(found) What short story was about naming all animals on earth?

[Hezsezfez]

I would appreciate any help, as I can’t remember the title or author of a short story. I read it about ten +/- years ago, in a Sci Fi anthology. My memory says it featured a scientist working at an outpost (possibly Africa or Australia), and he was theorizing that, if the way he interpreted the Bible account was correct, once all biological life was named, God would be angry and destructive. Maybe it ended with the last lifeform named/catalogued - and a massive storm front began to approach?

 

[Toby Frost]

There's an Arthur C Clarke story about a scientist finding all the names of God, at which point some sort of apocalypse is triggered (I think it's called "The Ten Thousand Names Of God" or something similar) but it doesn't involve naming animals. I have a vague memory of a Ray Bradbury story in which someone names the animals, perhaps of another planet, but unfortunately I don't think God was involved!

 

[Hezsezfez]

There's an Arthur C Clarke story about a scientist finding all the names of God, at which point some sort of apocalypse is triggered (I think it's called "The Ten Thousand Names Of God" or something similar) but it doesn't involve naming animals. I have a vague memory of a Ray Bradbury story in which someone names the animals, perhaps of another planet, but unfortunately I don't think God was involved!

Yes, Toby Frost, I believe it is the Nine Billion Names of God - fantastic story - but not the one We are trying to find

 

[Toby Frost]

That's the one! Sorry it's not the one - it was worth a try.

 

[Hezsezfez]

Conversing with my husband last night, about Nine Billion Names, is what took me down the rabbit hole that lead me here! God being the eventual catalyst of ominous events in both stories, well - you can see how the links were made.

 

[Hezsezfez]

Another memory, maybe - I think there may have been religious terrorists trying to stop the cataloguing project - am I confusing it with Nine Billion, again??

 

[Hezsezfez]

FOUND IT!!
“The First Commandment”, by Gregory Berenford
It’s in The Best of SF 10, I believe!