heaven astrolabe

A traditional astrology blog about Medieval and Renaissance astrology,

tradition, astrologers, wandering and fixed stars…
About star crossed love Anton Grigoryev, comet Lulin and copies of
astrological posts

ABOUT STARS RISING WITH

THE 12 SIGNS ACCORDING
ALBUMASAR GREAT
INTRODUCTION
February 17th, 2009 → 10:05 pm @ margherita fiorello
5

albumasartranslation.jpg ¬
Stars rising with portions of ecliptic, the so-called paranatellonta, have a
central place in traditional astrology.
Ancient texts give a lot of room to this subject, Manilius dedicated to
paranatellonta the whole fifth book of his Astronomica, Firmicus lists them in
two of the eight books of Mathesis, and the list of 30 stars given by the
Anonymous 379 was a standard list in astrological literature of MiddleAges
and Renaissance, even if with the necessary update in stars’ position.
Paranatellonta were so important because ancients believed that the fate of the
native derived from the Ascendant. Proclus in his comment to Plato writes
for example:
Degrees rising with the horoscope contain all the virtue of generation,
so for example they produce some births proper to the priesthood and others
that are without any honour.

The most famous and in the same time enigmatic astrologer who wrote about
paranatellonta was Teucer of Babylon: his text is arrived to us in fragments
or in the abridged version quoted by Rhetorius, but it was the source for one
of the most influential work of the astrological art, Liber VI of Albumasar
Introductorium Maius.

The images described by Albumasar were then mentioned in IbnEzra’s

Beginning of Wisdom and used as source by Pietro d’Abano for his
Astrolabium Planum, published at the end of 1400 by Johannes
Angelus.
My experience with Albumasar starts from the end: i.e. from the lecture given
in Rome together with Anton Grigoryev about the frescoes of Villa Farnesina I
arrived to the Renaissance representation of paranatellonta, a year later I had
the luck to have betwen my hands an original copy of Angelus’ Astrolabium
Planum and from that book I arrived to Albumasar text. It was a very difficult
and hard road….
My English translation of Albumasar pages about paranatellonta- I believe it’s
the only one since the German translation made by Dyroff in 1903- comes
from the Latin version of John of Seville.
The booklet has 64 pages (Albumasar text from page 5 to 42, notes, pictures
and bibliography). This is a sample.
The cost is 20 euro (25 dollars) payable through PAYPAL. I will send a
link for download as soon the money is credited. Please don’t forget to write
your @ address.
Inquiries and orders through bookshop page.

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ABOUT THE STARS OF ANGELUS ASTROLABIUM PLANUM
The harmony of the spheres
Stars, trade, magistery, profession and inclinations
Astronomy, astrology and astral divination in the Ancient East
and Persia, a lecture by Prof. Antonio Panaino
The Hellenistic/Vedic case for ascensions