Amazing Résumé
O Lord, the faith thou didst give to St. Paul, I cannot ask; the mercy thou didst show to St. Peter; I dare not ask: but Lord, the grace thou didst show unto the dying robber, that, Lord, show to me.
Nicolaus Copernicus, his chosen epitaph
Nicolaus Copernicus is an ironic figure in history. Check almost any biography of him and he will be listed first as an astronomer. He was certainly that, but science was not his chosen profession. It can be argued that, although very important to him, astronomy was a hobby. So what then did one of the most famous men of science do? He was a clergyman. Although never ordained a priest, he spent his adult life as a canon in a cathedral where his uncle was bishop. As a canon he helped minister to the poor, guided the church, and did administrative work. It was a demanding occupation.
Copernicus was one of the most learned men of his day. He had an impressive educational résumé. He studied at Kraków University, Bologna University, the University of Padua, and the University of Ferrara. For a time, he lectured in math and astronomy in Rome. He was a mathematician, an astronomer, a medical doctor, a lawyer (he took a doctorate in law), and much more. He was multilingual. He was the kind of man others called genius.
With his vast education, he could have chosen any of a number of careers. He could have been a physician in private practice, he could have lectured in the sciences at the best universities, he could have practiced law. Instead, he chose a life in the church.
All the Same to Him
Most of us compartmentalize our lives: work, family, entertainment, and social life. We might look at Copernicus’ interests and say he was a man of many facets. True as that is, he did not distinguish between faith and science. In his words, “I regard my research as a loving duty to seek the truth in all things, insofar as God has granted.”1
Working among the poor was his occupation; math, physics, and astronomy were his avocations. One amplified the other. When he looked to the stars and planets he saw the handiwork of God. He was a creationist in general and—using today’s nomenclature—an advocate of intelligent design. Of course, in his day most people were. Yet he was a free thinker when it came to explaining the motion of the planets in the sky.
Most intellectuals of the day believed the earth was the center of the solar system (geocentric); Copernicus and others before him could only explain planetary motion if the sun was at the center (heliocentric). This went against the logic of the day. The earth was heavy and dense while stars and planets appeared as specks of light and so must therefore be lighter than the earth. How then could something less dense than earth be at the center?
There were other long-held ideas, theological ideas, that made a sun-centered solar system unbelievable. The general theological belief said man was the object of creation, therefore man must be the center of God’s attention. His earth would not be placed in a subservient role to the sun. Such thinking, however, couldn’t explain what was being observed. Convoluted and tortured math had to be used to explain the motion of the sun and stars in the sky. That was a problem for Copernicus, and he attacked it with math. He was able to explain most of the motions and prove his ideas with mathematics.
Copernicus preferred quietly going about his ministry. He wrote On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium) but was reluctant to publish it. He knew attacks would come from all sides, and although he was willing to fight it out with other mathematicians who challenged his work, he was less willing to upset the church. The church feared such an idea might destroy the image of God as Creator. But the fact that the earth orbited the sun as did the other planets didn’t bother Copernicus’ theology, as “God is the Best and Most Orderly Workman of all.”2 He saw the system as a proof of creation, not as a threat.
Copernicus had to be convinced to publish his work, which he did shortly before his death. Someone, maybe the book’s editor or publisher, wrote an anonymous preface stating the book did not teach an alternate view of the solar system, which, of course, it did. This was evidence of the fear of reprisal. Despite this preface, Copernicus’ views were seen as harmful to the Roman Church, and his book remained on the Catholic Index of Forbidden Books for over two hundred years.
Copernicus, while not the first to suggest the sun-centered solar system, did give it credibility by proving many of the points with math rather than philosophical or theological arguments. In the end, his views did not undermine the concept of God the Creator. Many scientists believe that life could not exist on the earth if the solar system functioned in any way other than it does. Copernicus demonstrated by his lifetime of ministry that science and faith need not be enemies.