Americans today are divided over many issues. Perhaps one of the biggest conflicts on the cultural stage revolves around the tension between religion and science. The position a person takes on the issue will likely inform everything from their political leanings to their charitable giving. The point of course is that it is an important topic to explore in today’s hostile landscape. To many modern scientists and atheists alike the story of Galileo is a case study in the lunacy of the church and the ignorance of religious devotees. Maurice Finocchiaro wrote that the Galileo affair (as it’s often referred to) was, “an episode of controversy involving scientific, epistemological, philosophical, theological, religious, social and political issues.” His point is the the story is multifaceted and has warranted numerous interpretations over time. One article wrote that, “To secular scholars, Galileo Galilei was a martyr to religious bigotry, demonstrating how pious superstition can shackle human knowledge.” Galileo is therefore hailed as the chief hero of the story for pursuing scientific truth while being vehemently opposed by the church.
This characterization leads most people to assume that Galileo was first and foremost a scientist and that he had no interest in Christian practices. It also leaves the church looking dogmatic, ignorant and unreasonable. These depictions, whether in writing or in the public psyche, are unfortunate and misleading. The scope of this paper will not be to set the record strait in every aspect of the story, but rather to focus on the person of Galileo and paint a more accurate picture of his religious life. This paper will show that Galileo, despite holding views contrary to the church, remained genuine in his Christian faith in the midst of complying with the official doctrine of the Catholic Church.
Galileo was in fact a Christian and remained one to the end of his life despite the conflicts he experienced with the church. To show that he was in fact genuine is simply to say that he did not abandon his religious belief or practice. It is impossible to know or measure his intentions or completely understand the motivations that informed his words and writing. So while it is not possible to know definitively what kind of Christian he was, there is enough evidence to show that he was a Christian. The best pieces of evidence for his Christian faith are his writings on the topic of scripture, and his views on the authority of the church, both of which are discussed at length in a letter he wrote in 1615.
GALILEO’S TREATMENT OF SCRIPTURE
Galileo was a great thinker with a curious mind and he was also, as Galli and Olsen point out, “a devout Christian who saw not a divorce of religion and science but only a healthy marriage.” Galileo like Augustine before him saw the natural world as God’s creation and its order reflected the intelligence of the creator. Galileo, having been trained as a Jesuit novice, was familiar with the writings and theology of Augustine and makes multiple appeals to his understanding of the Bible. In a letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, Galileo explained that his view of scripture is based on Augustine’s theology. Augustine wrote that the, “authors [of scripture] knew the truth about the nature of the skies, but it was not the intention of the Spirit of God, who spoke through them, to teach men anything that would not be of use to them for their salvation.” For Augustine the Bible does not exist to teach scientific truth.
The interpretation of scripture therefore should never conflict with what is plainly visible and understandable in nature. Galileo wrote that, “the Holy Scripture and nature derive equally from the Godhead.” Both scripture and nature come from God and should therefore be consistent with one another. The things in nature can be plainly seen and understood. The scriptures have to be understood in their literary context. On this subject he wrote that, “Holy Scripture can never lie, as long as its true meaning has been grasped.” He firmly believed in the infallibility of scripture, but saw that it is very important to interpret scripture correctly. Galileo’s understanding was that the scriptures were not written to teach us about nature, but rather the nature of God.
Galileo thought that those who opposed him in the church were essentially taking scripture out of context to argue their point of view. He wrote, “they have decided to try to shield the fallacies of their arguments with the cloak of simulated religiousness and with the authority of Holy Scripture, unintelligently… for the confutation of arguments they neither understood nor have heard.” Galileo is not writing this from a secular perspective as if his opponents falsely believed the scriptures. Rather, he is writing they are misusing and misunderstanding the scriptures that he also holds to be true. Galileo firmly believed the scriptures and was proud of his Christian faith.
GALILEO’S SUBMISSION TO THE CHURCH
He wrote in his letter that, “in matters of religion and reputation I have the greatest regard for common people judge and view me.” Galileo did not want to be seen as a heretic by any means, and instead wanted to demonstrate the error of the church’s interpretation. He went on to add, “I hope to demonstrate that I proceed with much more pious and religious zeal than [my opponents]”. His intent was not to try and make himself superior to the church, but rather to have a healthy hermeneutical discussion in a sincere and reverent fashion. In fact, even in the midst of disagreement Galileo still wrote, “I feel reverence for these authorities and hold them supreme, so that I should consider it most reckless to want to contradict them… I do not wish to quarrel with anyone.” His respect for the church was absolute and his desire was to be in good standing before those in authority. Clearly Galileo did not want to be a controversial figure. Galileo famously submitted to the church and recanted. This action seems to be the main focus of many who view his actions as scientific martyrdom and the ultimate tragedy of the story. But based on Galileo’s own thoughts on church authority, his submission was not an act of defeat, even if he was disappointed. His submission comes out of a great respect for their God-given authority and his own devotion to Christ.
The story of Galileo’s conflict is often seen as Galileo up against the whole of the church. This is also not the case, as Galileo finds some within the church who agree with him. One such person, Cardinal Baronio, told him that, “the intention of the Holy Spirit is to teach us how one goes to heaven and not how heaven goes.” Baronio affirmed Augustine’s view that scripture is primarily about salvation and not science. Galileo saw his views as reasonable and did not think it was a problem to disagree with ideas that were popular. He wrote that it should not, “be considered rash to be dissatisfied with opinion which almost universally accepted… especially in regard to problems which have been controversial for thousands of years.” Galileo’s desire was for civil debates and discussions on the topic of the universe and not to be branded as a heretic. He felt that the role of theologians was to take propositions about nature that are clearly true and then show that they do not contradict scripture.
The implications of this letter bring profound understanding to the larger story of the whole situation between Galileo and the church. Galileo was both a scientist and a Christian. He believed that scripture was important, holy, and infallible but needed to be interpreted correctly in a manner that was not contradictory to what we can see and observe in nature. Galileo respected and submitted to the authority of the church, recognizing the validity of their authority while sill disagreeing with their theology. His main point of contention was that the church was using verses out of context, interpreting them literally where meant to be figurative and then forcing the scripture’s authority on the matter as absolute without any room for other interpretations.
While Galileo’s actions may appear hypocritical or inconsistent to the undiscerning eye, his faith was genuine and his relationship with the church complicated. Nonetheless, his contributions were to both science and theology in helping future readers to understand the interplay between the two when the Bible is correctly interpreted. In the same way, Galileo’s story itself must be correctly interpreted in light of his Christian faith. This was not a scientist in rebellion against religion or the church, but a man who loved God and his creation. The whole affair, while complicated on many levels, is ultimately a fundamental dispute among committed Christians. Galileo should ultimately be celebrated, not for opposing the church, but for being a voice within it. Galileo, despite holding views contrary to the majority of the church, remained genuine in his Christian faith through it all.
Bibliography
Augustine of Hippo. The Literal Interpretation of Genesis 1:19–20. A.D. 408.
Galilei, Galileo, and Maurice A. Finocchiaro. 1989. The Galileo Affair : A Documentary History. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2017).
Mark Galli and Ted Olsen. “Introduction,” 131 Christians Everyone Should Know. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000. 355.
Virginia Owens, “Galileo and the Powers Above,” Christian History Magazine-Issue 76: The Christian Face of the Scientific Revolution. Carol Stream, IL: Christianity Today. 2002.