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28 the position that the new views were not contrary to Scripture, winning over some of those present to his side, though the Dowager Duchess Cristina appeared unconvinced. It was in consequence of this that Galileo wrote his famous letter to Castelli, taking the stand that the language of the Scriptures is such as is suited to the intelligence of those for whom they were written, and that the interpretation must necessarily be revised in the light of new facts. He also maintained that the Copernican system raised no more difficulty than the Ptolemaic, when it was pinned down to verbal explanation of literal statements in the Bible. In short his view was that the Bible was intended to teach men morals, and not science, and that it could not be regarded as a court of appeal in scientific matters, many of its expressions being vague, and others misunderstood by commentators. He concluded with a discussion of Joshua's miracle, laying stress upon the fact that the important point was the prolongation of the hours of daylight, and that literal acceptance of the account in the Bible in its primitive language would involve absurdities in relation to the "primum mobile," which, according to the Aristotelian philosophers, carried the sun with it.

Castelli was delighted with the argument in the letter and circulated copies of it. But it provided just the handle that Galileo's enemies were seeking, in order to embroil him with the ecclesiastical authorities. Sermons were preached on both sides, the Copernican view being supported publicly by a Jesuit preacher in the Cathedral, for it must be understood that by no means all of the Jesuits were united against Galileo. A copy of the letter to Castelli was sent to the Inquisition with an unsigned denunciation of those who held the doctrine that the earth moves and not the heavens. This was of course aimed at Galileo though it did not mention his name,