Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius Book

Galileo Galilei is considered the father of modern science but this title is not attributed to him until long after his death. Galileo dedicated his entire life to science, invention, and discovery during a time when the Catholic Church is desperately trying to hold on to the power they have left after the Protestant Reformation. His life takes place in the time period where the Church is completely melded and indistinguishable from education. New inventions and discoveries are welcomed with open arms until they go against the status quo.  Mariano Artigas' and William R. Shea's book Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius displays the trouble Galileo faces when he brings to light the idea that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around, and atomism. These theories raise the question of the infallibility of Christ, His importance, the Catholic Church's method of interpretation, and the transubstantiation of the Eucharist.

The authors divvy up Galileo's life into his six visits to Rome. In this way the reader can fully understand the relationship between papal politics and scientific discovery. When Galileo invents the telescope his theories become a problem for the Vatican, raising many theological debates and worries. Upon his first few visits he receives confirmation for his efforts, but also admonition. Cardinal Bellarmine brings to light the theological issues with his discoveries that will plague Galileo until his dying day. Every idea Galileo holds dear is ripped to shreds by critics and papal authorities, like the Holy Office.

For instance, the mountains on the surface of the moon goes against the popular idea that the heavens are perfect and unchangeable. The four moons of Jupiter demonstrated that not all heavenly bodies revolve around the Earth. The phases of Venus show that at least one body orbits the Sun and the countless numbers of stars alter their perception of the universe. The final straw was atomism.

Galileo's Assayer, was a masterpiece of Italian Baroque style, widely acclaimed by poets and writers and but not so much by scientists. His atomistic theories within clash with the idea of transubstantiation. Galileo says tastes and other sensory details are subjective, thus making the idea of transubstantiation subjective; bringing back all the controversies of the Protestant Reformation. All of these small issues come down to one large one: the interpretation of Scripture. The bible spoke, and the Church preached specifically, that the Sun rises and sets. Even in the book of Joshua 10:12-13, Joshua says, "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped." Surely if, in reference to the sun, something was not in motion there would be no need to tell it to stop? While this problem could be chalked up to interpretation of ordinary language for ordinary people to understand, it still would mean that the Church had to admit fault in their supposed "superior" interpretation. After the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent, this is not an option.

Eventually, after an overabundance of poor decision making and arrogance, Galileo is brought to trial before the Holy Office and they condemn him to house arrest for life, he must recant, and recite seven penitential psalms once a week for the next three years. He dies blind and in pain on the January 8, 1642 without ever knowing his contributions to modern science.

Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius by Shea and Artigas is not the best historical book out there, there are several issues. The pictures provided are horrible quality and completely irrelevant. Maybe two out of the whole assortment make logical sense. Why not provide a photo or drawing of the first telescope, horoscope tables, or paintings of historical figures that were actually talked about? There were no citations within the text. The worst offense being that some of the "factual" information comes across to the reader as opinionated because they gave no evidence. In one instance, they said that Galileo was self-absorbed and thought of himself as being the sole provider of celestial discoveries and treats others' ideas as inferior to his own. The last part has some evidence presented later but in a book where the actual correspondence between Galileo and colleagues is given quite often, could they not have backed that statement up with some evidence?

With that being said there are no other problems with the book, only praise. Shea and Artigas present themselves in the beginning, ironically, as a scientist/priest duo who hope to not only provide information on the Galileo Affair but also properly assess the relations between science and religion. They do just that in the most flawless way possible! All readers want something different from a historical book. Some want to be spoon fed information for easy comprehension, while others want to be forced to think and process the information for themselves. The authors merge those two forms of writing. The format of the book makes for easy reading and so does the tone. The slight sarcasm at points is endearing and welcomed rather than diminishing to their credibility or their goal. They provide you step by step information, point out relationships, and pinpoint what will later affect Galileo in the presently talked about scenario. They actually refer back, later, to the chapter where the point was made when the subject in broached again. How cool is that? While this would seem like spoon feeding, it is not. For the most part they keep the tone of the book strictly informative and, at times, thought provoking to encourage the reader to make their own assumptions.

Ultimately, Galileo in Rome is well written while achieving its goal stated in the intro and much more. It provided correspondence, quotes, and just enough description as to not be overwhelming. Galileo in Rome could be recommended to anyone interested in the rise of modern science, Galileo's life, the Roman Inquisition, or the Roman Catholic Church.