In later editions of the book, Darwin traced evolutionary ideas as far back as Aristotle; the text he cites is a summary by Aristotle of the ideas of the earlier Greek philosopher Empedocles. Early Christian Church Fathers and Medieval European scholars interpreted the Genesis creation narrative allegorically rather than as a literal historical account; organisms were described by their mythological and heraldic significance as well as by their physical form. Nature was widely believed to be unstable and capricious, with <answer>monstrous births from union between species, and spontaneous generation of life.</answer>
What kind of births did the Christian Church fathers believe occurred in nature?
monstrous births from union between species, and spontaneous generation of life.