Copernicus and Martin Luther: An Encounter Between Science and Religion

Details Copernicus and Martin Luther: An Encounter Between Science and Religion Copernicus and Martin Luther: An Encounter Between Science and Religion

Mar 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998aps..tss...b05k&link_type=abstract

American Physical Society, 1998 Texas Section Spring Meeting, 19-21 March 1998 San Antonio, Texas, abstract #B.05

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Martin Luther has been severely criticized for a remark he made about Copernicus and his heliocentric theory. When this offhand remark, made at the dinner table four years before the publication of On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, is considered in its historical context, it is shown to be in keeping with the generally accepted scholarly opinion of the time. Luther's view of science in general and astronomy in particular is much more sophisticated than indicated by this single impromptu remark. In the thought of Luther there are two sources of knowledge - experience and revelation. By experience he meant all the human disciplines (or ``science"), and by revelation he meant Biblical theology. Each discipline should have its own technical language and methods. Science and Biblical theology should not conflict, since when speaking of the same phenomena they use a different language. Luther used the clear and literal interpretation of the text of the Bible, except when there were compelling reasons for doing otherwise. Rather than use the Bible as a source of scientific facts and theories as is done by a literalist, he interpreted it as being the witness to Christ. Quotations from Luther are used to illustrate his approach.

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