The Speculum Astronomiae and Its Enigma: Astrology, Theology and Science in Albertus Magnus and his Contemporaries

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The attribution of the Speculum Astronomiae to Albertus Magnus became a controversial issue only recently, when the neo-Thomist historian Pierre Mandonnet suggested - without any antecedents - that the author was Roger Bacon. Madonnet’s theses werre refuted by Lynn Thorndike and have since then been the subject of widespread discussion. This historiographical case study considers this debate in the light of an analysis of texts by Albert himself, as well as other important authors, such as Bacon, Bonaventura, Thomas Aquinas, Witelo, Campanus of Novara, and others, which shows how widespread the general concept of the influence of the stars and other astrological ideas to be found in the Speculum were. Most of the scientific ideas of the Middle Ages were based on principles derived from the notion of celestial influence and its consequences. The Speculum drew the fundamental outlines of this discipline into a theoretical and bibliographical introduction and was consequently greeted with a great interest and used as a standard reference book for many centuries. Set against the background of discussions taking the place in thw 1260s, within the Dominican Order as well as in the Faculties of Arts, Zambelli makes a strong case for the Speculum being written by Albert, possibly with some collaboration.