Galileo, Bellarmine, and the Bible

Richard J. Blackwell

Description

Considered the paradigm case of the troubled interaction between science and religion, the conflict between Galileo and the Church continues to generate new research and lively debate. Richard J. Blackwell offers a fresh approach to the Galileo case, using as his primary focus the biblical and ecclesiastical issues that were the battleground for the celebrated confrontation. Blackwell's research in the Vatican manuscript collection and the Jesuit archives in Rome enables him to re-create a vivid picture of the trends and counter-trends that influenced leading Catholic thinkers of the period: the conservative reaction to the Reformation, the role of authority in biblical exegesis and in guarding orthodoxy from the inroads of "unbridled spirits," and the position taken by Cardinal Bellarmine and the Jesuits in attempting to weigh the discoveries of the new science in the context of traditional philosophy and theology. A centerpiece of Blackwell's investigation is his careful reading of the brief treatise Letter on the Motion of the Earth by Paolo Antonio Foscarini, a Carmelite scholar, arguing for the compatibility of the Copernican system with the Bible. Blackwell appends the first modern translation into English of this important and neglected document, which was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1616. Though there were differing and competing theories of biblical interpretation advocated in Galileo's time—the legacy of the Council of Trent, the views of Cardinal Bellarmine, the most influential churchman of his time, and, finally, the claims of authority and obedience that weakened the abillity of Jesuit scientists to support the new science—all contributed to the eventual condemnation of Galileo in 1633. Blackwell argues convincingly that the maintenance of ecclesiastical authority, not the scientific issues themselves, led to that tragic trial.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Biblical Studies
• Philosophie et théologie
• Ciudad del Vaticano
• Catholic Church
• General officer
• Protestant Reformation
• Old Testament
• Christianity
• Criminology
• General
• Réformation
• History
• Vatican

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 1991
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268158934
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

GALILEO, BELLARMINE, AND THE BIBLE
Galileo, Bellarmine, and the Bible
Including a Translation of Foscarini s Letter on the Motion of the Earth
R iCHARD J. B LACKWELL
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME PRESS
Universi t y of Notre Dame Press Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
www.undpress.nd.edu All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States of America Copyright 1991 by University of Notre Dame
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blackwell, Richard J., 1929-
Galileo, Bellarmine, and the Bible : including a translation of Foscarini s Letter on the motion of the earth / Richard J. Blackwell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-268-01024-2
1. Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642. 2. Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621. 3. Foscarini, Paolo Antonio, ca. 1565-1616. 4. Astronomy, Renaissance. 5. Religion and science-History-17th century. 6. Catholic church-Doctrines-History-17th century. 7. Inquisition-Italy. I. Foscarini, Paolo Antonio, ca. 1565-1616. Epistola circa Pythagoricorum Copernici opinionem de mobilitate terr et stabilitate solis. English II. Title.
QB36.G2B574 1991
520 .94 09032-dc20
90-70858
CIP
ISBN 9780268158934
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at [e-mail] .
I t is impossible for two truths to conflict. As a result we should not fear the assaults which come against us, whatever they be, as long as we still have room to speak and to be heard by people who are experts and who are not excessively affected by their own interests and feelings.
Galileo, Letter to Castelli
W e say in general that the judge of the true meaning of Scripture and of all controversies is the Church, that is, the pontiff with a council, on which all Catholics agree and which was expressly stated by the Council of Trent, Session IV.
Bellarmine, Controversies I, I, 3, 3
N o one ought to be so addicted to a philosophical sect, or to defend some philosophical opinion with such tenacity, that he thinks that the whole of Sacred Scripture should henceforth be understood accordingly.
Foscarini, Defense
F OR R OSEMARY
As a lily among the thistles
The Song of Songs 2:2
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Trent and Beyond
The Fourth Session of the Council of Trent
The Theological Repercussions of the Fourth Session
Copernicanism and Sixteenth-Century Astronomy
Chapter 2: Bellarmine s Views Before the Galileo Affair
The Truth and Meaning of the Scriptures
Bellarmine s Biblical Cosmology
Bellarmine s Role in the Bruno Trial
The Resolution of the Controversy over Grace and Free Will
Chapter 3: Galileo s Detour into Biblical Exegesis
Blocking the Path of Inquiry
Galileo s Initial Response
The Shadow of Heresy
Galileo s Final Response
Chapter 4: Foscarini s Bombshell
Science and Scripture in the Lettera
Mate, Checkmate, and Tobias s Dog
Chapter 5: The Bible at Galileo s Trial
The Origin of the Charges against Copernicanism
The Verdict and the Decree
The Order to Obey
The Bible in the Courtoom
Chapter 6: The Jesuit Dilemma: Truth or Obedience
Solid and Uniform Doctrine
The Jesuit Tradition on Obedience
Biancani s Battle with the Jesuit Censors
The Onset of Intellectual Rigor Mortis
Chapter 7: Reflections on Truth in Science and in Religion
Science and the Bible
Religious Faith and the Logic of Authority
Appendix I: Decrees of the Council of Trent, Session IV (8 April 1546)
Appendix II: Diego de Zu iga, Commentary on Job 9:6 (1584)
Appendix III: Bellarmine, De controversiis de verbo Dei I, I, 3, 3 (1586)
Appendix IV: Galileo s Letter to Castelli (21 December 1613)
Appendix V: The Galileo-Dini Correspondence
A. Galileo to Dini (16 February 1615)
B. Dini to Galileo (7 March 1615)
C. Galileo to Dini (23 March 1615)
Appendix VI: Foscarini s Letter (6 January 1615)
Appendix VII: The Censor s Report and Foscarini s Reply
A. An Unidentified Theologian s Censure of Foscarini s Letter (1615)
B. Foscarini s Defense of the Letter (1615)
Appendix VIII: Bellarmine s Letter to Foscarini (12 April 1615)
Appendix IX: Galileo s Unpublished Notes (1615)
A. On Bellarmine s Letter to Foscarini
B. On the Relations of Science and Scripture
Bibliography
Index
Preface
This book has gradually grown out of the author s curiosity over the following question: At the time of the Galileo affair, what was the intellectual ground occupied by serious Catholic thinkers who stood, as it were, on the other side of the fence from Galileo? The obvious starting point was, of course, to undertake a study of Cardinal Bellarmine, which in turn led to the views of his numerous Jesuit colleagues who happened to be among the best-informed mathematicians and astronomers of the day. Many of our findings belied our preconceptions. Large quantities of unpublished papers and letters by Bellarmine and by the other Jesuit principals in the story remain to be given the study they deserve, and perhaps they hold further unexpected insights into the Galileo affair.
Equally unstudied have been the writings of Paolo Antonio Foscarini, O. Carm. This is particularly surprising since his Lettera was condemned by explicit title and in toto in the famous 5 March 1616 Decree of the Congregation of the Index which announced the condemnation of Copernicanism. Yet there are to date no studies of this Lettera in English and only a very few in Italian. For the benefit of scholars we have included in Appendix VI the first modern English translation of this lengthy booklet since Thomas Salusbury s seventeenth-century English rendition which is now almost both unobtainable and unreadable because of it arcane style.
Our major debt for making this book possible is owed to the professional staff members of the various research libraries and archives who made both their research materials and advice so generously available to us. This applies first and foremost to the librarians at the Pius XII Memorial Library of Saint Louis University, and especially to Dr. Charles Ermatinger, the Director of its Vatican Microfilm Library. Also a special word of thanks must be extended to Rev. Francis Edwards, S.J., Archivist, and Rev. Joseph Costelloe, S.J., Librarian, at the Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu (ARSI) in Rome; to Rev. Emanuele Boaga, O. Carm., Archivist at the Centro Internazionale S. Alberto - Carmelitani, in Rome; to Dr. William B. Ashworth, Jr., and Dr. Bruce Bradley, Librarian for the History of Science, of the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City; and to Mrs. Helen S. Butz, Rare Book Librarian, University Library, University of Michigan.
We also wish to express our special appreciation to Rev. John W. Padberg, S.J., Director, Institute of Jesuit Sources (St. Louis), for his close critique and helpful suggestions to improve an earlier version of chapter 6 . The remaining deficiencies here and elsewhere are due, of course, to us.
All translations used in this book were made by the author, unless indicated otherwise in the footnotes. The Jerusalem Bible was used for the English text in some of the biblical quotations. Words placed within square brackets in direct quotations have been added by the translator for purposes of clarification. In preparing the translations we have attempted to achieve both accuracy and readability, but without ever sacrificing the former to the latter.
The documents in the Appendices are the primary sources upon which this study is based. They are not collected together in any one other place. Many of them appear here in English for the first time.
The completion of the writing of this book was made possible by a sabbatical leave generously granted to us by Saint Louis University for the fall semester of 1989.
This edition differs from the original cloth bound edition in only two respects. First we have corrected some minor wording and typographical errors. Second and more importantly our translation of Foscarini s Defense in Appendix VIIB has been revised and expanded to take account of the newly discovered Latin text of that treatise published by E. Boaga while the original edition of this book was in press.
Introduction
The Piazza della Minerva in Rome is located immediately behind the left side of Hadrian s monumental Pantheon. It derives its name from a temple built on this site in Roman times and dedicated to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, of war, and of the practical arts. The goddess must have had difficulty managing such disparate and clashing forces, and this seems to be reflected in the subsequent history of this Piazza.
The thirteenth-century Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, which now dominates the Piazza, and which contains a statue of Christ by Michelangelo and the burial places of Fra Angelico and St. Catherine of Siena, has long been the main center in Rome for the Dominican Order, which by tradition provided much of the staff for the Inquisition. The Dominican convent building immediately to the left of, and at right angles to, the facade of Santa Maria sopra Minerva was the headquarters of the Roman Inquisition and the site of the Galileo trial in 1633. This building faces the derriere of Bernini s whimsical statue of an elephant carrying an obelisk, erected in the middle of the Piazza in 1667 in a position perhaps designed as a symbolic judgment on the trial. In 1988 the elephant s head was still turned to the side, seemingly to avoid gazing upon the spectacle of an old building on the opposite side of the Piazza being converted into a Holiday Inn! Also in that same year one could read on the closed side door of the Dominican Church the following grafitti in English, It s violence, but we like it. One wonders whether these thoughtless words of wisdom, worthy of Madame Defarge, were addressed to Minerva or to the Grand Inquisitor, and wheth