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.