Some thoughts and facts on Astrology and the Church

The astroworld is heavily biased in favor of the English language.

It is only natural; English is the modern lingua franca of knowledge. But it brings to the “general discussion” two limitations.

First, if the work is not in English — either written originally in the language, or translated into it — it is usually not as widely discussed, quoted, or read.

Secondly — I admit is is not the most important limitation, but it is the one that allows me to introduce my subject — the two larger English-speaking countries in the world are historically Protestant: and English-writing astrological authors of old were mostly Protestant Christians.

The combination of these points lead to a wrong view of how astrology was seen in the Renaissance in Catholic countries. Most of the works in English that survived from that time seem to be from Protestant authors — and, sometimes (Lilly is the one that stands out), explicitely anti-Catholic astrologers.

What are you looking at, Papist?

It must be so because Catholics were very much opposed to astrology; the Inquisition persecuted astrologers and prohibited astrology works. Right?

No. It’s just an artifact.

First, Inquisitors could not prohibit astrology books without examining them and checking whether they affirmed as certain contingent things — this is what the Council of Trent (1545-1563) stated, in their text that would be the basis for the now-infamous index librorum prohibitorum.

Secondly, it would be a bit hard to persecute astrologers, because they were all over the place: monasteries, common parishes, the Papal court, the Royal courts, Universities… even inside the Holy Office.

Thirdly, there’s a wealth of works that deal with astrology — in Portuguese, Spanish, Latin… — not only published in Catholic countries, but published with ecclesiastic approval.

I recently edited and commented a work by a Trinitarian Portuguese Friar (Frei António Teixeira, OSST) that had all the necessary authorizations, and dealt with… decumbiture (“Epitome das Notícias Astrológicas para a Medicina”, 1670) — although the author explains quite literally the entire universe in order to introduce the subject.

This is not an isolated case. Placidus de Titus (a Olivetan monk) published his famous “Physiomathematica sive Coelestis Philosophia” with authorization from his Superior and imprimatur from the Holy Office, in Italy; Manoel de Figueiredo (mathematician, astrologer, and cosmographer who was “cosmógrafo-mor” of the Kingdom of Portugal for a while) also obtained the “imprimatur” for his “Chronografia — Reportório dos Tempos”; D. Pedro Nunes, Manoel’s former teacher and first “cosmógrafo-mor” of the Portuguese kingdom, published his translation of Sacrobosco’s “Tractatus de Sphaera” without any obstacle from the Church; Jerónimo de Chaves published his “Chronographia o repertorio de los tiempos” with Cardinal and Royal approval in Spain…

D. Pedro Nunes, inventor of the nonius, translator of Sacrobosco, chief cosmographer of the Portuguese Empire, and not-carer-of-what-Lilly-thinks. The best mathematician of his time, according to Clavius.

And astrology was by no means restricted to books — not only most of the authors quoted above called themselves astrologers, the great Portuguese preacher, Father António Vieira, used the astrological symbolism profusely in his sermons — given in Churches both in the Colony and in the Capital of the Empire.

For example, in his “Sermão da Sexagésima” (given at the Royal Chapel, Lisbon, in 1655), he says (the translation is mine):

“Since I speak against modern styles, I want to invoke on my behalf the style of the most ancient Preacher that ever was in the world. And which was it? The most ancient Preacher that ever was in the world was the Sky. Coeli enarrant gloriam Dei et opera manuum ejus annuntiat Firmamentum; says David. If the sky is the Preacher, it must have sermons and it must have words. Yes, it has, says the same David: it has words and has sermons, and very much listened to: Non sunt loquellae, nec sermones, quorum non audiantur voces eorum. And which are these sermons, and these words from the Sky? The words are the stars; the sermons are the composition, order, harmony, and their course. See how the style the Sky uses in preaching matches the one Christ taught on Earth? The one and the other are both sowing; the earth sown with wheat; the Sky sown with stars”.

[…]

“The countryman finds in the stars documents for his farming; the seaman, for his navigation, and the mathematician for his observations, and for his judgments.”

I don’t mean that there was no trouble at all and that astrology and the Church always had a peaceful relationship — but it was not a case of open enmity, far from it.

****

Urban VIII, Galileo’s friends, and the danger of predicting things for powerful people.

“Astrology is quite cool, until it isn’t” - Pope Urban, probably.

Pope Urban VIII issued a bull called “Contra Astrologos Iudiciarios”, also called “Instrutabilis Iudiciorum Dei”, which prohibited — and set heavy penalties against — judging natal charts of nobles, bishops, the Pope, and their close relatives, and reminded everyone of another bull, by his predecessor Sixtus V, which prohibited any astrological prediction.

Sixtus V’s bull was, in practice, largely ignored, but Urban’s was not. His successors had a hard time interpreting and adjusting its message so it was not harsher than the Council or Trent (or any previous Church stance on astrology, really).

The weird thing about it all was: Urban VIII was an astrology enthusiast who had filled his court with astrologers and like-minded people. His friendship with Galileo and with the controversial Dominican Friar, Tommaso Campanella, in part stemmed from this enthusiasm.

However, another friar and astrologer, Orazio Morandi, published a prediction on Urban’s natal chart… including the date of his death.

The politics of that time was complicated; many people wished Urban dead, and among them, cardinals from other parts of Europe. Many of them decided to gather together, waiting for another Conclave to happen.

The pope, of course, wasn’t happy about that, which led to his Bull.

Morandi was obviously arrested — and died in prison. His work, after all, was not accurate — the Pope outlived both Morandi and Morandi’s prediction by quite a few years.

“I resent that last paragraph”, Morandi famously said.

****

That’s it for now. God bless us all in this last week of Lent.