Job 33:6
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It's an important distinction because, the early church had a different understanding of various topics in scripture. Cosmology being one of them.
So for example, cosmology, and the question of if Genesis describes a flat earth, in part, is dependent on the question of what the original authors intended to describe.
So an ancient isrealites for example, or more specifically, the authors of the old testament, they conveyed information that reflects ancient near east 3-tiered cosmology. So, earth set on pillars, 2 Samuel 2:4. Job 38:17, solid sky with "waters above", or Sheol below and the deep, such as in Jonah etc.
The early church fathers however, some believed that earth was flat. Some believed it had curvature and rested in an ocean, and some likely believed it to be round too. They had varying interpretations of "the waters above" some literal, some non literal.
So sometimes the early church aligned with the original context of Genesis. And sometimes the early church did not.
But for the purposes of understanding the Bible, ideally we would want to prioritize the understanding of the original authors and audience of the old testament, in priority over figures later in history, such as John Calvin, or the Pope, or st thomas Aquinas. Or even figures such as ireneaus or Augustine. Because later church fathers may or may not have aligned with the original authors.
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