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Hexameron on the dust of the earth
- Lemma
- Шестоднев о прахе земном
- Russian
- Saprykin, Dmitry
- Scientific theories and disciplines > Biology:evolution - Various approaches to the problem of correlation between science and theology
- 2011
- Солуха Максимиллиан [Author]. Hexameron on the dust of the earth.
- Шестоднев о прахе земном : Hexameron on the dust of the earth.
- Bible - interpretations - Genesis, Bible - emergent development
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The author of the book (M.Solukha is a pseudonym) apparently is Maria G. Petrushevskaya - biologist and paleontologist, doctor of biological sciences, recognized both here and abroad taxonomist and researcher of the history of oceanic plankton. The book’s goal is to reveal the teachings of the Holy Scripture and the Orthodox Church Holy Fathers on creation of the world in the light of the Paleobiology latest achievements.
The book has two sections. In the first section there is Scripture interpretation (with a wonderful explanation and comparison of the words’ meanings in Hebrew and in translations into Greek, Latin and Slavic languages), and quotations from the Church Fathers and Orthodox theologians. The second section contains vast scientific literature on the theory of evolution and Paleobiology. As for the scientific data, the author does not try to impose her ideas, but clearly, concisely, and correctly expounds various, often controversial points of view on many issues, leaving a reader a chance for reflection.
The author shows the unity of all alive on the Earth, the close similarity of genera and species, but also indicates their independent origin by the Creator’s will, thus supporting the main thesis of creationism: God created the world by stages. However the author breaks up many vulgar statements of contemporary pseudoscientific creationism by means of scientific facts and the Bible quotations, and builds up a balanced conception of life development on Earth, created by God.
The author managed to avoid preconceived interpretations both of the Scripture revelations and the scientific ideas. In the book, there are no explicit exaggerations to concord science and religion, attempts to "scientifically" justify in whatever way all the provisions of the Bible first chapters. The author’s aim was to identify those Bible provisions which
a) could easily be related to the modern scientific picture of the world,
b) those on which opinions differ, and there is a debate, and
c) those that remain undisclosed mystery for the mankind.
As for the so-called macro-evolution - the emergence of fundamentally new groups of plants and animals in Earth's history - the author's viewpoint is similar to the idea of emergent development (a term from the English “emergency” - sudden appearance, the appearance of new, set of circumstances, requiring decisive action, extreme). According to this conception the emergence of new biological systems in the planet history went explosively. The author suggests that these processes were not based on the well-known laws of natural science and were not reducible to them. That is why the emergence of a new could not be described in terms of science. Many famous scientists, such as J. Cuvier, N. Eldridge, S. Gould and O.G. Shindervolf, adhered to the conception of explosive changes in the Earth's history.
In general, the author makes a conclusion that all the major scientific discoveries of recent centuries relate to decrypt and validate those words that describe Days of Creation. All that is passed over in the Book of Genesis in silence: the Big Bang, the creation of chemical elements, the appearance of our planet, the appearance of water on its surface, the origin of life, the mechanism of speciation, the formation of the kingdoms, the types of orders of animals and plants; implementation of neuro-psychic activity, the creation of man, - remains a mystery of God's Creation.
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