We all know about the conflict between science and religion — well, specifically, between science and Christianity. Because of the Christian claim that salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ, the question arises, "What about those who never had the opportunity to have that faith?" While this question traditionally addressed those who died before Christian missions arrived, it also applies forcefully to extra-terrestrial intelligences. Further questions arise: do such intelligent aliens need salvation at all? If so, can they benefit from faith in Jesus?

I've just finished reading Eifelheim by Michael Flynn, a science fiction novel that deals with these questions.? Eifelheim takes its place among novels such as C. S. Lewis' space trilogy, Jame Blish's A Case of Conscience, and Maria Doria Russell's The Sparrow. (My list isn't complete, of course.) Flynn's novel is set both in 1348/1349 Germany and "Now," which means a loosely contemporary society.

The 14th century setting, in the Black Forest at the time of the Plague, takes up most of the book's narration. The main character of that setting is a well-educated priest, called "doctor seclusus," who is hiding because of his earlier involvement in a pogrom called after its leader, "Armleder." This priest, Dietrich, provides the moral and intellectual core of the story. The 21st century characters are Tom, a "cliologist" (mathematical historian) and his partner, Sharon, a subatomic physicist.

A vessel carrying extraterrestrials crash lands in the forest in 1348. The first response of the villagers is that these strange beings are demons. Dietrich soon recognizes them as rational and converses with them via a kind of head-set translator. Some of the aliens (called "Krenken") convert to Catholic Christianity; others are very skeptical.

Eifelheim is a rich novel with a strong sense of place and character, especially in the 14th century narratives. It does not provide a complete resolution of the issues it raises. Dietrich's education allows him to grasp some of the concept the aliens use: he is, after all, familiar with the ancient Greek theory of the atomic structure of matter. He coins Greek equivalents of such terms as our "electronics" and "microphone." Flynn succeeds in making the interchange between Dietrich and the Krenken convincing.

I see this novel as especially related to Maria Doria Russell's The Sparrow; since I read that book several years ago, I can't say much about it here, but the encounter takes place on another planet. The aliens there don't get the "religion" thing. 

James Blish's A Case of Conscience is a classic work in which a Jesuit member of an exploratory team is confounded by discoverying an alien race of intelligent beings that seem to be sinless. This novel forms part of Blish's After Such Knowledge thematic trilogy, which includes Doctor Mirabilis, a historical novel about Roger Bacon, and Black Easter/Day After Judgment, which narrates Armageddon and the discovery that God has vanished. I recommend this whole "trilogy" (Black Easter and The Day After Judgment were originally published separately). No matter what your religious beliefs, Blish's novels will challenge you and make you think.

C. S. Lewis is probably best known now as the author of the Narnia books, but he wrote four novels for adult readers. Three of those form his "space trilogy." The best classification of them is probably as "space fantasy." In the first novel, Out of the Silent Planet, the main character is abducted and taken to Malacandra (i.e., Mars). Here, he encounters several species of intelligent beings and gets some of his terrestrial prejudices and limitations removed.

Lewis's space novels have difficulties for contemporary readers: he has re-imagined the Ptolemaic cosmos to make it heliocentric but retained planetary angels and other features. My experience in using these books in a fantasy literature class is that this aspect of the books both confuses and repels some readers. I still like them, however. Out of the Silent Planet can be read as a reply to H. G. Wells' First Men on the Moon; reading the two books in conjunction throws light on each of them.