Synopses & Reviews
Foreword by David Koch of NASA's Kepler Mission
Isaac Newton said that if he had seen farther than others, it was because he was standing on the shoulders of giants: Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler. James A. Connor focuses on one of those giants in his fascinating and largely untold story of the Protestant Galileo, Johannes Kepler. Set against the backdrop of the witchcraft trial of his mother, Kepler's Witch vividly brings to life the tidal forces of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, submerging us into these turbulent times, revealing not only the surprisingly spiritual nature of early modern science, but Kepler's role as a neglected hero of conscience.
The doorway into Kepler's life and times begins with the sensational witchcraft trial of his elderly mother, Katharina, an eccentric woman who, like Kepler, was too smart for the world she lived in. The story is filled with crooked judges, sadistic bailiffs, and nasty neighbors bent on the destruction of this single, half-mad old woman. Using never-before translated transcripts of the trial, Connor explains that witches in the seventeenth century were the terrorists of their day. Tragically, thousands of people -- mostly women -- had gone to the stake by the time of Katharina Kepler's trial.
Johannes Kepler's life thus became a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey into the modern world through disease and horrible injustice on the eve of Europe's terrible and bloody Thirty Years' War. Kepler was concerned with more than scientific discoveries and achievement -- he fought for peace and reconciliation between the Christian churches, even when it nearly cost him his life. Exiled twiceby Catholic princes and excommunicated by his fellow Lutherans, he was unbowed in his scientific and moral vision.
Besides the witchcraft trial records and testimonies, Connor has translated many of Kepler's diary entries and correspondence into English for the first time. With a great respect for the history of these times and the life of this man, Connor's unforgettable story illuminates Kepler, a man of science, as well as Kepler, a man of uncommon faith and courage.
Review
“Connors skillful narrative brings to life an extraordinary man who wanted to know the mind of God.” Kenneth Silverman, Pulitzer-Prize winner and author of Lightning Man
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“James Connor narrates the compelling human drama behind significant scientific discoveries of the seventeenth century.” Eve LaPlante, author of American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans
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“Connor has illuminated the life - and thus also the work - of one of historys greatest star-gazers.” David Edmonds and John Eidinow, authors of Wittgenstein's Poker and Bobby Fischer Goes to War
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“A compelling story of scientific discovery. . . crisply written, meticulously researched and highly recommended.” Tucson Citizen
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“Connor delves into Keplers life in such a way that the scientist becomes a person of flesh and bone.” National Catholic Reporter
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“...a remarkably human portrait of Kepler. . . . [an] engaging narrative.” Publishers Weekly
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“His biographer depicts him brilliantly . . . healthy, purposeful, and illuminating.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Kepler has received less than his due from rationally-minded scholars. This luminous biography will help remedy that injustice.” Booklist - Starred Review
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“A fascinating book, analyzing a pivotal time in western intellectual history.” John Shelby Spong, author of A New Christianity for a New World
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“A detailed and fascinating account of the life and times of one of the great founding figures of modern science.” John Polkinghorne, author of Belief in God in an Age of Science
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“Fun to read...” Los Angeles Times
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“No other Keplerian biography fleshes out so fully the background against which the astronomer worked.” Christian Century
Synopsis
Johannes Kepler (15711630) confirmed the Copernican universe, calculated the true shape of the solar system, discovered the three basic laws of planetary motion, and laid the foundation for Newton's physics. He was also a faithful son, good citizen, and devout Christian, with a strong desire to find harmony not only in the heavens above, but also in the lives of people here on earth.
James A. Connor's unforgettable story vividly brings to life the tidal forces of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, submerging us into these turbulent times while illuminating Kepler, the man of science, vision, and uncommon faith.
Synopsis
Set against the backdrop of the witchcraft trial of his mother, this lively biography of Johannes Kepler – 'the Protestant Galileo' and 16th century mathematician and astronomer – reveals the surprisingly spiritual nature of the quest of early modern science.
In the style of Dava Sobel's Galileo's Daughter, Connor's book brings to life the tidal forces of Reformation, Counter–Reformation, and social upheaval. Johannes Kepler, who discovered the three basic laws of planetary motion, was persecuted for his support of the Copernican system. After a neighbour accused his mother of witchcraft, Kepler quit his post as the Imperial mathematician to defend her.
James Connor tells Kepler's story as a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey into the modern world through war and disease and terrible injustice, a journey reflected in the evolution of Kepler's geometrical model of the cosmos into a musical model, harmony into greater harmony. The leitmotif of the witch trial adds a third dimension to Kepler's biography by setting his personal life within his own times. The acts of this trial, including Kepler's letters and the accounts of the witnesses, although published in their original German dialects, had never before been translated into English. Echoing some of Dava Sobel's work for Galileo's Daughter, Connor has translated the witch trial documents into English. With a great respect for the history of these times and the life of this man, Connor's accessible story illuminates the life of Kepler, the man of science, but also Kepler, a man of uncommon faith and vision.
Synopsis
Set against the backdrop of the witchcraft trial of his mother, this lively biography of Johannes Kepler - 'the Protestant Galileo' and 16th century mathematician and astronomer - reveals the surprisingly spiritual nature of the quest of early modern science.
In the style of Dava Sobel's Galileo's Daughter, Connor's book brings to life the tidal forces of Reformation, Counter-Reformation, and social upheaval. Johannes Kepler, who discovered the three basic laws of planetary motion, was persecuted for his support of the Copernican system. After a neighbour accused his mother of witchcraft, Kepler quit his post as the Imperial mathematician to defend her.
James Connor tells Kepler's story as a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey into the modern world through war and disease and terrible injustice, a journey reflected in the evolution of Kepler's geometrical model of the cosmos into a musical model, harmony into greater harmony. The leitmotif of the witch trial adds a third dimension to Kepler's biography by setting his personal life within his own times. The acts of this trial, including Kepler's letters and the accounts of the witnesses, although published in their original German dialects, had never before been translated into English. Echoing some of Dava Sobel's work for Galileo's Daughter, Connor has translated the witch trial documents into English. With a great respect for the history of these times and the life of this man, Connor's accessible story illuminates the life of Kepler, the man of science, but also Kepler, a man of uncommon faith and vision.
About the Author
James A. Connor is the author of Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother and Silent Fire: Bringing the Spirituality of Silence to Everyday Life. A former Jesuit priest, Connor is professor of English at Kean University in Union, New Jersey; he has also held teaching posts at St. Louis University and Gonzaga University. He is a director of studies at the Lessing Institute in Prague. He holds degrees in geoscience, philosophy, theology, and creative writing, and a Ph.D. in literature and science. He is a prize-winning essayist published widely in such places as American Book Review, Traditional Home, Willow Springs, The Critic, The Iowa Review, and The Iowa Journal of Literary Studies.