Description
Book Synopsis`Superb general account.' Times Literary SupplementThe story of the history of Western astrology begins with the philosophers of Greece in the 5th century BC. To the magic and stargazing of Egypt the Greeks addednumerology, geometryand rational thought. The philosophy of Plato and later of the Stoics made astrology respectable, and by the time Ptolemy wrote his textbook the Tetrabiblos, in the second century AD, the main lines of astrological practice as it is known today had already been laid down. In future centuries astrology shifted to Islam only to return to the West in medieval times where it flourished until the shift of ideas during the Renaissance.
Trade ReviewA delight to read and an excellent guide through so wide-ranging and complex a subject...superb general account.' The Times Literary Supplement`Lucid, well-informed and concise...stimulates thought and commands respect.' New York Times Book Review`Tester's book because of its breadth and solid textual explications might become the standard historical introduction, in English, to the language of the skies. -- Richard Kremer, Speculum
Table of ContentsFrom the beginnings to Manilius; from Manillius to Vettius Valens; Alexandria to Byzantium - Ptolemy and later Greek astrology; the latin Middle Ages; renaissance and enlightenment - the second death of astrology.
