Speculum Astronomiae

It came to a head with the Condemnations of 1277 at the University of Paris, with Bishop Stephen Tempier's list of 219 propositions that were forbidden to be believed, or indeed even to be discussed (Bianchi, 1999).

Bishop Tempier and his allies were concerned that much of the Aristotelian knowledge being integrated into European universities represented a challenge to Christianity.

As this influence is passed from the stars to each one of the planets and then on to the Earth and its creatures, it picks up accretions that were not part of God's original intent (Hendrix, 2007).

Furthermore, the celestial bodies through their corporeal nature caused this flow of influence, which is perceived as visible light, to function as a bodily, rather than a spiritual, force (Hendrix, 2007).

The Speculum became central to the debate about astrology in the medieval, Renaissance, and early-modern periods, with its status as a source not declining until the early seventeenth century (Hendrix, 2007).