The first part of &quot;The Sacred Theory of the Earth&quot;, written by the English theologian and writer on cosmogony Thomas Burnet, was published in 1681 in Latin, and in 1684 in English translation; the second part appeared in 1689 (1690 in English).&nbsp;<br />&quot;The Sacred Theory of the Earth&quot; is a speculative cosmogony, in which Burnet suggests a hollow earth with most of the water inside until Noah&#39;s Flood, at which time mountains and oceans appeared. He calculated the amount of water on Earth&#39;s surface, stating there was not enough to account for the Flood.