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

The Structure of Theological Revolutions (December 12, 2016)

Theology develops over time—it seems obvious to me, but I have friends who disagree. Every theological doctrine has a history, beginning with the first person to think it and describe it, and then it is refined over centuries by many others. Hans Küng keenly compares the development of theology to the development […]

Related: Augustine, Copernicus, Einstein, Hans Küng, Models, Newton, science, Theological Revolutions, theology, Theology for the Third Millennium, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Kuhn