Jerome J. Langford
When Pope Urban VIII described Galilen as the man who "gave rise to the greatest scandal in Christendous, he had no idea that centuries later the case of Galileo would still be in the open courts of scientific and publie opinion. The affair did not close with his condemasudion in 1633; instead it became a focal point for polemicists, apologists, hovelists, and playwrights. With few notable exceptions, the vast literature that ba grown up around the Galileo affair has either missed the real issues at stake or has lifted them from their proper historical setting.

Based on extensive research, Galileo, Science and the Church admirably fills these gaps by presenting a penetrating and objective account of the circumstances, events, and enduring consequences of that momentous human drama. In this revised edition, the author makes it clear that the Galileo case has much to teach us today about the confrontation between freedom and authority. It is obvious that we still have much to learn.

"...so nearly definitive that it may well become the standard reference work in all high schools and colleges...." -Eldon M. Talley, Cross Currents

"With remarkable skill [the author] puts into perspective all the elements of the whole unhappy affair.... Of that tragic event he has provided us with an account of enduring value." -Thomas P. McTighe, Commonweal