Original: Biblical scholars of the time such as Justus Lipsius ( 1547 -- 1606 ) and Athanasius Kircher ( c. 1601 -- 80 ) were also beginning to subject the Ark story to rigorous scrutiny as they attempted to harmonise the biblical account with natural historical knowledge .
Simplified: Biblical scholars of the time such as Justus Lipsius ( 1547 -- 1606 ) and Athanasius Kircher ( c. 1601 -- 80 ) were also beginning to look at the Ark story more closely .