The rocks don't lie: a geologist investigates Noah's flood

The specter of Noah's flood has haunted modern geology since the latter's inception in the early 19th century. As geologists began to sort out the rock and fossil record, theologians continually tried to either slot that information into a scriptural framework or ignore it altogether. Great public debates were held throughout Europe and the US about the new geological interpretations of Earth and what they meant for biblical interpretation. By the end of the 19th century, most intellectuals believed that a literal interpretation of the Bible, particularly concerning the creation account and Noah's flood, was untenable. Surprisingly, long-discredited notions of an Earth 6,000 years old and the universal flood of Noah reemerged in the US in the mid-20th century. In The Rocks Don't Lie, Montgomery (Univ. of Washington, Seattle) tells the story of the intertwining of theology and nascent geology, and how grappling with flood narratives actually provided a framework to test and improve the science. His account of early attempts to reconcile catastrophic floods with the rock record is one of the most readable available. He makes it clear that modern "creation science" is intellectually bankrupt and two centuries behind the times. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. M. A. Wilson College of Wooster

*Starred Review* Geologist Montgomery's book is concerned with Noah's flood, but the investigation it recounts isn't merely his but also that of Western empirical science in a continuous dialectic between received truth and ascertained fact. Montgomery approaches it via field trips to Tibet and the rim of the Grand Canyon; in each place, you can practice geology, extrapolating how it was formed from how it looks. He then turns back to the ancient Greeks, calling Aristotle a protogeologist because he held that landscapes develop over the course of aeons and citing Philo's first-century commentary on Noah's flood for posing the key question of how extensive (worldwide or local?) the inundation was. Fathers of the church (e.g., Augustine) engaged that issue, and Reformation leaders, then Renaissance natural philosophers, followed. Geology proper began with Steno's law of superposition (1667), formulated from studying rocks and fossils directly. A hundred years on, George Cuvier and James Hutton were in the field, and scriptural inerrantists, biblical literalists, and, finally, creationists were indignantly but not wholly unreasonably, Montgomery allows reacting to what the rocks told the scientists. In a sense, Noah is the patron saint of geology, whose development has been spurred constantly by his legend. Though Montgomery obviously knows his science, he also knows how to write, so this isn't just history of science. It's literature.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2010 Booklist

Many theologians and scientists within the Christian tradition have long interpreted the biblical story of Noah's flood as a worldwide event and a foundation for determining the geological age of the earth. In this rich, animated narrative, geologist Montgomery points out that theologians have often bent an amazing array of geological evidence to support a literal interpretation of Noah's flood. But what does the Earth itself tell us? Using the evidence he finds in the various strata of rocks in a roadbed in Kentucky, Montgomery contends that the "440 million-year-old, trilobite-bearing limestone" is clearly not a chaotic, mixed-up product of an earth-churning flood. The rocks formed when an ancient "proto-Atlantic Ocean" led to the formation of a thick pile of sediment that gradually accumulated layer by later-stretching from Newfoundland to Alabama. Moreover, plate tectonics shatters the myth of a global flood by explaining the sequences, ages, and assemblages of rocks we find throughout the world, as well as the global distribution of topography. Brilliant and provocative, Montgomery's exploration of scientific and theological understandings of Noah's flood vibrantly opens our eyes to the marvels of ancient rocks that are far grander than ourselves. 20 illus., maps. Agent: Elizabeth Wales, Wales Literary Agency. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Many recent books have sought to reconcile (or tear apart) the relationship between religion and science, usually written by scientists or Christian leaders. Usually, the scientists depricate religious views as myths and fairy tales, while the religious writers bash opponents as godless manipulators of the evidence. Montgomery (geomorphology, Univ. of Washington; Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations) offers a thorough critique of creationist worldviews (including Noah's flood) while treating his opponents with respect, reflecting on both ancient and modern debates and demonstrating that Christians have been arguing among themselves about these subjects for millennia. He admits that geologists have often stifled dissent and stubbornly rejected the idea that massive floods could have ever occurred, discounting such ideas as myths though there have, in fact, been many throughout human history. These catastrophic events likely inspired the famous stories of floods found around the globe, Montgomery concedes. VERDICT The combination of historical study and humility on behalf of geology makes for an extremely persuasive work. Highly recommended.-John M. Kistler, Washington, PA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

*Starred Review* Geologist Montgomery's book is concerned with Noah's flood, but the investigation it recounts isn't merely his but also that of Western empirical science in a continuous dialectic between received truth and ascertained fact. Montgomery approaches it via field trips to Tibet and the rim of the Grand Canyon; in each place, you can practice geology, extrapolating how it was formed from how it looks. He then turns back to the ancient Greeks, calling Aristotle a "protogeologist" because he held that landscapes develop over the course of aeons and citing Philo's first-century commentary on Noah's flood for posing the key question of how extensive (worldwide or local?) the inundation was. Fathers of the church (e.g., Augustine) engaged that issue, and Reformation leaders, then Renaissance natural philosophers, followed. Geology proper began with Steno's law of superposition (1667), formulated from studying rocks and fossils directly. A hundred years on, George Cuvier and James Hutton were in the field, and scriptural inerrantists, biblical literalists, and, finally, creationists were indignantly—but not wholly unreasonably, Montgomery allows—reacting to what the rocks told the scientists. In a sense, Noah is the patron saint of geology, whose development has been spurred constantly by his legend. Though Montgomery obviously knows his science, he also knows how to write, so this isn't just history of science. It's literature. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Many recent books have sought to reconcile (or tear apart) the relationship between religion and science, usually written by scientists or Christian leaders. Usually, the scientists depricate religious views as myths and fairy tales, while the religious writers bash opponents as godless manipulators of the evidence. Montgomery (geomorphology, Univ. of Washington; Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations) offers a thorough critique of creationist worldviews (including Noah's flood) while treating his opponents with respect, reflecting on both ancient and modern debates and demonstrating that Christians have been arguing among themselves about these subjects for millennia. He admits that geologists have often stifled dissent and stubbornly rejected the idea that massive floods could have ever occurred, discounting such ideas as myths though there have, in fact, been many throughout human history. These catastrophic events likely inspired the famous stories of floods found around the globe, Montgomery concedes. VERDICT The combination of historical study and humility on behalf of geology makes for an extremely persuasive work. Highly recommended.—John M. Kistler, Washington, PA

Many theologians and scientists within the Christian tradition have long interpreted the biblical story of Noah's flood as a worldwide event and a foundation for determining the geological age of the earth. In this rich, animated narrative, geologist Montgomery points out that theologians have often bent an amazing array of geological evidence to support a literal interpretation of Noah's flood. But what does the Earth itself tell us? Using the evidence he finds in the various strata of rocks in a roadbed in Kentucky, Montgomery contends that the "440 million-year-old, trilobite-bearing limestone" is clearly not a chaotic, mixed-up product of an earth-churning flood. The rocks formed when an ancient "proto-Atlantic Ocean" led to the formation of a thick pile of sediment that gradually accumulated layer by later—stretching from Newfoundland to Alabama. Moreover, plate tectonics shatters the myth of a global flood by explaining the sequences, ages, and assemblages of rocks we find throughout the world, as well as the global distribution of topography. Brilliant and provocative, Montgomery's exploration of scientific and theological understandings of Noah's flood vibrantly opens our eyes to the marvels of ancient rocks that are far grander than ourselves. 20 illus., maps. Agent: Elizabeth Wales, Wales Literary Agency. (Aug.)