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Chapter 2 - Geography
The Character of the Earth's Surface
It would be hardly just to dismiss the
struggle for geographical truth without referring to one passage more in the
history of the Protestant Church, for it shows clearly the difficulties in the
way of the simplest statement of geographical truth which conflicted with the
words of the sacred books.
In the year 1553 Michael Servetus was on trial for his life at Geneva on the
charge of Arianism. Servetus had rendered many services to scientific truth,
and one of these was an edition of Ptolemy's Geography, in which
Judea was spoken of, not as "a land flowing with milk and honey,"
but, in strict accordance with the truth, as, in the main, meagre, barren, and
inhospitable. In his trial this simple statement of geographical fact was used
against him by his arch-enemy John Calvin with fearful power. In vain did
Servetus plead that he had simply drawn the words from a previous edition of
Ptolemy; in vain did he declare that this statement was a simple geographical
truth of which there were ample proofs: it was answered that such language
"necessarily inculpated Moses, and grievously outraged the Holy
Ghost."
In summing up the action of the Church upon geography, we must say, then, that
the dogmas developed in strict adherence to Scripture and the conceptions held
in the Church during many centuries "always, every where, and by
all," were, on the whole, steadily hostile to truth; but it is only just
to make a distinction here between the religious and the theological spirit. To
the religious spirit are largely due several of the noblest among the great
voyages of discovery. A deep longing to extend the realms of Christianity
influenced the minds of Prince John of Portugal, in his great series of efforts
along the African coast; of Vasco da Gama, in his circumnavigation of the Cape
of Good Hope; of Magellan, in his voyage around the world; and doubtless found
a place among the more worldly motives of Columbus.
Thus, in this field, from the supremacy accorded to theology, we find resulting
that tendency to dogmatism which has shown itself in all ages the deadly foe
not only of scientific inquiry but of the higher religious spirit itself, while
from the love of truth for truth's sake, which has been the inspiration of all
fruitful work in science, nothing but advantage has ever resulted to religion.
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