Mathēsis

MATH-uh-sis

greek: Μάθησις (Mathēsis) · latin: Matheseos Libri VIII

Definition

Mathēsis is the Greek-derived Latin title-word for the systematic technical theory of astrology. Its most famous use is as the proper title of Julius Firmicus Maternus' eight-book handbook, Matheseos Libri VIII ("Eight Books of the Mathesis, or Theory of Astrology"), written in the mid-fourth century CE — most likely completed in 336 or 337 CE. The word itself comes from the Greek mathēsis (μάθησις, "learning, the act of learning"); in fourth-century Latin it had come to mean "knowledge" or "science," so Mathesis names "The Science (of Astrology)." Brennan describes it as the longest surviving astrological text from the Hellenistic tradition, and one of only two surviving Hellenistic-tradition astrology textbooks written in Latin rather than Greek (the other being Manilius' Astronomica).

In Tradition

In the Hellenistic tradition Mathesis is treated as both a book title and a general noun for the systematic doctrine the book undertakes to expound. Firmicus uses the word repeatedly through Book One — "what is said and has been said about the Mathesis"; "as we begin the writing of these books of the Mathesis" — naming his project the systematic exposition of the Egyptian and Babylonian teaching about the force of the stars, translated into Latin for Roman readers. Holden notes the text's special character: a collection of lengthy excerpts from earlier Greek astrologers, systematic in treating one subject at a time but not offering a systematic procedure to read a chart from start to finish. Brennan adds that the Mathesis is largely delineation-material excerpted from earlier Greek authors and translated into Latin.

In Practice

When you encounter the Mathesis in a modern reading list, treat it as primary-source Hellenistic doctrine in Latin dress, particularly valuable for material preserved nowhere else. Firmicus' work is the lengthiest astrological treatise from the classical period and has been the indispensable Latin source for the Western tradition ever since. The standard editions are Kroll/Skutsch/Ziegler (critical edition) and Monat (1992-97); the standard English translations are Jean Rhys Bram (1975) and the more recent James H. Holden (2011). The book's eight-book structure: Book I forms an introductory essay on astrology (including the famous defense against critics); Books II through VIII set out the fundamentals of Greek astrology — signs, houses, aspects, planetary natures, technique. Holden recommends Bram and Holden in tandem for any close reading. The book was dedicated to Firmicus' friend Lollianus Mavortius.

Historical Origin

The Mathesis is mid-fourth-century CE (336/337), a primary-source Hellenistic technical handbook in Latin. Brennan dates it precisely and identifies it as the longest surviving Hellenistic-tradition astrological text. Holden surveys its structure and history extensively in his Horoscopic Astrology. The standard critical edition is Kroll/Skutsch/Ziegler with a more recent edition by Monat (1992-97). The most-used English translation since 1975 has been Jean Rhys Bram's Park Ridge edition; James H. Holden published a competing translation in 2011, and modern practice often consults both. The book is one of only two surviving Latin-language Hellenistic astrology textbooks (Manilius' Astronomica being the other).

Etymology

Origin: Greek (via Latin). Meaning: Learning, the act of learning; by extension, the systematic theory or science (of astrology).

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Etymology

Further Reading