To the end of his life— nay, after his life was ended— the
persecution of Galileo was continued. He was kept in exile
from his family, from his friends, from his noble employ-
ments, and was held rigidly to his promise not to speak of
his theory. When, in the midst of intense bodily sufferings
from disease, and mental sufferings from calamities in his
family, he besought some little liberty, he was met with
threats of committal to a dungeon. When, at last, a special
commission had reported to the ecclesiastical authorities that
he had become blind and wasted with disease and sorrow,
he was allowed a little more liberty, but that little was ham'
pered by close surveillance. He was forced to bear con-
temptible attacks on himself and on his works in silence ; to
see the men who had befriended him severely punished ;
Father Castelli banished ; Ricciardi, the Master of the
Sacred Palace, and Ciampoli, the papal secretary, thrown
out of their positions by Pope Urban, and the Inquisitor at
Florence reprimanded for having given permission to print
Galileo's work. He lived to see the truths he had estab-
lished carefully weeded out from all the Church colleges and
universities in Europe ; and, when in a scientific work he
happened to be spoken of as " renowned," the Inquisition
ordered the substitution of the word " notorious." -
And now measures were taken to complete the destruc-
tion of the Copernican theory, with Galileo's proofs of it.
On the 16th of June, 1633, the Holy Congregation, with the
permission of the reigning Pope, ordered the sentence upon
* For the substitution of the word " notorious " for " renowned " by order of the
Inquisition, see Martin, p. 227.
Galileo, and his recantation, to be sent to all the papal
nuncios throughout Europe, as well as to all archbishops,
bishops, and inquisitors in Italy ; and this document gave
orders that the sentence and abjuration be made known " to
your vicars, that you and all professors of philosophy and
mathematics may have knowledge of it, that they may know
why we proceeded against the said Galileo, and recognise
the gravity of his error, in order that they may avoid it, and
thus not incur the penalties which they would have to suffer
in case they fell into the same."
As a consequence, the professors of mathematics and
astronomy in various universities of Europe were assem-
bled and these documents were read to them. To the theo-
logical authorities this gave great satisfaction. The Rec-
tor of the University of Douay, referring to the opinion of
Galileo, wrote to the papal nuncio at Brussels : " The profess-
ors of our university are so opposed to this fanatical opin-
ion that they have always held that it must be banished from
the schools. In our English college at Douay this paradox-
has never been approved and never will be."
The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
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_Maksutov
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
Still another step was taken : the Inquisitors were or-
dered, especially in Italy, not to permit the publication of a
new edition of any of Galileo's works, or of any similar writ-
ings. On the other hand, theologians were urged, now that
Copernicus and Galileo and Kepler were silenced, to reply
to them with tongue and pen. Europe was flooded with
these theological refutations of the Copernican system.
To make all complete, there was prefixed to the Index
of the Church, forbidding ''all writings which affirm the
motion of the earth," a bull signed by the reigning Pope,
which, by virtue of his infallibility as a divinely guided
teacher in matters of faith and morals, clinched this con-
demnation into the consciences of the whole Christian
world.
From the mass of books which appeared under the
auspices of the Church immediately after the condemnation
* For a copy of this document, see Gebler, p. 269, As to the spread of this
and similar documents notifying Europe of Galileo's condemnation, see Favaro,
pp. 804, 805.
of Galileo, for the purpose of rooting out every vestige of
the hated Copernican theory from the mind of the world,
two may be taken as typical. The first of these was a work
by Scipio Chiaramonti, dedicated to Cardinal Barberini.
Among his arguments against the double motion of the
earth may be cited the following :
''Animals, which move, have limbs and muscles ; the
earth has no limbs or muscles, therefore it does not move.
It is angels who make Saturn, Jupiter, the sun, etc., turn
round. If the earth revolves, it must also have an angel in
the centre to set it in motion ; but only devils live there ; it
would therefore be a devil who would impart motion to the
earth. . . .
" The planets, the sun, the fixed stars, all belong to one
species — namely, that of stars. It seems, therefore, to be a
grievous wrong to place the earth, which is a sink of im-
purity, among these heavenly bodies, which are pure and
divine things."
dered, especially in Italy, not to permit the publication of a
new edition of any of Galileo's works, or of any similar writ-
ings. On the other hand, theologians were urged, now that
Copernicus and Galileo and Kepler were silenced, to reply
to them with tongue and pen. Europe was flooded with
these theological refutations of the Copernican system.
To make all complete, there was prefixed to the Index
of the Church, forbidding ''all writings which affirm the
motion of the earth," a bull signed by the reigning Pope,
which, by virtue of his infallibility as a divinely guided
teacher in matters of faith and morals, clinched this con-
demnation into the consciences of the whole Christian
world.
From the mass of books which appeared under the
auspices of the Church immediately after the condemnation
* For a copy of this document, see Gebler, p. 269, As to the spread of this
and similar documents notifying Europe of Galileo's condemnation, see Favaro,
pp. 804, 805.
of Galileo, for the purpose of rooting out every vestige of
the hated Copernican theory from the mind of the world,
two may be taken as typical. The first of these was a work
by Scipio Chiaramonti, dedicated to Cardinal Barberini.
Among his arguments against the double motion of the
earth may be cited the following :
''Animals, which move, have limbs and muscles ; the
earth has no limbs or muscles, therefore it does not move.
It is angels who make Saturn, Jupiter, the sun, etc., turn
round. If the earth revolves, it must also have an angel in
the centre to set it in motion ; but only devils live there ; it
would therefore be a devil who would impart motion to the
earth. . . .
" The planets, the sun, the fixed stars, all belong to one
species — namely, that of stars. It seems, therefore, to be a
grievous wrong to place the earth, which is a sink of im-
purity, among these heavenly bodies, which are pure and
divine things."
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
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_Maksutov
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
The next, which I select from the mass of similar works,
is the Anticopernicus Polacco. It was intended
to deal a finishing stroke at Galileo's heresy. In this it is
declared :
* The Scripture always represents the earth as at rest,
and the sun and moon as in motion ; or, if these latter bodies
are ever represented as at rest. Scripture represents this as
the result of a great miracle. . . .
** These writings must be prohibited, because the}^ teach
certain principles about the position and motion of the ter-
restrial globe repugnant to Holy Scripture and to the Cath-
olic interpretation of it, not as hypotheses but as established
facts. ..."
Speaking of Galileo's book, Polacco says that it "smacked
of Copernicanism," and that, " when this was shown to the
Inquisition, Galileo was thrown into prison and was com-
pelled to utterly abjure the baseness of this erroneous
dogma."
As to the authority of the cardinals in their decree, Po-
lacco asserts that, since they are the '' Pope's Council " and
his " brothers," their work is one, except that the Pope is
favoured with special divine enlightenment.
Having shown that the authority of the Scriptures, of
popes, and of cardinals is against the new astronomy, he
gives a refutation based on physics. He asks : '' If we con-
cede the motion of the earth, why is it that an arrow shot
into the air falls back to the same spot, while the earth and
all things on it have in the meantime moved very rapidly
toward the east? Who does not see that great confusion
'. would result from this motion ? "
Next he argues from metaphysics, as follows : " The Co-
pernican theory of the earth's motion is against the nature
of the earth itself, because the earth is not only cold but
contains in itself the principle of cold ; but cold is opposed
to motion, and even destroys it — as is evident in animals,
which become motionless when they become cold."
Finally, he clinches all with a piece of theological reason-
ing, as follows : " Since it can certainly be gathered from
Scripture that the heavens move above the earth, and since
a circular motion requires something immovable around
which to move, . . . the earth is at the centre of the uni-
verse."
is the Anticopernicus Polacco. It was intended
to deal a finishing stroke at Galileo's heresy. In this it is
declared :
* The Scripture always represents the earth as at rest,
and the sun and moon as in motion ; or, if these latter bodies
are ever represented as at rest. Scripture represents this as
the result of a great miracle. . . .
** These writings must be prohibited, because the}^ teach
certain principles about the position and motion of the ter-
restrial globe repugnant to Holy Scripture and to the Cath-
olic interpretation of it, not as hypotheses but as established
facts. ..."
Speaking of Galileo's book, Polacco says that it "smacked
of Copernicanism," and that, " when this was shown to the
Inquisition, Galileo was thrown into prison and was com-
pelled to utterly abjure the baseness of this erroneous
dogma."
As to the authority of the cardinals in their decree, Po-
lacco asserts that, since they are the '' Pope's Council " and
his " brothers," their work is one, except that the Pope is
favoured with special divine enlightenment.
Having shown that the authority of the Scriptures, of
popes, and of cardinals is against the new astronomy, he
gives a refutation based on physics. He asks : '' If we con-
cede the motion of the earth, why is it that an arrow shot
into the air falls back to the same spot, while the earth and
all things on it have in the meantime moved very rapidly
toward the east? Who does not see that great confusion
'. would result from this motion ? "
Next he argues from metaphysics, as follows : " The Co-
pernican theory of the earth's motion is against the nature
of the earth itself, because the earth is not only cold but
contains in itself the principle of cold ; but cold is opposed
to motion, and even destroys it — as is evident in animals,
which become motionless when they become cold."
Finally, he clinches all with a piece of theological reason-
ing, as follows : " Since it can certainly be gathered from
Scripture that the heavens move above the earth, and since
a circular motion requires something immovable around
which to move, . . . the earth is at the centre of the uni-
verse."
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
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_Maksutov
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
But any sketch of the warfare between theology and
science in this field would be incomplete without some ref-
erence to the treatment of Galileo after his death. He had
begged to be buried in his family tomb in Santa Croce ;
this request was denied. His friends wished to erect a
monument over him ; this, too, was refused. Pope Urban
said to the ambassador Niccolini that " it would be an evil
example for the world if such honours were rendered to a
man who had been brought before the Roman Inquisition
for an opinion so false and erroneous; who had communi-
cated it to many others, and who had given so great a scan-
dal to Christendom." In accordance, therefore, with the
wish of the Pope and the orders of the Inquisition, Galileo
was buried ignobly, apart from his family, without fitting
ceremony, without monument, without epitaph. Not until
forty years after did Pierrozzi dare write an inscription
* For Chiaramonti's book and selections given, see Gebler as above, p. 271.
For Polacco, see his work as cited, especially Assertiones i, ii, vii, xi, xiii, Ixxiii,
clxxxvii, and others. The work is in the White Library at Cornell University.
The date of it is 1644.
to be placed above his bones ; not until a hundred years
after did Nelli dare transfer his remains to a suitable
position in Santa Croce, and erect a monument above
them. Even then the old conscientious hostility burst
forth : the Inquisition was besought to prevent such hon-
ours to ''a man condemned for notorious errors" ; and that
tribunal refused to allow any epitaph to be placed above
him which had not been submitted to its censorship. Nor
has that old conscientious consistency in hatred yet fully
relented : hardly a generation since has not seen some eccle-
siastic, like Marini or De Bonald or Rallaye or De Gabriac,
suppressing evidence, or torturing expressions, or inventing
theories to blacken the memory of Galileo and save the
reputation of the Church. Nay, more: there are school his-
tories, widely used, which, in the supposed interest of the
Church, misrepresent in the grossest manner all these trans-
actions in which Galileo was concerned. Sancta simp licit as !
The Church has no worse enemies than those who devise
and teach these perversions. They are simply rooting out,
in the long run, from the minds of the more thoughtful
scholars, respect for the great organization which such writ-
ings are supposed to serve.*
science in this field would be incomplete without some ref-
erence to the treatment of Galileo after his death. He had
begged to be buried in his family tomb in Santa Croce ;
this request was denied. His friends wished to erect a
monument over him ; this, too, was refused. Pope Urban
said to the ambassador Niccolini that " it would be an evil
example for the world if such honours were rendered to a
man who had been brought before the Roman Inquisition
for an opinion so false and erroneous; who had communi-
cated it to many others, and who had given so great a scan-
dal to Christendom." In accordance, therefore, with the
wish of the Pope and the orders of the Inquisition, Galileo
was buried ignobly, apart from his family, without fitting
ceremony, without monument, without epitaph. Not until
forty years after did Pierrozzi dare write an inscription
* For Chiaramonti's book and selections given, see Gebler as above, p. 271.
For Polacco, see his work as cited, especially Assertiones i, ii, vii, xi, xiii, Ixxiii,
clxxxvii, and others. The work is in the White Library at Cornell University.
The date of it is 1644.
to be placed above his bones ; not until a hundred years
after did Nelli dare transfer his remains to a suitable
position in Santa Croce, and erect a monument above
them. Even then the old conscientious hostility burst
forth : the Inquisition was besought to prevent such hon-
ours to ''a man condemned for notorious errors" ; and that
tribunal refused to allow any epitaph to be placed above
him which had not been submitted to its censorship. Nor
has that old conscientious consistency in hatred yet fully
relented : hardly a generation since has not seen some eccle-
siastic, like Marini or De Bonald or Rallaye or De Gabriac,
suppressing evidence, or torturing expressions, or inventing
theories to blacken the memory of Galileo and save the
reputation of the Church. Nay, more: there are school his-
tories, widely used, which, in the supposed interest of the
Church, misrepresent in the grossest manner all these trans-
actions in which Galileo was concerned. Sancta simp licit as !
The Church has no worse enemies than those who devise
and teach these perversions. They are simply rooting out,
in the long run, from the minds of the more thoughtful
scholars, respect for the great organization which such writ-
ings are supposed to serve.*
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
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_Maksutov
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- Posts: 12480
- Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
The Protestant Church was hardly less energetic against
this new astronomy than the mother Church. The sacred
science of the first Lutheran Reformers was transmitted as
a precious legacy, and in the next century was made much
of by Calovius. His great learning and determined ortho-
doxy gave him the Lutheran leadership. Utterly refusing
to look at ascertained facts, he cited the turning back of the
shadow upon King Hezekiah's dial and the standing still
of the sun for Joshua, denied the movement of the earth,
and denounced the whole new view as clearly opposed to
Scripture, To this day his arguments are repeated by sun-
dry orthodox leaders of American Lutheranism.
* For the persecutions of Galileo's memory after his death, see Gebler and
Wohlwill, but especially Th. Martin, p. 243 and chaps, ix and x. For documentary
proofs, see L'Epinois. For a collection of the slanderous theories invented against
Galileo, see Martin, final chapters and appendix. Both these authors are devoted
to the Church, but, unlike Monsignor Marini, are too upright to resort to the pious
fraud of suppressing documents or interpolating pretended facts.
As to the Other branches of the Reformed Church, we
have already seen how Calvinists, Anglicans, and, indeed,
Protestant sectarians generally, opposed the new truth. "In
England, among the strict churchmen, the great Dr. South
denounced the Royal Society as "irreligious," and among
the Puritans the eminent John Owen declared that New-
ton's discoveries were " built on fallible phenomena and ad-
vanced by many arbitrary presumptions against evident
testimonies of Scripture." Even Milton seems to have hesi-
tated between the two systems. At the beginning of the
eighth book of Paradise Lost he makes Adam state the diffi-
culties of the Ptolemaic system, and then brings forward an
angel to make the usual orthodox answers. Later, Milton
seems to lean toward the Copernican theory, for, referring
to the earth, he says :
" Or she from west her silent course advance
With inoffensive pace, that spinning sleeps
On her soft axle, while she faces even
And bears thee soft with the smooth air along."
this new astronomy than the mother Church. The sacred
science of the first Lutheran Reformers was transmitted as
a precious legacy, and in the next century was made much
of by Calovius. His great learning and determined ortho-
doxy gave him the Lutheran leadership. Utterly refusing
to look at ascertained facts, he cited the turning back of the
shadow upon King Hezekiah's dial and the standing still
of the sun for Joshua, denied the movement of the earth,
and denounced the whole new view as clearly opposed to
Scripture, To this day his arguments are repeated by sun-
dry orthodox leaders of American Lutheranism.
* For the persecutions of Galileo's memory after his death, see Gebler and
Wohlwill, but especially Th. Martin, p. 243 and chaps, ix and x. For documentary
proofs, see L'Epinois. For a collection of the slanderous theories invented against
Galileo, see Martin, final chapters and appendix. Both these authors are devoted
to the Church, but, unlike Monsignor Marini, are too upright to resort to the pious
fraud of suppressing documents or interpolating pretended facts.
As to the Other branches of the Reformed Church, we
have already seen how Calvinists, Anglicans, and, indeed,
Protestant sectarians generally, opposed the new truth. "In
England, among the strict churchmen, the great Dr. South
denounced the Royal Society as "irreligious," and among
the Puritans the eminent John Owen declared that New-
ton's discoveries were " built on fallible phenomena and ad-
vanced by many arbitrary presumptions against evident
testimonies of Scripture." Even Milton seems to have hesi-
tated between the two systems. At the beginning of the
eighth book of Paradise Lost he makes Adam state the diffi-
culties of the Ptolemaic system, and then brings forward an
angel to make the usual orthodox answers. Later, Milton
seems to lean toward the Copernican theory, for, referring
to the earth, he says :
" Or she from west her silent course advance
With inoffensive pace, that spinning sleeps
On her soft axle, while she faces even
And bears thee soft with the smooth air along."
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
-
_Maksutov
- _Emeritus
- Posts: 12480
- Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:19 pm
Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
English orthodoxy continued to assert itself. In 1724
John Hutchinson, professor at Cambridge, published his
Moses Principia, a system of philosophy' in which he sought
to build up a complete physical system of the universe from
the Bible. In this he assaulted the Newtonian theory as
"atheistic," and led the way for similar attacks by such
Church teachers as Home, Duncan Forbes, and Jones of
Nayland. But one far greater than these involved himself
in this view. That same limitation of his reason by the sim-
ple statements of Scripture which led John Wesley to de-
clare that, " unless witchcraft is true, nothing in the Bible is
true," led him, while giving up the Ptolemaic theory and
accepting in a general way the Copernican, to suspect the
demonstrations of Newton. Happily, his inborn nobility of
character* lifted him above an}' bitterness or persecuting
spirit, or any imposition of doctrinal tests which could pre-
vent those who came after him from finding their way to
the truth.
* For Calovius, see Zoeckler, Geschichie, vol. i, pp. 684 and 763. For Calvin
and Turretin, see Shields, The Final Philosophy, pp. 60, 61.
But in the midst of this vast expanse of theologic error
signs of right reason began to appear, both in England and
America. Noteworthy is it that Cotton Mather, bitter as
was his orthodoxy regarding witchcraft, accepted, in 1721,
the modern astronomy fully, with all its consequences.
In the following year came an even more striking evi-
dence that the new scientific ideas were making their way
in England. In 1722 Thomas Burnet published the sixth
edition of his Sacred Theory of tJie Earth. In this he argues,
as usual, to establish the scriptural doctrine of the earth's
stability ; but in his preface he sounds a remarkable warn-
ing. He mentions the great mistake into which St. Augus-
tine led the Church regarding the doctrine of the antipodes,
and says, *' If within a few years or in the next generation it
should prove as certain and demonstrable that the earth is
moved, as it is now that there are antipodes, those that have
been zealous against it, and engaged the Scripture in the
controversy, would have the same reason to repent of their
forwardness that St. Augustine would now, if he were still
alive."
John Hutchinson, professor at Cambridge, published his
Moses Principia, a system of philosophy' in which he sought
to build up a complete physical system of the universe from
the Bible. In this he assaulted the Newtonian theory as
"atheistic," and led the way for similar attacks by such
Church teachers as Home, Duncan Forbes, and Jones of
Nayland. But one far greater than these involved himself
in this view. That same limitation of his reason by the sim-
ple statements of Scripture which led John Wesley to de-
clare that, " unless witchcraft is true, nothing in the Bible is
true," led him, while giving up the Ptolemaic theory and
accepting in a general way the Copernican, to suspect the
demonstrations of Newton. Happily, his inborn nobility of
character* lifted him above an}' bitterness or persecuting
spirit, or any imposition of doctrinal tests which could pre-
vent those who came after him from finding their way to
the truth.
* For Calovius, see Zoeckler, Geschichie, vol. i, pp. 684 and 763. For Calvin
and Turretin, see Shields, The Final Philosophy, pp. 60, 61.
But in the midst of this vast expanse of theologic error
signs of right reason began to appear, both in England and
America. Noteworthy is it that Cotton Mather, bitter as
was his orthodoxy regarding witchcraft, accepted, in 1721,
the modern astronomy fully, with all its consequences.
In the following year came an even more striking evi-
dence that the new scientific ideas were making their way
in England. In 1722 Thomas Burnet published the sixth
edition of his Sacred Theory of tJie Earth. In this he argues,
as usual, to establish the scriptural doctrine of the earth's
stability ; but in his preface he sounds a remarkable warn-
ing. He mentions the great mistake into which St. Augus-
tine led the Church regarding the doctrine of the antipodes,
and says, *' If within a few years or in the next generation it
should prove as certain and demonstrable that the earth is
moved, as it is now that there are antipodes, those that have
been zealous against it, and engaged the Scripture in the
controversy, would have the same reason to repent of their
forwardness that St. Augustine would now, if he were still
alive."
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
-
_LittleNipper
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
The "church" held too tightly to TRADITION rather than to the Holy Bible: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c007.html
Last edited by Guest on Thu May 11, 2017 11:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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_huckelberry
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
LittleNipper wrote:The "church" held to tightly to TRADITION rather than to the Holy Bible: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c007.html
Nipper, what do you think about what is being said in this book the thread is following? I read that a a variety of protestants were against Galileo not just Catholics . The arguments presented against Galilio are primarily Biblical. He was accused of undermining Biblical authority. Yes the system the Catholics favored was Aristotle's but all these people thought that system fit the Bible and Copernicus did not.
Nowdays we are all used to not reading the problem Bible passages literally so have grown comfortable with thinking the earth revolves on its axis.
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_Maksutov
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
LittleNipper wrote:The "church" held to tightly to TRADITION rather than to the Holy Bible: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c007.html
Have you looked into what Luther and Calvin thought about Galileo's and Copernicus' ideas?
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
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_LittleNipper
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Re: The Warfare of Science with Theology by A. D. White
huckelberry wrote:LittleNipper wrote:The "church" held to tightly to TRADITION rather than to the Holy Bible: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c007.html
Nipper, what do you think about what is being said in this book the thread is following? I read that a a variety of protestants were against Galileo not just Catholics . The arguments presented against Galilio are primarily Biblical. He was accused of undermining Biblical authority. Yes the system the Catholics favored was Aristotle's but all these people thought that system fit the Bible and Copernicus did not.
Nowdays we are all used to not reading the problem Bible passages literally so have grown comfortable with thinking the earth revolves on its axis.
I don't know why you say Copernicus' didn't fit. Nature is however GOD designed it originally. GOD is supernatural, and so can do as He wants or needs to whenever it is reasonable for HIM to do it by whatever means in HIS power. And since GOD is ALL POWERFUL, I simply do not understand why anyone would suggest that placing a lightning rod on a barn can thwart GOD's abilities. In other words, if GOD wanted to stop the Universe for a day, HE created it, HE certainly has the ability to do it. And HIS gravity will prevent what HE wishes to prevent and hold what HE wishes to hold exactly as HE desires to accomplish it.
People who do not wish to read Biblical passages literally (though some are figurative/poetic and I feel they are clear in that intent) simply lack faith in an ALL POWERFUL CREATOR GOD. They instead worship the Universe, Time, Nature and Man's "scientific" explanations. Such are limiting GOD's abilities to man's judgments and explanations.