Ancient Wisdom, Religious Authority and Early Geology

Eighteenth-century geological writings frequently contain quotations and allusions to ancient works, including both biblical and classical sources. This paper will explore the significance of these textual allusions in light of widespread notions of ancient wisdom, both pagan and Christian. Many writers regarded ancient wisdom as a potential source of relevant evidence for reconstructing the history of the Earth. For some Christians, the notion of an ancient wisdom could be used to defend the authority of the Bible, while for other Christians ancient wisdom constituted a pagan revelation in competition to the Bible. This tension is evident in the roles played by ancient biblical and classical sources in writings about the Earth. Moreover, given an extensive cultural respect for the authority of ancient wisdom, deists as well as Christians cited the Bible alongside classical pagan sources. The presence of biblical allusions in any early geological work therefore fails as an indicator of apologetic motives or orthodox Christian belief. The more complex and subtle significance of biblical and classical idiom for the development of historical thinking about the Earth, and the implications of ancient idiom for understanding the relations between religion and early geology, will be discussed with reference to the work of several writers from Thomas Burnet (1635-1715) to Charles Lyell (1797-1895).