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'''Divine accommodation''' is the doctrine that God accommodates himself to human capacity so that we may better comprehend his message. He does not reveal his “naked essence,"<ref>John Calvin’s phrase</ref> but rather adopts the assumptions of his audience even when these are mistaken so in order to facilitate communication.<ref>Sparks, Kenton, ''God’s Word in Human Words'', 230–31. “Accommodation is God’s adoption in inscripturation of the human audience’s finite and fallen perspective. Its underlying conceptual assumption is that in many cases God does not correct our mistaken human viewpoints but merely assumes them in order to communicate with us."</ref> It follows from this that scripture may be reinterpreted as our knowledge of the natural world improves.<ref>Hommel, Robert, ''[http://www.truthaboutsundayworship.com/thescriptures.htm Interpretation of Scripture]''. “The Bible is to be interpreted in view of the fact that it is an accommodation of Divine truths to human minds...We must be careful, then, not to push accommodating language about God and His nature to literal extremes."</ref> The doctrine is most closely with associated [[John Calvin]] (1509-1564), although it can also be found in the writing of earlier churchmen. The widespread acceptance of Calvin’s views by Protestants allowed them to assimilate the scientific revolution of the 16th century more readily than did Catholics.

In a commentary on Genesis,[[Augustine]] (354-430) advised Christians not to look to Scripture for answers to scientific questions:

AlsoInstead,he hoped that Christian opinion would be based on the best scientific knowledge of the day:

Here Augustine may be thinking of Celsus, a pagan writer who gave a sarcastic description of the Genesis account.<ref>Celsus wrote: “Isn't it absurd to think that the greatest God pieced out his work like a bricklayer, saying, "Today I shall do this, tomorrow that," and so on, so that he did this on the third, that on the fourth, and something else on the fifth and sixth days! We are thus not surprised to find, that like a common workman, this God wears himself down and so needs a holiday after six days." (''On the True Doctrine'')</ref> In his own commentary on Genesis, Calvin wrote, “He agreed that it should not be used a scientific text: <blockquote>He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere...As it became a theologian, [Moses] had to respect ''us'' rather than the stars."<ref name="Calvin">Calvin, John, ''[http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/m.sion/cvgn1-03.htm Commentary on the Book of Genesis]''. Comments Comment on verses 1:6 and .</ref></blockquote> Calvin explains accommodation this way, <blockquote>As it became a theologian, [Moses] had to respect ''us'' rather than the stars."<ref name="Calvin">Calvin, comment on verse 1:15.</ref> </blockquote> John Milton (1608-1674) also argued that man’s growing knowledge of the world may require that Scripture be reinterpreted from time to time: