Johaan Kepler (1571-1630). Kepler was the founder of physical astronomy and discovered the laws of planetary motion. He was the pioneer of the discipline of celestial mechanics. Kepler proved the heliocentric nature of the solar system – all planets revolve around the sun. He published ephemeris tables which were necessary for plotting star movement and contributed to the theory of calculus. Johann Kepler made the following statement in regard to his invaluable scientific discoveries.

“O, Almighty God, I am thinking Thy thoughts after Thee! Nothing holds me! I will indulge in my sacred fury, I will triumph over mankind by the proud confession that I have stolen the golden vases to build up a tabernacle for my God, far away from the confines of Egypt. If you forgive me, I rejoice; if you be angry, I can bear it. The die is cast; the book is written, to be read either now or by posterity, I care not which. It may be well to wait a century for a reader, as God has waited six thousand years for an observer.”

Kepler concludes his treatise Harmony of Worlds with these words,

“I thank Thee, my Creator and Lord, that Thou hast given me this joy in Thy creation, this delight in the works of Thy hands; I have shown excellency of Thy works unto man, so far as my finite mind was able to comprehend Thine infinity; if I have said aught of Thy glory, graciously forgive it.”

Kepler declared the following remarks in Homage to the Book.

"We astronomers say, with the common people, the planets stand still or go down; the sun rises or sets. How much less should we require than the Scriptures of Divine inspiration, setting aside the common mode of speech, should shape their words according to the model of the natural scientist, and, by employing a dark and inappropriate phraseology about things which surpass the comprehension of those whom it designs to instruct, perplex the people of God, and thus obstruct its own way towards the attainment of far more exhalted object at which it aims.”