The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-05-02
John Jasper and Galileo.


Great merriment has been provoked |
among educated people by the efforts of |
the colored preacher, John Jasper, in |
Richmond, Va, to prove from the Bible |
that the earth stands still and that the |
sun moves around it. The Copernican |
discovery that the apparent motion of
the sun is due only to an illusion of the
senses, caused by the real motion of the
earth, has been SO widely disseminated
by means of our common schools and
other institutions of learning that the
bare assertion of a contrary doctrine
strikes most of us as something absurd,
which we do not think it worth while to
combat. That John Jasper should find
followers among the ignorant negroes is
fact to be deplored, we think; but we
accept it only as proof of their ignor
ance, and not as affording the slightest
ground for respecting his opinion. And
yet, two hundred and fifty years ago the
position now held by him was held by
the highest dignitaries in the church and
by many men eminent for their learning,
while those who took the present prevail
ing view were regarded as foes to religion
and unsound in science.
The treatise of Nicholas Kopernik, on
the revolution of the heavenly bodies, in
which, for the first time, appeared what
is now known as the Copernican system
of astronomy, was given to the world in
1543. The author was old and feeble,
and dared not undertake the publication
himself. The friend to whom he in
trusted the task, in order to break the
force of hostility which he saw was sure
to be aroused by the book, prefaced it
with declaration that its doctrines were
put forth merely as plausible theories,
assumed alphabetically, and not as ab
solutely true. Thus modified, the book
was printed, and a copy was put into the
hands of its author as he lay upon his
deathbed. For many years it attracted
no particular attention. The telescope
had not yet been invented, SO that there
were no means of verifying or disprov-
ing, by actual observation, the conclu-
| sions to which Kopernik had arrived,
| and some eminent astronomers, among
| them Tycho Brahe, refused altogether to
accept them. Theologians dismissed
them with contemptuousd disdain. Luther
called Kopernik can upstart astrol-
! oger" and "a fool, who wishes to reverse
the entire science of astronomy
Melancthon declared it to be C a want of
honesty and decency to assert such no.
tions publicly, and when Giordano Bruno
visited England, in 1888, he found him.
self quite alone in his recognition of the
new theory of the solar system. Al
length, however, the telescope confirmed
Kopernik, and men of science accord
ingly began to adopt his views. Their
the church reused itself The treatise ol
the deceased astronomer was, in 1916
put upon the Lader Eapargatorius, ano
the famous proceedings against Galileo
who had distinguished himself as Roper
nik's advocate, were set on foot. With
out repeating the familiar story O.
Galileo's trial, condemnation and ab
juration, it may be interesting to repro
duce some of the formal contradiction
of the truth of the Copernican system
which were made in the course of th'
proceedings against him.
In 1912 Cardinal Cont writes, in repl,
to letter from Galileo, making inquir!
of him on the subject, that the opinion
of Kopernik appear to him to be al
together inconsistent with the Hol,
Scriptures.
In 1914 the Dominican monk, Fathe
Caccini, preached at Florence his famou
sermon against Gaiileo from the text
eye men of Galilee, why stand ye gaz
ing up into heavenP'
For the year 1916 the records of tn
inquisition at Rome show the followin
entry:
PROPOSITIONS TO BE CENsURED.
Censure made in the holy office Q
the city, Wednesday, February p
! 1916, before the undersigned theologica
r fathers.
First-The sun is the center of tn
: world, and altogether immovable wit
! local motion.
$ Censure-All said the said propositio
). to be foolish and absurd in philosoph
and formally heretical, inasmuch as
: contradicts expressly the teachings c
holy writ in many places, according
q the proper meaning of words, commo
v Interpretation, and the opinion of th
1 holy fathers and doctors of theology.
). Second-The earth is not the center {
t the world, nor immovable, but in il
. totality is moved with daily motion.
q Censure-Al said this propositio
h should receive the same censure in ph
losophy, and in regard to theologic;
o truth to be. at least erroneous in faitl
Z Then follow the names of eleven men
O bers Of the holy Office, one of them bein
q an archbishop. The following day
,, Thursday, February 25, 1916, the follow
q ing entry was made:
= The most illustrious Lord Cardin
" Millinus notified the reverend father
= lords assessors, and the commissary
;. the holy Office that censure had been r
4 turned by the theological fathers upo
), the propositions of the mathematics
Galileo, that the sun is the center of tt
r. world and immovable with local motto
n and that the earth is moved with dali
N motion. His Holiness ordered the illu
~ trious Lord Cardinal BelIarmine to ca
y before him the said Galileo and admo
- ish him to relinquish the condemnt
"A opinion, and, if he refused to appear, tn
q the father commissary make him pr
n cept before notary and witnesses to q
n together abstain from teaching any do
h trine or opinion of this sort, or to defer
s. it, or to treat of it, and if he do not a
" quiesce that he be imprisoned.
= Immediately following this entry
% one purporting to relate to the giving
y. Calico, in the public manner provide
of the precept not to hold or teach t
n Copernican doctrine, and his promisil
~ to obey. According to other authoriti
= the monition was made privately
in Cardinal Bellarmine. Whichever acti,
as was had, it was the last for many yea
~ Not before 1882 was the proceedil
III stirred up again, but then matters we
- ON with energy to their final result
1e 1888 judgment was pronounced agair
ss Galileo in these terms.
m m We say, pronounce, judge, and
in in clare thee, the aforesaid Calico, to ha
- - rendered thyself to this holy off
" vehemently suspected of heresy on .
~ count of those things which were
~ duced in the written process and whi
A thou hast confessed as above; that
y. thet thou didst believe and hold th
y false doctrine, and contrary to the he
lie and divine Scriptures, that the sun is
no center of the universe and does L
.s move from east to west, and that
- earth moves and is not the center of t