And this was a universal view as far as I am aware, geocentrism, among historic church figures. Or if not universal it was common.
St. Gregory the Wonder-worker (213-270): “And the life of men weareth away, as day by day, and in the periods of hours and years, and the determinate courses of the sun, some are ever coming, and others passing away. And the matter is like the transit of torrents as they fall into the measureless deep of the sea with a mighty noise. And all things that have been constituted by God for the sake of men abide the same: as, for instance, that man is born of earth, and departs to earth again;
that the earth itself continues stable;
that the sun accomplishes its circuit about it perfectly, and rolls round to the same mark again; and that the winds in like manner, and the mighty rivers which flow into the sea, and the breezes that beat upon it, all act without forcing it to pass beyond its limits, and without themselves also violating their appointed laws.” [On Ecclesiastes, Ch 1]
St. Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 335-ca. 395): “The vault of heaven prolongs itself so uninterruptedly that it encircles all things with itself, and that the earth and its surroundings
are poised in the middle, and that the motion of all the revolving bodies
is round this fixed and solid center…” [On the Soul and Resurrection]
St. Athenagoras (ca. 133-ca. 190): “The Framer and Father of this universe does not need blood, nor the odor of burnt-offerings,...but the noblest sacrifice to Him is for us to know Who stretched out and vaulted the heavens,
and fixed the earth in its place like a center.” [A Plea for the Christians, Ch. XIII, “Why the Christians do not Offer Sacrifices”]
St. Chrysostom (ca. 347-407): “For He not only made [creation], but provided also that when it was made, it should carry on its operations; not permitting it to be all immoveable, nor commanding it to be all in a state of motion.
The heaven, for instance, hath remained immovable, according as the prophet says, ‘He placed the heaven as a vault, and stretched it out as a tent over the earth.’ But, on the other hand, the sun with the rest of the stars, runs on his course through every day.
And again, the earth is fixed, but the waters are continually in motion; and not the waters only, but the clouds, and the frequent and successive showers, which return at their proper season.” [Homilies on the Statues, “Homily XII”]
St. Aphrahat (ca. 270-ca. 345): “
For the sun in twelve hours circles round, from the east unto the west; and when he has accomplished his course, his light is hidden in the night-time, and the night is not disturbed by his power. And in the hours of the night the sun turns round in his rapid course, and turning round, begins to run in his accustomed path.” [Demonstrations, 24]
St. Clement of Rome (35-101): “The sun and moon, with the companies of the stars, roll on in harmony according to His command,
within their prescribed limits, and without any deviation.” [First Epistle to the Corinthians, Ch XX]
St. Hippolytus (170-235): “For what richer beauty can there be than that of the circle of heaven? And what form of more blooming fairness than that of earth’s surface?
And what is there swifter in the course than the chariot of the sun? And what more graceful car than
the lunar orb? And what work more wonderful than the compact mosaic of the stars? And what more productive of supplies than the seasonable winds? And what more spotless mirror than the light of day? And what creature more excellent than man?” [Discourse on the Holy Theophany, 1]
The holy fathers also interpret the Scriptures, starting with Genesis Ch. 1, in a geocentric way. In examining their writings, we also glean additional details about the structure of the cosmos.
- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
St. Anastasius: “‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth [Gen. 1:1].’ Do not let the natural philosophers respond that God began to make the origin of heaven
from the earth, as from a center. For
they say the center is the beginning of every sphere.... That which fails for men, succeeds for God. Therefore,
so that you might learn that God does not follow the laws of nature, but creates in a way beyond nature and technology, Moses says here, ‘God created the heaven’—
which is the sphere—‘and then the earth’—
which is the center.” [Hexaemeron, “Book 1,” § VI.2, p. 21]
- But the earth was invisible (unsightly) and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water.
St. Basil (ca. 330-379): “‘The earth was invisible.’ Why? Because the ‘deep’ was spread over its surface. What is ‘the deep’?
A mass of water of extreme depth.” [“Hom. II(4),” Hexaemeron]
- And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
St. Bede (ca. 673-735): “‘And there was evening and morning, one day.’ At this point one day was completed—
without a doubt a day of twenty-four hours.... Hence, it is also preferred to say that there was evening and morning rather than night and day, in order to reveal that what was then done by the circuit of that first and most excellent light is now known to be performed day and night by the circuit of the sun.” [On Genesis, Book One [1:5], 48:74]
- And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be a division between water and water, and it was so. And God made the firmament, and God divided between the water which was under the firmament and the water which was above the firmament. And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
St. John of Damascus (ca. 675-ca. 749): “‘And darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters [Gen. 1:2].’ For the deep is nothing else than a huge quantity of water
whose limit man cannot comprehend. In the beginning, indeed, the water lay all over the surface of the earth. And first God created the firmament to divide the water above the firmament from the water below the firmament. For in the midst of the sea of waters the firmament was established at the Master’s decree. And out of it God bade the firmament arise, and it arose.” [“Concerning the Waters,” An Exact Exposition, Bk. II, Ch. IX]
St. Basil: “‘Let it be dividing between water and water [Gen. 1:6].’ The mass of waters, which from all directions flowed over the earth, and was
suspended in the air,
was infinite, so that there was no proportion between it and the other elements. Thus, as it has been already said, the abyss covered the earth. Therefore, the prodigious mass of waters was spread
around the earth; not in proportion with it and infinitely larger, thanks to the foresight of the supreme Artificer, Who, from the beginning, foresaw what was to come, and at the first provided all for the future needs of the world.” [“Hom. III(5),” Hexaemeron]
So we see that St. Basil called “the deep” a “mass of water of extreme depth,” “infinite” and “prodigious,” “infinitely larger” than the earth, which was like a small seed in the middle of the deep. St. John of Damascus also said, “The deep is nothing else than a huge quantity of water whose limit man cannot comprehend.” The Apostle Peter wrote, “By the word of God were there heavens of old, and an earth having stood together out of water and in water (2 Pet. 3:5).” So St. Peter says that the earth was “in water,” matching this description of “the deep.”
- And God made the firmament, and God divided between the water which was under the firmament and the water which was above the firmament.
When the firmament was created, this huge sphere of water was separated from the proto-earth and stretched out to the very edge of today’s universe. The “waters above” are the boundary and limit of our universe, possibly a thin shell and possibly of ice due to the low temperature of space. The firmament is the ether, the medium in which the stars and other celestial bodies were placed on day four.
St. Bede: “It is certain that this firmament is in the midst of the waters, for we ourselves see the waters that were placed beneath it and in the air and lands, and we are informed about those that were placed above it, not only by the authority of this Scriptural passage, but also by the words of the prophet, who says, ‘Stretching out the heaven like a leathern curtain; the One covering His upper chambers in waters [Ps. 103:3].’... But if it puzzles anyone, how the waters, whose nature it is always to flow and to sink to the lowest point, can settle above heaven, whose shape seems to be round, he should remember holy Scripture saying about God, ‘He bindeth water in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent under it [cf. Job 26:8].’...Although He willed to fix the liquid waters there, is this any greater miracle than that, as Scripture says, ‘He upon nothing hangeth the earth [Job 26:7; cf. Is. 40:12].’” [On Genesis, Book One [1:6-8], 48:76, 77]
St. Basil: “Now we must say something about the nature of the firmament, and why it received the order to hold the middle place between the waters. Scripture constantly makes use of the word firmament to express extraordinary strength.... ‘I made firm her pillars [Ps. 75:3].’ ‘Praise ye Him in the firmament of His power [Ps. 150:1].’ It is the custom of Scripture to call firmament all that is strong and unyielding. It even uses the word to denote the condensation of the air. God says, ‘For, behold, I am He that strengthens the thunder [Amos 4:13].’... Here then, according to me,
is a firm substance, capable of retaining the fluid and unstable element water; and as, according to the common acceptation, it appears that the firmament owes its origin to water,
we must not believe that [the firmament] resembles frozen water or any other matter produced by the filtration of water. For I am taught by Scripture not to allow my imagination to wander too far afield.” [“Hom. III(4),” Hexaemeron]
St. Ambrose (ca. 339-397): “He Who commanded the waters to be separated by the interposition of the firmament lying between them provided also the matter of their
remaining in position, once they were divided and separated. The word of God gives nature its power and an enduring quality to its matter, as long as He Who established it wishes it to be so, as it is written: ‘He established them unto the age, and unto the age of the age; He Himself set an ordinance, and it shall not pass away [Ps. 148:6].’ He said this concerning these waters which you say cannot exist in the higher parts of the heavens; for listen to the words which precede: ‘Praise ye Him, the heavens of the heavens—and thou water, the one above the heavens [Ps. 148:4].’” [“Hom. 3,” Ch. 3(10), Hexameron, FC, 42:53, 54]
Since the Scriptures use the word “heaven” to denote different things, St. John of Damascus clarifies: “The heaven of heaven, then, is the first heaven which is above the firmament. So here we have two heavens, for God called the firmament also heaven. And it is customary in the divine Scripture to speak of the air also as heavens, because we see it above us.... So here we have three heavens, as the divine apostle said (2 Cor. 12:2)” [Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Bk II, Ch 6]. Thus, according to St. John, the “third heaven” to which the Apostle Paul was carried off is the spiritual realm above the firmament and the waters above, which mark the boundary of the physical universe.
St. Basil further describes the properties of the firmament: “Therefore we read: ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be dividing between water and water [Gen. 1:6].’ I have said what the word firmament in Scripture means.
It is not in reality a firm and solid substance which has weight and resistance; this name would otherwise have better suited the earth. But, as the substance of superincumbent bodies is light, without consistency, and cannot be grasped by any one of our senses,
it is in comparison with these pure and imperceptible substances that the firmament has received its name.” [“Hom. III(7),” Hexaemeron]
Here we have an example of church fathers holding incorrect views of not only science, but also of what the Bible teaches with respect to science.
It is true that sometimes the Church fathers made errors when they spoke about scientific topics. However, when it comes to geocentrism,
they unanimously agree. There is a clear “consensus of the fathers.” After all, have the Church fathers ever been unanimously wrong about anything? (From:
Geocentrism by Dormition Skete)
My prayers are with you all.
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