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Book/Printed Material Works of Galileo Galilei, Part 4: Astronomical Works, that is, all that Appertains to the Copernican System, and to the Project on Longitudes, Volume 1, Astronomy. Opere Astronomiche, cioe tuttocio che appartiene at Sistema Copernicano, e al Progetto sulle Longitudini, Tomo 1, Astronomia

About this Item

Title

  • Works of Galileo Galilei, Part 4: Astronomical Works, that is, all that Appertains to the Copernican System, and to the Project on Longitudes, Volume 1, Astronomy.

Other Title

  • Opere Astronomiche, cioe tuttocio che appartiene at Sistema Copernicano, e al Progetto sulle Longitudini, Tomo 1, Astronomia

Summary

  • This codex contains important manuscripts in which Galileo Galilei (1564--1642) defended the Copernican theory that the Earth moves around the sun, which he had confirmed by observation with the telescope he had designed, which offered greatly enhanced magnification compared to older telescopes. The principal documents in the volume are letters, dating from 1614-15, to his friend and student Benedetto Castelli, to the Jesuit priest Piero Dini, and to the grand duchess of Tuscany, Christina of Lorraine. In each of these letters, Galileo discussed the relationship between scientific theory and the Bible. He argued that neither the Bible nor nature could speak falsely, but that theologians should not interfere in purely scientific questions. In his letter to Castelli, Galileo demonstrated his approach to scripture by arguing that the Bible was not intended to be an exact description of reality but was conceived as moral teaching. He also held that the ancient texts of the Bible attributed many anthropomorphic characteristics to the divinity. Proceeding from this basis, Galileo argued that the famous passage in the Bible in which Joshua asked God to stop the sun in order to prolong the day represented a metaphorical rather than a literal truth.

Names

  • Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642 Author.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1614 to 1615]

Headings

  • -  Italy
  • -  1614 to 1615
  • -  Correspondence
  • -  Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642
  • -  Heliocentric astronomy
  • -  Science and religion

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource at: National Central Library of Florence.
  • -  Content in Italian.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Galilean Collection

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667674

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Galilei, Galileo, Author. Works of Galileo Galilei, Part 4: Astronomical Works, that is, all that Appertains to the Copernican System, and to the Project on Longitudes, Volume 1, Astronomy. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1615, 1614] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667674/.

APA citation style:

Galilei, G. (1614) Works of Galileo Galilei, Part 4: Astronomical Works, that is, all that Appertains to the Copernican System, and to the Project on Longitudes, Volume 1, Astronomy. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1615] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667674/.

MLA citation style:

Galilei, Galileo, Author. Works of Galileo Galilei, Part 4: Astronomical Works, that is, all that Appertains to the Copernican System, and to the Project on Longitudes, Volume 1, Astronomy. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1615, 1614] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667674/>.