The Heavens, The Waters, and The Partridge

My New Book

I have just published a new book, The Heavens, The Waters, and The Partridge. This book explores the history of the interaction of the Church with science before modern science. Many talk about the interaction between Christianity and science, but the discussion almost always begins with modern science, in particular the Copernican revolution. Remarkably little attention is paid to the history before that.

I became interested in the question because of a quote from the Church father Augustine:

Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn.

Anyone who has followed modern debates about the interaction of faith and science will be familiar with this quotation. It is frequently cited by those who think Christians should be more accepting of controversial modern scientific theories. They think that those who question scientific claims like Darwinian evolution, universal common ancestry, or the age of the earth are talking nonsense and doing a great disservice to the Church.

But what was Augustine talking about? He lived long before conflicts over evolution, the age of the earth, or even heliocentrism. I realized that I had no idea what he could possibly be talking about. Thus began journey studying how historical Christians thought about and interacted with the science of their day. This book is the result.

Advance Praise

Christians have been wrestling with the relationship between science and faith since the early days of the church. Yet surprisingly, there has not been an in-depth study of how the church fathers engaged classical science with focus on what we can learn for the current debate. The Heavens, the Waters, and the Partridge addresses some of the most interesting science-faith questions, such as the existence of the Star of Bethlehem, the size of the Ark, and Creatio Ex Nihilo. You will both learn from and enjoy this book.
—SEAN MCDOWELL, PhD, Author, Speaker, Associate Professor, Biola University

The Heavens, the Waters, and the Partridge fills a much-needed gap in the study of Christianity’s relationship with science. In it, Ewert covers 28 scientific controversies with which famous Christian writers from the past grappled. Sampling Christian luminaries such as Basil, Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Luther, Ewert shows that the Church has always faced attacks from those who thought science and Scripture were at odds. This book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to fully understand the relationship between Christianity and science.
—JAY L. WILE, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Memoria College

Winston Ewert's carefully-documented and clearly-written book fills a huge gap in the study of the relationship of Christianity and science. While most treatments pick up the story of this contested relationship after Copernicus (and especially after Darwin), Ewert addresses that history before Copernicus, and what he finds is of great value to historians, scientists, philosophers, and Christian apologists.
—DOUGLAS GROOTHUIS, PhD, Professor of Apologetics, Cornerstone University

By turning to the past, Ewert has unlocked opportunities for us in the present—opportunities to reexamine our pet theories, the prevailing wisdom, and the questions that have haunted humanity from time immemorial.
—JED C. MACOSKO, PhD, Professor, Wake Forest University