Gerhard from Silteo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gerhard von Silteo , also Gerhard von Sileto , Gerhard von Feltre , was a Dominican monk and astronomer of the 13th century.

Life

Sometimes chroniclers quoted him as Gerhard von Silteo, other times as von Silteo, both places are unknown. Perhaps it was a village near Feltre , since one edition of his main work contains a letter from Gerhard von Feltre to the Dominican general (from 1264 to 1283) Johannes von Vercelli. Some authors assign him to the German order province, others to Italy.

He is the author of the Summa de astris , which is divided into three parts. The first part deals with elementary astronomy at the level of the Tractatus de Sphaera by Johannes de Sacrobosco , the second astrology and the third is devoted to the rejection of excesses of astrology. The Arabic astrologer Abu Mashar is cited as the source (and Ptolemy, Sahl ibn Bishr (Zahel), Omar, al- Farghani , Maschallah or Meshalla and Alcabitius are also cited) and another source is Albertus Magnus , whose meteora he cites. It reproduces the observation of the comet from 1264 , which, according to Lynn Thorndike, is not as good as that of the Dominican Giles von Lessines . It was never printed. Five manuscripts are known, in the Wellcome Library (MS308, northern Italy, end of the 15th century), Biblioteca Comunale dell'Archiginnasio in Bologna (MS.A. 539, 1r-95r, second half of the 13th century), Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan ( MS. C 245 Inf., Late 13th century), Biblioteka Jagielloska in Krakau (MS. 610, 15th century), Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (MS. Pal. Lat. 1388, ff. 37r-110r, 15th century). He was studied in the Renaissance by Pico della Mirandola and Marsilio Ficino . After Maria Sorokina, it is the first systematic criticism of astrology in the West since the Church Fathers. In the last part, after his criticism, he speaks out in favor of a natural astrology (De astrologia naturali).

Another treatise by him from 1271 on the comet of 1264 is in the Bamberg State Library. It is also dedicated to Johannes von Vercelli.

Zamelli sees the Summa in connection with the in some respects similar Speculum astronomiae , possibly from Albertus Magnus (a thesis that Zamelli also leans towards), and even the Speculum as Albertus Magnus' answer to the Summa de astris. Furthermore, this is part of a discussion about astrology among Dominicans at the time, which was also intensified by the comet of 1267, which caused Johannes von Vercelli to seek the opinion of scholars of his order. In 1271 he consulted Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas and Robert Kilwardby by sending them questionnaires. According to Zamelli, the author of Summa was very well informed about astronomy and astrology with access to appropriate libraries, but argued many times in the rejection of astrology on theological basis (at one point he names them enemies of God who should be silenced). According to Zamelli, both Giles von Lessines and Gerhard von Feltre show a familiarity with the font Meteora by Albertus von Magnus, which suggests that they were its direct listeners and pupils.

He may have been born on March 11, 1218, as indicated by a horoscope in a manuscript (Milan, Ambrosiana) of his Summa de astris, which may refer to him. He may have died in 1291.

literature

  • William A. Wallace: Gerard of Silteo (Sileto) , Dictionary of Scientific Biography , Volume 5, p. 361
  • J. Thomann: Gerhard von Silteo , Lexicon of the Middle Ages , Volume 4, Sp. 1319
  • Martin Grabmann: The Summa de astris of Gerardo da Feltre, Archivum fratrum praedicatorum, Volume 11 , 1941, pp. 51-82
  • Paola Zambelli: The Speculum Astronomiae and Its Enigma: Astrology, Theology and Science in Albertus Magnus and his Contemporaries , Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science, Volume 135, Springer 1992 (especially Chapter 6)
  • Maria Sorokina: Un tournant dans la critique de l'astrologie? La Summa de astris de Gérard d'Feltre , Philosophical Readings, Volume 8, 2015, pp. 71-92

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The reference work Personal Names of the Middle Ages (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek) also gives Gerardo da Feltre, Gerardus Feltrensis
  2. ↑ Jacques Quétif, Jacques ECHARD, Scriptores ordinis praedicatorum, 2 volumes, Paris 1719, 1721, reprinted New York 1959
  3. ↑ Martin Grabmann , Medieval Spiritual Life, Volume 2, Munich 1936, p. 397
  4. ↑ Summa de astris, Wellcome Library . Alcubitius after Maria Sorokina.
  5. ↑ Albertus Magnus after Thorndike, who deals with the section on the comet, and after Zamelli. William Wallace, Dict. Sci. Biogr. Gives Albumasar as the main source.
  6. ↑ Thorndike, Latin Treatises on Comets Between 1238 and 1368 A .D, University of Chicago Press 1950, pp. 185–195, with reproduction of the text by Gerhard von Sileto.
  7. ↑ Zamelli, The Speculum astronomiae and its enigma, p 51
  8. ^ J. Thomann, Lexicon of the Middle Ages. On the possible date of death also William A. Wallace, Dict. Sci. Biogr., He states that the date 1291 appears in an early list relating to Gerhard von Sileto and is possibly the date of death.
  9. ↑ He describes the manuscripts in Bologna and Milan
  10. ↑ In her own words, she is preparing a critical edition
personal data
SURNAME Gerhard from Silteo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gerhard von Sileto; Gerardus Feltrensis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dominican monk and astronomer
DATE OF BIRTH 12th century or 13th century
DATE OF DEATH 13th century or 14th century