Galileo Galilei and the Roman Curia: From Authentic SourcesGebler, Karl von
Religion
Galileo Galilei and the Roman Curia: From Authentic Sources
Gebler, Karl von
Astronomers -- Italy -- Biography; Catholic Church. Curia romana; Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642; Religion and science -- History
992
383
41
the uppermost and oldest paging is discontinued. Folios 384-386, blank
pages of the Acts of the first trial, only bear the double paging,
probably because, being blank, they were not paged until the papers of
both trials were put together.
The double paging may be thus explained. The old numbering comprises all
the documents belonging to 1616; and as it is to be seen on the title
page, as well as the words: “Ex archivo S. Offij,” and Vol. 1181, it
is clear that these documents were originally comprised in a volume of
the Archives of the Holy Office numbered 1181. The Acts of the second
trial, 1632-33, must have belonged to another volume, as appears from
the paging, as the first document bears the number 387, but the number
of the volume is not traceable. When the Acts of 1616 and 1632-33 were
bound together, in order to form a continuous paging, the old numbers of
the first trial were struck through, and the paging continued backwards,
reckoning from the first folio of the second trial.
The Introduction helps to determine the time when the two parts were
united. It only extends to the mention of Galileo’s defence; it is clear,
therefore, that it was written after 10th May (the date of the defence),
and before 21st June, the date of the last examination, while the
numbering, which is that of the second paging only, shows that the union
had taken place. The title page also is included in the second paging. We
may therefore conclude that the authorship of the Introduction and the
joining of the Acts up to 10th May, 1633, is to be attributed to the same
person.
The object of this report undoubtedly was to give the Pope and
Congregation, before their final verdict on Galileo; a _résumé_ of the
whole affair from its beginning. The united Acts were the vouchers. The
drawing up of such a _résumé_ was part of the ordinary proceeding in
every trial before the Inquisition, and it had to be circulated among the
cardinals and qualifiers before the final sitting[636]. As in Galileo’s
case this final sitting took place on 16th June, under the personal
presidency of the Pope, it is in exact agreement with this that both the
summary and paging referred to in it only extend to the events of 16th
June.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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