Adversaries in Florence

In the church of Santa Maria Novella, in Florence, there is a pulpit from which in 1614 the Dominican Tommaso Caccini preached a sermon on the text “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?” (Figure 1) (Figure 2) (Figure 3) Caccini attacked Galileo and Copernicanism as contrary to Scripture, an argument that was supported by Columbe and other Aristotelians who wanted to silence the Medici mathematician. In 1615, Caccini went to Rome and submitted a lengthy deposition formally requesting the Inquisition to investigate Galileo.

Exhibit credit: Kerry Magruder, with the assistance of , Marilyn B. Ogilvie, Duane H. D. Roller.