The Medieval Church: Heresy Or Science - Essay Example

The Medieval Church: Heresy or Science Science and religion are often perceived as two opposing forces. While scientific inquiry demands close scrutiny and reason, religious faith places no such burden on the believer. It is often believed that the Roman Catholic Church repressed the sciences during the medieval period of the 11th to the 15th century. These anecdotal reports are based to a large extent on a few isolated incidents. Often, the church's slow pace of progress has been interpreted as repressive. The Church's notable views on the Copernican solar system and the trial of Galileo have served to perpetuate that viewpoint. However, recent research and examination sheds new light on this subject and helps portray the Church in a much more positive light. The Roman Catholic Church during this period was the main promoter of science and helped facilitate its advancement that would lead to the period of scientific enlightenment that would follow. There is less conflict between religion and science than anecdotal history reveals. In fact, Christian theology was necessary for the promotion of science and the Church required scientists. By the beginning of the 12th century, the center of learning had shifted from the monasteries to the universities and the major centers of scholarship during this period were Catholic Universities (Schulman 13). The Christian universities of Cracow, Bologna, Padua and Ferrera were the centers of scientific inquiry. Copernicus studied in these universities and it was here that he learned the heliocentric theory of the solar system (Williams). Many of the Church's priests were Jesuit scientists in astronomy, meteorology, medicine, and solar physics. In fact, the story of Copernicus' conflict with the church is sometimes misstated. Cromer contends that, "In 1533, he even went to Rome to lecture Pope Clement VII on the subject and received papal approval of his work" (Cromer 133). Scientists such as Galileo were often the subject of church disapproval due to their arrogance in other church matters and not the science. Though there was some fear among church leaders of spreading heresy, the case of Roger Bacon more accurately accounts for the Church's stand on science. Bacon was delving into experimental science, astronomy, and examined astrological treatises on magic. He joined the Franciscan order in 1256 and taught at the Franciscan Studium in Paris. The order did not promote intellectual freedom, but Bacon was in contact with Cardinal Guy le Grosde Foulques, papal legate to England. In 1265 the cardinal became Pope Clement IV, and Bacon received a "request to submit "quickly and secretly" the material of his project" (Schulman 80). During the period of 1267-1270, Bacon produced numerous treatises on the sciences of perception, optics, alchemy, and natural philosophy. The promotion of science during this period is also exemplified by the life of Alexander Nequam. According to Schulman, "Around 1175, he went to Paris where he studied theology, medicine, and law in the school of Adam of Petit Pont"(309). Here he wrote De nominibus utensilium, a work, which first described the magnetic compass outside of China. Though he was enthusiastic about Aristotle, he was not considered an original thinker. Yet his works, written in Cirencester, "provide our leading evidence for trends of scientific and philosophical thought in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries" (Schulman 309). Medicine was another science that had proven valuable and was promoted by the Church. The Tuscan Faritius was one of the most notable clerical medical practitioners of the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. By no accident of fate, in 1100 he was named abbot of Abingdon, near Oxford. According to Getz, "a reason for his ecclesiastical preferment was revealed when he was summoned to attend Queen Matilda at the birth of her first child, to extend care and to interpret prognostications ("curam impendere, prognostica edicere")" (13). Though the child died during birth, Faritius continued to be called on to heal the royal court, and Henry I relied on solely on him to prepare his medicine (Getz 13). At the dawn of the 12th century, the church understood the importance of the science of medicine. Because the church was such an integral part of European life during this period, it was only natural that science would become the providence of the church. "The church, directed from Rome by the pope through regional bishops and local parish priests, provided Christians with a rich ceremonial culture, a strict moral code, and [...] the intellectual enterprises of the age" (Drees 8). The church would control and monitor the sciences more than they would suppress their investigation. The church understood that working outside the theological framework was inciting rebellion against the existing social order. Inquisitional tribunals would persecute people for crimes, which may have amounted to the study of science, though the church insisted that it was the rebellion against the church that was the crime. The church was also looking forward to exploring new worlds around the globe during this period. They sought to publicly repress astronomy in an effort to keep it out of competing hands. However, they were well aware of its value for global navigation. When Cardinal John Bessarion arrived in Vienna in 1460, he encouraged the study of original Greek astronomy. Astronomer Johann Regiomontanus was invited to Italy by Bessarion and, under the patronage of the cardinal studied mathematics and astronomy. According to Drees, "Christopher Columbus carried Regiomontanus's Ephemerides with him on his voyages and may have used it to help predict an eclipse to frighten the natives of Jamaica in 1504" (412). Science was now becoming a part of the new religion. The period of the 11th century through the 15th century is sometimes viewed as a dark age for intellect and science. For many that fell outside mainstream Catholic teachings, this may have been true. Yet, it was also an era of great progress in the sciences. Astronomy, medicine, mathematics, and physics made great strides with the aid of the Church. Church universities were at the center of learning and encouraged new scientific discovery. The Church had its own self-serving reasons to suppress or promote science as it chose. The isolated incidents of scientific persecution were often more a matter of arrogance toward the church hierarchy than a repression of the science. Religion continues to be viewed as an impediment to science due to its naturally deliberate pace and its necessity to proceed without moral error. Works Cited Cromer, Alan. Uncommon Sense : The Heretical Nature of Science. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, 1995. Drees, Clayton J., ed. Late Medieval Age of Crisis & Renewal, 1300-1500 : A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000. Getz, Faye M. Medicine in the English Middle Ages. Ewing, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998. Schulman, Jana K., ed. Rise of the Medieval World : A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. Williams, Alex. "The Biblical Origins of Science." TJ Aug. 2004: 49-52. 8 Dec. 2006 . Read More