Giordano Bruno

OFFPRIIIITFROM
Giordano Bruno
Philosopherof the Renaissance
Editedby
HILARY GATTI
O Hilary Gatti and the contributors,2002
ASHGATE
\J
;-'i'''- L..'-
C}IAP'IE,R
I'L,N
Giordano Bruno and Astrology
LeenSpruit
Bruno's attitude tor,vardsastrolog)'r,vasn.rultifaceted.
In his earlv as rvell
as in his later lvorks, he leveliedvarious attrcks rgrrinst ertrol,.,gr,'.,
yet
crneof lris first rvorks, the lost De segni de' tentpi, ,u,rs prol.,ablv an
astrological trearise.rMoreover, in Spaccictde la bestid trionfante and,
other works, he end.rsed thc horoscope of religio's,, and,in Libri
Aristotelis pht'siconrm explanati, composed in thc late 1.!g0s, he
explained generation and corruption drarving on clcarly asfrological
co n cept s .A
' ls o in his m a g i c a lw o rk s h e e n d o rs e da strol ogi calconceprs.
And at the verl- moment of his arrest in venice, he rvas in possessionof
a ma n us c r iptent it ledD e s i g i l l i sH e rm e ti s , P tt)l t)n toL,i
ct a1i ,.,y11111,
copi ed
i n Pa d ua bv his pupil Be s l e r.' T h e s ei l p p a r-e n tl cy o nfl i cti ngatti rudesare
t. be understood in thc light of the specificcultural contexr of Bruno's
intellectualforrnation'ancl activitv.
.l
Be n v een 300 a. d 1 7 0 0 rrs rro i ,rg \' \\' i ìs
d e e me dt o be nci ther obscure
nor implausible.It was an integratedpart of Europeernlife and cultr.rre.
Astrological ideas irnclpracticesrvere vitallr.involved in philosophy,the
arts and sciences.Astrology's appeal lay in the fact that it offerecl
allegcdll' useful informari.n, s.merimes inaccessibleby any other
means' while it looked and operated like a science.Ir r,vasacceptedby
c'rutstandingscientistsand philosophers, such as ptolomeus, Thomas
Aquinas, cardano and Joha'nes Kepler. During the Renaiss:rnce
it r,vas
even taught in many universitiesas an academicdiscipline.It w,asnot an
Llncontroversialdiscipline,however.Sinceits introduction in the western
world it had been attacked by a host of opponents, incruding cicero,
Sextus Empiricus, Avicenna, Nicole oresme and Giovanni pìco della
Mirandola. It was condemnedb1' various Catholic councils anc1,ciu''g
t - Cf . l n f i r t i t t t , l ì l ) 1 , p . 42 9 ; L ) e
r e r wn p r in c., p > OLlll, p p . 5 39_4 l .
2 c ì rtr d a n o B r u n o . ( ì l i iu m i n d p ciita n i
e Ia ' p e r ig r in d tio ' europeíi , ed. E . canone,
1992, c ì a s s i n o : u n i v e r s i r à d e g li Stu d i, p . 8 3 ; cf. Ricci, S.
12000), cutrtl art. B rrut.
nelL'Euro p ad e l C i n q u e c e nto ,Ro m e : Sa le r n oEd itr ice ,p p . 1 l- 5 _ lg.
-l T hr s v i e r . vi s d i s c u s s e cl
b v In g e g n o ,A. ( 1 9 6 7 ) ,' Eim ctisr n o e oroscopo cl el l eretrgroni
nc I I <tS pa c c i ob r u n i a n o ' , i n Rin a scim e n to ,1 8 , p p . 1 5 7 - 7 4 .
a <-f. L i l , r i l b 1 s . A r i s t ,tt.,BOI
lll. n n . ìo o - x.
5 Firp o , P r c t c e s s op,p . 1t 6 . 1 8 - . 1 q j
:n d 2 8 6 - 8 *; scea lso pp. l _2,32,;rncl 60-61.
230
GIORDANO BRUNO
the Renaissance,by Protestant theologians, including Luther and
Calvin.nBy contrast, Melanchthon defendedastrology,-and exponents
of the Roman Catholic hierarch,v,including several popes, had their
personal astrologers.t Moreover, many early modern scientists and
philosophers dissociated themselves from astrological ideas, while
covertly courting them. It rvas only in about 1700 that astrology lost irs
footing in elite and educatedEuropean culture.
The very term 'astrology', like science or religion. conceals a
c hallengin g mu l ti p l i c i ty o f i d e a s a n d acti vi ti es. ' A stronomy' and
'astrology' were often used interchangeably."Moreover, Ptolemarc
technical horoscopic astrology is not to be cor-rfusedwith Arabic
astrolog,v,dominated by the conception of the great conjunctions. And
the use of astrologyin medicine,agricultureand navigation is essentially
different from the astrological backgror-rndof the various forms of
divination during the Middie Ages and the Renaissance.Therefore, a
brief survey of the developmentof astrology and of argumentspro and
contra is surely helpful to assessBruno's viervs on astrology. Critical
studies on Bruno, taking inîo accclunt the impact of astrology, have
dwelt on the use of astrologicalimagesin his mnemotechnicalworks or
elseon the specificcultural context of l-riscosmologyand its political and
et hieal im p l i c a ti o n s .' ' T h rs e h a p tc r p r opose\ a more encompassi ng
classification of Brr-rno'smost significant texts on astrology, and an
analysis of the possible relatior-rshipsbetween astrology and Bruno's
6 Calvrn,
, t,e r tisse m e n tco n tr e l'astrol ogi e j udi ci di re, ed. O. \4i l l et,
J ( 1 9 1 1 .5 )Ad
G é n ò v e :D r o z .
- S e e( ì a r o r r , S. ( i9 U6 ) , ' M e l:r n ch th o n ' sa str o logv', tn'A strol ogi hal l uci nati '. S tarsand
the L'.ndof the Wrtrld in Luther's Time, ed. P Zambelli, IJerlir ancl Ì!en' York: Walter de
G r u v t e r e d i t o r i, p p . 1 0 9 - l2 l; a n d Be llu cci, D. ( 1988),'l \4él anchthon et l a défensede
I'astrologie', tn Bihliothèque d'Humanisme et de la Renaissance,50, pp. 587-622.
8 C:rroti, S. (1983), L'astroktgid in ltalia. Profezie, oroscolti e segreti celesti, dagli
zodiaci ryntrni alla tradizione islamica, ddlle corti rinascintentali alle scuole moderne:
storia, tlocumenti, personttggi, Rome: Neivton Compton editori, pp. 231-46.
e C f . C a ssio d o r a s,ln stitu tio n e s,Il.iii, 6 ; lsid ore of S evi l l e,F,t1'tnokryi ae,l l .27;H ugo
o i S a i n t - V i c t o r ,Did a sca lio n ,ll.l0 . F o r d iscu ssio n,seeLej bou'i cz,M. (1988), 'l -e choc des
t r a d u c t i o n s ar a b o - la tin e s d u Xlle siè cle e t se s conséquencesdans l :r spéci al i sati on
et la sciencid iudicandi',
sémantique d'astrologia ct d'astronomia: Don'rinic Gr.rncliss:rlinr-rs
rnTransfert de trtcabulaire dans les sciences,eds. ìr4. (ìroult, P. Louis andJ. Rogcr, Paris:
CNRS, pp. 273-76.
1 0 C f . I n g e g n o , A. ( 1 9 7 8 ) , ' Er m e tism o e o roscopo cl el l e rel i gronr nel l o S paccru
bruniano', cit., and idem, Cosmok;gia e filosofia nel pensiero di Giordano Bruno,
F l o r e n c c :L a Nu o va lta lia e d itr ice , ch . l- 2 ; Ga r in, E . (19821, Lo zodi acetdel l a ui ta. La
polemica sull'astroktgia ddl 'lrecerfto dl Cinquec.ento,Rome-Birri: Latcrza, (first edition:
1 9 7 6 ) , p . 1 2 4 f; a n cl r e ce n tlvPo m p e o F a r a co vi,O., (1966), S cri tto negl i astri . L'astrol ogi a
nelld culturd dell'C)ccidente, Venezia: Marsilio, pp. 25-5-9. See also N4.A. Cranada's
i n t r o d u c t i o n to F u r o r i, BOe u C VIl, p p . xviii- xxxix.
CIORDANO BRUNOAND ASTROLOGY
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1 0 .1 Frontispiece of Ficino's De uita libri tres, containing De uita coelitus
comptlrandd,[ 1489], 1576.
232
CTORLANO
BRUNO
broader philosophicalvier'vs,taking into account also such viervsas the
animation of celestial bodies and celestial influence on the terrestrial
wor ld in ge n e ra l .
Astrology: A Historical Survey
Greecebecameaccluaintecl
with Babylonian astrology in the early third
century gc. The Greeks did not simply take over Babylonian astrology.
Mesopotamic divination had mostly concernedpublic welfare and the
life of rulers. By contrast, the Greeks were interestedin the individual
horoscope,which was developedin the secondcentury ec \,viththe ard
of theoretical arstronomy.Although the ide:r of celestialir.rfluencewas
rvidely acceptedin the ancient world, most philosophical schoolswere
hostile to astrokrgy, especiallythe Epicureans and the Sceptics.r'Yet,
c om pler i n te rre l a ti o n s d e v e l o p e d b etw een P l atoni c and S toi c
philosophl', and in virtue of the assun.rptionof causal links between
celestialbodiesanclmetals,plants, stonesanclpilrts of the (human) bocly
also rvith contemporary scientificdisciplines,most notably mineralogy,
botanics,alcheml',zookrgy,physiology :rnd medicine.
The Stoic conceptions of universal sympirthy and deterrninism
became importanr axioms in Greek and Roman astrologl'.rr ls1s1'
astrologicaltheorieswere also underpinned by Platonic astral theology.
M os t anc i e n t a s tro l o g e rs d i c l n o t refl ect upon the phi l osophi cal
assumptionsand implications of their discipline,horvever.An important
exceptionis Ptolomaeus,who regardedastrologyas a rational technique
rvith its orn'nlogic, grounded on astronomicalobservationsand on vlews
der iv ec l f r o m Sto i c a n d Ari s to te l i an phi l osophy. A ccordi ng to
Ptolomaeus,the ether emanatesa power which causeschangesin the
sublunar rvorld. According to their position and specific powers, the
effluencesof moon, sun and planetshave their own effects.The task of
astrologf is to calculate these effects.His synthesis,which postuletted
l l I t s h ou ld lr e r em e m b e r e d th a t th e Ep i cureans \vere among the targets of
M e l a n c h t h o n ' s co n d e m n r r tio r .ro f th c cr itics o f astrokrgv; cf. C aroti , 'N 4cl :rnchthon's
: r s t r o l o g r . ' o. p . cit., p . [ 1 6 .
l : f h e i rr flu e n ceo f a str o lo g v u p o n Sto icisr ni s di ffi cul t to:ìssess. A strol ogv rvas at
m o s t a s u b o r clin a tefe a tu r e o f th e e a r lie r Sto ic i nterest i n di vi nati on and al so i n l ater
a u t h o r s . s u c h r r s,Pa n e tiu s,th e r e is n o in te r e st fo r'harcl 'l l strol og]'. S ee[.orrg, A .11982),
' A s t r o l o g r ' : : :r r g u m e n ts
p r o a n d co n tr a ' . in .f . Ba r n esand J. B runschw i g (eds),S ci encednd
Slteculttiort. Studies in Hellanistic Thertrl' arttl Prdctice, Cambridge: Cambrìclge LÌniversitr
P r e s s ,p p . 1 65 - 9 2 , o r r p p . 1 6 7 - 7 1 . ( lf. a lso io ppol <;, A .\{. (19t14),'Lastrol ogi :r nel l o
stoìcisrncrantico', in G. Gi:innantoni :rncl N,f.Vegettì (ccls),La scienza e//eri-slica,Naples:
B i b l i o p o l i s , pp . 7 3 - 9 l, o n p p . 8 9 - 9 0 .
(;IORDANO BRLINOAND ASTROI-OGY
L.).)
that the celestial and terrestrial orders are correlated but not to be
identified, was crucial for many later: developments. ptolomaeus
e n d o rsedA r is t ot elia n p h i l o s o p h y ,b u t a s a n a s tr ol oger he c.ul d not
e n te rta ina phy s ic alt h e o ry w h i c h r,rn d e rmi n eth
s e uni ty of the cosmos.
lndeed, in his Tetrabiblos, which was centrecl ar.un.l the iclea that
heavenlyinfluenceswere entirely physical,he attributed earthlv qualities
to th e planet s .T hus , h e d e m y th o l o g i z e da s rro k rg y.and rel cted di urnal
and seasonalchangesto the elementaleffectsof sun, moon and planets.,,
He held that celestialcausesof generaleffectsare alrvaysmore Dowerful
th a n thos e r v hic h a ffe c t i n d i v i d u a l s i n i s o l a ti on,
th...fo.e
" r,t
horoscopic astrol.gy was not a science,but should rather
be seerras a
co n j e ct ur alt ec hnique .,
The ancient polemics against astrology srarred r,vith cricero. His
arguments(differentfatesof twins, astronomicaldistancesand relativity
of earthly locations'') vvereaccepredalso by later critics of astrology,
such as Geminus a'd Plotinus. At the time of sextus Empiricus ancl
Pìotinus,astrology was too powerful to be dismissedas 'rnconceivable
madness',however.'oIndeed,Sextusattempteclto clemorishastrology by
attacking its methodologicalprinciples,thus acknowledgingasrrologyas
a f.rm of knowledge. He avoided rhetorical argumenrsancl formulated
precise objections, such as the difficulry of determining the precise
moment of birth and the need for a vasr casuistry.r-plotinus'aititude
torvards astrology is more complex. As a platonist, he defencledthe
organic unity of the physicaluniverseand was quite willing ro grant rhe
celestial bodies causal influence on human affairs.,t He las'a srrons
ll S u b s e q u e n t l l 'n, . r e d i ev:r l
sch o o lm e n d iscu sse cl
th e th o r n v questi on of how pi :rnets,
t hough b e i n g e t c r n a l : r n d un ch a n g e a b le co
, u ld p o sscsse lcn r e ntalpropcrti es. A l bcrt the
(ì reat , f o r e x : r m p l e , f o r m ula te d th e fo llo r vin g
so lu tio n : p la n cts have propcrri es, not
rnas rnuc ha s t h e v a r c f : r s h io n e db v th e n r , b u t in a sm u ch a s th cv produca
rh",.,.,i n,1r",ra,
whic h is s u s c e p t i b l et o c o n tr a r ie tl,.T h is a llo r ,vsp la n cts t,.h a r .e ,qual i ti es
and yet remai n
t henrs elv e m
s a d e , f q u i n t e sse n cese
, ( 1 9 tì0 ) ,.T h e phvsi calasrronon'
. e Ba r ke r p r ic- eB.
and
as t rofogv . f A l b c r t u s M i r g r .r r s' ,in .f .A. we ish e ìp I
\e ò ,.)Alb
, e r ttts Mngrru, antl the S crcnces,
Jirront o: T o r o n r o L l n i v e r s i tvPr e ss,p p . 1 .5 - j- 1 g .5o,n p . 1 7 6 .
l4 S e e I . n g , ' A s t r o k r g ,v:r r g u r îL ,r ìr s
p r o e n J c,,,,tr a ,, o p . cit., pp. 178_g.ì; Faracovr,
Scritto negli astri, op. cit., pp. 107-,{1
l5 (ì ic e r o , L ) e t l ì u i n a tictn e ,
e d . w. Ar m iste a cl F a lco n er, L.'drn: H ei ne.rann;
C arnbridg e ,M A : H : r ^ ' a r d L J' ir .e r :sin ,p r e ss,
1 9 9 6 ( lst e d n l9 2 i) , II.gg_99, pp.,t70_g2.
16 De d ì u h t a t i o n e , 1 1 .8 9 ,
o p . cit., p , 4 7 2 . F .r a cr iticill di scussi * of crcero,s
arllìinrcnts, see Faracovi, Scrittct negli ilstri, op. cit., pp.
-i3_79.
ll Sextus Empiricus, Atluersus
mdthemitic.s,
n.c;. Bur',, L.ncron: Heinerr:rnnl
c ì ambridg e ,\ ' { A : F ì : r r v a r d L ]n ive r sitvp r e ss, l9 tì7 ("i.
lst e cln 1 9 4 9), v; f6r di scussi .rr,see
Farirccrvi,ScrittO negli dstri, op. cit., pp. 1-50-.5-1.
t B L' n n e a d s I, 1 . 3 . 2 .F o r discu ssio n
o f th e co n ce p to f ce le stia rinfl ucnce,see:N orti r,.l .r).
( 1986), ' c e l c s r i : r l i n f l u e n c c . T h e m a jo r p r e m iss .f :r sr r .kr g v' ,
i n Zambcl l i , A strrLrryi
234
GIORDANO BRL]NO
opponent of orthodox claims, however, and he seemedto sympathize
with a 'soft' version of astrology: astral influence is restricted to the
body . ' '
Neoplatonic philosophy provided an overall theory for the effectsof
the
a wide range of phenomena due to the mutual sympathy bet'nveen
various realms of reality. Therefore, later Neoplatonists associated
astrologywith prayer,magic and theurgy.r"In their view, the human soul
was split up in a garden variety of distinct facultiesand modes of being.
Celestialinfluence was presumedto touch only the inferior soul, or at
most the pneumatic body of the soul.r' They stuck to their view that the
stars are only signs, not causes.Finalln in Hermetic philosophy, the
planets mediated between the One and the sublunar world. The
heavenly bodies are animated with a rational soul and responsiblefor
the variety of terrestriai life."
The hostility of the Church and the decay of learning account for the
decline of astrology after the downfall of the western Roman empire.
After the rise of Islam, however,it'becamerapidly an integratedelement
of the Arabic culture. The Arabs collected Greek, Persian. Syrian and
Indian materials, and integrated astrology in ar-relaborate universal
philosophy of emanation.Thus, new conceptionsdeveloped,such as the
theory of the great conjunctions.Arabic physiciansmade ample use of
as t r ology fo r th e b e n e fi t o f th e ra py. N oti ceabl y, astrol ogy w as
recognizedas a science,lvhile medicine, becauseof its missing link tcr
philosophl',was held as an art.r'rThrough Arab mediation and the flood
of Greek and Arabic translations, astrology found its way into Latin
Europe. The symbolic interpretation of astrological referencesin the
texts of Macrobius and Calcidius rvas crucial in the revival of twelfthcentury natural philosophy,'*and soon astrologyconqr.'erednot only the
b a l l t r c ì n a t i , p p . 4 - 5 - 1 0 0 ; ( ìr a n t, E. ( 1 9 u 7 ) , 'Medi eval and R enai ssance schol asti c
conceptirrrrsof the influence of the celestial region on the terrestrial', .lourrnl of Medieual
a n à R e n d i s s a n ce
Stu d ie s,1 7 , p p . 1 - 2 3 .
1 9 E n n c ad s,lll. l.- 5 - 6 ; cf. L o n g , ' Astr o lo g v: a rgumentspro and cotrtra', r p. ci t., n. 19;
G a n d i l l a c , \ ' 1 . ( 1 9 6 0 ) ,' Astr e s, a n g e s e t g e n ie s chez Marsi l e Fi ci n', i n E . C l astel l i(ed.),
L l m a n e s i n o e t e so te r ism o ,Pa d u a : CL ,DAM , p p . 85-109, on pp. 90-91'
l 0 A s t r o lo g ica l te ch n iclu e sa s ' in te r r o g a tio n es':l nd 'el ecti ones'i ,veredevel opedi n thi s
c u l t u r i r l m i l ie u . F o r d iscu ssio n ,se eF a r a co vi,Scr i tto negl i astri , op. ci t., p. 81f.
2 1 F o r t h is co n ccp tio n ir .rth e Re n a issa n cese
, e Wal ker,D .P . (1958), 'The astral bodv i n
'V/arhurgdnd Courtauld lrtstitutes 2 1 pp. 119-3 3.
Renaissancernedrcine',Journdl of the
'
'
l2 North,
J. ( 1 9 8 7 ) , ' M e d ie va l a sp cctso f cel esti ali nfl ucnce. A suney', i n P . C l urrv
(ed.), Asrrolog1 Scienceand Society,\X/oolbridge and Wolfeboro: The Boydell Press,pp.
5-17.
l l K l c i n - F r a n ke ,F .( 1 9 tì4 ) la
, tr o m ttth e m a ticsi nl sl am.A S tudl ,onY trhannaIbnas-S dt's
Book on Astrological Medicine, Zurich: Hildcshcim and Nerv York: (ìeorg Olms, pp. 1-8.
l a C r e g o r l- ,T . ( 1 9 7 .5 ) ,' L a n o u ve llc id é e d e n ature ct de savoi r au X Il e si ècl e',i n R ' S .
CIOIìDANO BRUNO AND AS]'ROI-OGY
235
u n i ve r s it ies , 2'but a l s o th e i m p e ri a l c o u rt o f Frederi ck II..o rhe
resurgenceof medical astrology led to therapeutic applications of the
mathematical arts of the quadrivium. These made necessarycareful
planetarv observation and time measurement,which in turn was a
stimulus for instrument desisn.rDuring the Middle Ages, rhe erisrence of celestial influence r,r,as
widely accepted.In general, it was seen as fit and proper that what is
more noble and more perfect should influence and guide what is less
noble and less perfect. Yet, the issue was not uncontroversial.rù7hile
Thomas Aquinas, .fohn of Ja.dun and Robert Anglicus endorsecla total
d o ml n a nc e ov er t erre s tri a l b o d i e s , H e rv a e u s N atal i s, R i chard of
Middleton, and Nicoie c)resme,thought that if the heavenswere ar resr
changeand growth would still exist.ri
After the rhirteenrh century, the astrologizingreading of Aristotelian
natural philosophy became a topos of scholastic commentary and
teaching.Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas referredto Aristotelian
texts on the causality of the celestialbodies within the sublunar world
as a philosophical basis for asrrology."'Albert regarded astrorogy as a
valid and useful science.tu
Yer, although he was convinceclthat celestial
influence was an important c:ruseof change in the sublunar world, he
held that it was a concause.In his vierv,the soul undergoes'per accidens'
the powers imprinted on the body by rhe motion of the heavens,thar rs,
ciohen ancl Nf .\x/. warrofsk,v (cds), The cultural context cti Medieuttl
Lcdrnutg,
l)ordrc c h t : K l u w c r A c a d e rr ic Pu b lislie r s,p p . r 9 3 - 2 1 g ; se e a ls. i dcm
l rggg],,Forme di
e ideali
si'rPerenell:r cultura medievale', ciornale critico della
:.nll'.."n11
filosofia
^di
rr,lrrdnLl,b , pl-r.l-61..
r-s Se e R . L e m a v , ' T h e r r u e p la ce
o f a str o lo g v in m ccr ie valsci enceand phi l .sophy:
tow!ìrds a definitìon', rn A-stro/og1lScienceantl Societ-y,op. cit., pp. 57_73.
-" \ 4i c h a c l \ e o r t r ' r r g . t rJcd J\r r o lr ) g ) r r , r h c n r o ,r im p o r r :n t sei ence
l ftcr ths,rl osv:!.1.
(ì arc rt i,S . ( 1 9 9 4 ) , ' t _ ' a s t r o lo g ia ' in
, L e tle r ico II e le scie r ìze p, a lermo,
pp. l 3g_.5l , on pp.
139, 112; cf. idem ( 1994), 'Lastrologia nell'età di Federico II,, in Le
scirrze alla cryte cli
Federico //, Brepols.
rr S e ev h i t e , L . ( 1 9 7 - t ),' \4 e d ica l
a sr r o lo g e r sa r r clla te m e clier.al
technol ogy', vi atutr,6,
pp. 29. 5-3 0 8 .
l3 F o r d i s c u s s i o n , s e e Gr a n t,
F ì. ( .r9 8 7 ) , ' M e ciicvir r a n c r R enai ssanceschol asti c
conc ept io n so f t h e i n f l u e n c eo f th e ce le stia lr e g io n o n th e tcr r e stri al ',
.Journalof Medi eual
tutd Renaissdnce.Studies,1 7, pp. i-23.
29 Ar: i s t o t e l i a ne x e g e s i sc u r r e n t
in th e th ir te e n th ce n tu r v co m pi l cd thc doctri nesof l )e
caeltt, Metereologics ancl De generaticne et corrul)tìone together with astrol6gical
themes.
A crucial tcxr is or Generatic;n and cctrruptioz, Ir.r0; cfr. also:
De cderct, 1.2-3,
MetereoLogics,I.2, 3 3 9a21-3, tr.2, 3.54b24-3 3 ; p hysics,11.2,194b13-14, yrr.1
, 242a13f,
vilI.9,26.5b3.sf.
-i0 F'or discrssi<'s't,see Speculum astrrnctntiaa, ed. Zambelli, p
and S. caroti, pisa:
D om us Gi a l i l e a n a , 7 9 7 7 ; an d Z a m b e lli, p . ( e d .) , T h e Sp e cu lum astrctn.mi ae
and i ts
E nigm a, f) o r d r e c h t : K l r - r w e rAca d cm r c p u b lish e r s,1 9 9 2 ,
236
CìIORDANOBRLI,\O
' ruci al i n Thomas A qui nas' s
only inas mu c h a s i t i s ' i l c tu s c < l rp o ri s ' . ' C
def enc ewas th e v i e rvth a t th e s ta rs ' i n c l i n ed'br-rtdi d not' necessi tate'A. s
celestialinfluenceregardedo111,the bodl" it did not rcpresenta senous
menace for the irrtellectr-ralsoul, frce rvill or divine providence't'
the standard defenceof astrologYin the later
T}rornas'ssolution becat.ne
Middle Ages. That the stars hacl onl,v an inclirect infhier.rceon human
of astrologicaldcterminisrnas u'ell as the
behaviour answeredcl-rarges
were ilften inaccurate.Moreovet
predictions
criticism that astrtlogical
rescued astrological medicinc.
boclies
granîing the stars power over
Picrre
d'Ailh' regardedastrologv
flrrther:
Other scholasticswent much
theolog.v,and proposed
of
assisting
as the highest science,capable
m
iracl
es.
as t r ologic a il n te rp re ta ti o n so f b rb l i c a l
Orr the r.vhole,the relationshipsbetween astrology and Christianity
were rather intricate. Ecclesiasticirlcondemnatìons were generall,v
ins pir ed by th e o l o g i c a la n d e th i c a l m o tives, rather than bei rrgj usti fi ed
b.v epistemological and scientific reasons' Manit Fathers attackecl
asrrology for its demonic grigin ancl associatedit with idolatry and
magic." ln late Antiquity, holvever,Isidore of Sevilledraw a distinctr6n
benveena natural and a superstitiouspart of astrology." Ar-rdafter the
trvelfth century, astrology becamean integrated part of western science
and philosctphy.A certain amounr of clerical opposition remained aìso
during rhe Middle Ages.,' And in the fourreenthcentury,Nicole c)resme
stressedthc high degree clf vaguenessand uncertainty characterizing
as t r ology ." ' H o w e v e r, e c c l es i a s ti c a l condemnati rl ns and vartous
s c holar lya tta c k sd i d n o t e l i mi n a te:rs trol ogyfrom cul tural l i fe.' -
. ì l P . Z a n r b e lli, T h e Sp e cu lu mttstr o n o n tia ca n d i ts E ni g,ma,op. c;t., p.69.
l r l - i t t , T . ( 1 9 6 3 ) , L e s co r p s cé le ste sd a n s I' u n iuersda sdi nt'f homds tl 'A qLti tt,Louvatn:
di scoveredover 130 passasc\ tn
P u b l i c : r t i o n sUn ive r sita ir e sPa r is: Bc' a tr ice - N:r u w el aerts
Thomas's u'ritings devotccl to celestiill influence and astrologY.
l l B a l d i ni. tl. ( 2 0 0 i ) , ' T h e Ro m a n lr r clui si ti on's condemnati on of asfrol ogr':
a n r c c e d e n t s ,r ca s6 n s a n d cg n se q u e n ce s' ,Cì. F r agni to \ed.), C burch, C ensctrshìpand
C u l t u r e i n E ar h ' M o d e r n lta l1 ' ,Ca m b r id g e :Cìa m bri dgeU nìversi tvP ress,pp. 79-110'
1 4 A c k c r m :r n n Sr n o lle r ,L . \1 9 9 4 ) , Histtn y, P rctphecy,and the S tttrs.'fhe C hri sti an
N .[: P ri l ceton L]ni vcrsi tvP ress,p.27.
A s t r c t l o g .oyi [' ie r r e d ' Aill.t, 1 1 5 0 - 1 .1 2 0 ,Pr ir .r ce t on,
S e ea l s o t h e stu d ie sb 1 ' t- e ib o u ' itzm e n tio n e d a b o ve.
r5 Sec S. Car<tti, l)astrctlogia in ltalia, op. cit., pp' 17l-3, lor a cliscussion of the
artrcles of the 1277 condcmnation regarding astrologv.
-irr SeeNicole Oresme, 17977),Quaestio contra diuittítt()reshoroscopios, ed. S. Carotr,
i ù A r c b i u e s d' h isto ir e d ctctr in a lee t litté r a ir e d u M o1'en A ge,43, pp' 201-310. A rnong the
o p p o n e n t s a ls6 ( ìille s o f R6 m e a n cl He n r ,v o f Langcnstei n arc to be menti oned. S ee
Ackermann Smoler, lllstorl', Prophecy, dnd tbe.Stars, pp. 32-6.
.l: Thc conclemnations of Pictro D'Abilrro and Cecco D'Ascoh were not reducible tcr
t h e i r a s t r o l o g ica lin te r e stsa lo n e . Se eG. F e d e r iciVc scovi ni ,'P eterof A b:rno and astrol ogy',
i n A s t r o l o g y,Scie n ced, n d So cicty,o p .cit., p p 1 9 -39.
(;IO RDANO BRU\ O AND T\ S' I RO I , O C ; \
237
D 'ri ng t l- r eRenaiss a n c ea s rro l o g vd e v e l o p e da ccordi ng to di fferent
stra n d s , r v it hout bei ' g r,rn i v e rs a l l ya c c e p te c l .By the earl y fi ftec' th
ce n tu rv, a t r adit ion o f s c c r-rl aAr ri s to te l i a n i s m h a d esral .,,l rsi e.l
i n thc
n o rth er n I t alian univ crs i ti e sa p a rte rn o f c d u c a ti o n i n w hi ch astrol ogv
h :rd a p r . m inenr place i n n a tu ra l p h i l .s o p h v . M a rsi l i . Fi ci no ntt" .k.ú
judicial astrologl,' in hìs Disputatio contrLt iudiciurn
astrctktgrtrum
\1 4 7 7 ) , r ' r , hilein De u i ta (1 4 8 9 ) h e e n d o rs e c lfu n damental i ssuesof
h o ro sc. pic as t r ologf i ' o rd e r to s u s ta i n h i s q u i te pecul i ar i cl ea.f a
me d i ci ne of bodl a n d s o u l .r' T h e re d i s c ()v e ry-of ptol .maeus'
Tetrabiblos mirrked a reîurn to tech'ical horcrsc,rpicastrology as ,ars
c.n j e ct ur alis ' in Ca rd a n ..' " In p i e tro p o m p o n azzi , by conrrasr,
ce l e sti a linf luenc ewas i n te rp re te di n d e te rmi r-ri s tic,
tatal i sti cw ordi ngs.
Th e mo r e t he as t r ol.g i c a l s y s te m b e c a m e re fi n e cl ,the more sagaci ty
a n d i 'tellec t ual ef f or t w e re re q u i re d fo r i ts re fu tati on. Indced. pi co' s
argued artack in Disputatirnes, did n.r succeeclin clisplacing
'vell
astro l ogy f r or n t he u ' i v e rs i ty c u rri c u l a . Afte r p i c., asrrol o;y w as
d e fe n d ed by pr of es si o n a l a s tro l o g e rs , i ' c l u d i n g B el l anti , pJnta,ro,
Ga u ri co and G ir - r n ti n i , a n d b y h u ma n i s t schol ars, such as
Me l i rn c ht hon, who n c v e r d o u b te d i ts s c i e n ti fi c accuracy.r,,A l s< r
co n te m por ar y pr of e s s i o n a l a s tro n o m e rs . e m o ng rvhom w ere
Re g i .m . nt anus , P eu rb a c h a n d Bi a n c h i r-ri ,c .n ti nued to practi se
astro l o gy . A nd onc e th e C .p e r.i c a n s c h e m e w as ,ho-n t,, be
astro n o m ic ally pr ac t i c a b l e , i t b e c a me i n e ' i ta b l e that i t shor-rl clbe
a d a p te d t o as t r . logic a l n e e d s .T h u s , c o p e rn i c a n astronomy cl i d not
co n sti tut e an . bs t ac l e , b u t ra th e r a s ti m u l u s fo r S chi ;ner,Gemma
Fri si u s and Rheinhold to d e v e l o p a m o re p re c i s el srrol ogy.,, A t
the
turn of the century, Kepler attempted seriouslyto reform
,,n
"ri.ol,rgy
iò P om p e c r F a r a c o v i , o . ( 1 9 9 9 ) ,
' r r r tr o d u zio n c' , in M arsi ri o Ftci n<t, S cri tti
s ull'as t rol o g i a , \ { i l : r n : B i b lr .te ca Un ive r sa le Rizzo li, 1 9 9 9 , p p.
.5-36, ri ghrl v arg'ecl
that F ic in o ' s a p p a r e n t l v c h a n g in g a ttitu d c to wa r cls a str u lc,g uìh url cl
not tre a..uu,rted
f. r bv bio g r a p h i c a l o r p s l ch o lr g ica l e xp l:in ir tio ' s, b u t r a ìh e r b'hi s
cl earry di sti nct
a pprais al o f f a t a l i s t i c a n d c o n je ctu r a l str .r d s o f th is d iscip lr n e. S ec
al s. w al ker, D .1,.
( 1986), ' F i c ì n o a n d a s t r o l o g v' , in ( ì.C. Ga r :fa g n in i ( e d .1 , L 4 a r r i 11n
l i ci rto e i l ri torno tl i
Plat one' F l o r e n c e :L . s . o l s c h ki, vo i. II. p p ..3 4 r - 9 ; Ka ske , cl.v. ( 19g6),.Fi ci no's
shi fti ng
at t rt uc lero w a r d s a s t r o l o g y .' ,in ib id ., vo l. ll, p p . 3 7 - l_ g 1 .
're See(ìrafton A. (1999), cdrdano's Cosmos. r-he \,vorrtrsdntl
\ycyks ctf a Renaissartct:
Astr.loger, cambridge, MA: Harvarcl unìversitl' press; p.mpeo Faraco'i,
Scritto negrì
d s t rt ' op. c i t . ' p . 2 4 0 f . A l s o o th e r Re n a issa n ce
a u r h o r s,in clu clin gMel anchthon, thought 6f
A rabic as tr o l o g v a s a l m o s t wo r th le ssin co m p a r iso n with p to le n r y ,s.
a0 SeeGarìn, Lo zctdiaco
della uita, op. cit., pp. 9.5_10o.
al S ee N o r t h ,
J . D . ( j 9 tì9 ) , ' T h e r e lu cta n t r e vo lu tio n a ri cs: :ìstronom,v after
Copernicus', in The LlnìuersalFrame. Historicdl Essaysin Astronomy, Naturttl phiiosopht,
and Scientific Method, London: Hambledon press, pp. 17_32.
238
IIRUNO
GIORDAT-O
a r enewe d b a s i s ." An d e v e n G a l i l e o refl ected on and practi sed
astrology.ll
Bruno on Astrology
Although Bruno drd not have a profound knowledge of astrology in its
v ar ious a s p e c ts ,o th e w a s a c q u a i n te d w i th i ts basi c i deasot and
His use and vierv of
techniques,tu
and with some astro]ogicaltreatises.oastrology depended upon the specific topic under discussion, and
changed according to the various astrologicaltheories and practiceshe
took into account. It has become a commonplace to mention rhat on
several occasionshe referred to the theory of the great coniunctions.
Similarly; in his mnemotechnicaltreatises,he used astrologicalimages"
a l S e c Ke p le r , J. ( 1 9 4 1 ) , [) e fu n d a m e n tis astroktgi ae certi orìbus, i n Gesammel te
C 'H . B eck'sche
W e r A c , v o l. IV, e d . M . Ca sp a r a r icl F . H atnmc, N 4r.rnchen:
V e r l t r g s b u c l- r h :r n d lu n F
go
. r d iscu ssio n , se e Sim on, C ì' (i 975), 'K epl er's astrol 6gr':rhe
directior"rof :r rcforrn', in A. Beer :rncl P. Beer (ecJs),Kepler. Lour Hwtdred Yerirs,Oxford:
P e r g a m o n P r e ss,p p . 4 3 9 - 1 8 ; F ie ld , J.V. ' Astr o logv i n K epl er'scosmol ogr'',i n A strttl ogy,
S c i e n c ea
, n d So cie tl' ,o p . cit., p p . 1 4 3 *7 0 .
a . l D u r i n g h is sta l- ir r Pa d u a , Cìa lile ow' a s clenouncedto the l nqui si ti on for casti ng
h o r e s c o p e s qse e th e d o cu m cn t p u b lish e d in Po ppi , A . (1993), C rentrtni ni , C al i l ei c gl i
inquisitori del Santo a I'adoua, Paduir: (lentro Stucli Antoniani, pp. .51-4. For cliscussion
of Cìalileì's Astrologica nowtulla, preserved rn the Nation:rl Librar.v in Florence, see
Faracovi, Scrittt.tnegli astri, <tp.cit., pp. 250-.52.
4 4 N o t i ce th a t Br u n o ' s r e fe r cn ce sto a str o lo gi calvi ew s and practi cesare qui te vague
:rnd do not permit Lrsto est:rbiish precise sources for either the views he accepted or the
t a r g e t so f h ì s p o le m icsa n d sco r n .
a 5 ( ì f . T cr cco ,F - .( 1 8 9 2 ) ,' L e fo n ti p iù r e ce n ti del l a fi l osofi a cl el B runo', i n R endi atnti
tJella Realc Accatlemitt dei Lincei, Cllassedi scienzemorali, storiche e filologiche, serie V,
v o l . I , p p . - 5 0 3 - 3 8 , - t8 - 5 - 6 2 2 ,ca p . VII; Stu r le se,R . (198-5),'S r.rB runo e Tvcho B rahe',
R i n a s c i m e n to , 2 .5 , p p . 3 0 9 - 3 3 ; In g e g n o , ' F lr m eti snroe oroscopo del l e rel i gi oni nel l o
Spaccictbruniano', op. cit.; idem, Qtsmologia e filosofia nel pensiero di Ciordano Bruno,
op. cit., cap. l-ll; Faracovi, St:ritto negli astri, pp. 2.5.5-9; Granada, 'lntroduction', in
Èzrori, BOer.r(lVIl, pp. xvir-xxxtx.
4 6 D e mo n a d e , BOL I.2 , p p . 4 0 0 - 4 0 1 . Se e al so D e i mag. comp., tsOL 1i .3, p. 10.3:
' A c c e d u n t c a e le stiu m e ffe ctu s p o te n tissim i co n si derandi , qui i n cardi nal i br.rsori enti s,
occidentis et meridiei virtutem, principiurn et perfectionem conciperc ccnsentur. Hinc ea
q u a e d e s o l str tia lib u s,a e q u in o ctia lib u s,m e d ia ed i ei mecl i aequenocti s puncti s, i n cl ui busse
c i r c u l i m a i o r e s in te r se ca n t,a str o lo g i e t o m n is g cncri s di vi ni sLrmmoperecomrnendant.'
4 ' F o r e xa m p le , R. Stu r le se h a s sh o r vn th at B runo read Ol aus C i mbcr, D i ari unr
d s t r o k . t g i c u me t m e te o r o lo g icu m( 1 5 8 6 ) ; se eh e r ' Bruno & B rahe', op. ci t., on pp. 324-25.
C f . a l s o M a gia m a tb ., BOL lll, p p . - 5 0 1 - 3 .
a E N o t a blv, th o se b v T è u ce r th e Ba b .vlo n ia ni n D e untbri s, B U I, p.3-5; cl . Lxpl ìcati o,
in BOL I1.2, p. 123. ln Spaccietde la hestia trionfatúe, Bruno used images drawn frorn
Hvginus, Poetica dstrorutmica, rct represent the expulsion of the vices and their
r e p f a c e n r e ntb v th e vir tu e s. F o r d iscu ssio n , see C l ucas, S . (1999),'A morem, artcm,
CIORDANO BRUNOAND ASTROLOGY
239
and reflectedon the position and role of the heavensin earthly marters.
In his cosmological works, by contrast, he artecked mathematical
astrology and astroiogical interpretations of extraordinary celestial
phenomena,such as comets and nouae. Now, rvhile astroloqicarviews
were endorsedin his expositionsof Aristotle'sphysicsancl in Àis magical
lvorks, astrologywas also severelyattacked in the latter,most noticeably
in De rerum principiis. Finally, when arrestedBruno was in possesslon
of an astrological trearise, and during his t.al he openll defendecl
astrology as a useful science.l"It is quite natural, in the light of these
various positions and attitudes, to classify Bruno's reflections on
astrologv according to distinct categories.
Astrology and Astronomy
Like many predecessclrsand contemporary authors, Bruno did not
cl e a rl y dis t inguis h b e tw e e n a s tro l o g y a n d te chni cal astronomy.
So me t im es , he us ed b o th te rm s i n te rc h a n g e abl n' ,, w hi l e i n hi s
expositiclnsof Aristotle's physics,he took 'astrology' as a synonym for
'astronomy'.'' Thus, his
polemics with (mathematical)
'vell-kno'uvn
astronomy explains the fierce
attack againstastrology rn De I'infinito:
But he believedthat no orhercorporealentitieseristedbeyondthe
eighth sphere,abovewhich the asrrologers
of his tirne did not
magiam, mtrtbesint. lìrunian inrages and the domestication .f the sotl', Zeitsprunge.
F ors c hu n g e nz u r F r i l b e n Ne u ze it,3 , p p ..5 - 2 4 , wh o cite s.n p. 11: C atana, f.l tl l 7t,
'Narrative strucrure and rma5;eryin (ìiordano Bruno's Lo tporiio d, la
bestit tri,:,rifante.,
warbLrrg I n s t i t u t e , M A d i sse r ta tio n ,e sp . p p . 2 r - 7 ; id e m ( 2 0 00), 'B runo's spaccro
and
Hvginus Poetica astrotomica', rn Bruniana é Carnpanelliana, 6, pp. 57_77.
a', L. F i r p o , P r o c e s s o ,p p . 1 tì7 , 1 9 3
and 287.
5o Ca m o e r .a c r c t t . , B O L I.1 , p .
106.
s , t F ig u r a t i c t ,B o L I . 4 , p. l- 5 6 :' \r a th e m a ticu s
iìu te n ì ... q u i n.n purus est, cl etermrnat
quidem formarn ad materiam, seclnon ad sensibilern,quater.ìusessentialerei
censtitr-rtrvum
princ ipiu m e x i s t i t , u t p i r t e t r n p e r sp ccti' a , m L r sicae r .l\tr o lo g ir ì ...'; Lìbri pl tys. A usror.,
B oL I ll, p . 3 2 1 : ' l n r e r h a s e sr e tia m a str ' lo g ia , q u a e p r o p iu s accedi t ad phvsi carn,no'
t anlen est p h v s i c a ,q u i a e t s i d e g lo b is e t cir cu lisca e le stib u sco n siderat,non acci pi t hacc
sub
r: ì t lone Ì ìa t u r 2 ì e s, e d s u b o r d in e fa ti ve l fo r tu n a e se u sig n o r u m.'The backsround i s i n
Aristotle, Physicd, ll, rertus 20, in tlol cutn Auerrois tnrnmentariis, J I vols, Venetus
1562-74, v o i . I V , f . - 5 . 5 v a:' De m o n str a nat u r e m & q u a e e x À.4 arhcn-rati ci
s s ph,vsi ca
magi
s unt , ut P e r s p e c t i v a&
, H a r mo n ica , & Astr .lo g ia ., C.i. De m o n ade, B Ot. 1.2,pp. :S l _l O,
'Q uì d est e c l v p s r s p r a e t c r u m b r a m i M u lta r u m ta m e n r e r llm
i l l am causam atque
inrpedim e n t u me s s ec o m p r eh e n d u n tp h vsici e t Astr o lo g i' ; De im mens.,l l l .7, B oL
I.1, p.
. 170: 'Nat u r a n l c r r a r e p u t a t is Astr o lo g ii g r a ve co r p u s e n im e n r ecl i oesseremotum
effi ci ti s
r" el s us pe n s u mc o n t r o s t : r gr r a ci jn r ict,r s cr n ( ) n cs, sa p r e n sq L ri busi l l e putavi t
uncl i que
lihrat . c ir c u m l a b i a e t h e r af ra ctu .' se e :r lso De r e r u r n p r ìn c., Bo L IIl , p. .53g.rvhcre B runo
us ed t he t e r m ' a s t r o n o n . ì i f' or a str o lo se r s.
CI O RDANO BR U N O
240
A s trol ogi cal supposi ti onsand
c once i v ea n o th e r h e a v e n
phantasiesalread.vreject this doctrine,u'hich is the more scr
bv those u'ho developmore penctrrtinginsights...
condemnecl
dependsonlv on the
becausethe reasonfor their equidistar-rce
utterlv falsesuppositionof an immobileearth,againstu'hich all
nature protests,and e\reryreasonhas come to claim and ever.uintellect:ìsserts."
orderlvand well-informed
Neither astrology nor its basic ideir, that is, celestial influence, are
c ondem ne d h e re : Pto l e m a i c a s tro n omy and, by consequence,
Aristotelian cosmology are Bruno's targets. Bruno argued for the
unification of terrestrialanclcelestialphvsics.In his view, this unification
entailedthat the motions of the celestialbodiesare not perfectly regular,
and t hus c a n n o t b e c e p tu re d h v mathemati cal astronomy. B y
forecastinglacks a theoreticalfoundatiorr,and
consequence,
astroloÉlical
t her ef or ei s e s s e n ti a l l yu n c e rta i n .F o r th e samereason,B runo rej ectedi n
De immenso the Platonic view of the 'ereat vear'.'''
Great Conjunctions
Frcm the ninth century onrvards,Jer,vishand Arab astrologers,notably
A bu M a' sh a r a n d M e s h :r' a l l a h ,h a d c o nstructedthe techni que of the
G r eat Con j u n c ti o n s .T h i s v i e w , w h i c h i s not to be found i n P tol emy,
involved structuring time according to the aspectsberweenthe slowerm ov ing pl a n e ts- Sa tu rn ,J u p i ter a n d M a rs - through the zodi acalsi gns.
This provicleda chronological framework on a scaleappropriate to the
his t or y of re l i g i o n sa n d n a ti o n s .A s i m i l ar useof astrol ogyi n a pol i ti cal
and r eligi o u sc o n te x t b e c a meq u i te c o mmon al so among R enai ssance
aut hor s .P o m p o n a z z ia n d C a rd a n o e n dorsedthe horoscopeof rel i gi ons
and pr ov i d e d a s tro l o g i c a l e rp l a n a ti ons for mi racl es." Jean B odi n
formulated a sort of political astrology: nature moved according to
mathematical laws and planetary circles. He believed that if these
f undam en ta l p ri n c i p l e s w e re re c o gni zed, especi al l y by rul i ng
t ) I n f i n ito , Bt) I, p . 4 2 9 : ' c p e r ò lu i, si fe r n r ò a non credereal tro corpo, che I'ottava
s f e r a ,o l t r e l a q u a le g li a str o lo g rd i str o rte m p i llo n:ì\,cano conprcso al tro ci ekr ... In tanto
t h c l c . r . t r u l o g r .h u r L tp p ,,.iu i,' n r( fJn t.r \i( L ( ) r ìJJIìnl l n{}qu(\l .r \rrìl crl /.t. ri ettc rtrr.ri pi tr
c o n c l a n n a t ad a q u e i ch e m e g lio in te n d o n o ... p erché l a raggi one del l a l oro equrdi stanza
depenclesolo ci:rl falsissirnosupposito della fission dc la tcrr:r; contra il quale crida tutta Ia
n à t u r a , e p r ocla m a o g in ir a g g i,.n e ,c \cn tsn ziJ o gni rcgol ato c ben i nformato rntel l etto al
fine.'
5 3 D e i m m e n so , lll.7 , BOt. L l, p p .3 6 7 - 7 2. R ecal l that B runo onl v apparentl v
a c c e p t e dt h i s d o ctr in e tn Sp r tccict,
BDl, p p . .5 7 7 - 8.
i 4 P o n r po n a zziPie tr o ( l- 5 6 7 ) , Dc in ca r ia tio r tl àzs,Iìasi l aea,pp. 286-7.
GIORDA\O ÌìRtiNO AND ASTROLOC\
241
p o l i ti c ians , t he lat t e r w o u l c l b e i n a p o s i ti o n to mai ntai n pol i ti cal
sta h rIit 1. "
rn spaccio de la bestia trictnfante and other
Bruno referrecl
explicitly to the horoscope of religions,tuand in'vorks,
later mnemotechnical
rvorks he presentedastrologicalexplar-rations
for religious phenomena,
such as the biblical story of Mrses and rhe copper serpenr.'-Noricc,
hcrwever,that in sltaccio Bruno made a purely instrumental use ,f
traditional astrological motives and views, such as the horoscope of
re l i g i ons , wit hout e n d o rs i n g th e c o s m o l o g i cal connotati ons of
traditional astrology.j! Indeed, unlike conremporary authors, such as
Tycho Brahe, Róslin and Cornelius Gemma,t, Bruno attempted to
detach the explanation of extraordinary cosmic events,such as comets
and noule, or new stars,from their traditional astrologicalconrext..,,In
Spaccir,t
and other works, he argued for the i-rnane*c. of divinity and
reiected the hierarchical view of reality, underlying nrost tradiiional
astrologv.Indeed,the physicalhomogeneityof the universeruled our the
view of the sublunar world as just a reflection of the divine world and
dominated by planets.
ii (. f. ( . u r r p i o n , \ .
( ìr t,tr y' ,/r . A- ( /,.,,/,,.\rM
..iil,'trartotti stn
LnJ H i st,,rl .i rt
' l q q4 r . T ltc
t he t \ les t c r nT r a d i t i o r t , [ - o nd ,r n :Ar ke n ,r Pr n g u in Br ,,,ks,p . 3 9 6 .
56 Se eB D l , p p .
- 5 7 7 - 8 ; De n o n a tle , BOI_ I.2 , p p .4 0 0 - 4 0 1 ; D e nagi a nath.,B ()Li l l ,
p' -501;D e r e r u n p r i r r c . , p p. - 5 4 0 - 4 1 .F o r d iscu ssio nse eIn g cg no, 'E rmeti sr.nee oroscopo
dc lle reli g i o n i r r e l l oS p a c c l r -b,r u n ia n o ' , o 1 - rcir
. .
5; I )e ì m t t g . c c t m p . , B o L I1 .3 , p . 1 0 2 : ' L ln u m
ta m cn in m e nrori a revocari r,ol o. cruocl
planet acs i m r l c sf a c i c si n r c bu s su b ie ctise t in fo r n .r a n d isÀ,fa g o r u mconsi l i o atque i psa pr,rri
ex q' irere v i d c n r u r . I d e m cia b a lista r u m d .cr r in :r co n fir m a t et crempl um \{osi s, qui
int erc lLr m , v e l u t i n e c e s s it:r te q u a d a m co iìct' s, a d ce r e r is atque l ovrs favore'r
c ompara n d u m , v i t e ì l u m a L lr e u me r e xit, a d
- Nfa r tisite n r te n r p e r ancl umsi ml l atque S arurni
v ì oJ c t rt ia m a
, è n c u n rs c r p e nte Íì :r d o r a n d u r no h ie cit; e t n tL r lr ,tllil r.i Jrre cst,.l uau occul ta
at quc 'ela t a i n c i u s t u m . pe r ib u s tr - r md ict;s e sse p e r h ilìr r tlr r ... pr()ntcr nerci ,, quam
s uperior u : mf o r m a r u r n c u m in fe r io r i m a te r ia co m p e r ta m e xp cr tanr si mul atquc occul ti rnr
an: llogi: l m ;u n d c i m a g i n i b u se t sin r iìitu d in ib u sq u ib u scla mve lir ti i l l ccta dcscencl unt
scseoue
({ìlllmtlll
.ìllt.'
ts spacci., BDI, p.
- 56 0 : ' Qu csto m o n d o , to lt. scco n d o I'i nragi '.zi on cl e storri
m at erna t i c i ,e d a c c e t r a f od a n o n p iu sa g g rfisici, tr a clr ,r a g
li li p e r ipateti cis6n pi i r vani , nrrn
s c nz af ru t t t l p r e s e n t e :p r i m a clivisoco r n c in t:r n te sfe r e ,e p o i ilisti nto i n ci rca quarant,otto
imagrni ( n e l l e q u a l i i r . r t e n d o n op r im a m e n te p a r tito u n ciclo o ttavo, stel l i fcrà, detto c1a,
f i r m a r n c n t o ) ,v i e n e ad e sscr ep r in cip i, e su g licr r od e l n o stro l av.r..'
' olgari
s9 Tvcho Brahc, (l-573), l)e not,a
et nullius deui memoria pritts uistt Stellr.,i.tftt l)/iden1
Arrrto a ndt. Christct 1572. Mensc Nrwemltri plinrum consl)ectd, Hauni:re, in opera
ont nia, v. I . I , c d . l . L . E . l ) r e 1 ,e r ,Ha u n iir c, 1 9 1 3 , p p . 1 - 7 2 ; C. (ìernma, D c protl i gi osa
specie, ,titurúque conretie, Eri nobis cffulsit dltior lunae sadibtrs,Antverniae. i.i7g.
6\ ) De i m r n e n s r , B O I t .2 , p . 2 8 :
co n r ctse r e p :ìr ts o f th e n a tural course ,f cventslcf.
ì den, I Y . 7 3 , B O L 1 . 2 ,p . 7 0 . On ' n .v:r c' , se e :itle n t,lV.9 , ilOl, 1 .2,p.51; i tl em,yI.20,L\OL
1. 2' pp. 22 3 ' 2 2 7 - 8 . F ' o r c liscu ssio nsce
,
In g e g n o ,' Er m e tism o c oroscopo cìel l erel i gi oni
nellr' . \ pa , , r , , h r r r n i r n r ' ' . , r p. .ir .
242
CIORDANO BRUNO
Ideas and the Celestidl'World
The use of Teucer'sastrologicalimagesin Bruno'smnemotechnicsis rvell
known and has been extensively discussed.o'More interesting for
presentpurposesare Bruno's views on the heavensin theseworks:
The forms of thingsare in the ideas,they are iu a certrin way in
themselves;
they are in heaven,in the period of heaven,in the
in the effect,thev
seninal and efficientc.luses;they are sìngularl,v
ìn their own
are in the light, in the externaland internalsenses
ways."'
The ideas pervade reality at all levels,thus laying the groundwork for
various types of perception, cognition and, in Bruno's later works,
action. Bruno integratedthe heavensand its periodum in the dynamrcs
of the formal structure of reality. As in traditional philosophy, the
heavensmediate between the realm of ideas and the material world. In
another passage,Bruno confirmed that the heavenscontain the forms of
the terrestrial world on a superior level, distinguishing between the
c eles t ial w o rl d a n d th e i n te l l e c tu al heavens.ut Thus, B runo' s
mnemotechnicalworks reveal that the heavens represent the 'corpus
idearum' on a preciselevel of the schalanaturde,in betweenthe physical
and the int'elligibleworld.
The Heauens and the Sublundr World
It was probably not before the end of the 1580s that Bruno started to
develop a more preciseand explicit interestin astrology.His later works
contain numerous referencesto the issue of celestialinfluence and the
6 l S e e , f or e xa m p le , De u m b r is, BUI, p p . 34--5, w i th a reference to Mani l i us,
Astronomica, 11.227, and De umbris, p. 1501'Spacckt, BDl, p. -560. For discussion, see
G a r i n , E . ( 1 9 6 0 ) ,' L e "e le zio n i" e il p r o b le m a d el l 'astrol ogi a',i n (ìastel l i , U ntanesi trtttc
esoterismo, op. cit., pp. 17-37, on p. 37; Rossi, P. 17960), Clauis uniuersttlis. Arti della
memrria e logica combinatoria dd Lullo a Leihriz, Milano and Napoli: Riccardo Ricciardi
L,ditcrre,cap. IV; Yates, F. 11964), Gir:trdano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, London:
R o r : t l e d g ea n d Ke g a n Pa u l, ch . XI id e n t \1 9 7 8 ) , The A rt of Memory, l .ondon: P engui n
l ì o o k s , ( l s t e cln 1 9 6 6 ) ,p p .1 9 7 ff;F :r r a co vi Scr ittonegl i astri ,t>p. ci t.,pp.174-5,255.
6 2 D e u m b r is, BUI, p p .4 9 - - 5 0 :' Re r u m fo r m ae sunt ín i dei s, sunt quodammodo rn se
i p s i s ; s u n t i n co e lo ; su r .r tin p e r io d o ca e li, su n t in c:rusi sproxi mi s semi n:rl i bus;sunt i n
causis proximis efficientibus, sunt in individualiter in effectu, sunt in lumine, sunr in
( \ t r i n \ c ( ( ) 5 cn sL l,5 u n t in in r r in scc,r ,n ) o r ìo su o .'
6 t D e u m b r is, BUl, p .
- 5 4 : ' Cu m cle ve n e r isad rati onem qua conformabere coel <r
c o r p o r i , q u o d a n im a liu m in fe r io r u m e tia m viliu r n rati one non vi l i formas conti net, pedem
n e f i g i t o , s e d n ita r is a cl in te lle ctu a lisca e li co n f ormi tatem, quocl toti us mundi formas
p r a e s t a n t i o r im o d o p o ssid e t,q u a r n co e lcsti.'
CiIORDANOBRUNO AND ASTROL()CY
243
impact of the heavenly bodies on rerrestrialevenrs,most notably their
ro l e i n gr ounding ma g i c a l o p e ra ri o n s . T h i s speci fi c i nterest rs
demonstratedby the fact that at the moment of his arrest he possessed
the manuscript De sigillis Hermetis, Ptolomdei et alioium and
confirmed by his defenceof astrology during the tr:ial.,',
Dwelling on t he i s s u e ' Q u o mo d o g e n e r ati o et corrupuo
perpetuentur', in his exposition of the fourth book of Aristotle's
Meteorology, Bruno acknowledgedthat celestialmotions exerted a real
influence on natural processes.,"Also in his magical works, Bruno
showed an interest in astrology, attributing to the heavens a central
position in the line of universalinflwxus,uo
and associatingpsychorogical
phenomena,such as fury and meiancholy,with distinct planets.oFor an adequatecomprehensionof Bruno's later views on astrology
an analysisof his De rerum principiis is crucial. First, it is undoubtedly
Bruno's most (astrological' work, since the theoretical assumptions
underlying this treatiseare inspired by the fundamental correspondence
between celestialand rerrestrialrealms and vicissitudes,mediared by a
universal spirit, serving as a channel for the transmission of celestial
influence. Second, Bruno formulated here more explicit objecrions
against (some forms of) astrology than in earlier works, rejecting the
possibility of astrological forecasting. In Bruno's view, there are
infinitely many possible combinations of astral motions. And this
conviction fuelled his harsh polemicsagainstthe deterministicstrandsof
(horoscopic)astrology.
In De r er um pri n c i p i i s B ru n o d i s ti n g u i s hed three rypes of
correspondencebetweencelestialmotion and terrestrialevents.The first
category regards circumstancesand fortunes, that is, events which
develop during a relatively long period. The second and third cypes
concern the seasonalchanges of generation and corruption, and the
daily changes, respecrively.Discrssing the dominion of the pranets,
Bruno referred to the traditional principles ruling the distinctions
between the zodiacal signs, and between rhe various celestialqualities
and virtues. consequently,he endorsedthe view thar celestialinfluence
is transmitted according to astrological principles developed and
generally accepted since the chaldeans." Then a historical survey
64 Se e' M e d i c i n e ' s e c t i on b e lo w.
6j see the astrologic:rl excursus in his
comment on De generdtìone ú corruptictrte,ll,
t e. 56, in L i b r i P h y s . A r i s t c tt.,BOI_ Ill, p p . 3 6 6 - 8 . Se ea lr e a d ,vSpacci o,B D i , p. 7g L
66 Thes. tle magia, BOL Ill, p. 457:
.ordo
the
influ*rs' i.clucles .Deus, :Lsrra,
daem one s ,e l e m e n t a ,n t i x t : i '; cf. De m a g ia m d th .,ÍlOL lll, p . 4 9 -3.
6r De ntagia, BOL III, p. ,{78.
68 De r c r t r m p r i n c . , B o L lll, p .
- 5 4 0 :' d e q u o r u m e ffe ctib u se t potestati bi scogngscencl i s
244
GIORI)r\NO BRI-JNO
follorvs regarding variolrs opinions on the dominion of the planets,
among rvhich those of the Cìreeks,Pietro d'Abano and Trithemius. The
order of planetaryinfluenceis obvior.rsto all of thcm, so Bruno affirmed,
at least in so far as its effects are considered. As regards its cause,
horvever,this order is known to the r'viseonly, rvho are capablc of
astral m()tions.I)enomination and order of the sevenplanets
calcr-rlating
rvi th
y
is not onlv ' u a l d e re i e t ra ti o n ì c o n s c tna' (undoubtedl consonant
the things ancl r,vithreason)but also confirmed by observation.""
Quite surprisingly, lvhile accepting the vier.vthirt human dail.v life
depends upon planetar,v influences and acknorvledging its ancient
origin, Bruno apparently rejectcdin its entirety any technical astrology
bi, r s ec lon o b s e rv a ti o n a r-rd c a l c u l a tion of cel esti al aspects i l nd
configuraticrnsof,the planets, since the,v'neque aliquid cdLtsdnt,neqrle
significant' (are neither things r.vhichcirusenor which signify).-''As on
other occasions,Bruno's polcmics against (techntcal)astrology flows
from his rejection of mirthernaticalapproaches in astron()my and in
niì t ur al ph i l o s o p h y i n g e n c ra l .' l n d e e d, he di d not rej ect astrol ofl y as
s uc h,but m o re p re c i s e l yw h a t h e c a l l e dthe ' supersti ti ousmani pul ati ons'
of astrologicaltechniclues.
' Astrolclgicaltreatisescontain 'fragments of
t r ut h' , c v e n th o u g h ' m i n g l e d w i th n u merousvani ti es' .-'B runo di d not
sprecifverplicitl.v what thcse fragmcnts corrsistedof, but the context of
r e m i t t o t c r r cl a str o lo g o s p r in cìp e s. p e n cs q tlo s haec pars i ntemeri ìf:ìvi detur ct ea tn
( ì \r ,r ì\t\ten\, ttr r i rl utcr \el ìt( l ìl l rri l l Li l tl nì .l
i l r t c g r i t ; r t c r el 1 .1 ,1 Paiìl.r ilr in tcg r ir r tr n
( l h a l c l a c i so l i n r fir e r u n f u r tr .to ta t:tc.'
6 ' ) D c r e r u r tt
1 tr in c..P' Ol.III. p . .5 4 2 .
-0
[ ) e r cr L tm p r in c., BOl. lll, p . 5 ' 1 ' { : ' Quocl atti net aurenr ad theori am et
c o n s i d e r a t i on e n r p L r n e t:r r u n r e t d isp o sitio n cn r corundem i n i l l i s orbi bus cr.rnr i l l i s
i ì s p c c t u u mv ar iis d ifle r e n tiise t f:r cie r u m ,o n r n in o r,i denturct sunt i nuti l ìs consi derl ti oni sl
si gni fi c.rnt,ct
i p s a ee n i r n s te llr ,r eq,u o d a d p a r ticu llr ia a ttin e t, n eqLrcal i qui d ci rusantr-reque
i s t i p l a n e t a e ,d e q u ib u s n u n c clicim u s.cu r n istis r i hi l habent comn.ìunenìsi nomen; quae
n tia cc:lu sa et cl evìni endiacl i l l as fi cti ones. ut quod
c o n r n u n i o f or tc iu it e r ,e r te n cla scìe
e
is :r n n is i sti s di unri s ct ci rcui ti bus, fortasse ad
d i c t r u n f u i t c t in tcllcctu m a b a r .r ticlL rin
studi a i ntrti l i a et
c o n f u n d e n d u n e t o ccu lta n clu mve r L r mcla t:ro p e r a et ad nrul ti pl i candr.rm
v a n a f u i t r c l :r tu m a b a liclu o d e ccp to r ea c1o r clin csi l l orunr pl anetarurn,hoc est stel l artrntl
q u : r p c r s u : , r sio nse
e m e la b u n o r cce p ta fa cilc fu it hanc i gnor:rnti i rmusque adeo prop:rgarc
q u ( ] p r o p a g a ta e st.'
-1
C e n a de le ( ' .e n e r i,e d . C. i\q L r ile cch iaT, o ri no, l 9-5-5,p. 148:'S enza cogni zi one i l
s r p e r c o m p u ta r e ... ò u n p a ssa te m p od a p a zzi' ; Canttcr. A i :rol ., B O[. L1, p. 155: phvsi cal
b o c ì i e sa r e n ot to b e id e n tifie d r ,vjth' v:r n a em a th e mati corurr spcci es'.(l f. the attack on i dl e
s o p h i s t a l g e b r aa n d co m p u t:ttio n in Slg . sl.q ,//.,BOL II.2,p.214. For thc contrast bctrvccn
l p p r o a ch e sjti scie n ceand phi l cl sophl ',scc:rl so I)e Lt cttttstt,
n r a t l r c m : r t i c:lla n d p h ,vsica a
p r i n c i l t ì o e u n ct, e d . G. Aq u ile cch ia ,T r r r in o , 1 9 73, p. 19, Infi ni to, B D I, p. 479, and /)e
i r n r n e n s o , l l l.3 , BOI- L l, p .3 4 0 ; itle n t.Y.5 , BOL I.2, p. 138.
I ) t : r e ru m ltr in c:.,P;( ) Lltl, p . 5 4 6 .
-)
-3
I)e rerum princ.. P'OL tll, p. -549.
(;lO RDA: - O BRI I NO AND AS' lRO I . O( ; \
245
his rcasoningrevealsthat the broaclerconceptionof celesrialinfluenceis
i n vo l ved. ' *I ndc ed, m a g i c a l o p e ra ti o n sp re s u p p o secorresponcl ence
ancl
interaction betrveenvarious realms of re:rlit1.,
ilnd thus also betlveenthe
h e e venrar r c lr he r uhl u rrl r rv o rl d .
Medicìne
Fver sincelate A'tiquit)', :ìstrologyhad bee' c.ndemned and prohibited
frequently b1- the catholic church. Horvever, ecclesiastical..nr.,...
were not aimecl at astrology as such, but rathcr at astrcllogic:rl
conceptionspresenringa real thrcat to christian faith ancl theology, in
particular th.se clocrrinesregarding individual free r.vill ancl cvents of
sacred or universal history. Large sectionsof (natural) astrology rverc
tolerated, and b,v the beginning of the sixreenthcerltury astrolirgy ha.l
penetrated the courts of popes ilnd cilrclinals. Thc delicate balallce
benveerrprohibition and tolerancewas seri.usly perturbeclby SixtusV's
restrictive bull coell et terroe (1.586).This bLrll rvas far from beins
u n i ve rs allyac c ept ed ,a n d d u ri n g th e y e a rs 1 .!9 0 v ari ous di sti ngui shed
members of the Roman c.atholic clergy :rrgued for less restrictive
measuresagainst astrology.-' Considering rhis c.ontert, it should not
co me as a s ur pr is et h a t b o th th e V e n e ti a na n c l th e R oman i nqui si tors
d'uvelton Brun''s possessinga rvork.f jLrdicialastrcllogy.To his venetian
judges,r'vhoaskeclfor elr-rcidations
about De sigillisHerntetis, ptolomei
et aliorum, Bruno ansu'eredthat the book rvas not written by him, but
copied from a manuscripr b1' his srudenr Besler.-,'Ancr in later
interrog:rtions,Bruno motivated his interest in this rvclrk with scientific
curiositl',--and by referenceto Albert the Great'spositive comments on
it.-t rhe interrogationsreported in the summary of Brilno's tri:rl f.rrnish
other informaticln on his specificinterestir.rthis ,uvork:
And.[.astrologl']
could be well ha'dled bv ;r Cìod-fearing
mir., whri
judge fron ,"vhichpnnciplésproceedthe' ,ighi an.ì
to
1s 1ble..
fo-rbidd_er
effects,
a'd i'which gùisethevarèirnprementec.l
b'vvirtue
of the f'rces of the celestial
clispositio'rs
and the efficacyof imaqes
+ S e ea l s o D t , r e r t n n p r in c., I\( ) L III, p p .
- S- r 2 - .1 .
: i S e e U . B a l c l i n i , ' l n clu jsjzio ltc
r ,r r l3 n ., e lsr r o lo g ia n e l secol o X V I: antecedenti .
r: 1! llor1cì c o n s c g u e n z ed i u na co n d a n n a ' . fo r th co m in p .
-6
Firpo, Proct,sso.p. 1bb: 'non c rlirr rl,rrrjrr..r;ni: io I'ho fatto tr:rscriverecla Lrnaltrcr
libro scritto a nl:ìrì()'. To thc best of mv knolr,lecrge,this lr,ork has not been
tr:ìcec.lyet. lt
c . ns is t ed p r . b a b l ' o f a c o mp ila tio n c.m p a r a b le to De n r a g ia mathemati ca.
-F i r p o . P r o r c - s ' s op,. 1 ll7 :' tlr .r e llach e ò d a lla a sr r o lo g iag ir - rdi ti ari a,
ho cl cttoer h:ryur6
a' c ora p r o p o s i t o d i s t u d i a r ìap e r ve d e r c se h a ' e va ve r ità o c' n forrni tà al crrrra.'
rs Fr r p c r ,P r c t c e s s op,. 1 9 3 :' p e r ch é
Alb e r to \.{ a g n o n e ì str o ri bro I)e mi nerul i busne l a
rrentione, et lo lotja nel loco dove tratta De intrginihus lapidunt ... .,
246
CìIORDANOBRUNC)
by rvisemen
and characters,
andto judgewhetherthevareexecuted
or by demons,who do not differ as to the effectingof marvellous
worksby respecting
signsand hoursandtreatingthe inferiormatter
with ceremony,that is, r,vorksthat either damageor benefit
mankind.I neverhad anv intentronof propagatingthat science,
sinceI did not like that practice,exceptfor that part pertainingto
greatlvcontribr-rtes
to, as claimedor-r
medicine,u'hich this science
and Galenus.-"
severaloccasions
bv Hippocrates
The belief in causal links between celestialbodies and metals, piants,
stonesand parts of the (human) body had given rise, sinceAntiquitl', to
c om plex in te rre l a ti o n s b e tw e e n a s trol ogy al l d medi ci ne. A s a
consequence,Arabic and \íestern physicians made ample Llse of
astrologyfor the purposeof medical diagnosisand therapy.The remarks
quoted above, although probably expressedunder pressure,mark once
more Bruno's changing attitude towards astrology during the last active
years of his philosophical career, emphasizing its practical use ln
medicine.Also in his 'medical'treatise,the Medicina lulliana, he argued
for the usefulnessof specific astrological notions, most notably rhe
positionsand aspectsof the heavenlybodies"'in the analysisand cure of
diseases.t'In this same work, Bruno even provided an astrolclgical
diagram for physicianswithout an astrologicalbackground."
Celestial Influence: Planets and Souls
Astrological culture was an ensemble of theories and practices that
developed and evolved together,including attacks and defencesof all
sorts. Renaissance astrologv was not a sharplv defined body of
' 9 F i r p o , Pr o ce sscs,
p .2 8 7 :' e p o tr cb b e sta r c b cn i n mano d'un hr-romoti morato di D i o,
c c h ' h a d a g i ud ica r c g l' e ffe tti le citi e t ille citi d a ch e pri nci pi procedono,e con che fornr,rsi
Í n e t t o n o l n e sse cu tr o n eco n la vir ttì d e lle ce le sti di sposi ti oni et opere del f i magrni e
i tutti convengonoi n questo,
,
c i r r a t t e r i ,o s j fa ccin o cla h u o m in i sa p ie n tio d :r d e n.roni iqual
c h e c o n I ' o s s cr va n zad e i scg n i e d e i te m p i e tr a tta r ceremi ni osamentel a rnateri ai nfcri orc,
e f f e t t u a n o c o sc r n :r r ilvig lio sein cla n n o e t in u tilità degl 'huorni ni . N on ho mat' havuto
i r r r e n r i , ' n ed r p r ,r p lg a r c JcttJ \cie r ìliJ... p ( r r h u l a pratti i a mai rni pi acquc, r'(ectt(r
s c c o r c l o r l u t l llr p ir r te clr ' a p p r r tie n c:r lla m e d icin a, el l a qLral epoti ssi nrarnenteconferi sce
( l u c s t i l\ c i c n t iiì. co r r c lp o cr iìtc e ( ìir le n o p iir vo ltc gri chno.'A s regards(ìal en:rrgui rrq f,rr
; ì \ i r l ) l ( ) q \ , r . r r i.lisp t' r s.r l' ìr ' f,r r r tclicin c. sce I- icin o. \1. (1i "6). I)c ui ti t, III.10, i r ()pt'ra
r cp r in r lo r ir r o, l 9l l .ì), p.5-12.
r , / r ? / / / . /l .i i r s i ì cr ( : lio r tr g .r cli l' .r ' .r sr r r( o
' l n i l , ' ,/. /r r ll.. lJ( ) 1 . lll. p . i' i2 9 1 . llr u n r, rei cl s erpìrcìtl r ro hi s rtstrol ri grcrtl
i , r ) r ìi Ì ì í) t r L :r r n itt) r in ( tp tts.\tc r il.o ,\4 td . lu ll ..l J()l - Il l . pp.5l ì()-ti l . rnd p..i 9-ì for
ì r r r ìr ..ì\lr ,.l r iu lìt. ltl t,t, t.tilt' ' ,. \i-rì, 'r-rìl ìì
' : ' ,( ) l lll. p p . .i- - 1 - - i.
hei"r'ii
er
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GIORDANO I]RUNO AND ASTROLOGY
1 +/
conceptionsand techniques.Its philosophical assumptionsconsisteclof
an instable mixture of Aristotelian, Stoic ancr Neoplatonic i<1eas,
regarding,respectively,the order of celestialbodies,determinismand the
view of universal sympathy and antipathy. Some views, such as that of
celestialinfluence,r'vereuniversallyaccepted,while orhers,such as those
inherited from the Arabs, were not. Sometechniques,such as horoscoprc
astrology, required a mathematical preparatlon not mastered bv all
p rrcti t i oner s
Betu'een his earlv and later works, Bruno's vier,v of astrology
.
developedfrom instrumentaluse and ironic scorn to a critical appraisal.
In general, he deplored the credulity of his time ancl criricìzed the
arbitrary nature of prediction and divinatio'. His criticism of astrology
was also inspired by his rejectionof Aristotelian cosmologyas well as àf
mathematical approachesin natural philosophy. By .nit.nrt, Bruno,s
subsequentinterestin astrology was connectedto the more operationaÌ
strand of his researchdu.ng the last yearsof his activity.Als. rn his later
works, however,he remainedcritical of specificsectionsof astrology.He
refused to attribute particular significanceto eclipsesand cometì, and
held that the celestial bodies qua bodies can at most be siqns of
te rre s t r ialev ent s . '
Bruno's criticismscan be traced in some of his 'predecessors'.Nicole
Oresme, for example, thought that man was unable to know with
precision the motions of celestial bcldies. Therefore, he regarded
a str()logyas v agucan d i n h e re n rl yu n c e rta i rr.a n ,-la srrrl ogi calforei esti ng
a_s utterly impossible. ln his Disputationes aduersirs astrolctgtdm
diuinatricem,Pico argued that admitting a generalcelestialinfluenceon
terrestrial phenomenadid
entail that this influencecan be resolvecl
intcl discernible relations'otbetween particular heavenly causes and
co rre s ponding ear th l y e ffe c ts . A l s o Bru n o h e l d that the causaÌ
relationships between the celestial and terrestrial worlds cannot be
exactly traced, sincethe motions of the celestialbodies are not perfectly
regular,and thereforeare not to be captured by systematicmathematical
re l a ti ons . T hus , la c k i n g a th e o re ti c a l fo u n dati on, astrol ogi cal
forecastingis essentiallyuncertain.
In his later works, Bruno could not bring hirnserfto condemnastrology
completeiy and radically as a rotal error. undoubtedly his cosmololy
rernoved one of the bases of medical astrology, namely belief in the
superioritl' of the heavensover the sublunar regions. yet, he took it for
certain that heave'ly bodies exercised infiuences and determined
tendencies,regarding both meteorologicalphenomena as well as
the
8t D e i m m e n s o , B O L L 2 , p p .
2 6 4 - .5
248
GIORDANO BRT]NC)
temper and disposition of bodies. Thus, he granted the efficiency of
celestialbodiesin meteorology,magic and medicine.Notice, however,that
B r uno did n o t e n d o rs ea n ) s tro n g v e rs i rtnof astral determi ni sm.Fi rst.
to the motion of the ceiestialbodies,t' and
man's soui is not sr-rbjected
second,there exist infinite possibilrtiesfor the individuation of favourable
or unfavourablemomentsto undertakea determinateaction.si
Bruno's interest in astrology concerned two issues,namely (1) the
correspondencebetween public rvelfareand celestialevents,and (2) its
possibleapplication in magic and medicine.His rejection of horoscopic
astrology, together with his acceptance of the theory of the great
conjunctions, and a possibleuse of astrology in operational disciplines
must be interpreted from the broader perspectivesafforded by his
philosophy. Bruno endorsed two views, namely, the animation of the
celestial bodies and the fundamental unity of natural reality, which
constitutean ideal frame for astrology.However,while he took the basic
fact of astrology - the existenceof celestial influence - for granted,
Bruno attempted to explain it on a different theoreticalbasis.
Thingsin the universeareorderedin sucha \\'aythat the,vmakeup
admit
and througha certaincontinuousflow the,'.a co-ordination,
the celestial
fron'rall thingsto all things.Accordingl-v,
a progressiorr
of thingsand in virtue of someindivisible
divinitiesb.vconcession
subduethe inferiorand lowest
media,that is bv their influences,
t hings .* "
Bruno's ontology is inspired by the idea of a 'schala naturae' which
entails that the ontological, cognitive and clperationaì orders are
intimately linked" and hierarchically structured." lndeed, the physical
8 a C . f . D c t,in ttr lis, BOL lll, p . 6 ' 1 4 : ' ( ìo e li a str:r, vi ri di a prata! cantus etc. movent,
a l l i c j r - r n tì,n c l i n a n t, n o n r a ;r iu n t.'
3 5 D e r c r u m p r ir r .,BOL lll, p . .5 6 - 5 .
8 6 D e v i n cu lis, BOL lll, p p . 6 9 1 - 2 :' Re s in uni verso i ta sunt ordi nat:ìe, ut i n un:r
q u a d a m c o o r d in a tio n e co n sisr .u r r ,it;r u t c,' n tin uo quodam quasi fl uxu ab ornni br-rs
p r o g r e s s i of i e r i p o ssit a d o m n ia ... Ita q u e n u m in a, pcr rerunì el argi ti onemet medi orum
q u o r u n d a r r i r n p e r tib iliu m fa r ,o r e r n ,in fe r iu r a e t in fi nra tandem si bi dcvi nci unt i nfl uendo.'
s ; D e l a cd n sij, o p . cit, p . I.5l: ' Pr in r a clu mque vogl i o chc noti ate essereuna e
m e d e s i m i rs c alir ,p e r la q r - r a lela n a tu r a d e sce n d ea l l a produzzi on del l e cose,e I'i ntel l etto
a s c c n c l ca l l a co g n izio n d i q u e lle ; e ch e l' u n o e l' a ltra c1:rti ni ti ì proccdc al l 'uni tà, p:rss:rndo
p e r l a n . r c r l t i tu d indei m e zzi.' Cf. Su n m a te r n t. n îe t., B OL Ì.,+,p. 11-5:'qui buseadcm scri c
p. 116: 'H oc ordi ne res et
r e s c o g l r o s c u n tu rq u a e t co n stifu u n tu r e t co n fig u r antr-rr'1i dem,
f i r . r n t e t c o g no sci cr istìm a n tu r a c::r u ssissu p e r iori bus, nobi s vero, qr,ri a sensi bi l i bus
: r s c e n d i r n ua
s d in te llig ib ilia ,co n tr a r jo o r clin ea tq u e seri e,rcci pi turpri us rtr.l ueprrsteri us'.
8 8 S e el ) c u m h r is, BUt, p p .3 4 - 5 ; De la ca u sa,op. ci t., pp. 12-5and 131; D e magi a,
p p . ' l 0 i - 2 , 4 3 . 5; T /:e s.d e m a g ict,BOi- Iil. p .' 1 .5 7 ;D e nutgi a math.,IJOI- tl l , p.493. For
obj ects,seeal so C artr.r-q,
i n B OL
d i s c u s s i o no n th c cr ig n ìtivefa cu ltie s,r e p r e se u t:ìtions:rncl
1 1 . 1 ,p p . 2 1 9 a n cì 2 3 5 Su n tm a te r m . m e t.,IìOL I.4, p. 11t1.
CìIORDANOBRUNO AND ASTROLOCìY
249
homogeneitvof the universeand the existenceof all types of connecrron,
correspondenceirnd interrelation betweenthe various levelsand realms
of reality did not rule out a relative sr-rperiorityof the heavenst',and a
hierarchy of superior intellects.'','Now, in Bruno's ontolop;g efficient
causalityrvas attributed to soul or intellecr,and not to (moving) bodies.
Thus, he did not have a purely physical vier,vof the workings of the
planets."rTheir activity and influenceare grounded in their s.r-rl.',.And
since their sor-rlsmay be superior to human souls, they are granted
influence on terrestrial and human affairs. consequently, celestial
influenceis not to be calculated,but captured irnd manipulated in otl-rer
fashions, as is suggestedin Bruno's magical works, especiallyby his
theory of 'vinculi'." In Bruno's vieu', magic, and in general all human
action, is basedon the doctrine of matter and its infinite vitality, rather
than on the doctrine of analogy between heavensand E,arth.The ratrer
rs seen as an aspect of the Inore global phenomenon of universal
interaction betweenall levelsof realitv.
x e l) e t ' i n c u l i s ,B O L I II, p . 6 7 6 : ' a str a e r r .ìa g n iì
m u n d i a n i m.l i a seu numi 'a, qui bus
def at iga t i o < n o n > a c c i c l it,e t in q u ib u s e fflu xio e t in ilu xio substanti al i sacqual i s est et
c ac lem. . . ' .
e0 S e e ,a n r o n g r t h c r s , De u n tb r is,Blll, p .3 l;
Da la ca u sa ,.p. crt., p. i .5.t. R ecal l that
in De g l i e r t t i c ìf t r r o r i , t h e :r sce n to f th c so u l r v:r sg r o u n d e d in a progrcssi yeassi mi l ati ont9
t he rrro d ec r f c o g n i t i . r o f th e su p e r i' r in te lle cr s;cf. p u r o r i, BDI, p. 99g; cl . Lantpas tri g.
s t dt . , B O I . I I l , p . 1 5 0 , a n d L ib r i I' b 1 ,s.Ar isto t., p p . 2 6 1 - 2 .
el R e c a l l t h a t l J r u n o d id n o t e cce p t
th e in flu cn ceo f th e m o on on thc ti des i n C ena cl e
le certeri, <r1-r.cit., p. 209 and that he rejected rhc efficiencv of astral ra,-sin f)e magta
nt ot h. . B ( r L I l l . l . . 5 0 . ì .
er F o r t h e a n i m a r i o n o f th c ce le stia lb o clie s,
se e Ce n a , o p . ci t., pp. 7-S ,99-100, 1.50,
169 and 2 0 8 ( p r i n c i p l e o f life r n h e r e n t in a ll r vo r ld s) ; De la coustt,op. ci t., pp. 74_-I
(t rnir. er s avl i t a l i s n i ) ; I n i i n i tct,llDI, p p .3 1 3 9 - 9 0 ;Or a t. u a le d .,BOL l .l , pp. 19-20; Lantpas
t rig. s t t tt ' . B o l - t l l , p p . - 5 1- 3 ; De ín u r e n so .lll.tl, BOL r .1 ,3 7 6-7: 'A d quas ranouanr:rd
c ognat i ì a s t r a j u s f o s c t h e r o e slclvo la r e cx h o c n u n d o n ' ,\r r i nìi ìi (,tc\
i Lrt cx reì.ri i si n.l c
S omnio S c r p i o l t i sh : r h e n r u s)cr e d id e r u n t.Astla h u ju sm o d i in te l l i genti asensuquepraecl i ta
c onf es t a n t u rc t i a r n C l h i l l da e ie t Ra b in i sa p ie n tio r e s,q u i L r b i.Jobi r,erb:rsunr: U ncl c crg6
s apic nti ar - e n i t ? '
e) D e u i n c u l i s ,B O L l l l , p p .6 8 3 .
6 9 1 - 6 ;Da m a g ìa ,p ,OL III, pp.428-5.ì, i n p:rrti cul .r,
p. 436: ' V i n c r - r l l l nsl t l r ì t a n ir l:r e a str o r u r n e t p r in cip e slo co r u n r , ventorun.ì,el cmcntorunr.'