Astronomy and astrology are two closely linked fields, but are as different as the mathematical equations that govern their findings. Astronomy is a hardcore science based on fact, while astrology uses positions of celestial objects and mathematics to predict the future. These two were once entwined, but the Roman Inquisition made reading the stars a dangerous pastime. The Vatican decreed that practicing astrology was akin to heresy, because it threatened the Catholic doctrine of free will. The Church forced scholars to remove all spiritual interpretation from their findings in order to survive; otherwise they would have been forcefully silenced or executed. The forbiddance of blending mathematics and divination gave rise to modern empirical science.
The Tense Renaissance Alliance Between Faith and the Stars
Once upon a time, astronomy and astrology were inseparable disciplines, because they were seen as one and the same. They were a unified science. Early astronomers predicted the path of celestial objects, then followed that by interpreting the terrestrial effects.
The profession of early astronomers was not called such; they were known as astrologers. They were sought out by church officials and royalty to determine auspicious dates. The view of the universe even corresponded with how God ruled, with planetary bodies being harmoniously static (yes, they moved but in ways that never changed) and affecting happenings on earth. Astrological predictions were the result of divine intent.
The Inquisitorial Crackdown on Judicial Astrology
There are different types of astrology: natural and judicial. The difference between the pair is what led astrology to be banned. Judicial astrology predicted human behavior as if it were preordained, while natural astrology predicted physical phenomena like the weather and tides.
However, if human actions were preordained, then there was no cause for free will, sin, and redemption; ergo, why the Vatican forbade this form of astrology. The Inquisition was instituted in 1542 to combat apostasy, hearsay, witchcraft, blasphemy, and anything else the Church decreed as “evil”. The Inquisition is famous for persecuting intellectuals: writers and scientists who dealt in anything related to the occult or intellectual deviance. It drew up a list of forbidden books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum) that cataloged heretical texts, including astrological books. These books pushed the boundaries between science and the occult; many of them were mathematical accounts that strayed into prediction.
How the Trials of Bruno and Campanella Terrified the Scientific Community
Giordano Bruno believed in a heliocentric universe, the then-new Copernicus theory, and that all the stars were suns with their own planets. He also practiced mysticism, which the Church didn’t like. He was found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake.
Tommaso Campanella was a Dominican friar who practiced judicial astrology by casting horoscopes. He was also a theologian, poet, and philosopher, but he ran afoul of the Vatican and Spanish royalty when he predicted both of their demises. He was also found guilty of heresy, so he was tortured and imprisoned for 27 years. These two cases scared intellectuals and made them reconsider their academic findings, whether fact- or occult-based. They didn’t want to meet the same fate as Campanella, Bruno, or others who were burned or imprisoned. It was a scary time to go against anything that wasn’t biblical.
Why Galileo Stripped Divination From Astronomical Data
Famous astronomer Galileo Galilei used to cast horoscopes as an income, but once he learned about the Inquisition, he stopped that practice and removed astrology from his work. Because of the Inquisition, astronomy became a very exact, purely mathematical field. As it was strictly mathematical theory and geometry, it escaped the censors. Ironically, forcing the intellectuals to remove occultism from astronomy and mathematics taught scientists discipline in empirical science that would later be the basis of scientific theory.
The Institutional Expulsion of Astrology From European Academies
The heresy trials in Europe caused universities to remove astrology as a science and evaluate the entire field throughout the 17th century. They were afraid of death and persecution. New academies of science in London and Paris refused to admit astrology as science, labeling it as superstition and nonsense. Astrology died not because of telescopic observations, but due to fear from the Vatican about being imprisoned, tortured, or burnt at the stake. If the Inquisition had never happened, it’s possible astrology would be more influential today than it was in the past.
