Astral Magic and Specific Properties (<span class='italic'>Segullot</span>) in Medieval Jewish Thought

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511976575.020

16 - Astral Magic and Specific Properties (Segullot) in Medieval Jewish Thought

Non-Aristotelian Science and Theology

from Part II - Individual Sciences as Studied and Practiced by Medieval Jews

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Dov Schwartz

Edited by

Gad Freudenthal

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Dov Schwartz: Affiliation:
Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan

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Summary

Two basic paradigms dominated medieval science. The Aristotelian tradition sought to explain the behavior of substances in the sublunar world solely on the basis of their four elementary qualities (hot, cold, dry, and wet) and the theory of natural places. As Aristotle saw it, there was only one external influence on the material world that was necessary to explain the changes that took place within it: It derived from the sun's changing position with respect to the earth as a result of its motion in its annual orbit. Generation after generation of Aristotelian philosophers subscribed to this framework of scientific ideas.

However, Aristotelian tradition was opposed by other traditions that posited the reality of various kinds of natural powers, such as the influences of the stars on matter and human beings, various magical powers, and the like. These non-Aristotelian traditions concentrated their attention on phenomena (both real and imagined) that could not be attributed to the qualities of matter; in that sense they were supernatural. There was little or no communication between these traditions and the Aristotelian, for the Aristotelians denied the very reality of the powers that were at the core of the non-Aristotelian explanatory schemes.

Type: Chapter
Information: Science in Medieval Jewish Cultures , pp. 301 - 319

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511976575.020 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2012

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