The inquisition case Of Galileo- And yet it moves
A weak man stood kneeling in front of an inquiry panel in the Vatican. It was the peak of inquisition, and heresy spared no one — the 50-year-old man was charged with discriminating Christian beliefs.
Though being a close friend of the Pope, he had to stand trial. The great mind confessed to his guilt and asked for pardon. The man was Galileo Galilei. He was asking forgiveness for saying that the sun is the center of the solar system and not Earth.
Early life:
Galileo Galilei was one of the greatest renaissance scientists born in Italy. Galileo got inspired by various other scientists of his time and read through their works.
Galileo heard the usage of the lens to see small objects termed as a microscope. He immediately jumped into the idea of modifying it and using it to see objects in the far distance.
His concept of telescope revolutionized astronomy. He observed that the moon is not entirely flawless, and it has craters. He discovered Jupiter’s moons too.
Galileo telescopes brought him business opportunities from Venice. Venice was known for its maritime activities and needed telescopes for navigation. Galileo provided state of the art telescopes to Venetians. Galileo also equipped Venice’s defenses with lenses to concentrate sunlight on enemy ships and make them catch fire.
Inquisition:
The Inquisition was in full force during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance . Any opinion which contradicts general Christian beliefs was considered heresy.
Anyone charged with heresy stands trial and trials usually end badly for the accused. New scientific ideas need to confirm with Christian theology. However, rebel scientists have already started challenge the Church.
Nicolaus Copernicus of Poland came up with the theory that, as per his calculations and observations, the sun is the center of the solar system. According to the Christian thinking of the Middle Ages, the Earth is the center of the solar system.
All the planets and even the sun revolve around the Earth. Many scientists looking into the sky have already spotted the anomaly, but no-one was ready to question the Church.
