![]() ![]() Ptolemy here claims that a planet’s masculine or feminine gender determines its sect membership, with masculine planets falling under the diurnal sect and feminine the nocturnal. Thus they assigned Saturn, which is cold, to the warmth of day, and Mars, which is dry, to the moisture of night, for in this way each of them – attains good proportion through admixture and becomes a proper member of its sect, which provides moderation.” They also assigned to each of the sects the two destructive stars, not however in this instance on the principle of similar natures, but of just the opposite for when stars of the same kind are joined with those of the good temperament their beneficial influence – is increased, but if dissimilar stars are associated with the destructive Ones the greatest part of their injurious power is broken. “Similarly, since of the two most obvious intervals of those which make up time, the day is more masculine because of its heat and active force, and night more feminine because of its moisture and its gift of rest, the tradition has consequently been handed down that the moon and Venus are nocturnal, the sun and Jupiter diurnal, and Mercury common as before, diurnal when it is a morning star and nocturnal as an evening star. He sets forth the distinction in the Tetrabiblos as follows: The Standard Accounts and Their ProblemsĪccording to Ptolemy, sect membership is determined by planetary gender, which is itself reducible to the qualities of hot, cold, moist, and dry. And, finally, in section four, I explain why Mercury is said to be common between sects.ġ. In section three, I apply this model to the diurnal and nocturnal sects, showing how it explains the key definitions and significations of each of the planets. Then, in section two, I set forth a philosophical account of sect membership using the Platonic distinction between Being and Becoming and the Hegelian triad of the in-itself, for-itself, and in-and-for-itself. ![]() In section one, I examine the standard accounts of sect membership and point out some serious problems with them. The argument of the paper proceeds as follows. In the process I develop a theory of sect that can explain (i) what the fundamental distinction between diurnal and nocturnal consists in (ii) what makes a planet a benefic, malefic, or sect-light and why sects should be triadically organized in this manner, (iii) why each of the planets belongs to the sect that it does and why Mercury is said to be common, and (iv) why each of the planets possesses the diverse significations attributed to it in the Hellenistic tradition. In this paper, I articulate a modified Porphyrian account of the philosophical grounds of sect capable of overcoming the problems facing standard accounts. Yet, both of these accounts are underdeveloped and face significant philosophical problems. Porphyry, in contrast, grounds it in the motion of planets and how frequently they are overpowered by the sun’s beams. Ptolemy grounds sect membership in the gender of planets, and, ultimately in their powers of heating, cooling, moistening, and drying. Indeed, only Ptolemy and Porphyry, two philosophers, attempt to furnish a justification for the distinction. Valens, Paulus, Hephaistio, and Rhetorius, for example, simply set forth the distinction without providing any reason to adopt it. ![]() Yet, though astrologers agree that this distinction is essential, they are unclear both about what it amounts to and why planets should be grouped in this way rather than another. And Mercury, as expected, plays an ambiguous role, sometimes joining one sect and sometimes another. The other, the nocturnal, is led by the Moon and contains Venus and Mars respectively as its benefic and malefic. One group, the diurnal, is led by the Sun and contains Jupiter as a benefic and Saturn as a malefic. Sect (αἵρεσις) is a crucial concept in Hellenistic astrology, forging a fundamental contrast between two groups of planets.
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