伽利略(Galileo Galilei 1564-1642)是意大利著名的物理学家和天文学家,近代实验科学的奠基者之一。他是利用望远镜观测天体取得大量成果的第一人,这些重要的发现有力地证明了哥白尼的日心说。由于日心说为当时崇尚托勒密地心说的天主教会所禁止,所以长期以来人们一直认为来华的天主教传教士对中国学术界隐瞒了伽利略的学说,可事实并非如此。在晚明来华的耶稣会士中,德籍教士邓玉函(Joannes Terrentius)与伽利略相识,而且是好朋友。 1603年,意大利科学家楷西亲王(Federico Cesi)创立灵采研究院“Accademia dei Lincei”,以推进科学 Galileo Galilei 1564-1642 is a famous physicist and astronomer in Italy and one of the founders of modern experimental science. He was the first person to use the telescope to observe astronomical objects and achieved a lot of results. These important discoveries strongly prove Copernicus’s heliocentric theory. Since the heliocentric theory was banned by Catholic churches that worshipped Ptolemy’s heart at the time, it has long been assumed that Catholic missionaries coming to China concealed Galileo’s doctrine from the Chinese academic community. However, this is not the case. In the Jesuits who came to China in the late Ming Dynasty, the German priest, Joannes Terrentius, met with Galileo and was a good friend. In 1603, the Italian scientist Federico Cesi founded the Accademia dei Lincei Institute to promote science