Draws on new evidence to argue that the Jesuits had plotted Galileo's downfall for reasons other than his beliefs about astronomy. Pietro Redondi boldy reinterprets Galileo's famous trial for heresy in 1633, when the Inquisition forced him to abjure all writings that described the sun as the central body of the universe, with the earth and other planets revolving around it. Dr. Redondi has discovered a new document, predating the trial, in the Archives of the Vatican Holy Office: an anonymous and rigorous denunciation of Galileo on the grounds that his new naturalistic philosophy and his advocacy of atomism threatened the all-important dogma of the Eucharist. Galileo: Heretic draws on this new evidence to argue that the Jesuits had plotted Galileo's downfall for reasons other than his beliefs about astronomy. Through a convincing re-creation of the theologically charged atmosphere of the period, the work suggests that Copernicanism was, in effect, a red herring, and that the trial was a cover-up for the much more serious accusation of heresy concerning the Eucharist. In short, Galileo may have narrowly escaped being burned at the stake. Vividly depicting the atmosphere of Baroque Italy, and particularly the manners, morals, and customs of Counter-Reformation Rome, the author describes how Galileo's trial for heliocentrism was stage-managed to divert attention from the challenges that a revival of atomism might pose to Catholic Eucharistic doctrine. Dr. Redondi's book reveals that many key figures in papal Rome might have suffered as supporters and as critics of Galileo's natural philosophy and were, in fact, sent or kept away from the city during the trial - and for long after, since their presence and the suspicions they aroused might have implicated Galileo's most important patron, Pope Urban VIII himself. -- from dust jacket.