The Jesuit and the Skull

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem, "an extraordinary story"( Philadelphia Inquirer) of discovery, evolution, science, and faith.In 1929, French Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a part of a group of scientists that uncovered a skull that became known as Peking Man, a key evolutionary link that left Teilhard torn between science and his ancient faith, and would leave him ostracized by his beloved Catholic Church. His struggle is at the heart of The Jesuit and the Skull, which takes readers across continents and cultures in a fascinating exploration of one of the twentieth century's most important discoveries, and one of the world's most provocative pieces of evidence in the roiling debate between creationism and evolution.

Description

Documents the efforts of a French Jesuit priest to confront the struggle between science and religion upon his 1929 discovery of the Peking Man pre-human skull that represented a missing link between erect hunting apes and the human race's Cro-Magnon ancestors. In December 1929, in a cave near Peking, diggers for an international team of scientists that included a French Jesuit priest named Pierre Teilhard de Chardin pulled from the rubble a skull of Homo erectus, still ensconced in its matrix of clay. It was the first discovery of remains of Homo erectus that quickly became known around the world as Peking Man, a key evolutionary link between the erect hunting apes and our Homo sapiens ancestors. And it also became a provocative piece of evidence in the roiling debate between creationism and evolution -- a debate that would reinvigorate decades of controversy between the scientific community and religious authorities. - Jacket flap.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The Jesuit and the Skull: Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for Peking ManHardcoverRiverhead Hardcover2007-10-04
• The Jesuit and The SkullRiverhead Books2007-01-01
• The Jesuit and the SkulleBookPenguin Group USA, Inc.2008-01-01