Free Downloads Marsilio Ficino (Western Esoteric Masters)
Marsilio Ficino was one of the most influential humanist philosophers of the early Italian Renaissance. Though an ordained priest, he was also a practicing astrologer and magician whose daunting life’s work was to reconcile religious faith with philosophical reason — which included integrating pagan magical practice with Christianity. In a lengthy introduction, editor Angela Voss puts Ficino’s achievement in context as a complete re-visioning of traditional astrological practice and the beginning of a humanistic and psychological approach that prefigured contemporary holistic approaches to astrology as therapy.
Series: Western Esoteric Masters
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books (December 19, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1556435606
ISBN-13: 978-1556435607
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #354,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #36 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Modern Renaissance #54 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult & Paranormal > Hermetism & Rosicrucianism #75 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe > Italy
Marsilio Ficino is perhaps one of the most overlooked figures of the Italian Renaissance. I have long been interested in the relationship between Platonism and Christianity and just completed my MA dissertation on the topic. While I focused more on the early influence of Neoplatonism on Augustine of Hippo it was Ficino's work that first highlighted the importance of the relating Greek philosophy and the Christian religion. This volume focuses more on Ficino's astrological thought and contains his fascinating Book of the Sun which is a must read for anyone who wants to learn of the analogy of the sun and God. Ficino had to tread a fine line between the Church's suspicious attitude towards astrology and Platonism and his own passion for the topics, the passages that Voss chose offer a good insight into this dilemma. I completed a module with Dr. Voss at the University of Exeter and she is an expert on Ficinian astrology. A great read and a great introduction to this great man who deserves far more attention.
This book is a superb and portable volume of some of Ficino's main writings. It has various epistles, a good selection from De vita coelitus comparanda, and the entire Book of the Sun. Reasonably priced and highly readable, it is good for scholar and amateur alike, with a concise introduction by Angela Voss that itself is worth the price of the book. If you are interested in the course of human thought in European civilization, do yourself a favor. Buy this book.
There is a very good biographical introduction to Marisilio Ficino, his world, and contemporaries in this book. Anyone who studies the Renaissance, the history of Italy, and is even seeking some background into later European history absolutely needs to become familiar with and attempt to understand Ficino and his influences. It is a reasonably well balanced portrayal of Ficino's beliefs and his impact through his translations of Plato, the Neoplatonists, Hermes, etc. Obviously, it is Ficino as the older scholar who sets the ground for Pico's later syncretism which influences concepts of human dignity beyond their immediate sphere of influence in Italy and then later the Northern humanists. Great book!
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