The Cabala of Pegasus

by Giordano Bruno, Sidney L. Sondergard, Professor Sidney L. Sondergard (Translator)

Giordano Bruno’s Cabala del cavallo pegaseo ( The Cabala of Pegasus ) grew out of the great Italian philosopher’s experiences lecturing and debating at Oxford in early 1584. Having received a cold reception there because of his viewpoints, Bruno went on in the Cabala to attack the narrow-mindedness of the university--and by extension, all universities that resisted his advocacy of intellectual freethinking.

The Cabala of Pegasus consists of vernacular dialogues that turn on the identification of the noble Pegasus (the spirit of poetry) and the humble ass (the vehicle of divine revelation). In the interplay of these ideas, Bruno explores the nature of poetry, divine authority, secular learning, and Pythagorean metempsychosis, which had great influence on James Joyce and many other writers and artists from the Renaissance to the modern period.

This book, the first English translation of The Cabala of Pegasus, contains both the English and Italian versions as well as helpful annotations. It will have particular appeal to all Renaissance scholars and those interested in the Renaissance cabalistic underpinnings of modern literature.

Genres: Philosophy, Occult, Nonfiction, Religion

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1585

About the author

Giordano Bruno (1548 – February 17, 1600), born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer, who is best known as a proponent of the infinity of the universe. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in identifying the Sun as just one of an infinite number of independently moving heavenly bodies: he is the first European man to have conceptualized the universe as a continuum where the stars we see at night are identical in nature to the Sun. He was burned at the stake by authorities in 1600 after the Roman Inquisition found him guilty of heresy. After his death he gained considerable fame; in the 19th and early 20th centuries, commentators focusing on his astronomical beliefs regarded him as a martyr for free thought and modern scientific ideas. Recent assessments suggest that his ideas about the universe played a smaller role in his trial than his pantheist beliefs, which differed from the interpretations and scope of God held by Catholicism.[1][2] In addition to his cosmological writings, Bruno also wrote extensive works on the art of memory, a loosely organized group of mnemonic techniques and principles. More recent assessments, beginning with the pioneering work of Frances Yates, suggest that Bruno was deeply influenced by the astronomical facts of the universe inherited from Arab astrology, Neoplatonism and Renaissance Hermeticism.[3] Other recent studies of Bruno have focused on his qualitative approach to mathematics and his application of the spatial paradigms of geometry to language.[4]

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruno is a pretty interesting character for the Renaissance. He wrote this selection while in England (where he may have met Shakespeare) and it features a marvelous piece about an ass that tries to gain admission to a college. For all those interested in the original text, the Italian is there as well, and some pretty wry observations about the work by the editors (one of whom was a professor of Bill's).

[Alex Bigney · Rating 5 out of 5]

pretty dense read if you don't have an understanding of the time period and early humanist philosophy

[Peter J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of Bruno's best. You really have to work to follow some of his veiled critiques here, but it is worth the effort.

[Mateusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nolano's passionate choler inspired by muses hypophetically pursues a Socratic irony of the necessity to write down through his mind and Intellect what had to be written down. The Pythagorean ass confirms the universal migrations and metempsychosis. The art of original is in flames of splendor, translation splendid the introduction and appenda well informative. Instead of a robust review, I'll share my side-thought. Great insight into the world doesn't change your fates. Knowing how and why the enemy works doesn't prevent him from destroying us or turning into samelike wretches. Stillness of high nature despite Gigantomachy is gold, moderation in thought, action and speech is silver along with eloquence and restraint. Acquire only things, skills, knowledge, experience that you may handle in a grand confrontation. For all the great, excellent things may be turned against you. Beware of superficial speech, be profound and grave in decisions, may wisdom possessed be invested proportionally to your position in the worldly theater. A man who is able must distribute his virtue in proportion to his position, wealth, status, power, influence, fame or the lack of thereof, whether in good or bad fortune, duration is the mark of character. Low of status, he still moves the impressions of Gods if he has a mind of imperial command.

[TriOxygen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent text. Despite this being my first exposure to Bruno's work, the text makes a lot of intuitive sense.

In short, this text is a manual on how to start doing theurgy. Though potentially unclear to most readers due to its dialogue-like format, this is mostly just advice.

The archetype of the ass is very well described, and should one follow the philosophy of this text during prayer, it will reach closer to the heavens. Not only prayer, but this text will aid many other types of meditation too.

A beautiful work. It is not perfect, of course, but it is close. It reads like a hymn at times. It manages to get across a grace like few texts can. This is a text worth returning to.

[Gionysius · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Bruno. Nuff said. This dual language edition is excellent, I sincerely hope Bruno's entire opus will be published this way one day, because it is his use of (Italian Vernacular) language, after all, that makes Bruno the man that he is.

[Stefania · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se qualcuno si chiede perchè l'abbiano bruciato con questo scritto se ne fa una ragione.
Sarcarsmo eretico per quei tempi!
Di difficile lettura.

[Recensioni in tre parole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breve. Denso. Aspro.