An Understanding of Greek Astrology and Fate According to Vettius Valens, 150-170 AD
I am a Leo, or at least that is what my birth date tells me I am. Growing up, I was always interested in astrological signs and horoscopes. When my teen magazine came in the mail, I read the horoscope section first, because I believed that my zodiac sign was a true representation of my personality and life.
Astrology was studied by a number of well-known scientists who had different beliefs and understandings about the topic. Vettius Valens' view on astrology, that everything happens according to fate, is an unique approach. His work is presently described as "literary horoscopes" and believed to have been written mostly between A.D. 152 and A.D. 162 (Neugebauer 67).
This paper will address ancient astrology leading up to Valens, then discuss his work as a Greek astrologer, his cultural and personal influences, and finally, how his approach influenced other astrologers.
Before getting into the research it is significant to point out the difference between astrology and astronomy. Dictionary.com defines astrology as "the study that assumes and attempts to interpret the influence of the heavenly bodies on human affairs" or "the science of astromony." Astronomy on the other hand, is defined as "the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere." This paper will focus on astrology it its first definition and the scientists who studied it.
While Vettius Valens had a significant influence on Greek astrology, the Hellenistic period saw other astrologers who made an impact prior to Valens birth including: Berossus, Herms Trismegistus, Asclepius, Nechepso, Petosiris, Manilius, Thrasyllus, Balbillus, Antiochus of Athens, Critodemus Teucer of Babylon, Dorotheus of Sidon, Aubio Manetho and Claudius Ptolemy.
Many of these astrologers wrote text and books, and some served as personal astrologers for the Roman court. Parts of Hellenistic astrology were derived from Babylonian times. Babylonian astrology believed celestial phenomena was a sign for impending events and was coming from a divine source (Rochberg-Halton 52).
The Greeks did not believe this to be true, but instead were convinced that astrology is in opposition to divination. However, there is evidence that points to Babylonian influence. Exaltations of the Babylonians and Greeks mostly align, dodekatemoria, or micro-zodiac, show similar terrestrial elements, and finally, the grouping of zodiac signs in sets of threes started with the Babylonians and continued with the Greeks (Rochberg-Halton 57-60).
Most of Greek astrological concepts were discovered by its own, but it is important to mention the Babylonian influence. Aristotle had a large influence on Greek astrology, of which the underlying basis is that there are eight celestial spheres that belong to seven planets and the fixed stars are set above and around Earth (Rochberg-Halton 52).
Vettius Valens was born in Antioch, an ancient Greek city in the year 120 CE (Valens 25). There are not many biographies about Vettius Valens that would give insight into his family and educational background. However, in Anthology, Valens cites multiple authors; one can assume that these astrologists were of influence to him. They include: Petosiris (Book 2, 3, 7), Nechepso (Book 6, 9), and Critodemus (Book 3, 4, 5, 8, 9).
Valens' famous piece of work is Anthology, in which he wrote 130 of the literary horoscopes of the 2nd century and without his work, there would only be five available to study (Neugebauer 176). The Anthologies are a series of nine books that focus on the practice of astrology and were written in textbook style.
Anthology has been studied and critiqued for accuracy by Otto Neugebauer. He says, "Every one of the horoscopes can be shown to be astronomically correct for a date in the first or second century A.D. is therefore proof that Vettius Valens was using empirical material exclusively, collected either by himself or by his predecessors" (Neugebauer 176). This paper will take a closer look at books I and VII.
Book I is essentially an introduction to astrology. It discusses the stars, the twelve zodiac signs, their meanings and positions, and various mathematical equations. One important note is that what Valens considers "stars" are now considered planets. The stars referenced throughout Anthology are: Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Mercury.
According to Valens, each star can dictate a person's personality, certain parts of their body, a job, and life events. Additionally, there are twelve zodiac signs, all of which are familiar to modern horoscopes: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.
As mentioned before, I am a Leo, in the modern definition. Valens says that Leos are "masculine, the house of the sun, free, fiery, temperate, intellectual, kingly, stable, noble, upward-trending, changeable, solid, governing, civic, imperious, irascible.
Men born under this sign are distinguished, noble, steady, just, haters of evil, independent, haters of flattery, beneficent, inflated with their lofty thoughts. If the houseruler is at an angle or in aspect with benefics, then brilliant, glorious individuals are born, tyrants and kings" (Valens 4).
Book I features a lot of "equations" to find rising times of stars, the ascendant, midheaven, and more. While the mathematical part is slightly confusing to understand, what Valens is trying to get across is that the stars and signs determine states of good or evil. The configuration of stars and signs detailed on pages 17 through 22 explain certain aspects of life that happen to individuals on Earth.
Book VII was one, if not the, last book written by Valens, even though there are two books following. Valens' tone changes in book VII; it is seemingly more informal and is written to a person named Marcus (Valens 137). The main focus here is on finding the length of life and determining favorable and unfavorable times in life. Two methods for determining length of life and three methods for the latter were explained, all of which having numerous examples.
When talking about the will of fate and how everything is governed by fate, Valens brings up an example of six men involved in a storm at sea and ultimately meeting their fate with a pirate ship. The particularly interesting part of Book VII is the precautions Valens put forth about following his methods exactly and sharing his science in an appropriate way (Valens 137).
Anthology was written in the ancient Greek era. It is said that Anthology and Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos were written in parallel, though Ptolemy's work is more widely known. There is one major difference between the two books and that is in the scientific methods practiced by the astrologers. In Anthology, Valens explains "it is necessary to begin with the overall forecast, then to investigate how the stars are configured, whether these configurations are benefic or bad, in what place they occur, and what this can signify; then investigate the phases of the stars in conjunction or in aspect.
Having done this, predict the effects at the allotments" (Valens 136). Mark Riley explains Ptolemy's method as, "Ptolemy's text is systematic, outlining first the stars' and signs' physical nature, which influences the earth's environment (Book I), then describing the effects of these influences on the earth as a whole (Book II), on the birth and overall character of a persons (Book 3), and on the separate events of an individual's life, e.g. marriage, occupations, personality (Book IV)" (Riley 7). Valens is much more focused on individuals and specific horoscopes about them, as shown in the discussion on Books I and VII above.
Vettius Valens did great work, as did Ptolemy, but according to Otto Neugebauer, it was evident that astrological theory was not fully developed in the 2nd century (Neugebauer 185). Many Greek astrologers came after this, including: Firmicus Maternus, Paulus Alexandrinus, Anonymous of 379, Hephaistio of Thebes, and Rhetorius of Egypt.
However, Valens' contribution to ancient astrology did continue even after his death. Anonymous of 379 mentions Valens in his text just briefly, and beyond Greek astrology, Anthology was used countless times in the Middle Ages (Neugebauer 176), specifically in Arab and Persia.
For example, Valens had such a reputation that he was brought up in historical events after he died. David Pingree says "The interrogation concerning Muhammad in Movynvs is addressed by the king of the Persians to Valens...The horoscope of this interrogation can be dated 7 November 939" (Pingree 236). While there is not much reference to Valens, nor is he as famous as Ptolemy, Valens' work did contribute to astrology.
Greek astrology began around the third century BC. While the Greeks used some of the Babylonian aspects of astrology, they themselves, charged ahead with their own beliefs. Vettius Valens was a significant contributor to Greek astrology.
His nine books that make up Anthology discuss everything from the zodiac signs common today to the location and periods of stars to how to construct astrological tables. Vettius Valens' work was used well into the Middle Ages after his death, and parts of it are still believed today, showing the impact he made on ancient astrology.
Bibliography
Neugebauer, Otto. Jan 1954. "The Chronology of Vettius Valens Anthologie." The Harvard Theological Review: 65-67. Accessed October 20, 2016.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1508487
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Pingree, David. 1989. "Classical and Byzantine Astrology in Sassanian Persia." Dumbarton Oak Papers, 43: 227-239. Accessed November 6, 2016.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1291610
Riley, Mark. "A Survey of Vettius Valens." California State University. Accessed November 10, 2016.
https://www.csus.edu/indiv/r/rileymt/pdf_folder/vettiusvalens.pdf
Rochberg-Halton, F. 1988. "Elements of the Babylonian Contribution to Hellenistic Astrology." Journal of the American Oriental Society, 108 No. 1: 51-62. Accessed November 2, 2016.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/603245
Valens, Vettius. Anthology. Translated by Mark Riley. 162 CE. Accessed October 20, 2016.
https://www.csus.edu/indiv/r/rileymt/vettius valens entire.pdf.