Rheticus, Realism and Scripture. An Analytical Assessment

BLANCO, DANIEL

Science and Christian Belief

University of Southampton

Lugar: Southampton; Año: 2022 vol. 34 p. 94 - 112

Rheticus was the only formal and personal disciple of Copernicus. In his recently rediscovered tract on science and religion, he claims that certain non-literal interpretations of some biblical texts that dealwith the natural world are preferable, considering that their writers used popular knowledge when speaking about that realm. In this contribution, I specify the main tenets of Rheticus’ insights, togetherwith a discussion on his position towards realism. Furthermore, I explicate how his accommodative approach, nursed by realism (might) affect the exegetical task. This helps to explain an important contradiction with his own rules on the part of Rheticus.