|
| |
Vol.. 7 no 2, Autumn/Winter 2003
Ficino's
Approach to Astrology as Reflected in Book VII of his Letters
Julia
Cleve
Abstract. The twelve volumes of
Marsilio Ficino's correspondence are rich in astrological references. Most
celebrated among these is Letter 17 in Book VII which is addressed to Federico,
Duke of Urbino, and whose express intention is to reconcile
genuine astronomers and Christians. Ficino himself was a practising
astrologer, and yet the arguments he advances in this letter are taken from his
unpublished treatise Against the Judgement
of Astrologers. This apparent
contradiction - is Ficino a champion or a scourge of astronomia?
- may be resolved if considered in the light of his over-arching Platonic
cosmology. |