Astrology and Neopythagoreanism

   Neopythagoreanism is the philosophical religious trend of the 2nd half of the 1st century BC. - III century AD, which united the ethical and dogmatic principles of an ancient Pythagoreanism, Platonism and some elements of Stoicism and Aristotelianism. Paved the way for Neoplatonism. Neopythagoreanism attached independent significance to methods of mathematical symbolism again and leaned in the speculations on such concepts as one - many, monad - dyad, identity - distinction, even - odd, point - line - plane - body, etc. and also developed ideals of asceticism and cathartic in the field of ethics. Unlike Middle Platonism, Neopythagoreanism considered a first principle not mind (nous), but monad - dyad, according to statement of the Pythagorean doctrine at Alexander Polyhistor and Sextus Empiricus.
   In Neopythagoreanism the aspiration of the late antique person to antiquity mysticism in which it found for himself a support was reflected. Neopythagoreanism has not developed a single philosophical doctrine. A monistic picture of the world in the spirit of Stoicism coexisted with dualistic, peculiar to Platonism.Apparently, about superreal uniform, achievable in superclever ecstasy, it was talked at Ammonius Saccas, the teacher Plotinus. Clean moral life (up to an ascesis) serves, on representation of neopythagoreans, as guarantee of knowledge of the truth. In astrological and magic practice of Neopythagoreanism traces of east influences are notable. The wandering preachers of Neopythagoreanism had reputation of wonder-workers (Apollonius of Tyana). In further Neopythagoreanism stops being an independent current of philosophical thought though the Pythagoreanism complex (mathematics, ascetic, cathartic, the "divine" status of the teacher, founder of school, interpretation of the chosen circle of "sacred" texts) thanks to Neopythagoreanism is acquired by Neoplatonism.
   The philosophy of Neopythagoreanism played an important role in development of astrological concepts. Nigidius Figulus, one of the ancestors of Neopythagoreanism, combined religious and scientific interests, studied mathematics, natural sciences, astrology and magic much. One of bright representatives of Neopythagoreanism Thrasyllus of Mendes was an astrologer also.

Literature

Д.Куталев Новая астрологическая энциклопедия

Словарь античности

Философский энциклопедический словарь

История философии: Учебник для вузов / Под ред. В.В. Васильева, А.А. Кротова и Д.В. Бугая. - М.: Академический Проект: 2005

Websites

http://www.iep.utm.edu/astr-hel

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10745a.htm