Vallás és orvostudomány határán – Marsilio Ficino a „kegyosztó” bolygókról
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2022
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Abstract
Marsilio Ficino: Three Books on Life, Book Three: How Can We Get Life From Heaven? (Chapters 4 to 8). Introductory study The following excerpt extends from the end of the fourth to the eighth chapter of the third book of Ficino’s Three Books on Life. It describes astrological principles and methods for enhancing one’s life force. However, this theme is embedded in the neo-Platonic and Stoic teaching of human spirits, explained in detail by Galen, Marcus Aurelius’s doctor, who organised and commented Hippocrates’ legacy. Since understanding the medical interpretation of human spirits is essential to understanding the excerpt, this study provides some introduction into this topic, and describes the three kinds of human spirits: natural, vital, and animal spirits, clarifying their roles as well. Also, it outlines Ficino’s quite original interpretation of the world spirit. Then the paper briefly points to the intertwining of medieval and Renaissance medical practice with astrology. Finally, it briefly describes the emergence of astrological thinking in university teaching, poetry, and even in everyday life. Astrology appeared even in decorations of buildings and manifested itself in processions held on certain holidays in Ficino-era Italy, illustrating that Ficino’s astrological considerations do not stem from his eccentricity, but from the general view of the Renaissance. That fashion came from the desire to imitate antiquity, insofar as planetary principles were not seen as merely abstract principles but as beings who acted and were active forces like the ancient gods. At the end of the study, a summary of Ficino’s dissertation follows on the use of the blessings of the “divine” planets.