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The Waters Above the Firmament

An Exemplary Case of Faith-Reason Conflict

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Dino Boccaletti

    1. Roma, Italy

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  • Examines interpretations of the waters above the firmament, described in the book of Genesis, across fifteen centuries

  • Considers why the subject did not become an example of faith–reason conflict for so long

  • Written in a readily accessible style throughout

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Table of contents (4 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. The Waters above the Firmament in the Early Centuries of the Christian Era

    • Dino Boccaletti
    Pages 1-31

  3. The Waters Above the Firmament in the Culture of the Middle Ages

    • Dino Boccaletti
    Pages 33-88

  4. The Waters above the Firmament in the Commentaries on Genesis in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

    • Dino Boccaletti
    Pages 89-111

  5. The Firmament and the Water Above. Fourteen Centuries of Genesis Exegeses

    • Dino Boccaletti
    Pages 113-118

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 119-121
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Keywords

About this book

This book addresses an emblematic case of a potential faith-reason, or faith-science, conflict that never arose, even though the biblical passage in question runs counter to simple common sense. Within the context of Western culture, when one speaks of a faith-science conflict one is referring to cases in which a “new” scientific theory or the results of empirical research call into question what the Bible states on the same subject. Well-known examples include the Copernican theory of planetary motion and the Darwinian theory of evolution. The passage considered in this book, concerning the “waters above the firmament” in the description of the creation in the first book of Genesis, represents a uniquely enlightening case. The author traces the interpretations of this passage from the early centuries of the Christian era to the late Renaissance, and discusses them within their historical context. In the process, he also clarifies the underlying cosmogonic model. Throughout this period, only exegetes belonging to various religious orders discussed the passage’s meaning. The fact that it was never debated within the lay culture explains its non-emergence as a faith-reason conflict. A fascinating and highly accessible work, this book will appeal to a broad readership.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Roma, Italy

    Dino Boccaletti

About the author

Dino Boccaletti (born in 1936) has been a researcher in various fields of theoretical physics (elementary particles, general relativity, relativistic astrophysics, celestial mechanics). He was Professor of Celestial Mechanics in the Department of Mathematics at Sapienza University of Rome until October 31, 2008. Since his retirement he has published papers and books on the history of science.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Waters Above the Firmament

  • Book Subtitle: An Exemplary Case of Faith-Reason Conflict

  • Authors: Dino Boccaletti

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44168-5

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-44167-8Published: 17 March 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-44170-8Published: 17 March 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-44168-5Published: 16 March 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 121

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: History of Science, Medieval Philosophy, Biblical Studies, History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics

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