673 to 735 AD. He explicitly rejected a
primary allegorical reading of the days of creation. He criticized those who teach by loftier scrutiny that
everything which they read concerning the 1st 7 days is of necessity. beads description that the custom
was still in the early medieval period the mainstream of interpretation is a literal understanding of the
days.
Went on to argue that the approach of early church fathers like Clement of Rome Ambrose Basil and
Jerome was more exegetically compelling in maintaining a 24-hour 1st day of creation that began with
God's instantaneous exnilho creation of a not yet formed have been and earth will be it also how the
Genesis 2 was really an expanded creation account of the 6th day of Genesis one and he taught that
Adam and Eve were created both body and soul on the 6th day all in contrast.
Johannes Scotus Eriugena He lived from about 815 to 877 a.d. in contrast to be irregular. Both
influenced by Neoplatonism and taking medieval or patristic medieval allegorize to a new extent he
developed an allegorical hermeneutic that really in a sense liberated him from not only the time
parameters of the days but also the current knowledge he and the sequence of creation. He argued that
Adam and Eve had been created before all other things. He argued that before the fall Adam and Eve
had
no need of food sleep clothing or shelter. Contrast to Bede
Anselm Church Father Anselm and some especially known for his defense of the doctrine of its own.
Anselm was clearly appreciative of aspects of the literal reading of Genesis text. He was unclear he
stands as a mediating figure in some ways between the strong stream of allegorize that's developing the
figurative stream in the medieval period and the literal stream exemplified in Bede. Doctrine of the
atonement
Peter Lombard The period 1100-1200 had a clear literal approach to the text of Genesis. His great
theological work systematic theology expounded on the Genesis text he was very distinctive and clear
not only on the days of creation but that the 6 day was this marvelous work of God in creating man in
his
own image from the dust of the ground into Eve from Adam's rib.
Nicholas Lyra- was a great Nicholas Lyra who wrote a massive commentary on the whole of the Bible in
the late medieval period. Literal stream...
Robert Grosseteste- other theologians maintain the allegorical stream. Took less than six days
Thomas Aquinas maintained the allegorical stream for less than 6 days.
The Reformation- in the late medieval period as we noted in the last session there was a growth of
allegorical interpretation of Genesis and some of that allegorical interpretation quite radical and in
prioritising is sort of a spiritual creation of Adam above his material body and the Reformation there is a
remarkable and sweeping recovery of the literal sense reading of the text of Genesis creation
Allegorist states still believe that creation had taken place in less than 6 days no one believed that it had
taken more than this the
Literalists believe it took 6 days and the vast majority understood scripture to declare it temporally
immediate creation.
William Tyndale Tyndale who lived from around 49221536 recognized and promoted the value of this
recovery of the literal sense of scripture in general he viewed allegorical hermeneutics not only on early
Genesis but on the sweep of scripture as really denying or obscuring the literal and historical sense
meaning of scriptural tax Tyndall had this to say as he reflected on late medieval hermeneutics he said
they divide the scripture into 4 census the literal travel logical allegorical in a god tickle the literal sense
has become nothing at all for the pope has taken it clean away and made it his own possession he's
locked it up with false and counterfeited keys of his traditions ceremonies and famed lies and he drives
men from it by the violence of the sword no man can dare stand by the literal sense of the text but
under the protestation if it pleases the pope for origin then the doctors of his time drew all the
Scriptures into allegories whose example those that came afterwards followed so long. That they at last
forgot the order and process of the text supposing that the Scriptures serve to feign allegories on so
much so that 20 doctors expound one text 20 ways as children make desk can on plainsong William
Tyndale was saying that in his day as he looked in the late medieval period early Reformation period
looked at the way Scripture was interpreted because of allegorical interpretations you could take any one
text and 20 different theologians would interpret it in 20 different ways they've lost the historical-
grammatical exegetical approach to Scripture that placed a priority on the literal sense of the text
according to its literary genre where William Tyndale recovery of this was in concert with that of the
other reformers
Martin Luther-Martin Luther began his studies and preach scene in recovery of the literal sense of the
text in this had a profound impact in the Reformation on the doctrine of justification and understanding
who Christ the doctrines of grace was but also his understanding of Genesis and creation Martin Luther
was very much committed to a literal sense interpretation of the days of Genesis
Ulrich Zwingli -the same in swing only in Heinrich Bullen Ger John Calvin the theologian of Geneva did
the same as he expounded the text of Genesis and preached through Genesis recovering a literal sense
interpretation of the text and seeing this as fitting with the rich patterns of the theology of scripture and
pointing to the person and work of Jesus Christ. One of Calvin students was a man named limber No he
studied at the Academy of Geneva and later on went to teach of the University of Leiden he was
intrigued by the relationship of scripture and science really desired to develop as a natural philosopher
and as an exit what he called a mosaic.
Heinrich Bullinger
John Calvin
Lambert Daneau- followed literal stream One of Calvin students He studied at the Academy of Geneva
and later on went to teach of the University of Leiden he was intrigued by the relationship of scripture
and science really desired to develop as a natural philosopher and as an exit what he called a mosaic
physics drawing together the teaching of Genesis 1 and 2with existing science to try to create an
explicitly Christian natural philosophy or philosophy of creation well done no like Calvin followed a literal
sense interpretation of early Genesis he said this as it is to be granted that Moses spoke simply so it
cannot be proved that he spoke or wrote lyingly falsely or ignorantly of these things he spoke simply but
truly barely but rightly commonly but purely Some are of the opinion that all those things which he
wrote in the 1st chapter of Genesis are to be interpreted allegorically so neither do the
Westminster Confession of Faith; Larger Catechism- explicit in noting God's work of creation as
occurring within or in the space of 6 days and Adam and Eve especially created in God's image from the
dust of the ground from the rib on the 6th day as the 1st parents of all humanity many commentators
English Puritans German Lutherans Dutch Reformed early Anabaptists and Baptists
English Puritans, German and Scandinavian Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Scottish Presbyterians,
Anabaptists, English Baptists. Were all holding to a literal interpretation of the text however at the same
time on the margins of Protestantism and in Roman Catholicism and new challenges were beginning to
rise challenges which were in part descended from the earlier allegorical streams evident in patristic and
medieval theologians but also challenges which were arising from beginning to read pagan chronologies
of the earth an
CHAPTER ONE NOTES:
The maximum human lifetime listed in Scripture (Methuselah at 969 years; Gen. 5:27)
Individual human lifetimes are shorter than the age of the creation by at least an order of magnitude,2
and humanity itself arose after the beginning of the creation. Man was not present at the creation of
anything created before man himself was created.3 And since humans were created late in the creation
(Day 6 in a six-day creation), many origination events occurred before man was present. Humans,
therefore, both individually and corporately, have time constraints that make them poor eyewitnesses
for origins studies. But a person must be more than just present to be a good eyewitness. The individual
also must be capable of accurately observing the pertinent aspects of the event, correctly remembering
the information, then reliably passing on that information.
Humans have limitations at each level:
(1)We can detect only a limited range of sights, sounds, tastes, and smells. (2) Our senses receive
more perceivable information than they can detect and transfer to the brain. (3) Our brains can
process and store only a finite amount of information. (4) We have physiological limitations, such
as blind spots in the eye. (5) The finiteness of language further limits our ability to express
information.
Calvin followed a literal sense interpretation of early Genesis he said this as it is to be granted
that Moses spoke simply so it cannot be proved that he spoke or wrote lyingly falsely or
ignorantly of these things he spoke simply but truly barely but rightly commonly but purely
Some are of the opinion that all those things which he wrote in the 1st chapter of Genesis are to
be interpreted allegorically so neither do they think that those 6 days are the space of time
neither indeed that the woman was made from Adam's rib which opinion if it's true
Richard Miller says it was because they believe there's a regenerative view of the created order which by
the grace of God and with the aid of scripture recognizes the revelation of God in the created order for
what it is only the regenerate who have learned from scripture can go back to creation and find there
the truth of God So for the reformers committing themselves to a literal Genesis
