Robert Bellarmine used scholarship for theological conflict

Bellarmine was a scholar of philosophy and humanities and belonged to the Society of Jesus. In 1576 Bellarmine was appointed to fill a new Chair of Polemics, or controversial theology, at the Roman College. He used traditional Roman Catholic theology to refute the Protestant reformers. In 1593 he completed his three-volume work, On the Controversies of the Christian Faith. For centuries, Catholics used this work to rebut Protestant theology. Bellarmine was made a cardinal in 1599. He was chief theological advisor to popes and helped to revise the Vulgate, as directed by the Council of Trent. Bellarmine was also involved in evaluating the work of Galileo, an important figure in the rise of modern science. Many years after Bellarmine's death, Galileo's work was condemned in Rome.