The Minor Works of Marsilio Ficino

Since you strive to affirm that there are many angelic minds above the heavens like lights, and to understand their order both among themselves and toward the one God, the Father of Lights original: "Deum patrem luminum." A reference to James 1:17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.", why do you need to wander through long and winding investigations? Look up at the heavens, I pray, citizen of the heavenly homeland! The heavens were made by God in the most orderly fashion, and most visibly open, for the very purpose of clearly declaring this. Therefore, as you gaze upward, the celestial bodies immediately declare the glory of God through the very rays of the stars—as if by the glances and nods of their own eyes—and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands. A reference to Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." But the Sun, most of all, can represent God himself to you. The Sun will give you signs; who would dare to call the Sun a liar? original: "Solem quis dicere falsum audeat?" A quote from Virgil’s Georgics (Book I, 463), suggesting the sun is an infallible witness of truth. Thus, the "invisible things of God"—meaning the angelic powers—are perceived primarily through our understanding of the stars; yet through the Sun, his "eternal power and divinity" are also seen. This echoes Romans 1:20: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen... even his eternal power and Godhead."

The Sun, the Illuminator, Lord, and Governor of Celestial Bodies. Chapter III.

The Sun, as the manifest lord of the heavens, rules and governs all celestial things without exception. For now, I shall set aside the matter of its immense size—which is thought to be one hundred and sixty-six times that of the Earth. Ficino uses a common medieval astronomical measurement here. In modern terms, the Sun's volume is over 1.3 million times that of Earth, but ancient and Renaissance calculations differed significantly based on the work of astronomers like Alfraganus. To begin with, he instills light into all the stars, whether they possess a small amount of native light of their own (as some suspect), or none at all (as most believe). Furthermore, the Sun is said to be "living"—a term used by Ali Likely Haly Abenragel, an 11th-century Arab astrologer. and Abraham Likely Abraham Ibn Ezra, a 12th-century Jewish polymath and astrologer.—and this is evident in its effects, because the Sun provides life-giving energy through the twelve signs of the zodiac. Indeed, the Sun fills two signs on either side of itself with such power that among the Arabs these spaces are called the ductoria A Latinized term for the astrological "chariot" or "throne" of the sun, where planets gain strength. of the Sun—that is, the "royal throne." When planets are within this space, provided they avoid being "burnt up" In astrology, a planet is "combust" when it is too close to the Sun, which was thought to weaken its influence. Ficino suggests a specific proximity where they are instead empowered by the Sun's "miraculous virtue." by its fire, they possess a wondrous power. This is especially true if the "superior" planets The outer planets: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. within this interval rise before the Sun, while the "inferior" planets The inner planets: Mercury and Venus. rise after it. Again, that sign in which...