Augustine Eriugena
Encyclopedia
De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae (in English: On the miraculous things in sacred scripture) is a Latin treatise written around 655 by an anonymous Irish
writer and philosopher known as Augustinus Hibernicus or the Irish Augustine.
The author's nickname is in reference to the philosopher Augustine of Hippo
. This "Augustine" was born in Ireland sometime in the first half of the seventh century and is noted especially for his natural philosophy
.
Around the year 655 he wrote a treatise
called De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae. It has long been regarded as an exceptional work, in that it demonstrates a strictly scientific
approach in the matter of making direct observations of nature and subjecting them to a strictly logical interpretation.
His treatise seeks to explain each miracle in the Scriptures as an extreme case of phenomena, yet still within the laws of nature. Augustine also gives a list of the terrestrial
mammals of Ireland
, and solves the problem of how they reached Ireland
after the flood of Noah
by proposing a solution – hundreds of years ahead of its time – that the island had been cut off from continental Europe by marine erosion.
Secondary literature
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
writer and philosopher known as Augustinus Hibernicus or the Irish Augustine.
The author's nickname is in reference to the philosopher Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
. This "Augustine" was born in Ireland sometime in the first half of the seventh century and is noted especially for his natural philosophy
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature , is a term applied to the study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science...
.
Around the year 655 he wrote a treatise
Treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...
called De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae. It has long been regarded as an exceptional work, in that it demonstrates a strictly scientific
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
approach in the matter of making direct observations of nature and subjecting them to a strictly logical interpretation.
His treatise seeks to explain each miracle in the Scriptures as an extreme case of phenomena, yet still within the laws of nature. Augustine also gives a list of the terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
mammals of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and solves the problem of how they reached Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
after the flood of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
by proposing a solution – hundreds of years ahead of its time – that the island had been cut off from continental Europe by marine erosion.
Further reading
- Patrologia Latina 35.2149-200.
Secondary literature