Underground Rivers - University of New Mexico

Chapter 6 -- And Back to the Cross
CHAPTER 6
AND BACK TO THE CROSS
How was the world viewed through Western eyes
as Christondom moved into its second mellenieum?
To the right is a copy of the Ebstorf Map (c. 1234)
of Gervase of Tilbury (c. 1150-1228). East is to top
At the heart of the world lies Jerusalem, but our
focus is the map's top, the detailed shown below.
The Garden of Eden is guarded by towering
mountains under which flow the four rivers of
Paradise, of which the Pison splits into eleven
tributaries of the Ganges.
Although many lands had been discovered since
the founding of the Church, the metaphysical world
view wasn't that different.
Aristotle's Meteorologica was translated from Arabic to Latin before 1200, but the Church was
adverse to Islamic interpretation of a pagan philosopher. As we will see in Chapter 13,
Hydrotheology/Theohydrology, Christendom would be heavy-handed in classical reincorporation
for centuries yet to come, but at last the intellectual gate was re-opening.
Advocates of a more-pragmatic Christian world made known their challenge to Aquinas' tilt
toward Plato. The fundamental challenge wasn't one of science, of course, as science hadn't
been invented; it was one of theology.
To make Aristotle acceptably-Catholic -- to the Philosopher’s post-mortem protest, we must
assume -- took an agile most.
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