the stars might be thought to be productive of certain things that happen to man, (for let the discussion now investigate this;) the configuration which came into being today, so to speak, regarding this person, cannot be conceived to have produced the past events of another, or of others. For everything that produces is older than what is produced. But as far as the teachings of those who profess such things go, 12.72 things concerning men are thought to be foretold which are older than the configuration. For they profess, having taken the hour of this man in a certain way, to apprehend how each of the wandering stars is positioned perpendicularly, or in this degree of the zodiac, or in its minutes, and which zodiacal star happened to be on the eastern horizon, and which on the western, and which at the midheaven, and which at the anti-midheaven. And when they have set the stars, which they believe to have been configured for them, having been thus configured at the time of such-and-such a person's birth, at the time of the birth of the one they are investigating, they examine not only future events, but also past events, and those which happened before the birth and conception of the person in question, concerning the father, what sort of man he happens to be, rich or poor, whole in body or maimed, better or worse in character, possessing little or much; having this or that occupation; and the same things also concerning the mother, and concerning older brothers, if there happen to be any. But for the present let us grant that they apprehend true things on this subject, concerning which we will also show later that it is not so; let us then ask those who suppose that the affairs of men are compelled by the stars, in what way today's configuration of such a kind can have produced older things. For if this is impossible, since indeed it is found that what is said about things older in time is not true, it is clear that the stars, moving thus in heaven, did not produce the past events that happened before they were so disposed. But if this is so, perhaps the one who grants that they speak the truth, having paid attention to what is said about future events, will say that they speak the truth not because the stars produce things, but because they only signify them. But if someone should assert that the stars do not produce past events, but that other configurations have been the causes of the knowledge of them, and that the present configuration has only signified them; but that future events are revealed from the present configuration 12.73 of such-and-such a person's birth, let him set forth the difference, so as to be able to show from the stars that these things are understood as true as coming from producers, and these as from signifiers only; but since they are unable to give the difference, they will sensibly agree that none of the things concerning men come from the stars, but, as we have said before, if anything, they are signified, as if someone were to apprehend past and future events not from the stars, but from the mind of God, through some prophetic word. For just as we have shown before, that God's knowing what will be done by each person does not harm the doctrine of free will, so also the signs, which God appointed to signify, do not hinder free will; but similarly to a book containing future events prophetically, the whole heaven is able, being as it were a book of God, to contain future events. Wherefore in the Prayer of Joseph the saying of Jacob can be understood thus: 'For I have read in the tablets of heaven whatsoever shall befall you and your sons.' And perhaps also the saying, 'The heaven shall be rolled up as a scroll,' indicates that the words contained therein, which signify future events, will be completed and, so to speak, fulfilled, just as prophecies are said to have been fulfilled by having come to pass. And thus the stars will have been made for signs, according to the voice that says: 'Let them be for signs.' But Jeremiah, turning us back to ourselves, and taking away the fear of the things that are thought to be signified, and perhaps are also supposed to come from thence, says:

τῶν ἀστέρων ποιητικὸς νομίζοιτο τῶν δέ τινων τῶν γινομένων περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, (ἔστω γὰρ περὶ τούτου νῦν ζητεῖσθαι τὸν λόγον·) οὐκ ἂν ὁ σήμερον, φέρε εἰπεῖν, γενόμενος σχηματισμὸς περὶ τόνδε δύναται νοεῖσθαι πεποιηκέναι τὰ παρεληλυ θότα περὶ ἕτερον ἢ καὶ περὶ ἑτέρους. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ποιοῦν πρεσβύτερον τοῦ πεποιημένου. Ὅσον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς μαθήμασι τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπαγγελλομένων 12.72 πρεσβύτερα τοῦ σχηματισμοῦ προλέγεσθαι νομίζεται τὰ περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Ἐπαγγέλλονται γὰρ, τόνδε τινὰ τρόπον τὴν ὥραν λαβόντες τοῦδε τοῦ ἀν θρώπου, καταλαμβάνειν πῶς ἕκαστος τῶν πλανω μένων κατὰ κάθετον, ἢ τῆσδε τῆς μοίρας τοῦ ζωδίου, ἢ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ λεπτῶν, καὶ ποῖος ἀστὴρ ζω διακοῦ, κατὰ τοῦ ἀνατολικοῦ ἐτύγχανεν ὁρίζον τος, ποῖός τε κατὰ τοῦ δυτικοῦ, καὶ τίς κατὰ τοῦ μεσουρανήματος, καὶ τίς κατὰ τοῦ ἀντιμεσουρανή ματος. Καὶ ἐπὰν θῶσι τοὺς ἀστέρας, οὓς νομίζουσιν ἑαυτοῖς ἐσχηματικέναι, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τοῦ δεῖ νος γενέσεως ἐσχηματισμένους οὑτωσὶ, τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς ἀποτέξεως τοῦ περὶ οὗ σκοποῦσιν, οὐ μόνον τὰ μέλλοντα ἐξετάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ παρεληλυθότα, καὶ τὰ πρὸ τῆς γενέσεως καὶ τῆς σπορᾶς τοῦ περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος γεγενημένου, περὶ πατρὸς ποταπὸς ὢν τυγχάνει, πλούσιος ἢ πένης, ὁλόκληρος τὸ σῶμα ἢ σεσινωμένος, τὸ ἦθος βελτίων ἢ χείρων, ἀκτήμων ἢ πολυκτήμων· τήνδε τὴν πρᾶξιν ἢ τήνδε ἔχων· τὰ δ' αὐτὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς μητρὸς, καὶ περὶ πρεσβυτέρων ἀδελφῶν, ἐὰν τύχωσιν ὄντες. Ἔστω δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος προσίεσθαι αὐτοὺς καταλαμβάνειν τὰ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἀληθῆ, περὶ οὗ καὶ αὐτοῦ ὕστερον δείξομεν, ὅτι οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει· πευσώμεθα τοίνυν τῶν ὑπολαμ βανόντων κατηναγκάσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἄστρων τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγματα, τίνα τρόπον ὁ σήμερον σχη ματισμὸς ὁ τοιόσδε δύναται πεποιηκέναι τὰ πρεσβύ τερα. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀμήχανον καθ' ὃ δὴ ὅτι εὑ ρίσκεται τὸ περὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ χρόνου μὴ ἀληθὲς, σαφὲς τὸ μὴ πεποιηκέναι τοὺς ἀστέρας οὑ τωσὶ κινουμένους ἐν οὐρανῷ τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ γενόμενα, πρὸ τοῦ οὕτως ἔχειν αὐτούς. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, τάχα ὁ προσιέμενος ἀληθεύειν αὐτοὺς, ἐπιστήσας τοῖς περὶ τῶν μελλόντων λεγομένοις, ἐρεῖ ἀληθεύειν αὐτοὺς οὐ τῷ ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἀλλὰ τῷ σημαίνειν μόνον. Ἐὰν δέ τις φάσκῃ τὰ μὲν παρεληλυθότα μὴ ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἀλλὰ ἄλλους μὲν σχηματισμοὺς τοὺς τῆς ἐκείνων γνώσεως αἰτίους γεγονέναι· τὸν δὲ νῦν σχηματισμὸν σεσημαγκέναι μόνον· τὰ μέντοι μέλ λοντα δηλοῦσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνεστηκότος σχηματισμοῦ 12.73 τῆς τοῦ δεῖνος γενέσεως, παραστησάτω τὴν διαφορὰν, τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων δύνασθαι δεῖξαι, ὅτι τάδε μὲν νενόηται ἀληθῆ ὡς ἀπὸ ποιούντων, τάδε δὲ ὡς ἀπὸ ση μαινόντων μόνον· μὴ ἔχοντες δὲ δοῦναι τὴν διαφορὰν, εὐγνωμόνως συγκαταθήσονται, μηδὲν τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων γίνεσθαι, ἀλλ', ὡς προειρήκαμεν, εἰ ἄρα σημαίνεσθαι, ὡς εἰ μὴ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων τις ἐλάμβανε τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, διά τινος λόγου προφητικοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ προαπεδείξαμεν, ὅτι οὐδὲν λυπεῖ τὸν περὶ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν λόγον τὸ τὸν Θεὸν εἰδέναι τὰ πραχθησόμενα ἑκάστῳ, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὰ σημεῖα, ἃ ἔταξεν ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸ σημαίνειν, ἐμποδίζει τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν· ἀλλὰ παραπλησίως βιβλίῳ περιέχοντι τὰ μέλλοντα προφητικῶς ὁ πᾶς οὐρανὸς δύναται, οἱονεὶ βίβλος ὢν Θεοῦ, περιέχειν τὰ μέλλοντα. ∆ιόπερ ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ δύναται οὕτω νοεῖσθαι τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰακώβ· «Ἀνέγνων γὰρ ἐν ταῖς πλαξὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅσα συμβήσεται ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς ὑμῶν.» Τάχα δὲ καὶ τὸ, «Εἱλιγήσεται ὁ οὐρανὸς ὡς βιβλίον,» τοὺς λόγους τοὺς περιεχομέ νους, σημαντικοὺς τῶν ἐσομένων, δηλοῖ ἀπαρτισθη σομένους, καὶ ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, πληρωθησομένους, ὥσπερ λέγονται αἱ προφητεῖαι πεπληρῶσθαι τῷ ἐκ βεβηκέναι. Καὶ οὕτως ἔσται εἰς σημεῖα τὰ ἄστρα γεγονότα, κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν φωνήν· «Ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα.» Ὁ δὲ Ἱερεμίας, ἐπιστρέφων ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ περιαιρῶν φόβον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς νο μιζομένοις σημαίνεσθαι, τάχα δὲ καὶ ὑπολαμβανο μένοις ἐκεῖθεν ἔρχεσθαι, φησίν·