Routledge - The Unmaking of the Medieval Christian Cosmos

Explore the profound transformation of the heavens in this historical study from Routledge. This book examines the period between 1500 and 1760, a time when the long-standing synthesis of Greek cosmology and the Genesis creation story began to fracture. For centuries, theologians used Aristotle's philosophy to construct the medieval Empyrean, the perceived dwelling place of the Blessed. This work tracks the shift from solid heavens to a boundless aether. It details how humanist Bible critics, Protestant reformers, and astronomers rose in revolt against Aristotelian thought during the Renaissance. Readers will follow the dismantlement of the medieval worldview as thinkers challenged established religious and scientific structures. This text provides a deep look into how the transition from the 16th to the 18th centuries reshaped the understanding of the universe and the role of pagan influences in changing scientific thought.