The Place of the Sun in Medieval Arabo-Latin Astronomy: The Lucidator Dubitabilium Astronomiae (1303–10) of Peter De Padua

Swerdlow Noel , “The derivation and first draft of Copernicus's planetary theory: A translation of the Commentariolus with commentary”, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society , cxvii (1973), 423–512, pp. 445–50.

Saliba George , A history of Arabic astronomy planetary theories during the golden age of Islam (New York and London, 1994), 291.

Rosen Edward , “Regiomontanus”, Dictionary of scientific biography , xi, 348–52; idem, “Regiomontanus' Breviarium”, Mediaevalia et humanistica , xv (1963), 95–96; Johannis Regiomontani opera collectanea , ed. by Schmeidler Felix (Osnabrück, 1972).

Buridani Johannis , Quaestiones de caelo et mundo , ed. by Moody E. A. (Cambridge, Mass., 1942), 229; cf. also Nobis H. M. , “Würzeln der Copernicanischen Wende im Mittelalter”, in Nicolaus Copernicus: Revolutionär wieder Willen (Stuttgardt, 1994), 81–99.

In particular my study “Note sur la circulation en Italie du commentaire d'Albert de Saxe sur le ‘De caelo’”, in Itinéraires d'Albert de Saxe, Paris-Vienne au XIVe siècle , ed. by Biard J. (Paris, 1991), 235–51. On Blaise Pelacani of Parma see my monograph, Astrologia e scienza: La crisi dell'aristotelismo sul cadere del Trecento e Biagio Pelacani da Parma (Florence, 1979).

de Cusa Nicolas , De docta ignorantia , lib. II, capp. XI et XII: “Iam nobis manifestum est terram istam in veritate moveri, licet nobis hoc non appareat” (edition in Latin and German by Wilpert P. Senger Gerhard Hans (Hamburg, 1977), 92; Italian transl. by Vescovini Federici G. (Rome, 1992), 145–9).

I would refer to my critical edition of Peter of Abano, Trattati di astronomia (Lucidator dubitabilium astronomiae, De motu octavae sphaerae etc.) (2nd edn, Padua, 1992).

Oratio Iohannis de Monteregio habita Patavii in Praelectione Alfargani. Hac oratione compendiose declarantur scientiae mathematicae et utilitates earum (Nuremberg, 1537), first folios.

Ibid. .

Al-Battani sive Albatenii Opus astronomicorum latine versum , ed. by Nallino Alphonso Carlo (Milan, 1903–7); 2nd edn of the translation of Plato of Tivoli with the title De numeris stellarum et motibus, or Scientiae stellarum liber, with additions by Iohannis Regiomontanus (Bologna, 1645).

Alfarganus (Alfraganus, al-Farghanī), De scientia astrorum (XXX differentie) , in the translation of Gerard, ed. by Campani R. (Città di Castello, 1910); in the translation of Iohannis Hispalensis, ed. by Carmody Francis J. (California and Los Angeles, 1943).

“Ad latinos postremo venitur, qui munera huius disciplinae creberrima a praefatis nationibus suscepere. Nam ut multos omittam, Patavinus vester Petrus de Abano commemorandus est, cuius ingenium Gallia vehementer admirata est, eo enim concessit philosophiae discendae gratia. Praetereo eius in medicina, quod facile ex Conciliatore acumen suo dinoscitur, linguam Graecam docte tenuit, egregium disputatorem eum fuisse Lucidator astronomiae testis est, singularem De motu octavae sphaere imaginationem in libello quodam suo expressit.” Oratio Iohannis de Monteregio (ref. 8), first folios.

I would refer to my study, “Perspectives médiévales sur l'astronomie ancienne: L'astronomie arabe du IXe au XIIe siècle et le témoignage de Pierre de Padoue” in Actes du Colloque Perspectives arabes et médiévales sur la tradition scientifique et philosophique grecque (Paris, 1997), 173–87; on the Almagest and the Arabo-Latin tradition, cf. Kunitzsch P. , Der Almagest (Wiesbaden, 1974).

“Quoniam astrologice considerationis ambiguitates et discolie, propter ipsius grandem difficultatem, constant non minime, tum quidem ob eius prolixitatem, tum quia in ipsam pervenire non possumus nisi sensuum unico, puta visu in quo non parum inspicientes incaute circumvenerit fallacia instrumentorumque similiter errore, tum propter crebras, laboriosas ac sumptuosas observationes necessarias in illa, tumque propter raros inspictores eius, quorum etram plurimi, qui doctrinis philosophicos indocti sermones illustrissimi et precipue Ptholomei prave intellectos suscepere … visum siquidem mihi Petro Paduanensi editionem in ipsa contexere … quare Lucidatorem ipsarum eam malui appellare”. Peter of Abano, Lucidator dubitabilium astronomiae, Proemium , ed. by Vescovini (ref. 7), 105.

The reception of Copernicus' heliocentric theory , ed. by Dobrzycki Jerzy (Dordrecht, 1972).

d'Abano Pietro , Trattati di astronomia (ref. 7), differentia VI, “Quod sol supra lunam immediate situetur”, 309–4.

Geber (Yeber, Jābir ibn Aflah), De astronomia libri X (Nuremberg, n.d.), liber I, f. 1; liber VII, ff. 103–4, 105, 106. On Geber see Lorch R. P. , “The astronomy of Jābir ibn Aflah”, Centaurus , xix (1975), 92–98; xx (1976–77), 15–33.

Dreyer J. L. E. , A history of astronomy from Thales to Kepler (New York, 1953), 262.

I refer to Czartoryski P. , “The library of Copernicus”, Studia Copernicana , xvi (1978), 355–96, and to Jarzabowsky L. , Biblioteca Nikolaya Kopernicana (Torun, 1971).

“Statio solis in medio est magis similis cum re naturali (Lucidator, VI, p. 320). Itidem sol se habet ad tres planetas inferiores ut octava spera ad superiores. Hec enim solum proportionatur motibus et universaliter actione; sed ea superior est primis tribus, quare illa que solis [superior est] inferioribus tribus.” Peter of Abano, Lucidator (ref. 7), differentia VI, propter tertium, 320–2. Further, “Amplius quod colligit et ad se reducitur, ordinans motus ceterorum planetarum, debet medium inter ea obtinere ut id elegantius adimpletur. Is quidem est sol…. Sol igitur, tamquam rex in medio regni, obtinebit intermedium planetarum cum et rei naturali sit conveniens quam plurimum” ( ibid. 323).

Schiaparelli L. , “Scritti sulla storia dell'astronomia antica [parte prima]”, Scritti editi (Bologna, 1925), ii, 95–112.

Schmeidler F. , “450 Jahre heliozentrische Lehre des Nicolaus Copernicus”, Nicolaus Copernicus (ref. 4), 117–27, and Dobrzycki (ed.), op. cit. (ref. 15).