Idolatry and Accommodation: "Histoires" and Their Natural-Philosophical Interpretations in Simon Goulart's Commentaires et annotations sur la Sepmaine de Du Bartas (1583)

Because man's intellect has been dulled by the Fall, one needs the help of scripture to make sense of nature.15 A recurring Calvinist metaphor thus states that we need the spectacles of scripture to read the book of nature.16 Through accommodation, God has made sure that scripture would allow man's fallen understanding to grasp the meaning of nature. [...]Satan has made good use of this in a striking fashion among Pagans. [...]they understand Latona to mean the earth, who is ordinarily hindered by Juno- who is air-from seeing Diana and Apollo in all their brightness: that is to say, the Sun and Moon who are called her children, because without her their heat and virtue would remain unprofitable.21 Classical myths are dangerous fictions epitomizing made-up, esoteric knowledge.