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Book of Nature
(2,783 words)

1. Origin of the metaphor

In Christian literature since Augustine, book of nature has been the usual metaphor designating thenatural world as a “second Scripture” through which God has revealed himself to us, alongside Holy Scripture itself, the Bible. Augustine introduced the doctrine of God’s two books in 412, in his comment…

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Groh, Ruth, “Book of Nature”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_017827>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160907



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