10. Essays and Reviews revealed deep divides within the Anglican Church
The seven scholars who contributed to the work Essays and Reviews were free to select their topic and express their viewpoint, without regard for the established philosophy of the Anglican Church. Six of the contributors were ordained within the church, the only layman was a prominent lawyer. All of the authors were experts in other fields, including geology, mathematics, and theology. The essays were a challenge to the historicity of the Bible, including its presentation of the young earth, based on the fossil record and other geological developments, as well as Darwin’s presentation of evolution of species over eons of time.
Essays and Reviews, like On the Origin of Species, were intended for a limited audience of scholars, religious leaders, and practitioners of science. Instead, it became widely popular, and its arguments, though they did not directly support Darwin’s theories, were quoted as such by his supporters. In it, influential church leaders challenged the historicity of the Bible as it regarded the age of the earth, which had been a significant arguing point for those opposing the theory of evolution. The claim that evolution was impossible because of the biblical record of the age of the earth was refuted using geologic and theological evidence, supporting Darwin and confounding his critics.
