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Science Was Born of Christianity: The Teaching of Fr. Stanley L. Jaki
It is a stark claim to say that science was born of Christianity, but do not reject this claim without understanding what it is about, as so many have done. This book provides the historical research and the reasoning in outline form, to be read beginning to end, browsed one chapter at a time, or referenced when presenting and defending the argument to others. The claim that science was "stillborn" in other cultures and "born" of Christianity is more than a claim that man saw order in the world.Jaki's historical research specifically considers the theological history of science and the effect of ancient religious mindsets on the development of science. This story is about how faith in divine revelation caused a departure from ancient worldviews of an eternally cycling universe and led to the breakthrough that was necessary for the Scientific Revolution to occur. This departure, this breakthrough, this birth, was not based on observation or experiment but on faith in the Christian Creed.Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsForewordIntroductionWho Was Fr. Jaki?Chapter 1 – “Science”Why Does This Definition Matter?Chapter 2 – “Was Born”Stillbirths in Ancient CulturesEgyptChinaIndiaBabylonGreeceArabiaThe Biblical WombThe ProphetsThe PsalmsWisdom LiteratureEarly ChristianityThe Christian WestAdelard of BathThierry of ChartresRobert GrossetesteWilliam of AuvergneSt. Albertus MagnusSt. Thomas AquinasRoger BaconSiger of BrabantÉtienne TempierJean BuridanChapter 3 - “Of Christianity”Chapter 4 – CriticsChapter 5 – What Now?Bibliography
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2013
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127 people want to read
About the author
Stacy A. Trasancos
7 books17 followersI am a wife and homeschooling mother of seven. I hold a PhD in Chemistry from Penn State University and a MA in Dogmatic Theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. I worked as a chemist for DuPont in the Lycra® and Teflon® businesses.
Now I teach chemistry and physics for Kolbe Academy online homeschool program, where our kids are enrolled. If you are interested in enrolling your homeschooled student in a homeschool or an online course, visit the Kolbe Academy page. I am teaching these online courses this 2016-17 school year: Introduction to Physics and Chemistry, Core Chemistry, Core Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1. The AP courses are College Board approved and prepare a student for advanced placement (AP) exams for college credit.
In the fall and spring 2016, I am teaching a “Reading Science in the Light of Faith” at Holy Apostles College & Seminary. The course is funded by a John Templeton Foundation grant through John Carroll University for teaching science in seminaries. I am on the Board of Directors for ITEST (the Institute for the Theological Encounter with Science and Technology) where the essays from the course will be shared with the public. The course is tuition-free (thanks to the grant) for seminarians. If you are interested, contact Holy Apostles to inquire about admissions and enrollment. (Note: This course is processed on an individual basis due to the tuition discounts.)
In the Spring 2017, I will begin teaching a new course developed at Seton Hall University where Fr. Stanley L. Jaki was a Distinguished Professor. The course is titled “Catholic Theology of Science.” Fr. Jaki’s work was the subject of my first book, Science Was Born of Christianity: The Teaching of Fr. Stanley L. Jaki.
My newest book, Particles of Faith: A Catholic Guide to Navigating Science came out from Ave Maria Press in October 2016.
I teach, research, and write from our family’s 100-year old restored lodge in the Adirondack mountains. My updated CV is linked above.
You can find me on Facebook mostly. I post lots of pictures of our family’s activities. I also use Facebook for discussions about faith and science, to gather ideas and learn what is on people’s minds. I have a Twitter account, but I am bad at it.
Now I teach chemistry and physics for Kolbe Academy online homeschool program, where our kids are enrolled. If you are interested in enrolling your homeschooled student in a homeschool or an online course, visit the Kolbe Academy page. I am teaching these online courses this 2016-17 school year: Introduction to Physics and Chemistry, Core Chemistry, Core Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1. The AP courses are College Board approved and prepare a student for advanced placement (AP) exams for college credit.
In the fall and spring 2016, I am teaching a “Reading Science in the Light of Faith” at Holy Apostles College & Seminary. The course is funded by a John Templeton Foundation grant through John Carroll University for teaching science in seminaries. I am on the Board of Directors for ITEST (the Institute for the Theological Encounter with Science and Technology) where the essays from the course will be shared with the public. The course is tuition-free (thanks to the grant) for seminarians. If you are interested, contact Holy Apostles to inquire about admissions and enrollment. (Note: This course is processed on an individual basis due to the tuition discounts.)
In the Spring 2017, I will begin teaching a new course developed at Seton Hall University where Fr. Stanley L. Jaki was a Distinguished Professor. The course is titled “Catholic Theology of Science.” Fr. Jaki’s work was the subject of my first book, Science Was Born of Christianity: The Teaching of Fr. Stanley L. Jaki.
My newest book, Particles of Faith: A Catholic Guide to Navigating Science came out from Ave Maria Press in October 2016.
I teach, research, and write from our family’s 100-year old restored lodge in the Adirondack mountains. My updated CV is linked above.
You can find me on Facebook mostly. I post lots of pictures of our family’s activities. I also use Facebook for discussions about faith and science, to gather ideas and learn what is on people’s minds. I have a Twitter account, but I am bad at it.
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December 23, 2016
There is a certain irony in the fact that I am reviewing and commenting on this book, since it is itself a review and commentary of the corpus of work of Fr. Stanley Jaki. However, Stacy Trasancos’ book fills a very necessary and unique niche, which I will try to explain.
Fr. Jaki was a Benedictine priest, theologian, physicist and historical researcher, world famous lecturer and honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences. He decades researching, studying, writing and lecturing on the philosophy and history of science, and specifically the nature and origins of science in history. The upshot of this lifetime of study was a pair of startling claims.
The first was a definition of science as “the quantitative study of quantitative aspects of objects in motion.” This claim is startling because it seems somewhat reductionist at first glance, too simple. It excludes all of what we now call “scientism,” i.e. the belief that science can explore and solve all human problems, by insisting that science is and can be concerned only with:
1. Material reality (i.e. objects in motion)
2. States of those objects that can be observed (“quantitative aspects”)
3. And measured and expressed in an exact numerical fashion (“quantitative study”)
All other realms of study fall under what Fr. Jaki terms “reasoned discourse.” This, of course, limits the “science” under discussion to quantities amenable to experimentation and measurement. So, for instance, physics is the only true, exact science. Chemistry takes on the nature of an exact science as we bring it down to the molecular level and study the interactions of subatomic particles. Biology and medicine are even less exact, although as study of their molecular basics advances the claims about those atomic interactions may become simultaneously more limited in scope and more scientific, in the Jakian sense.
It is also important to understand that Jaki speaks of the historical origins of this science he is speaking of the development of a self-perpetuating culture of quantifiable study and discovery leading to further study and discovery in a “system of systems.”
This brings us to the second startling claim, this the much more controversial one. This is the claim that science was born of Christianity. In short form, Jaki claims that the culture of systematic, ongoing quantitative study of nature arose within, and only within, the theological, philosophical and psychological milieu of Christian medieval Europe, and that it arose because of that milieu. Jaki describes seven other ancient cultures, predating Christian medieval Europe by centuries to millennia, and covers their scientific and technological advances in some detail before returning to the historical fact that these real advances and discoveries, and the scholastic cultures and institutions that they developed within, never coalesced into a systematic, self-perpetuation culture of quantitative study of nature. He traces these failures (referred to as “stillbirths”) to the philosophical and theological pre-suppositions of the cultures, including cyclic views of history (Platonism and Aristotelian cosmology), pantheism, animism, impersonal deism or extreme transcendent deism (i.e. the Muslim conception of Allah as so completely other that he cannot be bound by any human law, including the laws of reason.)
What these worldviews had in common was the assumption that the world was ultimately a futile place, either because whatever happened was based solely upon the whims of the gods, or the fates, or the magical spirits inherent in the celestial bodies, or that life was simply an endlessly repeating cycle from which there was no escape, or escape only by detachment from nature and the body. These philosophical underpinnings were not conducive to the hope of a rational, discoverable universe.
Jaki contrasts these worldviews with the theology of Catholic Christianity, which saw the universe as a separate creation of a personal God who, though transcendent was nevertheless rational. This led to the belief that He had created the universe to run by its own set of laws rather than by mere divine whim, and as such it was predictable, rational and discoverable. Jaki points to this belief as setting the necessary cultural and psychological groundwork in which a system of physics could arise and flourish.
I understand that this claim will seem controversial. I myself am fully convinced of its plausibility, although this book does not go into sufficient detail to establish its factuality. I do not think that was Dr. Trasancos’ intent. This book is intended to introduce readers to the concepts, and to provide a reference to Dr. Jaki’s work in a brief, accessible outline form. I can pay it no higher compliment than to say that it made me wish I had time to read Dr. Jaki’s work myself, but that since I do not have that time, I am grateful that someone else has done the laborious work of reading and summarizing it for me. It was done with sufficient care and detail that I confidently accept the thesis as the most plausible working theory, pending further research.
The book’s format is concise and logical, beginning with a chapter establishing definitions, and then describing in turn the stillbirths of science in other cultures, the rise of Christian culture and what set it apart from previous and co-existing cultures, and finally a brief overview of some of the scholars who contributed to the process of developing the scientific worldview as an explicit component of their theological and philosophical beliefs and study. She then follows up with a chapter briefly addressing some of Jaki’s critics, and a chapter containing her own reflections on the role of Christianity in science going forward, and of the role of Jaki’s thesis in ecumenical and evangelical efforts.
Overall this book is a very strong review, remarkable for its concise coverage of such vast material. It could have benefited from a more careful proofread in the grammar and punctuation department, but while distracting, the few typographical errors did not materially detract from the content. While most of it is an expose’ of the work of other people, Dr. Trasancos’ own thoughts on the role of Christianity in science were interesting and valuable. More so, her insight into the metaphor of stillbirth vs. birth and the analogy of the Church as the “mother” of Science was beautiful and suggestive of far greater realities, coming as it does from a woman who is not only a scientist, but also herself a mother who has experienced the visceral reality of both live and still births in her own life.
I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading more from Dr. Trasancos.
Fr. Jaki was a Benedictine priest, theologian, physicist and historical researcher, world famous lecturer and honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences. He decades researching, studying, writing and lecturing on the philosophy and history of science, and specifically the nature and origins of science in history. The upshot of this lifetime of study was a pair of startling claims.
The first was a definition of science as “the quantitative study of quantitative aspects of objects in motion.” This claim is startling because it seems somewhat reductionist at first glance, too simple. It excludes all of what we now call “scientism,” i.e. the belief that science can explore and solve all human problems, by insisting that science is and can be concerned only with:
1. Material reality (i.e. objects in motion)
2. States of those objects that can be observed (“quantitative aspects”)
3. And measured and expressed in an exact numerical fashion (“quantitative study”)
All other realms of study fall under what Fr. Jaki terms “reasoned discourse.” This, of course, limits the “science” under discussion to quantities amenable to experimentation and measurement. So, for instance, physics is the only true, exact science. Chemistry takes on the nature of an exact science as we bring it down to the molecular level and study the interactions of subatomic particles. Biology and medicine are even less exact, although as study of their molecular basics advances the claims about those atomic interactions may become simultaneously more limited in scope and more scientific, in the Jakian sense.
It is also important to understand that Jaki speaks of the historical origins of this science he is speaking of the development of a self-perpetuating culture of quantifiable study and discovery leading to further study and discovery in a “system of systems.”
This brings us to the second startling claim, this the much more controversial one. This is the claim that science was born of Christianity. In short form, Jaki claims that the culture of systematic, ongoing quantitative study of nature arose within, and only within, the theological, philosophical and psychological milieu of Christian medieval Europe, and that it arose because of that milieu. Jaki describes seven other ancient cultures, predating Christian medieval Europe by centuries to millennia, and covers their scientific and technological advances in some detail before returning to the historical fact that these real advances and discoveries, and the scholastic cultures and institutions that they developed within, never coalesced into a systematic, self-perpetuation culture of quantitative study of nature. He traces these failures (referred to as “stillbirths”) to the philosophical and theological pre-suppositions of the cultures, including cyclic views of history (Platonism and Aristotelian cosmology), pantheism, animism, impersonal deism or extreme transcendent deism (i.e. the Muslim conception of Allah as so completely other that he cannot be bound by any human law, including the laws of reason.)
What these worldviews had in common was the assumption that the world was ultimately a futile place, either because whatever happened was based solely upon the whims of the gods, or the fates, or the magical spirits inherent in the celestial bodies, or that life was simply an endlessly repeating cycle from which there was no escape, or escape only by detachment from nature and the body. These philosophical underpinnings were not conducive to the hope of a rational, discoverable universe.
Jaki contrasts these worldviews with the theology of Catholic Christianity, which saw the universe as a separate creation of a personal God who, though transcendent was nevertheless rational. This led to the belief that He had created the universe to run by its own set of laws rather than by mere divine whim, and as such it was predictable, rational and discoverable. Jaki points to this belief as setting the necessary cultural and psychological groundwork in which a system of physics could arise and flourish.
I understand that this claim will seem controversial. I myself am fully convinced of its plausibility, although this book does not go into sufficient detail to establish its factuality. I do not think that was Dr. Trasancos’ intent. This book is intended to introduce readers to the concepts, and to provide a reference to Dr. Jaki’s work in a brief, accessible outline form. I can pay it no higher compliment than to say that it made me wish I had time to read Dr. Jaki’s work myself, but that since I do not have that time, I am grateful that someone else has done the laborious work of reading and summarizing it for me. It was done with sufficient care and detail that I confidently accept the thesis as the most plausible working theory, pending further research.
The book’s format is concise and logical, beginning with a chapter establishing definitions, and then describing in turn the stillbirths of science in other cultures, the rise of Christian culture and what set it apart from previous and co-existing cultures, and finally a brief overview of some of the scholars who contributed to the process of developing the scientific worldview as an explicit component of their theological and philosophical beliefs and study. She then follows up with a chapter briefly addressing some of Jaki’s critics, and a chapter containing her own reflections on the role of Christianity in science going forward, and of the role of Jaki’s thesis in ecumenical and evangelical efforts.
Overall this book is a very strong review, remarkable for its concise coverage of such vast material. It could have benefited from a more careful proofread in the grammar and punctuation department, but while distracting, the few typographical errors did not materially detract from the content. While most of it is an expose’ of the work of other people, Dr. Trasancos’ own thoughts on the role of Christianity in science were interesting and valuable. More so, her insight into the metaphor of stillbirth vs. birth and the analogy of the Church as the “mother” of Science was beautiful and suggestive of far greater realities, coming as it does from a woman who is not only a scientist, but also herself a mother who has experienced the visceral reality of both live and still births in her own life.
I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading more from Dr. Trasancos.
February 18, 2014
This is an interesting read! Jaki's work is expansive, both as a physicist and a theologian, and I get the feeling this book is but a glance into his research and teaching. The title is bound to ruffle some feathers if not understood, but Jaki's idea is simply that Christianity in the Middle Ages contributed to the rise of modern science and that the Church was a patron of science. This book explores ancient culture's discoveries and advancements, then goes on to describe why Jaki believed that the Christian worldview enabled a mentality that allowed an arrival at conclusions that other scholars did not because they operated under a radically different worldview. The Greeks, for example, never would if thought of motion the same way as Burdian because their fundamentally held beliefs (pantheistic ideas) were incompatible with such views of the cosmos.
In addition to discussing Jaki's definition of science and the "stillbirths" of ancient cultures, it also discusses early Christianity, Christian scholars of the middle ages, and critics of Jaki's work. I'm interested in reading more of Jaki's work.
In addition to discussing Jaki's definition of science and the "stillbirths" of ancient cultures, it also discusses early Christianity, Christian scholars of the middle ages, and critics of Jaki's work. I'm interested in reading more of Jaki's work.
November 17, 2018
How's this for a bodacious assertion - without Christianity we wouldn't have all the progress from modern science? But didn't the Church stand in the way of science? Galileo?
Stacy Trasancos traces the work of Fr Stanley Jaki, a priest with doctorates in theology and physics. He wrote much on the philosophy and history of science. He worked in an academic setting and his books can be heavy going. Trasancos, herself a scientist, has done the heavy lifting for us and made Jaki's work more accessible.
Trasancos shows how previous civilizations - Chinese, Arabs (Moslems), Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians - had very significant technical advances. But science did not fully develop there as it did in Europe. In her metaphor, science was stillborn in these cultures. The book argues that only in Christian nations were the circumstances right for science to progress to the point it has today. Why? Because our Christian culture sets out a single creator of a rational universe. Other religious cultures were much more superstitious - many gods, a repeating cycle of history, an infinite duration of time, etc. There was no point in trying to understanding the rules of the science and the universe as some unintelligible or erratic force or forces were in control.
To be sure, Christians believe that the universe continues to exist as long as He wills it. But the creation story in Genesis tells us that God created an orderly universe that He said was good. He also created us with an intellect that is capable of discerning the rules by which the universe "runs" and then using this knowledge to advance science and improve our lives on earth. Since Aquinas (and no doubt before) the Church has taught that our faith cannot contradict our reason - both are given to us by God. If they lead to different conclusions, then one of them is wrong.
A quick read - but lots of interesting content.
Stacy Trasancos traces the work of Fr Stanley Jaki, a priest with doctorates in theology and physics. He wrote much on the philosophy and history of science. He worked in an academic setting and his books can be heavy going. Trasancos, herself a scientist, has done the heavy lifting for us and made Jaki's work more accessible.
Trasancos shows how previous civilizations - Chinese, Arabs (Moslems), Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians - had very significant technical advances. But science did not fully develop there as it did in Europe. In her metaphor, science was stillborn in these cultures. The book argues that only in Christian nations were the circumstances right for science to progress to the point it has today. Why? Because our Christian culture sets out a single creator of a rational universe. Other religious cultures were much more superstitious - many gods, a repeating cycle of history, an infinite duration of time, etc. There was no point in trying to understanding the rules of the science and the universe as some unintelligible or erratic force or forces were in control.
To be sure, Christians believe that the universe continues to exist as long as He wills it. But the creation story in Genesis tells us that God created an orderly universe that He said was good. He also created us with an intellect that is capable of discerning the rules by which the universe "runs" and then using this knowledge to advance science and improve our lives on earth. Since Aquinas (and no doubt before) the Church has taught that our faith cannot contradict our reason - both are given to us by God. If they lead to different conclusions, then one of them is wrong.
A quick read - but lots of interesting content.
August 25, 2017
Good primer
This book is first and foremost a prep for other Jaki works. Second, it's a work of explaining the overarching theme and how to convey those works. On those two topics it does well.
Having read some of the references and not Jaki himself, I had come to basically the same conclusion. However, Jaki is much more eloquent than I it seems. I agree with the author, how the truth will ever be conveyed is a dilemma. Our schools are embedded with a history that flies in the face of the assertions of this book. It sells a story that is compelling and believable. To convince people that most of it is not true is not easy, even to the rare person who is actually interested. To the rest, it really involves getting to the teachers.
Getting textbooks that cover this topic more accurately would be how to get this out there. However, that probably has a long way to go.
This book is first and foremost a prep for other Jaki works. Second, it's a work of explaining the overarching theme and how to convey those works. On those two topics it does well.
Having read some of the references and not Jaki himself, I had come to basically the same conclusion. However, Jaki is much more eloquent than I it seems. I agree with the author, how the truth will ever be conveyed is a dilemma. Our schools are embedded with a history that flies in the face of the assertions of this book. It sells a story that is compelling and believable. To convince people that most of it is not true is not easy, even to the rare person who is actually interested. To the rest, it really involves getting to the teachers.
Getting textbooks that cover this topic more accurately would be how to get this out there. However, that probably has a long way to go.
May 14, 2020
A fascinating book explaining the ideas of Father Stanley Jaki; physicist, historian of science and Catholic priest who wrote a number of books (one was "The Saviour of Science") on the "birth of science". He has been sometimes misunderstood. So Dr Stacy Trasancos, a scientist herself and convert to the Catholic Church, has written this book to make his ideas and philosophy more accessible to us. Fr Jaki felt that Christianity allowed for the 'birth' of science whereas the culture of other religions did not. He concedes that there were many scientific discoveries in other religious cultures but science never came to "birth" because if one cannot experiment on anything one believes to be a 'god' or 'sacred'. If there was any hint of pantheism in the culture, science could not be 'born'.
I recommend this book for those who work in the field of science and those who are just interested in science.
I recommend this book for those who work in the field of science and those who are just interested in science.
August 11, 2019
Fantástica panorámica de cómo la ciencia fue concebida en varias ocasiones pero sin llegar a ver La Luz. Y cómo fue de nuevo concebida y finalmente nació cuando nació.
Muy recomendable. Ameno. Gran trabajo de la autora.
Muy recomendable. Ameno. Gran trabajo de la autora.
June 24, 2021
This is a great introduction and explanation of the work of Stanley Jaki, who's principal work is in the history of science field, and the impact of Christianity on its development.
May 2, 2022
This book is a summary of the complex research and teachings of Fr. Stanley Jake, who was a theologian, scientist, and philosopher. Not being trained in science at all myself, I found it very useful to read a simplified and concise summary of some of his main ideas. This book focuses on his thesis that science could not be born as a sustained, self-sufficient, and progressing field of thought without the theological teachings of Christianity to come first. It examines the scientific breakthroughs of many other ancient and medieval cultures, and acknowledges and admires them, but also shows how they failed to bring about a self-sufficient scientific revolution, due to the philosophical and theological beliefs of those other cultures. I think this was a good introduction to the topic.
March 26, 2014
Stacy Trasancos has done well in sifting the essentials out of Fr. Stanley Jaki’s prolific writing. Fr. Jaki’s work is very helpful for understanding how the growth of science has depended upon its relationship to Christianity. This book will bring attention to Fr. Jaki’s work and make readers more aware of its importance.
January 9, 2015
Science and religion: Eternal antagonists? Of course not! If you have ever had trouble explaining exactly why to someone then you need to read this book. The case for Christianity providing a world-view allowing science to flourish is laid out convincingly against a background of history.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews