What Is The Origin Of Astrology And Astronomy?

Astrology, a form of divination that interprets the influence of stars and planets on earthly affairs and human destinies, originated in Mesopotamia around the 3rd millennium BC. It was initially inseparable from astronomy, with a geocentric universe where planets revolved in orbits near Earth’s center. By the Middle Ages, astrology became a fundamental part of culture, practiced by doctors, astronomers, and mathematicians. India and China developed their own versions of the practice.

For centuries, astrology was considered the same thing as astronomy, with mathematical astronomy largely developed to increase astrology’s predictive capabilities. The earliest evidence of the development of astronomy and astrology establish that they are distinct representatives of science and pseudo-science, respectively. The practice of horoscopes originated in ancient Mesopotamia, specifically Babylonia, around the 2nd millennium BCE. The association of qualities and elements with the planets and signs of the zodiac formed the basis of Western astronomy and astrology.

Astrology and astronomy were archaically treated together (astrologia) but gradually distinguished through the Late Middle Ages. Contemporary astrology has its roots in a long tradition of sky-watching that began in Mesopotamia in the middle of the third millennium BC. Astronomical observation begins with the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, where prominent constellations are formed. The zodiac symbols and names that we use today originated with the ancient Greeks, who also invented the science of astronomy from astrology.

What religion started astrology?

Astrology has been a significant cultural tradition for centuries, with various cultures including the Indians, Chinese, and Maya developing elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations. The Old Babylonian period of Mesopotamia saw the practice of astrology, with Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa being one of the earliest known Hindu texts on astronomy and astrology. Chinese astrology was elaborated in the Zhou dynasty, and Hellenistic astrology after 332 BCE mixed Babylonian astrology with Egyptian Decanic astrology in Alexandria. Alexander the Great’s conquest of Asia allowed astrology to spread to Ancient Greece and Rome, where it was associated with “Challean wisdom”.

After the conquest of Alexandria in the 7th century, astrology was taken up by Islamic scholars, and Hellenistic texts were translated into Arabic and Persian. In the 12th century, Arabic texts were imported to Europe and translated into Latin. Major astronomers like Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo practiced as court astrologers. Astrological references also appear in literature, with poets like Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer and playwrights like Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.

Astrology was considered a scholarly tradition, accepted in political and academic contexts, and connected with other studies such as astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine. However, new scientific concepts in astronomy and physics called astrology into question, leading to its decline in academic and theoretical standing.

Is astrology older than astronomy?

Astronomy and astrology are ancient Greek words with roots in disaster, meaning “star”. Astronomy is the study of objects and matter outside the Earth’s atmosphere, while astrology is the divination of the supposed influences of stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events. Astrology is related to astrologaster, a term that was once a derogatory term for someone who purported to study the stars. In modern use, the two words have different meanings, but for hundreds of years, they were synonymous.

The word “supposed” in astrology indicates that astrologers’ claims are widely viewed as unscientific and serves as a placeholder for the screams of anguish from science teachers when students confuse astronomy and astrology.

What does Islam say about astrology?

The earliest Islamic stance against astrology can be traced back to individuals such as Abd al-Jabbar and Abu Ma’shar al-Balkhi, who sought to justify the causal influence of celestial beings on terrestrial life forms. Historical texts like Kitab al-Daraj provide evidence of the presence of astrology in early Islam. However, even before these individuals, historians and theologians like Al Hashimi sought to justify the role of astrology in influencing Islamic adherents’ religion.

Al Hashimi, through philosophers like Masha Allah, explored the possibility of the influence of stars on one’s morality and religion in general. He cited Masha Allah’s idea that the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s birth was a result of a coming together of celestial objects, essentially pointing to the inherent birth of Muhammad as a result of astrological events. Both Masha Allah and Al Hashimi draw upon similarities but draw upon their inherent stance in pointing to the planets, stars, and other celestial beings as the primary means by which divine rule is exercised, i. e., how God emanates control over all life forms.

Early Muslims relied on the sun and moon to determine important things such as the direction of Mecca, fasting times for Ramadan, and the beginning and end of each month. They used astrology and the position of the planets to predict the health and well-being of individuals, with eclipses in Libra, Aquarius, or Gemini being predictions of worldwide plagues, and comets or shooting stars being predictions of famine and sickness.

Many interpretations of the Quran point to astrology as that which goes against the fundamental principles preached by the Islamic religious tradition. Astrology ultimately points to the role of celestial beings in influencing terrestrial life and the everyday lives of individuals, ultimately hindering their destiny. Various excerpts from the Quran are interpreted to disprove this theory, with the Quran in Surah Al-Jinn suggesting that any such presence of extraterrestrial influence on mankind is not plausible and is therefore haram (forbidden) in Islam.

The Hadith, a reference to the instructions and practices of Muhammad, encourages adherents of the Islamic faith to embody the concept of astrology. Muhammad made various claims regarding the legality/illegality of astrology with regards to the Islamic religious tradition, such as the belief that rain is a bounty bestowed only by Allah (God). The Hadith makes specific mention to the stars, suggesting that those who suggest rain originates as a result of a star are a disbeliever in Me (Allah).

This works to fundamentally embody the concept of astrology and the consequent belief in the idea that celestial beings have an influence on anything other than what enshrined in the Quran and Hadith as shirk (blasphemy), leading one to leave the fold of the religion.

What is the root of astronomy?

Astronomy, derived from the Greek words for “star” and “law” or “culture”, is the study of celestial objects and their physical and chemical properties. It is not to be confused with astrology, which claims that human affairs are correlated with celestial objects’ positions. Astronomy and astrophysics are synonyms, but they are distinct fields. Astronomy refers to the study of objects and matter outside the Earth’s atmosphere, while astrophysics deals with the behavior, physical properties, and dynamic processes of celestial objects and phenomena.

Modern astronomical research often deals with subjects related to physics, making it possible to call modern astronomy astrophysics. Some fields, like astrometry, are purely astronomy. Various departments in which scientists conduct research on this subject may use “astronomy” and “astrophysics”, depending on whether the department is historically affiliated with a physics department. Many professional astronomers have physics degrees.

In early historic times, astronomy focused on the observation and predictions of visible objects’ motions. Early cultures assembled massive artifacts with astronomical purposes, which could be used to determine seasons, plant crops, and understand the length of the year. Leading scientific journals in this field include The Astronomical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal, and Astronomy and Astrophysics.

What is the difference between astronomy and astrology?

Astronomy is a branch of science that studies celestial objects outside Earth’s atmosphere, while astrology uses the positions of celestial objects to explain or predict human behavior. Both terms are often confused, but only one refers to a recognized branch of science. Astronomy studies the stars and celestial bodies, while astrology uses the positions of celestial objects to explain or predict human behavior. Astronomy and astrology have evolved over time, with astronomy focusing on celestial bodies and astrology on the stars.

What does the Bible say about astrology?

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus asserts that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. This contradicts biblical wisdom, as chasing after false gods is a sin. There is no biblical evidence that God has given authority to stars or astrologists. Pursuing predictions about our destiny or personality is biblically sinful, as it takes power from God and gives it to something other than God. A horoscope cannot change what God has already ordained before we were even created.

Who created astrology signs?

The Babylonians had already divided the zodiac into 12 equal signs by 1500 BC, similar to constellation names like The Great Twins, The Lion, and The Scales. These signs were later incorporated into Greek divination by astronomer Ptolemy, author of the Tetrabiblos. The idea that the sun moved through these signs regularly during the year was codified by Ptolemy. The word “zodiac” comes from the Greek, meaning “sculpted animal figure”, and the order in which signs are usually listed comes from that period. The first day of spring started when the sun appeared in the constellation Aries, and everything was marked around the year’s cycle.

Is astronomy older than astrology?

Astronomy and astrology are ancient Greek words with roots in disaster, meaning “star”. Astronomy is the study of objects and matter outside the Earth’s atmosphere, while astrology is the divination of the supposed influences of stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events. Astrology is related to astrologaster, a term that was once a derogatory term for someone who purported to study the stars. In modern use, the two words have different meanings, but for hundreds of years, they were synonymous.

The word “supposed” in astrology indicates that astrologers’ claims are widely viewed as unscientific and serves as a placeholder for the screams of anguish from science teachers when students confuse astronomy and astrology.

What are the origins of astronomy and astrology?

Contemporary astrology has its roots in a long tradition of sky-watching, which began in Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC. Stars were considered divine messages and their movements were studied to predict natural events, which were useful for agricultural endeavors. It became the prerogative of religious orders, serving the aristocratic elite to determine the most propitious times for military campaigns or major construction projects. Later, Babylonian astrology, known as Chaldean astrology, gained popularity among the Greeks, discovered through Alexander the Great’s campaigns.

It became more personal as astrologers used the position of stars to establish horoscopes that predicted the character and destiny of individuals. Astronomy and astrology were deeply linked at the time, with astrology being of little use without astrological predictions, and astrology could not exist without the observations and calculations made by astronomers.

Where is the origin of astronomy?

The earliest sophisticated astronomy emerged in ancient Babylonia, central Mesopotamia, due to three reasons. First, astronomy had an important social function in Babylonia, as gods sent signs from heaven to warn the king about impending war, bad barley harvest, or epidemics. In the early 2nd millennium BCE, the pattern of taking celestial omens was already established, long before the rise of personal astrology.

Secondly, there was a civil service in Babylonia, with temple scribes, often priests, watching the sky every night to keep track of events and recording their observations. In Mesopotamia, there was a stable technology for recording data, the clay tablet, which was practically indestructible and had a secure place for storage (temples). These circumstances were missing in the early Greek world.

By the 7th century BCE, astronomical diaries were in existence, recording the results of night-by-night watching by temple astronomers. These observations were not very precise, but they were more important for having a long run of observations than precise ones.

Within a few generations, Babylonian astronomers achieved the ability to predict the behavior of the Moon and the planets. This discovery led to the Babylonian goal-year texts, which allowed for the prediction of the planets’ behavior for the year 2025. By looking back in the records, one could find what Venus had done in 2017 (8 years earlier), Mars had done in 1978 (47 years earlier), and so on. Thus, the first predictive planetary astronomy was achieved with a good database by making use of repeating patterns.

Who came up with the concept of astrology?

The Babylonians viewed stars and celestial phenomena as divine signs, with the position of planets at birth revealing something about a child. Astrology serves to decipher and understand these divine messages. Horoscopy, a Babylonian astral science, spread throughout the ancient world, into the Roman Empire, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Its persistence is attributed to the human desire to find out about one’s future. The abstract system of numbers and constellations is convincing and can be translated easily, regardless of language, history, or script.

Researchers are just getting a good start in studying ancient Babylonian signs, with the Institute for the History of Knowledge in the Ancient World, directed by Professor J. Cale Johnson, stating that the answer lies in the stars.