In this ground-breaking study of the Jewish reception of the Copernican revolution, Jeremy Brown examines four hundred years of Jewish writings on the Copernican model. Brown shows the ways in which Jews ignored, rejected, or accepted the Copernican model, and the theological and societal underpinnings of their choices. Throughout New Heavens and a New Earth are deft historical studies of such colorful figures as Joseph Delmedigo, the first Jewish Copernican and a student of Galileo's; Tuviah Cohen, who called Copernicus the "Son of Satan;" Zelig Slonimski, author of a collection of essays on Halley's Comet; and contemporary Jewish thinkers who use Einstein's Theory of Relativity to argue that the Earth does not actually revolve around the sun. Brown also provides insightful comparisons of concurrent Jewish and Christian writings on Copernicus, demonstrating that the Jewish reception of Copernicus was largely dependent on local factors and responses. The book concludes with the important lessons to be learned from the history of the Jewish reception of Copernican thought, and shows how religions make room for new scientific descriptions of reality while upholding their most cherished beliefs.

Introduction Chapter 1 - Nicolas Copernicus and His Revolution Chapter 2 - The Talmudic View of the Universe Chapter 3 - David Gans and the First Mention of Copernicus in Hebrew Literature Chapter 4 - The First Jewish Copernican: Rabbi Joseph Solomon Delmedigo Chapter 5 - ''Copernicus Is the Son of Satan.'' The First Jewish Rejections of Copernicus Chapter 6 - David Nieto and Copernicanism in London Chapter 7 - The Jewish Encyclopedias Chapter 8 - The Eighteenth Century. Jews and Copernicus in the Newtonian Era Chapter 9 - ''I Have Written a Book For the Young People.'' David Friesenhausen's Mosdot Tevel Chapter 10 - The Nineteenth Century: Copernicus Without Hesitation Chapter 11 - ''Let Copernicus and a Thousand Like Him Be Removed From the World.'' Reuven Landau's Rejection Chapter 12 - The Modern Period Chapter 13 - Relativity and Contemporary Jewish Geocentrists Chapter 14 - Conclusions Appendix Bibliography