Faraday, Michael - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. V, p. 630

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

FARADAY, MICHAEL. - B. at Newington-Butts near London on 22 Sept. 1791, d. at Hampton Court on 25 Aug. 1867. He was one of the greatest scientists of all time, founder, together with Volta (1745–1827) and Ampères (1775–1836), of electrology and precursor of Maxwell (1831–79). He was responsible for numerous fundamental investigations into magnetism, induced currents, electrochemistry, and the liquefaction of gases, as well as for the related terminology.

A deeply religious spirit, as an “elder” (after 1840) of the very small Scottish sect of the “Sandemanians,” he preached successfully to his co-religionists: this sect believed in the divinity of Christ and regarded such faith as a gift of God, the fruit and proof of which was obedience to His law. Asked by Cardinal Wiseman (1802–65) whether the true Church was that of the “Sandemanians,” he replied: “I do not claim this, but I am sure that Christ is with us.”

BIBL.: J. Faraday, P. as discoverer, London 1868; id., Fragments of sciences, ibid. 1876, pp. 246–47; B. Jones, The life and letters of P., ibid. 1870; I. B. Dumas, Discours et d'ages académiques, I, Paris 1885, pp. 51–144; S. P. Thompson, M. P. his life and score, London 1898; J. Gay, Lectures scientifiques, Paris 1891; C. L. Kneller, Il cristianesimo e i naturalisti moderni, Italian trans., Brescia 1906, pp. 161–70; A. Eymieu, La part des croyants dans les progrès de la science au XIXe siècle, I, Paris 1928, pp. 166–69; A. Garbasso, Science e poesia, Florence 1934. Giulio Provenzal