Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism

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The Astrolabe

An ancient instrument for solving problems of location and distance, as well as time

Astrolábon órganon is the word used in Ptolemaeus Syntaxis 5.1 to describe a form of armillary sphere consisting of both fixed and rotating rings for determining the ecliptic co-ordinates of stars. Also called astrolabe were two-dimensional representations of the celestial sphere: over fixed disks with a representation of the horizon of the earth (in each case for a specific geographic latitude) and its parallels up to the zenith lies a rotating representation of the heavens (called ‘spider’ or ‘net’) with zodiac and indicators for some of the brightest stars. On the back is an indicator (‘alidade’) with visor plates for calculating the height of the stars. The astrolabe allows its user to determine the hours of day and night, the positions of stars, and the height and depth of objects on earth (mountains, buildings, wells). The oldest extant descriptions of the flat, planispheric astrolabe come from Iohannes Philoponus, 6th century AD, and (in Syrian) from Severus Sebokht, c. 660 AD. Indirect references may date back as early as Theon (4th cent.). Between the 8th and the 9th centuries the Arabs appropriated the knowledge of the astrolabe. At the end of the 10th century and again in the 12th century, they passed it on to Western Europe, where astrolabes were constructed up until the 17th cent. Today, one Byzantine astrolabe (from 1062) is extant, as are some 750 Arabic-Islamic astrolabes and approximately the same number of European astrolabes.

This information is abstracted from Brill's New Pauly, the English edition of the authoritative Der Neue Pauly, Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. The encyclopaedic coverage and high academic standard of the work, the interdisciplinary and contemporary approach and clear and accessible presentation have made the New Pauly the unrivalled modern reference work for the ancient world. For more information see www.brillsnewpauly.com or visit our website catalog: www.brill.nl/bnp
Brill’s New Pauly and the complete original Der Neue Pauly, the recognized standard reference works for students and scholars of the ancient world are also available online. This dual-language edition offers basic and advanced search facilities and is fully browsable. New English translations are added as they become available. See www.paulyonline.brill.nl for more information and a demo version.

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Publications & Services> Reference Works> Reference work> Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism

Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism

Edited by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, in collaboration with Antoine Faivre, Roelof van den Broek and Jean-Pierre Brach

Dictionary, Encyclopedic Work

Available
Publication year: 2006


ISBN-13 (i)The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) has been changed from 10 to 13 digits on 1 January 2007:	978 90 04 15231 1
ISBN-10:	90 04 15231 8

Cover:	Hardback
Number of pages:	xxx, 1230 pp.

List price:	€ 130.00 / US$ 199.00

Table of contents

A selection of entries:
Alchemy; Amulets; Aristotelianism; Astrology; Bacon, Francis; Blake, William; Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna; Boehme, Jacob; Bogomilism; Catharism; Christian Theosophy; Comenius, Jan Amos; Clement of Alexandria; Cusa, Nicholas of; Dante Alighieri; Cryptography; Dionysius Areopagita, -Pseudo; Eriugena, Johannes Scottus; Ficino, Marsilio; Freemasonry; Gnosticism; Grail traditions; Hermes Trismegistus; Hermetic Literature; Illuminism; Intermediary Beings; Jewish Influences
Jung, Carl Gustav; Kabbalah; Magic; Manichaeism; Music; Mysticism; Neopaganism; Neoplatonism; New Age Movement; Newton, Isaac; Occult / Occultism; Paracelsus; Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni; Reincarnation; Rosicrucianism; Satanism; Scientology; Secrecy; Spiritualism; Steiner, Rudolf; Swedenborg, Emanuel; Tarot; Templars; Valentinus and Valentinians; Witchcraft (15th – 17th Centuries); Zoroaster

Reviews

'This superb dictionary should be an early stop for readers seeking basic, up-to-date, scholarly introductions to many aspects of Western religious eclecticism. There is no reference like it for its range and the objectivity of its coverage. Summing Up: Essential. All academic libraries serving upper-level undergraduates and above.'
S. Young, Choice, 2006
'The entries present balanced, neutral accounts of the topics and the major persons involved with them without simplification, distortion, or reductionism...scholars will be delighted to have such a treasure take its place next to the popular treatments of the field. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections.'
M.R. Pukkila, Choice, 2005.
'The Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism is a brilliantly conceived and skillfully executed reference tool unlike anything the scholarly world has ever seen. In two massive volumes it covers every aspect of pagan, Jewish, and Christian religious discourses and phenomena traditionally labeled gnosticism, hermeticism, astrology, magic, the 'occult sciences,' esoteric religion, and much more. The detailed and insightful articles, on nearly every related topic imaginable, are produced by an impressive array of renowned scholars, and usefully include up-to date bibliographies. Six years in the making, this is a work that every student of religion, ancient and modern, will certainly want to own.'
Bart D. Ehrman, James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
'The Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism is a must for any who would consider themselves a scholar of Esotericism, and should at the very least be in every academic library in the English-speaking world.'
J. Gordon Melton, Center for Studies on New Religions, 2005
'… this important new reference work should be consulted by all those engaged in research in the areas covered by the dictionary. The reach of this work is truly astounding. The Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism promises to be the pre-eminent reference work of its kind for many years to come.'
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Faith & Mission, 2005
'The Dictionary places gnosis and esotericism in its historical perspective – not only the breadth of the described phenomenon is surprising, but also the fact that the subjects are covered in such an objective fashion.'
NRC Handelsblad, 2005
'Brill has produced a work on esotericism that will become the standard reference work on the subject. Never before has such a complete overview of this obscure peripheral area of religion appeared.'
Leidsch Dagblad (Associated Press Services), 2005.

Readership

All those interested in the history of religion, intellectual history, art and culture in Western society from Antiquity to the present, as well as classicists, medievalists, historians, and theologians.

About the author(s)

Wouter J. Hanegraaff is Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He has published extensively on modern and contemporary Western esotericism, including a book devoted to the 15th-century Christian Hermetist Lodovico Lazzarelli and a monograph on the New Age movement.
Antoine Faivre is Professor Emeritus of History of Esoteric and Mystical Currents in Modern and Contemporary Europe at the 5th section of the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Sorbonne), Paris, France.
Roelof van den Broek is Professor Emeritus of History of Christianity at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jean-Pierre Brach is Professor of History of Esoteric Currents in Modern and Contemporary Europe at the 5th section of the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Sorbonne), Paris, France.

NOW AVAILABLE IN ONE VOLUME
This is the first comprehensive reference work to cover the entire domain of “Gnosis and Western Esotericism” from the period of Late Antiquity to the present. Containing around 400 articles by over 180 international specialists, it provides critical overviews discussing the nature and historical development of all its important currents and manifestations, from Gnosticism and Hermetism to Astrology, Alchemy and Magic, from the Hermetic Tradition of the Renaissance to Rosicrucianism and Christian Theosophy, and from Freemasonry and Illuminism to 19th-century Occultism and the contemporary New Age movement. Furthermore it contains articles about the life and work of all the major personalities in the history of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, discussing their ideas, significance, and historical influence.
The Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism was selected Choice Outstanding Academic Title in 2006.

This one volume edition is an unabridged version of the two volume edition published in 2005, for details click here

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