The Reformer’s Ptolemaic Cosmology: An Example from John Calvin’s Commentary on Genesis 1 (March 15, 2019)

John Calvin, Martin Luther and the other sixteenth century reformers held to a Ptolemaic cosmology, which placed the earth at the center of the universe, surrounded by about a dozen celestial spheres. The innermost spheres closest to earth correspond to the four elements (earth, water, air, and fire). The heaviest […]

Related: Accommodation, Accommodation to the Ordinary Custom of Men, astronomy, Commentary on Genesis, Copernicus, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Moses, Nicolaus Copernicus

John Calvin on Genesis 1 as an Accommodation to the Ordinary Custom of Men (January 27, 2014)

How are we to understand the two famous Creation narratives in Genesis 1-2, considering the scientific knowledge we have of the cosmos today? If we were to read Genesis 1-2 as a straightforward scientific account, we'd come to conclude that the Sun is the greatest luminary in the cosmos, and […]

Related: Accommodation, Accommodation to the Ordinary Custom of Men, Ancient Near East, Commentary on Genesis, Cosmology, creation, Darwinism, Evolution, John Calvin, Moses, Ordinary Custom of Men