Matthew Fontaine Maury achieved considerable respect in the middle of the nineteenth century for founding the science of oceanography. His mappping of the world’s major ocean and wind currents for the benefit of sailing ships earned him the title "pathfinder of the Seas." Other fields, such as meteorology, navigation, and ordnance, also profited from his methodical and inventive mind. Although largely forgotten outside his native Virginia, Maury endures in Bible-science literature as a credible scientist who took a literal view of Scripture. According to one common story, Maury’s reading about the "paths of the sea" in Psalm 8:8 led him to discover ocean currents. Although various aspects of this legend fail historical scrutiny, Maury held strongly to the view that the Bible and science were in perfect harmony. For modern creationists, he represents a successful scientist who eschewed the modernistic trend to divide secular and biblical knowledge.