Copernicus, Galileo and the Church

 The Greek theorized about the universe based upon observation  They placed earth at it’s center  This view was also adopted by the Catholic Church  Earth was God’s creation and therefore the center of existence  There were also biblical references to the Earth’s position as fixed and unmovable  “Sphere’s” surrounded the earth, with each more perfect than the last  The final sphere was God, because he watched over everything

 During the renaissance, there was an assumption in Europe that the ancient people were superior  However, as time passed and people became more educated, new technology and scientific discoveries were made.  The assumption proved false, the ancients were not superior.  Therefore, the scientific theories of the Greeks (Aristotle and Ptolemy) were now openly challenged.

 For decades, many astronomers tried to mathematically explain the motion of the stars using the Ptolemaic model as a guide  Incredibly complex models were created, however all were flawed  Copernicus, and Polish scientist and mathematician, was the first European to truly challenge the assumption  Based on mathematics and observation, he claimed that the universe was Heliocentric (sun centered)  He theorized that the Earth rotates on an axis, revolving around the sun.  Wrote: “On the Revolution of Heavenly Bodies” and it was published on while he was on his death bed  He was widely criticized and a virtually no one believed his interpretation  Most could not accept that humanity was not the center of the universe

 Galileo an Italian Scientist and Mathematician  He had heard of a device, made in Holland, used to see further than human eyes could allow (Telescope)  He soon copied this early telescope and over time, vastly improved on it.  With this new instrument, Galilee could see further into the universe than any human in history  Galileo made some interesting discoveries, first the heavenly bodies were not perfect (the moon had craters) and that Copernicus was correct

 Galileo was a devote Catholic and initially did not want to publish theories that went against Catholic teachings  However, at this point Copernican theory was considered heresy  Galileo went to Rome to defend Copernicus  Using St. Augistine’s writings as a model for his arguments, he claimed that the passages in the bible were not to be taken literally, rather they should be seen for their spiritual meaning.  However, his pleas were rejected and he was ordered not to publish or teach Copernican theory

 Galileo gave up on astronomy after his rejection in Rome  However, when a new Pope was elected (A personal acquaintance of Galileo, who argued on his behalf earlier) Galileo decided to publish his findings.  He did this with the permission of the church.  However, Galileo got himself in trouble.  The book was a conversation between two people – one character, named “Simplicio” argued on behalf of the church.  This character was portrayed as a simpleton – an insult which the pope did not take lightly  Galileo was then summoned before the inquisition in Rome

 At his trial Galileo was forced to sign a recantation (a documents stating that his theories were completely false)  He was convicted of Heresy and sentenced to imprisonment  The next day, the verdict was changed to permanent house arrest  Galileo, spent the rest of his life under house arrest and pursued other areas of scientific theory – Einstein himself credited Galileo as being the father of modern physics based on the work he did during this stage of his life “AND YET IT MOVES!”

Should Galileo stood up for what was right rather than simply obey the Church? Was the church correct in punishing Galileo to preserve its authority?

 Galileo dies, but his theories become accepted outside Italy (as the reformation has already taken hold by this point)  The Church holds their ground for almost 400 years – even after humanity has landed on the moon  In 1990, Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI, stated: “The Church at the time of Galileo kept much more closely to reason than did Galileo himself, and she took into consideration the ethical and social consequences of Galileo's teaching too. Her verdict against Galileo was rational and just, and the revision of this verdict can be justified only on the grounds of what is politically opportune.”  However, in 2000, Pope John Paul II issued a formal apology to Galileo and other victims of mistakes made by the Catholic church over the past 2000 years

 The Geo-centric model of the universe was created by Greek scientists  The Helio-centric model of the universe was created by Copernicus  Galileo and his telescope proved Copernicus was right  Galileo recanted and was imprisoned for his beliefs by the Catholic church  The church apologises in 2000.