Xander’s Reviews > A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom > Status Update

- Analysis of Gospels -> Destruction of theological notions regarding Jesus's life. Gospels as historical product, springing from one or two earlier sources.

- Research into canonical formation of scripture -> bible = product of historical growth, consisting of human decisions

Buddha's story shares much mythological and legendary conceptions with other ancient figures

(immaculate conception & virgin birth; birth on the road: wretchedness of the world; giving up wealth & status; star appearing in the East; temptation)

final retreat: these similarities point to underlying divine theme/message.

Or, applying Ockham's razor: these share a common origin in one ancient civilization.

ch20

19th century: converging evidence -> assyriology: Chaldean civilization, myths and legends situated prior to hebrews & biblical criticism: bible is body of literature, not message of God

conclusion: old testament is a historical document, one among many

consequence: sacred, literal foundation of christianity is destroyed

p369 "As late as 1889 (...) given up altogether."

ch20 interpretation & criticism

Church fathers & medieval doctors: Meaning in scripture derived from allegory and numerical mysticism

Critical analysis only took off with Spinoza (building on Hobbes).

18th century: biblical criticism spreads in Protestant countries -> heavy theological opposition and persecution.

lesson: tying meaning to literal interpretation makes whole theol. structure vulnerable to science.

ch17 language

God taught man language - Hebrew.
Man's vanity (Babel) is cause of races and languages

Babylonian myth, developed by the Jews, etc.

Philology shows more and more that hebrew is an offshoot of more ancient Aryan. Also, Darwin's biological explanation

Familiar pattern: ignoring, ridiculing, threatening, warfare, ever more watered-down compromises -> science "wins" (cf the summary on p.204, ii)

ch19 political economy

Aristotle + Roman philosophers -> interest bearing loans are usury

Christianity takes over this notion -> adding scriptural arguments and establishing a doctrine

17th century: protestant countries (plus Venice) begin to ignore the doctrine -> 18/19th century: theology has to submit after giving up more and more ground

cf pauperism&charity vs socialism (p287, ii),
ban on windmills (p285)

epidemics of demoniacal possession (eg Salem witch trials)

"The Government simply ordered the gate of the cemetery to be locked, and when the crowd could no longer approach the tomb the miracles ceased." (p156, ii)

Boerhaave in Haarlem: threatening frenzied hysterics with burning their hands in a furnace -> gone hysteria.

p131 (ii) "what the exorcisms and fetiches and prayers and processions, and drinking of holy water, and ringing of bells, had been unable to accomplish during eighteen hundred years, he achieved in a few months. His method was simple: for the brutality and cruelty which had prevailed up to that time, he substituted kindness and gentleness."