Goras' school the knowledge of mathematics and astrology 6 An ancient Jewish Stellar-Chart.
were compulsory, the latter especially being studied in connection with sound and number.
All old occult manuscripts, among which our Bible may be numbered, are full of astrology; and if Moses forbade the study of astrology, it was most probably only by reason of the unscientific way in which it was studied.
It was much more difficult in those days for one to make use of astrological tables, education not being so common as today; hence there was as much deception and pretence to fortune-telling as today, nay more so, as the age was a far more ignorant and superstitious one.
It was this abuse and charlatanism which Moses forbade.
The astrologers Thracyllus (father and son) were the counsellors of Tiberius and Nero.
Of the father a peculiar anecdote is known, mentioned by Tacitus and Plutarch.
Thracyllus knew too much of the secret thoughts and plans of the emperor Tiberius and the latter tried to get rid of him.
He took him a walk on a high wall with the purpose of throwing him off.
And he asked Thracyllus if he knew everything concerning himself.
"Yes" was the answer.
"I know that I am in great danger of life but Your Majesty as well; for I know also that you will outlive me only by 24 hours." The emperor who had an implicit belief in Thracyllus did not carry out his intention.
Thracyllus, the son, predicted Nero's future imperial dignity.
Champollion, found, in one of the Ramses-tombs, dating of the 19th and 20th Dynasty (1400-1133 B.C.), an astrological table of houses, which clearly indicates the accuracy of their calculations.
They knew the relation between the twelve signs of the Zodiac and the several parts of the human body.
The British Museum contains a number of horoscopes written on papyrus.
The Egyptians made their predictions chiefly according to the so-called secondary or moon-directions.
Plato, Socrates' pupil, studied the influence of sun and moon on the formation of both sexes.
Heraclites, a pupil of Plato and Aristotle, wrote a treatise on the Hyleg in the horoscope and on the influence of the sun as life-giver.
Europe received its civilisation from the east and also the science of astrology as we already saw.
From Greece and Italy it penetrated into the other countries of Europe.
One of the best-known Christian astrologers is Paul the Philosopher (850).
Among the popes we find several students of a astrology; e.g.
Pope Sylvestre (992-1002), Pope John XX and John XXI were keen astrologers.
Thomas Aquinas says: "The celestial bodies are the Cause of all that takes place in this sub-lunar world.
They influence the human actions directly, but not every action caused by them is inevitable." (Summa, Quaest XV, art.
Further the famous Albertus Magnus, bishop and architect who wrote a symbol-system which is held in high honour with Freemasons.
He says a.o.: "All that nature and art produces is driven by celestial powers.
The signs in the sky and the celestial bodies existed before all other created things and therefore influence all that came into existence after them, etc." We may mention: Roger Bacon, Guido Benati, court-astrologer to Frederick II.
And Petri Abano or Francisco della Stabili, friend to Dante, John de Luna, Cardinal Peter d'Ailly (1350-1425).
Dante, whose words: "Only follow your star, the haven of glory awaits you", are well known.
In another passage he says: "Astrology is the most sublime, the noblest science, without any faults." Giordano Bruno, Ruysbroeck, Jacob Boehme and Spinoza, believed in astrology.
Further Hieronymus de Manfredi, professor of medicine at the university of Bologna (1460) who a.o.
combined astrology and medicine.
8 Johann Stdffler, professor of mathematics at Tubingen, computed the exact date of his death, which was to take place by an accident.
By inviting friends and staying quietly at home, he tried to evade the possibility of an accident.
In a dispute, however, wishing to prove his arguments, he went to a high book-shelf, to seize a folio-volume, he fell and got a deadly wound.
We may mention the names of Melanchton and Johann Miiller.
The former wrote a.o.
a preface to a work of the astrologer Schonez and delivered lectures on astrology.
Tycho de Brake (1546 1601) tried to raise astrology to a religion.
He says e.g.: "The stars rule the lot of man, but God rules the stars." He was however not blind to the abuse, made of astrology.
Paracelsus studied especially the influence of the planets on the vegetable and mineral kingdom and discovered a large number of medicines, by comparing the microcosmos (man) to the macrocosmos (our solar system), led by logic and intuition.
Keppler, the famous astronomer was an astrologer as well.
It is universally known how he predicted to Wallenstein, at that time young and unknown, his future glory.
He predicted several details concerning his career, the enemies he would make, his eagerness for fame and glory, his marriage and financial circumstances and the exact day of Wallenstein's death.
Of William Lilly, the well-known London astrologer it is known that he foretold the great London fire i n 1666.
His astrological works are still being studied.
Pico de Mirandola, a fierce opponent of astrology, gave at his death the most striking proof of the truth of astrology, for he died at the exact hour that the astrologers had predicted.
John Butler, another opponent of astrology, who in order to be able to oppose it with more success and to show its weak points, took up the study of astrology, changed tactics after that study, viz.
instead of attacking astrology as he originally intended to he wrote a book to show the truth of astrology.
Professor Max Müller once said, that many of our greatest men of intellect studied astrology, but that the majority of them never expressed their opinion on that point for fear of being ranked with the quacks in this line, the so-called astrologers and the fortune-tellers.
Francis Bacon, baron of Verulam, one of the greatest minds of his time, believed in planetary influences, just like Isaac Newton, the great researcher and thinker.
He defended astrology against the astronomer Halley by saying: "I have studied the subject, Mr.
Halley, you have not!" Newton never expressed his opinion on things he was not certain about.
His great caution in this direction is as well-known as his enormous scientific merits.
Of the German astrologers we may mention J.W.
He vehemently protested against the neglect of astrology and wrote a treatise on Napoleon's death, which was to coincide with a conjunction of Mars and Saturn (May, 5th, 1821).
Leibnitz studied astrology and believed in it.
That Goethe, Shakespeare, and also e.g.
Sir Walter Scott believed in astrology is not to be doubted.
Valentin Weigelius, in his "Astrology Theologized" (1649) calls astrology the light of Nature; "it comprises everything, all sciences, arts, branches of knowledge, qualities and conditions of body and spirit and further all conditions and occurrences in the Universe.
Everything takes its origin in the planets, and according to our using or abusing the influences, we feel them to be good or bad." He says that astrology and religion ought to go hand in hand and that the study of the Macrocosmos (the Universe) as well as of the Microcosmos (man) is meant by it.
"What is outside us in our surroundings is also in us and the expression: "a wise man rules his stars," does not allude to the stars in the Macro-cosmos, but to those in the Microcosmos.
The sky of the Macrocosmos with its perpetual revolution corresponds exactly to the inward sky of the Microcosmos." The last is, as it were, a microscopic reflection of the first in all its changes as well.
It would be easy to enrich this list with a large number of names of enlightened thinkers who all studied astrology, but for my purpose the above-mentioned names will suffice.
Is it astonishing that he who has fixed his opinion by more or less thorough study and research, compare the general public to a colour-blind man, who is positive that red and green are the self same colour?
Those who ignore the influence of the planets, without preceding thorough research, are simply guilty of pedantry, seeing that they prefer their immature, rash judgment, founded on tradition only, to that of great thinkers, who throughout all ages have devoted their lives to the inquiry after the effect of powers of nature, little known as yet.
We say once more, investigate and you will find the truth of it affirmed in your own life.
It would be highly interesting to collect particulars, at the registrars' of people who were born at exactly the same time and the same place.
If the data of births were correct, one would find that such lives were remarkable in their similarity.
In history several cases of this kind are known, among which the following characteristic example: In a paper of 1820 is mentioned the death of Samuel Hennings, who was born on June 4th 1738, at the same moment as King George III, and at the same place, St.
He came into business in October l) Among these we may count prof.
Franz Cumont who a few years ago opened a campaign against astrology, put down in his work "Astrology and Religion among the Greeks and Romans." He bases his work on the standing-point: "The starting-point of Astrology is, of course, a belief." Wrong, professor!
The starting-point of Astrology is observation.
If the basis of a work is false, we may leave the conclusion out of account.
101760, when George III mounted the throne.
He was married on Sept.
8th, 1761 just like King George, and after both lives had gone quite parallel, both died on January 29th 1820, at the same hour.
They had the same number of children, of the same sex.