THE PARADISE OF THE ASTRONOMER: THE EMPIRE SKY BY CRISTOFORO BORRI (1583-1632)

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the empyreal sky theory according to Cristoporo Borri (1583-1632). That was one of the few theories which, since the beginning of the 17th century and except for special cases, was almost exclusively defended by catholic authors and specially jesuits. In traditional cosmological conception, the empyreal sky was a corporeal sky that used to limit the universe and in which were placed God and the well-gifted. There was no physical evidence of that sky and, due to this, the reasons to defend the existence of the empyreal sky are basically of theological and philosophical nature. Thus, it is understood that most of authors who state the existence and discuss the characteristics of that sky are theologians or philosopher. However, in the first half of 17th century, a group of jesuit astronomers also struggled in analyzing the empyreal sky, proposing an integrated view of cosmus where explanations from theology, philosophy and mathematics matched. Among those astronomers, the italian Cristoforo Borri, who is the author of Collecta astronomica ex doctrina, published in Lisbon in 1631 is remarkable. In this work, which had a great impact in portuguese influenced cultural world, Borri defended a division of the skies in three parts. According to that, the universe was organized in aerial sky, ethereal sky and empyreal sky. What was the nature of this sky? Was the empyreal sky a solid or a fluid body? What was its shape? These are some of the inquiries analyzed in this article