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Author: Sophie Page
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Published: 2002-01-01
Total Pages: 68
ISBN-13: 9780802085115
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →"Astrology in Medieval Manuscripts describes the complexity of western medieval astrology and its place in society, as revealed by a wealth of illustrated manuscripts and historical background."--BOOK JACKET.
Author: Theodore Otto Wedel
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Published: 2005-01-01
Total Pages: 178
ISBN-13: 048643642X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Explanations of a diverse range of physical phenomena raised astrology to a prominent place in the history of philosophy and science. This volume traces the development of astrology from the 5th through 15th centuries, with interpretations from a variety of literary sources that include medieval romances and the works of Chaucer.
Author: Michael A. Ryan
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 2012-03-27
Total Pages: 231
ISBN-13: 0801463157
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Astrology in the Middle Ages was considered a branch of the magical arts, one informed by Jewish and Muslim scientific knowledge in Muslim Spain. As such it was deeply troubling to some Church authorities. Using the stars and planets to divine the future ran counter to the orthodox Christian notion that human beings have free will, and some clerical authorities argued that it almost certainly entailed the summoning of spiritual forces considered diabolical. We know that occult beliefs and practices became widespread in the later Middle Ages, but there is much about the phenomenon that we do not understand. For instance, how deeply did occult beliefs penetrate courtly culture and what exactly did those in positions of power hope to gain by interacting with the occult? In A Kingdom of Stargazers, Michael A. Ryan examines the interest in astrology in the Iberian kingdom of Aragon, where ideas about magic and the occult were deeply intertwined with notions of power, authority, and providence. Ryan focuses on the reigns of Pere III (1336–1387) and his sons Joan I (1387–1395) and Martí I (1395–1410). Pere and Joan spent lavish amounts of money on astrological writings, and astrologers held great sway within their courts. When Martí I took the throne, however, he was determined to purge Joan’s courtiers and return to religious orthodoxy. As Ryan shows, the appeal of astrology to those in power was clear: predicting the future through divination was a valuable tool for addressing the extraordinary problems—political, religious, demographic—plaguing Europe in the fourteenth century. Meanwhile, the kings' contemporaries within the noble, ecclesiastical, and mercantile elite had their own reasons for wanting to know what the future held, but their engagement with the occult was directly related to the amount of power and authority the monarch exhibited and applied. A Kingdom of Stargazers joins a growing body of scholarship that explores the mixing of religious and magical ideas in the late Middle Ages.
Author: John Scott Lucas
Publisher: BRILL
Published: 2003-09-01
Total Pages: 244
ISBN-13: 9047402545
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The Tractat de prenostication de la vida natural dels hòmens, a late fifteenth-century Catalan incunable, draws on a rich tradition of astrological magic, geomancy, Pythagorean numerology, and Hebrew gematria. This practical manual offers a method of determining the birth sign based on calculations performed on the subject’s name and his or her mother’s name. The critical edition includes a literary, historical, and linguistic study; an English translation; and a Catalan-English glossary. The Tractat reveals Catalan sources for prognostication, a unique expression of medieval syncretism, the mingling of traditions, and the development of new ideas. It is a rare find for Hispanists and others interested in astrology, magic, the history of science, and early print culture.
Author: Hilary M Carey
Publisher: Springer
Published: 1992-04-12
Total Pages: 305
ISBN-13: 1349218006
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: Albrecht Classen
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Published: 2017-10-23
Total Pages: 767
ISBN-13: 311055772X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →There are no clear demarcation lines between magic, astrology, necromancy, medicine, and even sciences in the pre-modern world. Under the umbrella term 'magic,' the contributors to this volume examine a wide range of texts, both literary and religious, both medical and philosophical, in which the topic is discussed from many different perspectives. The fundamental concerns address issue such as how people perceived magic, whether they accepted it and utilized it for their own purposes, and what impact magic might have had on the mental structures of that time. While some papers examine the specific appearance of magicians in literary texts, others analyze the practical application of magic in medical contexts. In addition, this volume includes studies that deal with the rise of the witch craze in the late fifteenth century and then also investigate whether the Weberian notion of disenchantment pertaining to the modern world can be maintained. Magic is, oddly but significantly, still around us and exerts its influence. Focusing on magic in the medieval world thus helps us to shed light on human culture at large.
Author: Laura Ackerman Smoller
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2017-03-14
Total Pages: 246
ISBN-13: 1400887321
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Although astrology was viewed with suspicion by the medieval church, it became a major area of inquiry for the renowned cardinal and scholar Pierre d'Ailly, whose astrological and apocalyptic writings had a significant influence on Christopher Columbus. D'Ailly's writings on the stars, the focus of this book, clearly illustrate the complex relationships among astrology, science, and Christian thinking in the late Middle Ages. Through an examination of his letters, sermons, and philosophical, astrological, and theological treatises, Laura Ackerman Smoller reveals astrology's appeal as a scientific means to interpret history and prophecy, and not merely as a magical way to forecast and manipulate one's own fate. At the same time, she shows how d'Ailly dealt with delicate problems--such as free will and God's omnipotence--in elevating astrology to a compelling, but not always consistent, "natural theology." The French cardinal's most intriguing prediction was for the advent of Antichrist in 1789, one that stemmed from his deep concern over the Great Schism (1378-1414). Smoller maintains that the division in the church led d'Ailly to fear the imminence of the apocalypse, and that he eventually turned to astrology to quell his apocalyptic fears, thereby gaining confidence that a church council could heal the Schism. In elucidating the place of astrology in medieval society, this book also affords a personal glimpse of a man facing a profound crisis. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Author: M.G. Boutet
Publisher: McFarland
Published: 2017-06-23
Total Pages: 261
ISBN-13: 1476628696
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Our understanding of Celtic astrology is based mainly on the speculations of modern authors--mostly drawn from classical Greek and Roman writings--and suffers from many misconceptions. European astrology uses the Greek model, containing many Babylonian and Egyptian elements. But Celtic astrology (and other Indo-European astrologies) developed earlier, with relationships to Middle Eastern systems, as well as their own independent forms. This well documented study takes a fresh look at the development of Celtic astrology and the Druids' systems of cosmology, astronomy and astrology. The author analyzes commentaries found in manuscript sources from antiquity to the Middle Ages, comparing them with cosmological and astronomical lore found in Celtic cultures. Ancient constellations, calendars, deities and rituals reveal a rich worldview.
Author: Theodore Otto Wedel
Publisher: Literary Licensing, LLC
Published: 2014-03-29
Total Pages: 176
ISBN-13: 9781497882232
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This Is A New Release Of The Original 1920 Edition.
