A Defense of Galileo

[of the sciences], it would also forbid them from being Christians. And, that the Christian law alone recommends all sciences to its followers, because it does not fear for its own falsehood Campanella argues that because Christianity is true, it has nothing to fear from scientific discovery; only false religions need to suppress knowledge.

Fifth, that those who—as if speaking from the doctrine of the Christian faith—attack philosophers who prove their teachings through reason and experiments, act destructively against themselves, impiously against the faith, and mockingly toward others, provided those teachings are not expressly contrary to the Holy Scriptures (which do not admit of interpretation by other passages). Much more so does this apply to one who stretches the meaning of Scripture to fit one philosopher’s view just to make another’s view look bad.

Sixth, that not every falsehood is so contrary to the Scriptures that it must be considered heretical in the Church Militant the Christian Church as it exists on Earth, still struggling against sin and error—as it perhaps is in the Church Triumphant the Church as it exists in Heaven, in the full light of truth—unless it immediately or consequently subverts the meaning of Scripture. Furthermore, if theologians have embraced dogmas that appear just as contrary (or more so) to God’s Scriptures, one should not be condemned or barred from further speculation for inquiring whether new dogmas are true, provided they do so with a mind toward discovering truth, not attacking the faith.

These six assertions, which were proven in our Theological Matters, we shall not find it burdensome to prove again here, as it is helpful for the question at hand.

The First Assertion is Proven.

Although it is enough for a simple Christian to know what they must believe to attain eternal salvation—as St. Thomas teaches in the Summa Theologica original: "2. 2. q. 8. & 9." refers to the Second Part of the Second Part, Questions 8 and 9, which discuss the gifts of Understanding and Knowledge and all theologians with him—it is not enough for a theologian. It is the theologian’s role to exhort others in sound doctrine, and to refute those who contradict it, as the Apostle St. Paul (Titus 1:9) teaches, and all the Church Fathers with him. For since a theologian must judge all things through the highest cause, which is God, and not only through lower causes like other craftsmen and wise men, he needs to know all sciences thoroughly. Thus, he may know God, who is his primary object, and all the works of God together; and if any science which treats of God and the works of God among men contradicts divine science, he may be able to attack it and respond to its arguments. For truth does not contradict truth, nor does the effect contradict the cause; therefore, human science does not contradict divine science, nor do the works of God contradict God, as we are reminded by the Lateran Council under Leo X The Fifth Lateran Council (1512-17), which mandated that philosophers must defend the faith and that reason cannot contradict revelation. For this reason, St. Thomas, in his short work Against Those Who Attack Religion, because...