Nowadays, it is hard to imagine that any practice of predicting the future, such as astrology, which in the 21st century is characterized as a pseudoscience, could be considered a science in the true sense of the word. From today's point of view, it is quickly clear to everyone that occult practices were strictly separated from science, since they cannot be truly scientifically justified. In the time before the establishment of modern science, these two fields were not so opposed to each other, moreover, they were often intertwined. In the Middle Ages, astrology was placed alongside science, such as mathematics and medicine. In the latter case, the influence of astrology is quite prominent, as medieval doctors tried to treat their patients in various, often completely unusual ways, and therefore they could help themselves by knowing what is happening in the sky.
In my thesis, I want to show that medieval astrology played a much bigger role than one might think at first. The entire period of the Middle Ages in Europe, which will be limited to the years 500 and 1500, was full of its use; practically all strata of the society resorted to its use, and the methods of use were diverse. Its role in the context of medieval medicine will be highlighted the most. The work initially attempts to present the medieval concept of science and occultism in the Middle Ages, and the contextual outline concludes with a consideration of the relationship of the Christian faith to both. This is followed in the next chapter with the definition of astrology and the presentation of some problems of its historical treatment. To make it easier to understand its development, its history is also presented, from the very beginnings, through the fruitful period of Antiquity up to the discussed Middle Ages. Lastly, general medieval medicine and the use of astrology within it are also presented.
|
