Was the theory of many extraterrestrial worlds considered blasphemous by the Roman Catholic Church during the 16th century?
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[According to Martiniz A. A.](https://www.theologie-naturwissenschaften.de/en/dialogue-between-theology-and-science/editorials/giordano-bruno-en/) , the main accusation of Giordano Bruno from the inquisition is simply the ideas of many-worlds: No other accusation was invoked even half as much.
[In another reference](https://notevenpast.org/giordano-bruno-and-the-spirit-that-moves-the-earth/) Martinez goes on to describe the horror of the Catholic’s response:
> “First, Bruno had said in nine books that many worlds exist: not just the Earth, but the Moon, the planets and the stars: “innumerably many worlds.” Apparently he didn’t know it was a heresy to claim that “innumerably many worlds exist.” This belief had been denounced as a heresy by many authorities including Saint Philaster, Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine, and Pope Gregory XIII.
Catholics were horrified by this idea, because if many worlds exist then Jesus Christ would have to be born and crucified in each of those worlds to offer salvation to the beings in such worlds.”
If we now were in the clothes of the Inquisition, we could examine the idea, as the devil's advocate, that the earth actually moved around the sun and that the sun then became the center.
If the Earth were not the center of the world, one might argue that the central place might also be possessed by another planet. Here then immediately comes Martinez'question whether really Jesus was also crucified on that planet.
Being at the center also means a hierarchically advantageous status, and the idea is unreasonable that beings (humans) have experiences of Jesus that are completely undocumented in the Bible. (Even Copernicus' system with the sun in the center passes Jesus out into orbit.)
Although I see no reference to this, I wonder of it is close to conceivable that the theory of many extraterrestrial worlds constituted a blasphemy solely because of the inherent denial of Jesus also as a spatial central figure in Christianity.
Edit:
Let me add that if cosmology had been the only concern from the inquisition, Bruno might have been included in the excuse extended to Galileo. Therefore it is obvious that traditional theological errors (regarding his behavior as a priest, his views on Trinity, Virgin Mary etc.) must have had some weight in Bruno’s verdict. Unfortunately the Inquisition protocols do not contain explicit reason for judgment, where proof is compared to a standard for accusations neither individually or taken together.
Asked by Mikael Jensen
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May 24, 2022, 01:05 PM
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