DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41741#0111
Spike (Spica, 45 v) are similar to the illustration of the entry Gallus in Omne bonum,
.the work of tire English Cistercian, Jacobus 73.
The examined material shows that the .artistic- shape of the described astrological
images was important for the illustrator only as far as it, allowed to render the meaning.
It was possible to establish a certain interdépendance between the numbers of the psalms
and the astrological images e.g. the sign of Sagittarius or paranatellonta of the decanates
of this sign (Lepus .. and Canis, Cepheus standing on Aries, : Sagittarius aiming
toward the bird) as well as a deer accompany the psalms 1, 26, 38, 52 etc. thus the
Sunday and ferial ones what can also be noticed in the Florian Psalter. In general,
however, the ones who composed the programme of decoration of psalters and books
of hours, in many cases identical with the illuminators, understanding the sense of the
described images, placed them according to their will. Introduction and placing on the
pages of the psalters and books of hours of the astrological representations was connected,
as we may suppose, with, the Christian interpretation of zodiac..
The first to try to frame the astrological and Christian tradition was Valentine
Theodotos in the 2nd century A. I).74. The further „Christianization” of zodiac was in-
troduced by Zeno, of Verona about 400 and in .the IXth. century by his follower as. the
bishop of Verona, Pacificus. At last, at the turn of the IXth and Xth century there
developed separate science described as zodiology.
Christian authors treated astrology in the same , way as Old Testament, namely
as the existing tradition and comparative material for the New Testament75. Preserving
the rules of astrology and using anti prie parallelism in their way ,ef thinking, the
Christian authors compared 12 signs of zodiac, on the basis of identical number, with
the prophets or apostles. They also looked for the way out of determinism which resulted
from, astrology and for this purpose the sermons of Zeno of Verona , were preached 78.
In the late Middle Ages Christianization of zodiac took place in two ways; - either, in
agreement with the astrology of late antiquity the signs of zodiac were treated as stations
on the way of the spiritual development of a man or they .were used in abstraction from
the human being, in the entirely magical sense and here psalms played a particular
part.77. In Christianization of zodiac both the principle of linear arrangement — according
to the order of the parts of the body taken from the Jewish tradition was used and the
principle of a circle,.according to the arrangement of the signs of zodiac in 360°. The last
one was pictured starting with the 1st half of the Xllth century by Rota ecclesiastica,
the circles divided into 12 sectors where the signs of zodiac and the names-of the patriarchs,
prophets and apostles were placed, arranged in relation to the signs of zodiac according
to the principle of parallelism78. Zodiology containing the Christian interpretation
not only of the signs of zodiac but also of the prognostics they present as well as the
moon stations, developed at the turn of the IXth and Xth centuries, particularly in
the. monasteries nearby St. Gallen and Keichenau 79. The presumed author of the work
which constituted the archetype for all the zodiological treatises had-to know astrological
works of Manilius and Hellenistic astrologer Teukros of Babylon. Among ten zodio-
logical treatises described by Hübner, Ghronicon Zwifaltense from the Xllth century
is of particular importance; there the signs of zodiac are presented in four aspects:
” Roy. 6E VII, 176r.
71 W. Hübner, Zodiacus Christianus. Königsteih 1983, pp. 37-38.
" Ibidem, p. 10-11.
” Ibidem, p. 63.
" Ibidem, pp. 12-15, 139-142. — M. Lejbowicz, Les persecutions de Vastrologie soué Veglise des poissons.
In: Aquarius ou la nouvelle ère du Verseau. Paris 1979, pp. 305, 317. It is related to tbe so called sorte
sanctorum, biblicae or evangelicae or tbe choice of the proper prayer by casting the dice.
18 Hübner, o. c., pp. 43-46. r' 1 •
" Ibidem, pp. 69-84. — E. Svenberg, Lunaria et zodiologia latina. Studia Graeca et Italiana Gotho-
burgensia XVI, Göteborg 1963, pp. 1-9.
109
.the work of tire English Cistercian, Jacobus 73.
The examined material shows that the .artistic- shape of the described astrological
images was important for the illustrator only as far as it, allowed to render the meaning.
It was possible to establish a certain interdépendance between the numbers of the psalms
and the astrological images e.g. the sign of Sagittarius or paranatellonta of the decanates
of this sign (Lepus .. and Canis, Cepheus standing on Aries, : Sagittarius aiming
toward the bird) as well as a deer accompany the psalms 1, 26, 38, 52 etc. thus the
Sunday and ferial ones what can also be noticed in the Florian Psalter. In general,
however, the ones who composed the programme of decoration of psalters and books
of hours, in many cases identical with the illuminators, understanding the sense of the
described images, placed them according to their will. Introduction and placing on the
pages of the psalters and books of hours of the astrological representations was connected,
as we may suppose, with, the Christian interpretation of zodiac..
The first to try to frame the astrological and Christian tradition was Valentine
Theodotos in the 2nd century A. I).74. The further „Christianization” of zodiac was in-
troduced by Zeno, of Verona about 400 and in .the IXth. century by his follower as. the
bishop of Verona, Pacificus. At last, at the turn of the IXth and Xth century there
developed separate science described as zodiology.
Christian authors treated astrology in the same , way as Old Testament, namely
as the existing tradition and comparative material for the New Testament75. Preserving
the rules of astrology and using anti prie parallelism in their way ,ef thinking, the
Christian authors compared 12 signs of zodiac, on the basis of identical number, with
the prophets or apostles. They also looked for the way out of determinism which resulted
from, astrology and for this purpose the sermons of Zeno of Verona , were preached 78.
In the late Middle Ages Christianization of zodiac took place in two ways; - either, in
agreement with the astrology of late antiquity the signs of zodiac were treated as stations
on the way of the spiritual development of a man or they .were used in abstraction from
the human being, in the entirely magical sense and here psalms played a particular
part.77. In Christianization of zodiac both the principle of linear arrangement — according
to the order of the parts of the body taken from the Jewish tradition was used and the
principle of a circle,.according to the arrangement of the signs of zodiac in 360°. The last
one was pictured starting with the 1st half of the Xllth century by Rota ecclesiastica,
the circles divided into 12 sectors where the signs of zodiac and the names-of the patriarchs,
prophets and apostles were placed, arranged in relation to the signs of zodiac according
to the principle of parallelism78. Zodiology containing the Christian interpretation
not only of the signs of zodiac but also of the prognostics they present as well as the
moon stations, developed at the turn of the IXth and Xth centuries, particularly in
the. monasteries nearby St. Gallen and Keichenau 79. The presumed author of the work
which constituted the archetype for all the zodiological treatises had-to know astrological
works of Manilius and Hellenistic astrologer Teukros of Babylon. Among ten zodio-
logical treatises described by Hübner, Ghronicon Zwifaltense from the Xllth century
is of particular importance; there the signs of zodiac are presented in four aspects:
” Roy. 6E VII, 176r.
71 W. Hübner, Zodiacus Christianus. Königsteih 1983, pp. 37-38.
" Ibidem, p. 10-11.
” Ibidem, p. 63.
" Ibidem, pp. 12-15, 139-142. — M. Lejbowicz, Les persecutions de Vastrologie soué Veglise des poissons.
In: Aquarius ou la nouvelle ère du Verseau. Paris 1979, pp. 305, 317. It is related to tbe so called sorte
sanctorum, biblicae or evangelicae or tbe choice of the proper prayer by casting the dice.
18 Hübner, o. c., pp. 43-46. r' 1 •
" Ibidem, pp. 69-84. — E. Svenberg, Lunaria et zodiologia latina. Studia Graeca et Italiana Gotho-
burgensia XVI, Göteborg 1963, pp. 1-9.
109