59
science with science.” With this motto, Stoppani meant that when some assertions
arise within a scientific context that seem to contradict truths of faith, then, first of
all, one must confirm whether there are scientific reasons capable of clarifying or
denying those same assertions. It is not by turning to Scripture or theology that the
meaning and scope of scientific statements should be clarified but, logically, in turning to science itself. Similarly, when the scientific results are clear and confirmed,
the sacred Scriptures must be read accordingly (Stoppani 1884: 117–150).
A text from Le stelle, Saggio di astronomia siderale, reflects the same approach
followed by Antonio Stoppani. In the face of the discovery of the great dimensions
of the cosmos, which were becoming progressively more accessible by telescopic
observations, Secchi argued that the vastness of space should not be denied on the
basis of some superficial understanding of the Bible:
The greatness of creation is one of those ideas that frightens the small human mind. When
it was first announced that, once the barriers of space, imagined as a material sphere, had
been broken, and the stars recognized as so many suns, the mind was astonished by the
vastness of the universe, by the enormous quantity of celestial bodies of which it was now
made up. The human mind almost tried to escape these consequences, hiding behind misinterpreted sacred words! Don’t be surprised by the long history of the past times, because the
broadening of the horizons of time today also renews what once amazed us with the vastness of space. It is hard to believe the myriad of centuries that must have crossed our globe
to complete the geological formations that we touch with our hands. If we are convinced
that the work of the Creator is commensurable only to Him, then one thing [space] will help
us to understand the other [time]. It is a greatness that we will always be unable to understand entirely, the immensity of space and duration that we observe, and even more in the
absolute infinity and eternity. (Secchi 1877: 288)
As evidence of Secchi’s open-mindedness to cosmological issues, we should also
mention his position regarding the possibility of life in the cosmos. As known, contemporary interdisciplinary literature on extraterrestrial life is very broad (see, for
instance, Impey et al. 2012; Thaphagan 2015; Peters 2018). Although susceptible to
different religious and philosophical views, in the Modern epoch, extraterrestrial
life had been set in highly critical terms for the Christian faith by Thomas Paine in
his influential work The Age of Reason (1794). Between the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries, theology had not developed specific positions in this
regard. Astronomers who were also believers, William Herschel (1738–1822) for
instance, endorsed the hypothesis that life was widespread in the universe. Secchi
touched on the subject soberly but in a sufficiently clear manner, probably influencing Schiaparelli, also a Catholic, who a few years later would write a popular essay
on the subject (Schiaparelli 1988). Francesco Denza, a Barnabite and eventually
director of the Vatican Observatory, shared the same position. Secchi writes in his
book (Fig. 3.3) Lezioni elementari di fisica terrestre:
Creation, which the astronomer contemplates, is not a simple mass of luminous matter: it is
a prodigious organism in which, where the burning of matter ceases, life begins. Although
life is not observable with our telescopes, from the analogy of our globe we can argue its
general existence in other celestial bodies. The atmospheric constitution of the other planets, which in some ways is similar to ours, and the structure and composition of the stars
similar to that of our sun, persuade us that these bodies are in a stage similar to those present
3 Between Science and Religion: Angelo Secchi and his Time
science with science.” With this motto, Stoppani meant that when some assertions
arise within a scientific context that seem to contradict truths of faith, then, first of
all, one must confirm whether there are scientific reasons capable of clarifying or
denying those same assertions. It is not by turning to Scripture or theology that the
meaning and scope of scientific statements should be clarified but, logically, in turning to science itself. Similarly, when the scientific results are clear and confirmed,
the sacred Scriptures must be read accordingly (Stoppani 1884: 117–150).
A text from Le stelle, Saggio di astronomia siderale, reflects the same approach
followed by Antonio Stoppani. In the face of the discovery of the great dimensions
of the cosmos, which were becoming progressively more accessible by telescopic
observations, Secchi argued that the vastness of space should not be denied on the
basis of some superficial understanding of the Bible:
The greatness of creation is one of those ideas that frightens the small human mind. When
it was first announced that, once the barriers of space, imagined as a material sphere, had
been broken, and the stars recognized as so many suns, the mind was astonished by the
vastness of the universe, by the enormous quantity of celestial bodies of which it was now
made up. The human mind almost tried to escape these consequences, hiding behind misinterpreted sacred words! Don’t be surprised by the long history of the past times, because the
broadening of the horizons of time today also renews what once amazed us with the vastness of space. It is hard to believe the myriad of centuries that must have crossed our globe
to complete the geological formations that we touch with our hands. If we are convinced
that the work of the Creator is commensurable only to Him, then one thing [space] will help
us to understand the other [time]. It is a greatness that we will always be unable to understand entirely, the immensity of space and duration that we observe, and even more in the
absolute infinity and eternity. (Secchi 1877: 288)
As evidence of Secchi’s open-mindedness to cosmological issues, we should also
mention his position regarding the possibility of life in the cosmos. As known, contemporary interdisciplinary literature on extraterrestrial life is very broad (see, for
instance, Impey et al. 2012; Thaphagan 2015; Peters 2018). Although susceptible to
different religious and philosophical views, in the Modern epoch, extraterrestrial
life had been set in highly critical terms for the Christian faith by Thomas Paine in
his influential work The Age of Reason (1794). Between the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries, theology had not developed specific positions in this
regard. Astronomers who were also believers, William Herschel (1738–1822) for
instance, endorsed the hypothesis that life was widespread in the universe. Secchi
touched on the subject soberly but in a sufficiently clear manner, probably influencing Schiaparelli, also a Catholic, who a few years later would write a popular essay
on the subject (Schiaparelli 1988). Francesco Denza, a Barnabite and eventually
director of the Vatican Observatory, shared the same position. Secchi writes in his
book (Fig. 3.3) Lezioni elementari di fisica terrestre:
Creation, which the astronomer contemplates, is not a simple mass of luminous matter: it is
a prodigious organism in which, where the burning of matter ceases, life begins. Although
life is not observable with our telescopes, from the analogy of our globe we can argue its
general existence in other celestial bodies. The atmospheric constitution of the other planets, which in some ways is similar to ours, and the structure and composition of the stars
similar to that of our sun, persuade us that these bodies are in a stage similar to those present
3 Between Science and Religion: Angelo Secchi and his Time