A Fourteenth-Century Chronologer and Critic of Astrology

Heinrich Selder's Treatise on the Time of the Lord's Annunciation, Nativity, and Passion
Erscheinungsjahr 2022
ISBN: 978-0-19-284414-9
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 468 Seiten, Format (B × H): 143 mm x 223 mm, Gewicht: 699 g

This volume makes available a newly discovered work by the Swabian astronomer Heinrich Selder (fl.1365-79), a hitherto overlooked figure in fourteenth-century intellectual history. Composed from 1371 to at least 1379, this 'Treatise on the Time of the Lord's Annunciation, Nativity and Passion' (Tractatus de tempore dominice annunciationis, nativitatis et passionis), records Selder's surprising views on two seemingly unrelated questions: the dimensions of history and the folly of astrology. Drawing on a diverse range of sources, from ancient Roman poets to the writings of a twelfth-century mystic nun, his 'Treatise' documents a sophisticated and prescient attempt to reconstruct the chronology of early human history, from the creation of the world to the birth of Christ, in a scientifically sound manner. Woven into these discussions is a fierce attack on the rationality and legitimacy of judicial astrology, which spotlights Selder as one of the most radical critics of this art and its practitioners in fourteenth-century Europe.

A Fourteenth-Century Chronologer and Critic of Astrology: presents the 'Treatise' in a critical edition with facing English translation. It is prefaced by a detailed investigation into its authorship and context as well as by in-depth analyses of its specific contributions in the areas of medieval astronomy, chronology, and anti-astrological thought.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Nothaft, Philipp

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religion & Wissenschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Religion & Wissenschaft

Über Autor(innen)

C. Philipp E. Nothaft holds a doctorate in modern history from the University of Munich. He is the author or co-author of seven books and more than sixty articles on various aspects of the history of science and time-reckoning in medieval and early modern Europe. Prior to joining Trinity College Dublin as a research fellow in 2021, he held academic positions in Germany, Israel, and the United Kingdom.