ThefirsteffectofMonsignorMarini’sbookseemedusefulincoveringtheretreatoftheChurchapologists。Aidedbyhim,suchvigorouswritersasWardwereabletothrowuptemporaryintrenchmentsbetweentheRomanauthoritiesandtheindignationoftheworld。
ButsometimelatercameaninvestigatorverydifferentfromMonsignorMarini。ThiswasaFrenchman,M。L’Epinois。LikeMarini,L’EpinoiswasdevotedtotheChurch;but,unlikeMarini,hecouldnotlie。Havingobtainedaccessin1867totheGalileodocumentsattheVatican,hepublishedseveralofthemostimportant,withoutsuppressionorpious-fraudulentmanipulation。
ThismadealltheintrenchmentsbaseduponMarini’sstatementsuntenable。Anotherretreathadtobemade。
Andnowcamethemostdesperateeffortofall。Theapologeticarmy,revivinganideawhichthepopesandtheChurchhadspurnedforcenturies,declaredthatthepopesASPOPEShadnevercondemnedthedoctrinesofCopernicusandGalileo;thattheyhadcondemnedthemasmensimply;thatthereforetheChurchhadneverbeencommittedtothem;thatthecondemnationwasmadebythecardinalsoftheinquisitionandindex;andthatthePopehadevidentlybeenrestrainedbyinterpositionofProvidencefromsigningtheircondemnation。Nothingcouldshowthedesperationoftheretreatingpartybetterthanjugglerylikethis。Thefactis,thatintheofficialaccountofthecondemnationbyBellarmin,in1616,hedeclaresdistinctlythathemakesthiscondemnation“inthenameofHisHolinessthePope。”[81]
[81]SeethecitationfromtheVaticanmanuscriptgiveninGebler,p。78。
Again,fromPopeUrbandownward,amongtheChurchauthoritiesoftheseventeenthcenturythedecisionwasalwaysacknowledgedtobemadebythePopeandtheChurch。UrbanVIIIspokeofthatof1616asmadebyPopePaulVandtheChurch,andofthatof1633
asmadebyhimselfandtheChurch。PopeAlexanderVIIin1664,inhisbullSpeculatores,solemnlysanctionedthecondemnationofallbooksaffirmingtheearth’smovement。[82]
[82]ForreferencesbyUrbanVIIItothecondemnationasmadebyPopePaulVseepp。136,144,andelsewhereinMartin,whomuchagainsthiswillisforcedtoallowthis。SeealsoRoberts,PontificaldecreesagainsttheEarth’sMovement,andSt。GeorgeMivart’sarticle,asabovequoted;alsoReusch,IndexderverbotenenBucher,Bonn,1885,vol。ii,pp。29etseq。
WhenGassendiattemptedtoraisethepointthatthedecisionagainstCopernicusandGalileowasnotsanctionedbytheChurchassuch,aneminenttheologicalauthority,FatherLecazre,rectoroftheCollegeofDijon,publiclycontradictedhim,anddeclaredthatit“wasnotcertaincardinals,butthesupremeauthorityoftheChurch。”thathadcondemnedGalileo;andtothisstatementthePopeandotherChurchauthoritiesgaveconsenteitheropenlyorbysilence。WhenDescartesandothersattemptedtoraisethesamepoint,theyweretreatedwithcontempt。FatherCastelli,whohaddevotedhimselftoGalileo,andknewtohiscostjustwhatthecondemnationmeantandwhomadeit,takesitforgranted,inhislettertothepapalauthorities,thatitwasmadebytheChurch。CardinalQuerenghi,inhisletters;theambassadorGuicciardini,inhisdispatches;Polacco,inhisrefutation;thehistorianViviani,inhisbiographyofGalileo——allwritingunderChurchinspectionandapprovalatthetime,tooktheviewthatthePopeandtheChurchcondemnedGalileo,andthiswasneverdeniedatRome。TheInquisitionitself,backedbythegreatesttheologianofthetimeBellarmin,tookthesameview。Notonlydoeshedeclarethathemakesthecondemnation“inthenameofHisHolinessthePope。”
butwehavetheRomanIndex,containingthecondemnationfornearlytwohundredyears,prefacedbyasolemnbullofthereigningPopebindingthiscondemnationontheconsciencesofthewholeChurch,anddeclaringyearafteryearthat“allbookswhichaffirmthemotionoftheearth“aredamnable。Toattempttofaceallthis,addedtothefactthatGalileowasrequiredtoabjure“theheresyofthemovementoftheearth“bywrittenorderofthePope,wassoonseentobeimpossible。AgainsttheassertionthatthePopewasnotresponsiblewehaveallthismassoftestimony,andthebullofAlexanderVIIin1664。[83]
[83]ForLecazre’sanswertoGassendi,seeMartin,pp。146,147。
FortheattempttomakethecrimesofGalileobreachofetiquette,seeDublinReview,asabove。Whewell,vol。i,p。283。
CitationfromMarini:“Galileowaspunishedfortriflingwiththeauthorities,towhichherefusedtosubmit,andwaspunishedforobstinatecontumacy,notheresy。”Thesufficientanswertoallthisisthatthewordsoftheinflexiblesentencedesignatingthecondemnedbooksare“libriomnesquiaffirmanttellurismotum。”
SeeBertrand,p。59。Astotheideathat“Galileowaspunishedfornothisopinion,butforbasingitonScripture。”theanswermaybefoundintheRomanIndexof1704,inwhicharenotedforcondemnation“Libriomnesdocentesmobilitatemterraeetimmobilitatemsolis。”Forthewayinwhich,whenitwasfoundconvenientinargument,ChurchapologistsinsistedthatitWAS
“theSupremeChiefoftheChurchbyapontificaldecree,andnotcertaincardinals。”whocondemnedGalileoandhisdoctrine,seeFatherLecazre’slettertoGassendi,inFlammarion,PluralitedesMondes,p。427,andUrbanVIII’sowndeclarationsasgivenbyMartin。Forthewayinwhich,whennecessary,Churchapologistsassertedtheverycontraryofthis,declaringthatitwasissuedinadoctrinaldegreeoftheCongregationoftheIndex,andNOT
astheHolyFather’steaching。”seeDublinReview,September,1865。
Thiscontention,then,wasatlastutterlygivenupbyhonestCatholicsthemselves。In1870aRomanCatholicclergymaninEngland,theRev。Mr。Roberts,evidentlythinkingthatthetimehadcometotellthetruth,publishedabookentitledThePontificalDecreesagainsttheEarth’sMovement,andinthisexhibitedtheincontrovertibleevidencesthatthepapacyhadcommitteditselfanditsinfallibilityfullyagainstthemovementoftheearth。ThisCatholicclergymanshowedfromtheoriginalrecordthatPopePaulV,in1616,hadpresidedoverthetribunalcondemningthedoctrineoftheearth’smovement,andorderingGalileotogiveuptheopinion。HeshowedthatPopeUrbanVIII,in1633,pressedon,directed,andpromulgatedthefinalcondemnation,makinghimselfinallthesewaysresponsibleforit。And,finally,heshowedthatPopeAlexanderVII,in1664,byhisbull——SpeculatoresdomusIsrael——attachedtotheIndex,condemning“allbookswhichaffirmthemotionoftheearth。”hadabsolutelypledgedthepapalinfallibilityagainsttheearth’smovement。HealsoconfessedthatundertheruleslaiddownbythehighestauthoritiesintheChurch,andespeciallybySixtusV
andPiusIX,therewasnoescapefromthisconclusion。
Varioustheologiansattemptedtoevadetheforceoftheargument。
Some,likeDr。WardandBouix,tookrefugeinverbalniceties;
some,likeDr。JeremiahMurphy,comfortedthemselveswithdeclamation。Theonlyresultwas,thatin1885cameanothereditionoftheRev。Mr。Roberts’swork,evenmorecogentthanthefirst;and,besidesthis,anessaybythateminentCatholic,St。GeorgeMivart,acknowledgingtheRev。Mr。Roberts’spositiontobeimpregnable,anddeclaringvirtuallythattheAlmightyallowedPopeandChurchtofallintocompleteerrorregardingtheCopernicantheory,inordertoteachthemthatscienceliesoutsidetheirprovince,andthatthetruepriesthoodofscientifictruthrestswithscientificinvestigatorsalone。[84]
[84]ForthecrushinganswerbytwoeminentRomanCatholicstothesophistriescited——ananswerwhichdoesinfinitelymorecredittotheolderChurchthatallthepervertedingenuityusedinconcealingthetruthorbreakingtheforceofit——seeRobertsandSt。GeorgeMivart,asalreadycited。
Inspite,then,ofallcasuistryandspecialpleading,thissturdyhonestyendedthecontroversyamongCatholicsthemselves,sofarasfair-mindedmenareconcerned。
Inrecallingitatthisdaytherestandoutfromitslaterphasestwoeffortsatcompromiseespeciallyinstructive,asshowingtheembarrassmentofmilitanttheologyinthenineteenthcentury。
ThefirstofthesewasmadebyJohnHenryNewmaninthedayswhenhewashoveringbetweentheAnglicanandRomanChurches。InoneofhissermonsbeforetheUniversityofOxfordhespokeasfollows:
“Scripturesaysthatthesunmovesandtheearthisstationary,andsciencethattheearthmovesandthesuniscomparativelyatrest。Howcanwedeterminewhichoftheseoppositestatementsistheverytruthtillweknowwhatmotionis?Ifourideaofmotionisbutanaccidentalresultofourpresentsenses,neitherpropositionistrueandbotharetrue:neithertruephilosophically;bothtrueforcertainpracticalpurposesinthesysteminwhichtheyarerespectivelyfound。”
Inallanti-theologicalliteraturethereisnoutterancemorehopelesslyskeptical。AndforwhatweretheyouthofOxfordledintosuchbottomlessdepthsofdisbeliefastoanyrealexistenceoftruthoranyrealfoundationforit?Simplytosaveanoutwornsystemofinterpretationintowhichthegiftedpreacherhappenedtobeborn。
TheotherutterancewassuggestedbyDeBonaldanddevelopedintheDublinReview,asisunderstood,byoneofNewman’sassociates。ThisargumentwasnothinglessthananattempttoretreatunderthechargeofdeceptionagainsttheAlmightyhimself。Itisasfollows:“ButitmaywellbedoubtedwhethertheChurchdidretardtheprogressofscientifictruth。WhatretardeditwasthecircumstancethatGodhasthoughtfittoexpressmanytextsofScriptureinwordswhichhaveeveryappearanceofdenyingtheearth’smotion。ButitisGodwhodidthis,nottheChurch;and,moreover,sincehesawfitsotoactastoretardtheprogressofscientifictruth,itwouldbelittletoherdiscredit,evenifitweretrue,thatshehadfollowedhisexample。”
Thisargument,likeMr。Gosse’sfamousattempttoreconcilegeologytoGenesis——bysupposingthatforsomeinscrutablepurposeGoddeliberatelydeceivedthethinkingworldbygivingtotheearthalltheappearancesofdevelopmentthroughlongperiodsoftime,whilereallycreatingitinsixdays,eachofaneveningandamorning——seemsonlytohaveawakenedtheamazedpityofthinkingmen。This,liketheargumentofNewman,wasalastdesperateeffortofAnglicanandRomandivinestosavesomethingfromthewreckageofdogmatictheology。[85]
[85]ForthequotationfromNewman,seehisSermonsontheTheoryofReligiousBelief,sermonxiv,citedbyBishopGoodwininContemporaryReviewforJanuary,1892。FortheattempttotaketheblameofftheshouldersofbothPopeandcardinalsandplaceitupontheAlmighty,seethearticleabovecited,intheDublinReview,September1865,p。419andJuly,1871,pp。157etseq。
Foragoodsummaryofthevariousattempts,andforrepliestotheminaspiritofjudicialfairness,seeTh。Martin,ViedeGalilee,thoughthereissomespecialpleadingtosavetheinfallibilityofthePopeandChurch。Thebibliographyatthecloseisveryvaluable。FordetailsofMr。Gosse’stheory,asdevelopedinhisOmphalos,seethechapteronGeologyinthiswork。Astoastilllaterattempt,seeWegg-Prosser,GalileoandhisJudges,London,1889,themainthinginitbeinganattempttoestablish,againstthehonestandhonourableconcessionsofCatholicslikeRobertsandMivart,sundryfar-fetchedandwire-
drawndistinctionsbetweendogmaticanddisciplinarybulls——anattemptwhichwillonlydeepenthedistrustofstraightforwardreasoners。Theauthor’spointofviewisstatedinthewords,“I
havemaintainedthattheChurchhasarighttolayherrestraininghandonthespeculationsofnaturalscience“p。
167。
Allthesewell-meaningdefendersofthefaithbutwroughtintotheheartsofgreatnumbersofthinkingmentheideathatthereisanecessaryantagonismbetweenscienceandreligion。Likethelandsmanwholasheshimselftotheanchorofthesinkingship,theysimplyattachedChristianitybythestrongestcordsoflogicwhichtheycouldspintothesemistakenideasinscience,and,couldtheyhavehadtheirway,theadvanceofknowledgewouldhaveingulfedbothtogether。
Ontheotherhand,whathadsciencedoneforreligion?Simplythis:Copernicus,escapingpersecutiononlybydeath;GiordanoBruno,burnedaliveasamonsterofimpiety;Galileo,imprisonedandhumiliatedastheworstofmisbelievers;Kepler,accusedof“throwingChrist’skingdomintoconfusionwithhissillyfancies“;Newton,bitterlyattackedfor“dethroningProvidence。”
gavetoreligionstrongerfoundationsandmoreennoblingconceptions。
Undertheoldsystem,thatprincelyastronomer,AlphonsoofCastile,seeingtheinadequacyofthePtolemaictheory,yetknowingnoother,startledEuropewiththeblasphemythat,ifhehadbeenpresentatcreation,hecouldhavesuggestedabetterorderoftheheavenlybodies。Underthenewsystem,Kepler,filledwithareligiousspirit,exclaimed,“IdothinkthethoughtsofGod。”ThedifferenceinreligiousspiritbetweenthesetwomenmarkstheconquestmadeinthislongstrugglebyScienceforReligion。[86]