John H Arnold wrote:
> Dear bill
> on the second part, about fortune telling, I can say that inquisitorial
> manuals in the thirteenth and early fourteenth century do specify that
> 'sortilege' is a sin/crime, and southern French synodal statutes also make
> this statement. But, as you say, this did not mean that it was not
> practiced...
Excellent. This means that it was practised (why do you ban what isn't
practised?). But sortilege is different from astrology.
> I think that the answer is therefore part of the wider
> question of how homogenous 'the Church' and its 'rules' were in the
> middle ages...
Quite right. In the period in question they were still trying to get the date of
Easter sorted out.
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