Liber astrologiae (Liber Albumazarus)
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| Liber astrologiae (Liber Albumazarus) | |
|---|---|
| The British Library, Sloane MS 3983 | |
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| Also known as | Abū Maʿshar Treatise |
| Type | astrological |
| Date | mid-14th century |
| Place of origin | Franco-Flemish region (Flanders, north of France or Burgundian Netherlands) |
| Language | Latin |
| Author(s) | Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi, Herman of Carinthia |
| Compiled by | Georgius Zothorus Zaparus Fendulus |
| Material | parchment |
| Size | 270 × 186 mm; 49 folios |
| Illumination | 72 full-page illustrations in pen-and-wash |
Liber astrologiae, or Liber Albumazarus (as titled in the two incipits of British Library, Sloane MS 3983), also known as Abū Maʿshar Treatise, is a richly illustrated Latin compilation of astrological writings by Georgius Zothorus Zaparus Fendulus. Its ultimate source is Abū Maʿshar's Great Introduction to Astrology (9th century), transmitted through Hermann of Carinthia's Latin translation, Introductorium in astronomiam (1140), from which the text is largely derived.[1] The British Library manuscript was copied and illuminated in the 14th century, possibly in Flanders (perhaps Bruges),[2] northern France or Burgundian Netherlands, and it is the second-oldest surviving witness to the work attributed to Fendulus, after Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Latin 7330. It also served as the model for another illuminated copy of the text, now in the Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.785.[3]
The manuscript opens with Fendulus’ prologue, followed by a brief introduction to astronomical and astrological principles compiled from Hermann of Carinthia’s Introductorium in astronomiam. The subsequent sections likewise draw extensively on the same source and include twelve chapters on the zodiac and a catalogue of the paranatellonta (the constellations rising simultaneously with each zodiacal sign) together with a section on the planets. The volume concludes with a later addition: the horoscopic diagram of the birth of Christ.[4]
The section on the zodiac and the paranatellonta outlines the characteristics of the twelve zodiac signs and presents three lists of non-zodiac constellations, reflecting distinct star-cataloguing traditions “according to the Persians”, “according to the Indians”, and “according to the Greeks”. They are divided into three equal parts, or decans, for each sign. The planetary section describes the sphere of influence and the lots associated with each planet, while their domiciles, detriments, exaltations, and falls are illustrated in the manuscript’s illuminations.
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