From Textual Reception to Textual Codification: Thessalos and the Quest for Authenticity

Abstract

This article examines the content of the De Virtutibus Herbarum, an astrological herbal manual by Thessalos which displays the healing and marvelous properties of plants that correspond by means of sympatheia with the twelve zodiacal signs and the seven planets. In particular, the article aims to demonstrate two scholarly points: 1) the dependence of the treatise upon already formulated rhizotomic and astrological ‘encyclopedias’ through a comparative analysis of some intertextual examples derived from various authoritative writings; and 2) the departure of the manual’s preface from this existing tradition in order to highlight its textual authenticity.