70 THEOLOGIANS AND NATURAL PHILOSOPHERS. 



the direct or instantaneous Creation of animals and 

 plants appeared to be taught in Genesis, Augustine 

 read this in the light of primary causation and the 

 gradual development from the imperfect to the 

 perfect of Aristotle. 



This most influential teacher thus handed down 

 to his followers opinions which closely conform to 

 the progressive views of those theologians of the 

 present day who have accepted the Evolution 

 theory. In proof of this Greek influence we find 

 that Augustine also adopted some of the Greek 

 notions of the spontaneous generation of life. In 

 the Middle Ages analogous views were held by 

 Erigena, Roscellinus, William of Occam, Albertus 

 Magnus; and Augustine was finally followed by 

 Aquinas, who is now one of the leading authorities 

 of the Church. Bruno struck out into an altogether 

 different vein of thought. 



The reaction against this scientific reading of 

 Genesis naturally came when Christian theology 

 shook off Aristotelianism, and this was brought 

 about indirectly by the opposition to the Arabic 

 science, which also embodied much of Aristotle. 

 Thus the first outspoken opponent of Augustine's 

 teaching, and first champion of literalism, was Sua-i 

 rez, a Jesuit of Spain, a country which had become 

 the second home of Arabic science and philosophy. 



No advance whatever in the development of the 

 Evolution idea was made in this long period ; scien- 

 tific speculation and observation were at a standstill 



