Hi, guys —

I have a question related to something rather obscure. It is whether the Catholic Church has any official view on the existence of the classical elements, such as those formulated by Aristotle as Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and Aether. I know that in the Middle Ages, Aristotle was greatly esteemed by the Church, so much so that he was called The Philosopher.

I know that in the Hindu scriptures, the classical elements are considered energies of the God Krishna. Also the Aztecs, independently, despite living half a world away and with no contact with European or Indian culture, believed in the existence of the four main classical elements, which makes me wonder if these elements have some kind of mysterious existence:

• perhaps as true energies that make up the universe, or
• perhaps as a doctrine which was placed in minds by the devil to deceive pagans.

I know this is probably a difficult question to answer, but I eagerly await your reply.

Thanks!

Thomas