Posted on 10/26/2009 3:48:32 PM PDT by NYer
... Galileo, both of whom, of course, are more famous—at least in popular culture—than the Polish genius. From a recent column:
Copernicus, son of a Polish father and German mother, was a priest and the temporary administrator of the diocese of Frauenburg. As a Renaissance man, he put Leonardo da Vinci in the shade, although painting seems to be the one art that did not claim him as a master. After studies in the universities of Krakow (where Pope John Paul II studied and taught), Bologna, Padua and Ferrara, he became a prominent jurist and mathematician and also practiced medicine for six years, donating his service to the poor. The polymath pioneered reform of the monetary system as it was developing in his day and did it so well that he was made an economic advisor to the government of Prussia. In what little spare time he had, he translated into Latin for posterity the Greek letters of Theophylactus.Nor was Copernicus persecuted and murdered by the Church for "revealing scientific truths," which is what Dan Brown wrote in Angels & Demons...
He studied astronomy well enough to lecture in Rome on the planets, and shortly before his death he completed his heliocentric cosmology. This "Copernican Revolution" which overturned the Ptolemaic picture of Earth as the center of the universe, except for Manhattan of course, launched modern astronomy and greatly influenced Galileo who was born 21 years after the death of Copernicus. He was too careful a theologian to muddle astronomy with astrology as did Galileo, nor did he insist unscientifically that his theory was absolute fact, a mistake which got Galileo into trouble.
Fr. George Rutler is pastor of the Church of Our Saviour in NYC and host of the EWTN program Christ in the City. Fr. Rutler is also a convert to the Catholic Church.
If you are ever in NYC, do stop by Our Saviour Church at Park Avenue and 38th Street. You will be met by some truly magnificent icons.
I am always grateful when I can listen to his program. He is very good at explaining complicated things, and I like the classical background he brings to his talks.
I printed out a copy of Christ Pantocrator and keep it nearby when saying my prayers.
I find the relationship between the Church and science to be endlessly fascinating. It’s unfortunate that the anti-Catholic propaganda machine has been so successful that it’s lies are routinely repeated in even text books.
Copernican heliocentrism was lock, stock and barrel a product of the Catholic Church. The origin of his research was a Vatican directive that had the purpose of improving the ecclesiastical calendar. Later his work provided the foundation for the Gregorian calendar.
It was protestants at Wittenburg who tried and succeeded in blocking the publication of his theory (for a time) and both Luther and Calvin spoke out against Copernicism.
I believe it was them that Copernicus was referring to in his dedication to Pope Paul III when he said, “If perchance there shall be idle talkers, who, though they are ignorant of all mathematical sciences, nevertheless assume the right to pass judgment on these things, and if they should dare to criticise and attack this theory of mine because of some passage of Scripture which they have falsely distorted for their own purpose,..”
I think the defense of of Catholicism against the history revisionists is important enough that I will spend a day or two in my CCD class on this subject.
Rutler and Science Bump.
The week after we crossed the Tiber, we visited NYC. As we came into town, we passed Father Rutler’s church. It was beautiful — candle-lit, draped with Vatican banners or flags, dark and beautiful. I said, “That is the church I want to attend while we are here.”
We went to Mass the next morning, and who should be presiding but ‘our friend’ (from EWTN) Father Rutler. It is the most beautiful church. The painting over the altar is breath-takingly beautiful, copied, I think, from an icon at St. Catherine’s. Candles everywhere. Reverential.
I agree — if you are ever in NYC, do go.
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