Read without ads and support Scribd by becoming a Scribd Premium Reader.
See Premium Plans
 
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY:TETRABIBLOS
 
OR THE QUADRIPARTITE MATHEMATICALTREATISE
FOUR BOOKS OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE STARSTRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK PARAPHRASE OFPROCLUS By J. M. ASHMAND
 
London, Davis and Dickson[1822]
This version courtesy of http://www.classicalastrologer.com/
 
 
Forword 
 It is fair to say that Claudius Ptolemy made the single greatestcontribution to the transmission and preservation of astrological and astronomical knowledge of the Classical and Ancient world. No study of Traditional Astrology can ignore the importance and influence of thisencyclopaedic work. It speaks not only of the stars, but also of a distinctcosmology that prevailed until the 18
th
century. Ironically, it is easy to jeerat someone who thinks the earth is the cosmic centre and refers to it asthe sublunary sphere. However, our current knowledge tells us that theUniverse is infinite, as far as we know. It seems to me that in an infiniteuniverse, any given point must be the centre. Sometimes scientists are notso scientific. The fact is, it still applies to us for our purposes.It practical terms, the Moon does have the most immediate effect on theEarth which is, after all, our point of reference. She turns the tides,influences the vegetative growth and menstrual cycles. In fact, sheinfluences the weather itself.What has become known as the Ptolemaic Universe, consisted of concentric circles emanating from Earth to the eighth sphere of the Fixed Stars, also known as the Empyrean. This cosmology is as spiritual as it isphysical. It is a decideley moral cosmology. No apologies are made forpolitical incorrectness.Ptolemy was first and foremost an anthologist. This knowledge came tohim from Egypt, Greece, Chaldea, Babylonia and beyond. More to thepoint, he was in the enviable position of being in Alexandria during thepeak of its eminence. Alexandria was in intellectual and spiritual foment.Ptolemy is clearly drawing from a wide range of sources in Tetrabiblos.His articulated cosmology has become known by his name. Whateveryour thoughts on the status of Ptolemy, he remains required reading foranyone interested in the history of the celestial arts. His influence onRenaissance astrologers was profound in and of itself.
Editorial Policy:
As with any text, there are always arguments regarding which translationis definitive. This 1822 edition has previously been difficult to find in a
 
practical, readable, digital format. The style is at times eccentric; but foranyone interested in the subject, this will be quickly forgiven.Typographical errors were legion in the original, numbering in thehundreds. These errors have been corrected where there been no doubt asto the intended word. Archaisms have been left intact. Some grammaticalerrors, such as placing a period, rather a comma, when the next word isnot capitalized have been edited for sense, but not content. Missingwords have been added in brackets to indicate they are not in theoriginal. I have made no attempt to maintain the original pagination inthis format.Whenever the intended meaning was unclear I have left the sentence as is.One example of this is the use of the word “lang” which may mean either‘long’ or lung’ in reference to Saturn and illness. This is left to thediscretion of the reader. In every other respect the text is unchanged.This edition and format was primarily intended for my on-line students of theTraditional Astrology CourseTo that end, it serves well. You areinvited to distribute this e-book freely, with the understanding that thetext, including credits, remain intact. Check for updated versions on mywebsite from time to time.Victoria, British Columbia, February 2006Prof. Peter J. Clark,http://www.classicalastrologer.com/
Search
Search History:
Searching...
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
  • p.
    • Notes
    Load more