Paulus Alexandrinus
Encyclopedia
Paulus Alexandrinus was an astrological author from the late Roman Empire
. His extant work, Eisagogika, or Introductory Matters (or Introduction), which was written in 378 CE, is a treatment of major topics in astrology as practiced in the fourth century Roman Empire
.
Little is known about Paulus' life. He lived in Alexandria
, one of the most scholarly cities of the Roman world
, where astrology was also at its most sophisticated. In his lifetime, Rome's power was declining and the capital of the Roman Empire
had been moved to Constantinople
. We know he was regarded as a considerable authority because we have the record of a series of lectures given on his work by the respected Neo-Platonist philosopher Olympiodorus
some two centuries later (in 564 CE), in Alexandria. These lectures were preserved in a Commentary and both Paulus' Introduction and Olympiodorus' Commentary have been translated together, giving a view of the development of astrological technique and contemporary attitudes towards astrology from the tumultuous late Empire
through the even more unstable early Byzantine Empire
.
The Introduction may be most interesting for its discussion of the eleven phases of the Moon, because it gives us a clear treatment of a topic whose influence on Greek astrological speculation has likely been much underestimated The Moon's phases are probably the single most influential factor in katarchic
charts of the Hellenistic period, going back beyond Dorotheus of Sidon
. Also very important in the Introduction are the Lots, which were at the core of Hellenistic astrological technique, although the scientifically minded Ptolemy
avoids them. Paulus also discusses dodekatemoria and monomoiria, and gives an extensive treatment of sect
in astrological analysis, and of the influence of planetary aspects as they apply and separate (the Hellenistic understanding of which is considerably at odds with modern practice.)
At the time Paulus wrote, there was notable intellectual consolidation taking place in astrology. Forty years earlier, Julius Firmicus Maternus
had written Mathesis, a long and very detailed summary of the astrological technique of his time, which has come down to us intact. Contemporaneous with Paulus, an anonymous writer had produced a Treatise on the Fixed Stars in 379 CE, which is our best record of how practical astrologers of the Roman period
after Ptolemy
dealt with stars in the context of the astrological chart; a few decades later came three books (Apotelesmatika)by the Egyptian Hephaistio of Thebes
(415 CE) integrating Ptolemy
with earlier traditions.
(6th or 7th century), and, in the 5th or 6th century, the celebrated Centiloquy (spuriously attributed for many centuries to Ptolemy
), which exerted a very considerable influence on the astrological thinking of the Arabs and on European astrologers of the Medieval and Early Modern periods. (See Lilly
.)
An important Indian astrological treatise called the Paulisa Siddhanta
("Doctrine of Paulus") is sometimes thought to be derived from the work of Paulus. However, this notion has been rejected by other scholars in the field, notably by David Pingree who stated that "...the identification of Paulus Alexandrinus with the author of the Paulisasiddhanta is totally false".
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. His extant work, Eisagogika, or Introductory Matters (or Introduction), which was written in 378 CE, is a treatment of major topics in astrology as practiced in the fourth century Roman Empire
Culture of ancient Rome
Ancient Roman culture existed throughout the almost 1200-year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which, at its peak, covered an area from Lowland Scotland and Morocco to the Euphrates.Life in ancient Rome...
.
Little is known about Paulus' life. He lived in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, one of the most scholarly cities of the Roman world
Culture of ancient Rome
Ancient Roman culture existed throughout the almost 1200-year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which, at its peak, covered an area from Lowland Scotland and Morocco to the Euphrates.Life in ancient Rome...
, where astrology was also at its most sophisticated. In his lifetime, Rome's power was declining and the capital of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
had been moved to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. We know he was regarded as a considerable authority because we have the record of a series of lectures given on his work by the respected Neo-Platonist philosopher Olympiodorus
Olympiodorus the Younger
Olympiodorus the Younger was a Neoplatonist philosopher, astrologer and teacher who lived in the early years of the Byzantine Empire, after Justinian's Decree of 529 A.D. which closed Plato's Academy in Athens and other pagan schools...
some two centuries later (in 564 CE), in Alexandria. These lectures were preserved in a Commentary and both Paulus' Introduction and Olympiodorus' Commentary have been translated together, giving a view of the development of astrological technique and contemporary attitudes towards astrology from the tumultuous late Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
through the even more unstable early Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
The Introduction may be most interesting for its discussion of the eleven phases of the Moon, because it gives us a clear treatment of a topic whose influence on Greek astrological speculation has likely been much underestimated The Moon's phases are probably the single most influential factor in katarchic
Katarche
Katarche is an ancient Greek word meaning a "beginning" or "inception."One of the older applications of the term was within the context of religious rituals to refer to the moment when the sacrifice was first offered, or when the beginning or inception of the sacrifice took place...
charts of the Hellenistic period, going back beyond Dorotheus of Sidon
Dorotheus of Sidon
Dorotheus of Sidon was a 1st-century Hellenistic astrologer who wrote a didactic poem on horoscopic astrology known in Greek as the Pentateuch...
. Also very important in the Introduction are the Lots, which were at the core of Hellenistic astrological technique, although the scientifically minded Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
avoids them. Paulus also discusses dodekatemoria and monomoiria, and gives an extensive treatment of sect
Astrology of sect
Sect is an ancient astrological concept in which the seven traditional "planets" are assigned to two different categories: diurnal or nocturnal sect....
in astrological analysis, and of the influence of planetary aspects as they apply and separate (the Hellenistic understanding of which is considerably at odds with modern practice.)
At the time Paulus wrote, there was notable intellectual consolidation taking place in astrology. Forty years earlier, Julius Firmicus Maternus
Julius Firmicus Maternus
Julius Firmicus Maternus was a Christian Latin writer and notable astrologer, who lived in the reign of Constantine I and his successors.-Life and works:...
had written Mathesis, a long and very detailed summary of the astrological technique of his time, which has come down to us intact. Contemporaneous with Paulus, an anonymous writer had produced a Treatise on the Fixed Stars in 379 CE, which is our best record of how practical astrologers of the Roman period
History of astrology
Astrology, the belief in a connection between the cosmos and terrestrial matters has played an important part in human history.Regional branches of astrology include Western astrology, Indian astrology, and Chinese or East Asian astrology.-Early origins:...
after Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
dealt with stars in the context of the astrological chart; a few decades later came three books (Apotelesmatika)by the Egyptian Hephaistio of Thebes
Hephaistio of Thebes
Hephaistio of Thebes was a Late Antique astrologer of Egyptian descent who wrote a work in Greek known as the Apotelesmatics in the early 5th century...
(415 CE) integrating Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
with earlier traditions.
Legacy
In the several hundred years following Paulus and Hephaistio, there continued to be an active astrological tradition, some works of which have come down to us, including writings by Julian of Laodicea (c. 500 CE), RhetoriusRhetorius
Rhetorius of Egypt was the last major classical astrologer from whom we have any excerpts. He lived in the sixth or early seventh century, in the early Byzantine era. He wrote an extensive compendium in Greek of the techniques of the Hellenistic astrologers who preceded him, and is one of our...
(6th or 7th century), and, in the 5th or 6th century, the celebrated Centiloquy (spuriously attributed for many centuries to Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
), which exerted a very considerable influence on the astrological thinking of the Arabs and on European astrologers of the Medieval and Early Modern periods. (See Lilly
William Lilly
William Lilly , was an English astrologer famed during his time. Lilly was particularly adept at interpreting the astrological charts drawn up for horary questions, as this was his speciality....
.)
An important Indian astrological treatise called the Paulisa Siddhanta
Paulisa Siddhanta
The Paulisa Siddhanta refers to multiple Indian astronomical treatises, at least one of which is based on a Western source. "Siddhanta" literally means "Doctrine" or "Tradition"....
("Doctrine of Paulus") is sometimes thought to be derived from the work of Paulus. However, this notion has been rejected by other scholars in the field, notably by David Pingree who stated that "...the identification of Paulus Alexandrinus with the author of the Paulisasiddhanta is totally false".
Translations
- Paulus Alexandrinus, Introductory Matters, trans. Robert Schmidt, ed. Robert Hand, The Golden Hind Press, Berkeley Springs, WV, second edition, revised, 1993.
- Late Classical Astrology: Paulus Alexandrinus and Olympiodorus, with the Scholia from Later Commentators, trans. Dorian Giesler Greenbaum, ed. Robert Hand, ARHAT Publications, Reston, VA, 2001.
Further reading
- Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum's website on Hellenistic astrology: Classical Astrologyhttp://www.classicalastrology.org/
- Robert Hand, http://www.classicalastrology.org/books.html -- excerpt from Introduction to Late Classical Astrology: Paulus Alexandrinus and Olympiodorus
- Robert Hand, http://accessnewage.com/articles/astro/robhand3.htm http://accessnewage.com/articles/astro/robhand4.htm -- quoting from Paulus
- Project Hindsight http://www.projecthindsight.com/reference/catalog.html -- on Paulus.