ABSTRACT
In the Oxford Handbook of Natural Theology, for instance, there are several mentions of the Book of Nature which pertain to Augustine; a couple of references to Raymonde of Sabunde; and a few to Galileo, Bacon, and one or two modern figures. For Augustine, the properly theological meaning attributed to nature is primary, especially in terms of the doctrine of creation. For Augustine, it is possible, though unlikely, to receive God’s grace without scripture as well as discern God from nature. Interior spiritual conversion is the end that is expressed in the theological virtues, for which the Book of Scripture is usually seen as a necessary means. In the context of Augustine’s original usage of the metaphor, the Book of Nature is a construct born of Christian theology. As already discussed, it results from Augustine’s doctrine of creation that is itself shaped by considerations of natural philosophy.
