CHAPTER 3

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CHAPTER 3
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ASTRONOMY.

I The Old Sacred Theory of the Universe
— The early Church’s conviction of the uselessness of astronomy
— The growth of a sacred theory
— Origen, the Gnostics,
— Philastrius, Cosmas, Isidore
— The geocentric, or Ptolemaic, theory its origin, and its acceptance by the Christian world
— Development of the new sacred system of astronomy
— The pseudo-Dionysius, Peter Lombard. Thomas Aquinas
— Its popularization by Dante
— Its details
— Its persistence to modern times

II The Heliocentric Theory
— Its rise among the Greeks
— Pythagoras, Philolaus, Aristarchus
— Its suppression by the charge of blasphemy
— Its loss from sight for six hundred Years, then for a thousand
— Its revival by Nicholas de Cusa and Nicholas Copernicus
— Its toleration as a hypothesis
— Its prohibition as soon as Galileo teaches it as a truth
— Consequent timidity of scholars
— Acosta, Apian
— Protestantism not less zealous in opposition than
— Catholicism
— Luther
— Melanchthon, Calvin, Turretin
— This opposition especially persistent in England
— Hutchinson,
— Pike, Horne, Horsley, Forbes, Owen, Wesley
— Resulting interferences with freedom of teaching
— Giordano Bruno’s boldness and his fate
— The truth demonstrated by the telescope of Galileo

III The War upon Galileo
— Concentration of the war on this new champion
— The first attack
— Fresh attacks
— Elci, Busaeus, Caccini, Lorini, Bellarmin
— Use of epithets
— Attempts to entrap Galileo
— His summons before the Inquisition at Rome
— The injunction to silence, and the condemnation of the theory of the earth’s motion,
— The work of Copernicus placed on the Index
— Galileo’s seclusion
— Renewed attacks upon Galileo
— Inchofer, Fromundus

IV Victory of the Church over Galileo
— Publication of his Dialog,
— Hostility of Pope Urban VIII
— Galileo’s second trial by the Inquisition
— His abjuration
— Later persecution of him
— Measures to complete the destruction of the Copernican theory
— Persecution of Galileo’s memory
— Protestant hostility to the new astronomy and its champions

V Results of the Victory over Galileo
— Rejoicing of churchmen over the victory
— The silencing of Descartes
— Persecution of Campanella and of Kepler
— Persistence and victory of science
— Dilemma of the theologians
— Vain attempts to postpone the surrender

VI The Retreat of the Church after its Victory over Galileo
— The easy path for the Protestant theologians
— The difficulties of the older Church.
— The papal infallibility
— fully committed against the Copernican theory
— Attempts at evasion
— First plea: that Galileo was condemned not for affirming the earth’s motion, but for supporting it from Scripture
— Its easy refutation
— Second plea: that he was condemned not for heresy, but for contumacy
— Folly of this assertion
— Third plea: that it was all a quarrel between Aristotelian professors and those favoring the experimental method
— Fourth plea: that the condemnation of Galileo was “provisory”
— Fifth plea: that he was no more a victim of Catholics than of
— Protestants
— Efforts to blacken Galileo’s character
— Efforts to suppress the documents of his trial
— Their fruitlessness
— Sixth plea: that the popes as popes had never condemned his theory
— Its confutation from their own mouths
— Abandonment of the contention by honest Catholics
— Two efforts at compromise
— Newman, De Bonald
— Effect of all this on thinking men
— The fault not in Catholicism more than in Protestantism not in religion, but in theology
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