Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother [Hardcover]

James A. Connor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2004

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 twice by 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was a towering figure in early modern science, a contemporary of Tycho Brahe and Galileo who discovered the fundamental laws governing the motion of the planets. Connor goes further, offering a remarkably human portrait of Kepler, grounded in the day-to-day life of a mathematician and astronomer simply trying to make a living and navigate the turbulent politics of Counter-Reformation Europe while staying true to his own ideals. This is not the Kepler one might know from textbooks—Connor's Kepler is a man driven by his deep Lutheran faith, yet ultimately excommunicated for his desire to reach out to Catholics and Calvinists; a man who seems less concerned with greatness than truth and a little bit of peace and happiness. As Connor writes in his preface, the book is as much a piece of literary nonfiction about the "kitchen details" of life in the early 17th century as it is a biography of a great astronomer. As the engaging narrative ranges from life amid religious unrest in Prague to the "trumped-up" witchcraft charges against Kepler's mother, one finds oneself lost in a world haunted by shadows and fears, yet which holds the promise of a new era of reason and enlightenment. This portrait poses a striking contrast to that in Heavenly Intrigue, which dubiously purports that Kepler was a virtual psychopath who killed Brahe to obtain his secret data. Maps.
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From Booklist

On his deathbed, one of history's greatest astronomers voiced no satisfaction over his achievements in advancing planetary physics but a great deal of frustration over his lifelong powerlessness to resolve religious conflict. A former Jesuit, Connor here probes the dark religious events that enshrouded the brilliant scientific career of Johannes Kepler. The forces of Reformation and Counter-Reformation repeatedly convulsed the European world in which Kepler pursued his pioneering research, but Connor chiefly scrutinizes the religious turmoil peculiar to Kepler's life. Readers see, for instance, how Kepler fought to maintain friendships with both Catholics and Protestants, how he struggled to harmonize his own sophisticated faith with his wife's simple piety, how he suffered when his intellectual openness cost him his cherished communion as a Lutheran, and, finally, how he jeopardized his reputation to defend an eccentric mother accused of witchcraft. Rich with new translations of Kepler's journals, poetry, and correspondence, this compelling narrative will leave readers wondering how a man so enmeshed in religious travail ever managed to penetrate the mystery of planetary orbits, to blaze a path toward calculus, and to formulate the founding principles of optics. But nothing will astound readers more than the way the religiously vexed Kepler persisted in interpreting his discoveries as evidence of the divine harmony in the universe! Connor indeed argues that precisely because he framed his science in the language of worship, Kepler has received less than his due from rationally minded scholars. This luminous biography will help remedy that injustice. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060522550
• ISBN-13: 978-0060522551
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A biography for our modern times, October 22, 2004

By 

Chad Davies "Downhill" (Barnesville, GA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother (Hardcover)

In writing Kepler's Witch, Conner creates a biography through which the reader can not only learn about one of astronomy's most central figures but also explore the issues related to being both a person of science and a person of faith. This may be the strongest point of the book. It leads the reader into a consideration of how Kepler's faith affected his life and work as a scientist and vice-versa.

The story is told a bit repetitively which I assume is done to help the reader keep the developments in Kepler's life in proper historical perspective as they are deeply intertwined with the events leading up to and involving the thirty years war. Personally, I didn't find this approach bothersome as it helped me develop and keep the connections straight. Those seeking just a pure telling of the Kepler story, however, might find this approach tiresome.

I thought the book took the right approach in balancing scholarly detail with popular writing to present the story of Kepler, his life and his mother in an engaging and interesting way. While I recommend this book to any student of astronomy whether professional or amateur as well as those interested in the history of the time, I feel that those with an interest in the ongoing discussion of the interplay of science and faith will find it a deeply thoguht provoking book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kepler's Witch is Fascinating!!, April 6, 2004

By 

P. (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother (Hardcover)

Wonderfully crafted biography of Kepler! I especially enjoyed the detailed and well researched historical and political background and Kepler's struggle to incorporate his ideolgy and spirituality with his important work as a scientist. Peppered with little known facts about life in 16th and 17th century Europe, illuminations about witchcraft and heresy trials, and fascinating translations from Kepler's own hand, "Kepler's Witch" should be on every bookshelf.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great topic, great approach, but..., July 24, 2005

By 

Sage Ross "Sage Ross" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother (Hardcover)

...this book is very poorly written. The author seems to be trying to capitalize on the success of Dava Sobel's "Galileo's Daughter," trying to interweave the personal life, scientific work, and the political and religious aspects of Kepler. Instead, each of these aspects are discussed, but they seem to have very little interconnection. Many reviewers complain, rightly, that the writing is repetitive and chaotic; it seems like two books interspliced: one about the political and religious history of Germany and Austria (over the period of Kepler's life), and another about Kepler. But other than covering the same time period, these stories are unrelated.

In addition to being poorly contructed, the book features prose that is often distractingly awkward. Although I got a lot out of this book, there seems to be little, if any, original scholarship. The notes are also fairly sparse, and it is tough to tell the pure speculation from the loosely-documented conjecture from the established history.

I would dearly like to read a book that tackles the connections between Kepler's religious views, his personal life, the politics of the Counter-Reformation, and his work. This book simply talks about each of these, without relating them. This is most unfortunate, as the publication of this will probably make any future books about the same subject much more difficult to publish.

On the plus side, the book has nice illustrations, a beautiful cover, and is well-bound.