Skyscript Astrology Forum

Thank you Levente,

Your impressive knowledge and insights always help to raise the bar here on Skyscript.

Glad to hear from you again.

Mark

Mark wrote:Thank you Levente,

Your impressive knowledge and insights always help to raise the bar here on Skyscript.

Glad to hear from you again.

Mark

Agreed on all 3 counts! Also, when are you getting around to putting out a book?

In any case Robert Schmidt's translation was only itself presented as provisional. What happened to the TARES new version we were promised as Project Hindsight subscribers?

Mark

This discussion generated from the Gehrz translation has been very interesting. But, Mark, in reply to your question about TARES, all has been silent from the Schmidt arena for some time. I know Ellen and Robert were having serious financial problems, and Robert had been ill a while back. Perhaps someone who was closer to Robert and Ellen might be able to enlighten us.

Out of the 30 volumes promised to TARES subscribers, we've seen only one, Volume 2 in 2009. I see no possibility that we're going to be presented with 30 TARES volumes. In the meantime, other translators are stepping forward interpreting texts that Robert Schmidt planned for TARES.

Therese

There is a somewhat 'religious' YouTube video about this project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns41c4m9 ... re=related

(Towards the end there is some background as to ?academic? qualifications, if of interest).

The conversation here reminds me of a comment Ed made recently suggesting it may be a good idea for someone to put ME Jones writing into ''Modern English''.

If this happened would Jones ideas become more utilised today? Hard to say. A ?translation?, or paraphrase, would have a detrimental effect in relation to the reader?s capacity to think about the constructs co-creative cultural and cognitive basis.

If it was me I would keep the Valens text as authentic as possible and put footnotes in to enable the averagely interested reader to more easily enter, if not empathise, with his culture and cognition. For example, a slave can be imagined as someone who works for the minimum wage at Mc Donald?s.


It would be interesting to find out more about the authors motivations with this project.

Therese wrote:

Out of the 30 volumes promised to TARES subscribers, we've seen only one, Volume 2 in 2009. I see no possibility that we're going to be presented with 30 TARES volumes. In the meantime, other translators are stepping forward interpreting texts that Robert Schmidt planned for TARES

The PH site now seems to be promoting a 12 part CD course on natal astrology. This was originally supposed to be a book. I am very disappointed Robert Schmidt seems to favouring this medium. I am sure it will be very interesting but it is quite different from something that can be properly analysed and reviewed like a book. I think information in written form is much easier to assimilate and absorb.

As for TARES I am as sceptical as you about this project ever being finished. At the current rate of progress ie one book in 2 1/2 years it would take 75 years for the project to be completed! Moreover, as you point out other people are bringing out their own translations. Rather than promise the earth ie the entire corpus of hellenistic astrology I think it would be more practical to just focus on one text at a time.

In particular, it would be good to have a properly published editions of the Anthology and/or Tetrabiblos by Schmidt.

In the case of Valens in particular it seems rather odd that we are still relying on provisional translations produced nearly 15 years ago. The PH booklets that comprise the Anthology are now too expensive for the vast majority of people to purchase together. We are talking $400 even before p&p. So a new edition of the Anthology in book form seems crucial and somewhat urgent. The Riley edition while very welcome is clearly never going to be definitive. And some problems with the Gehrz translation have already been highlighted here. Similarly, Schmidt should also offer a complete translation of Tetrabiblos in book form. The other big gap in the corpus currently available is Hephaistio of Thebes and especially book III on Katarchic astrology.

Well that is my wish list. Whether it coincides with PH translation plans is another issue. I will contact PH to see what is happening.

Mark

Hi Mark and Gabe,

I have been quite impolite as I haven't said thanks for your warm words. Anyway, I don't think it would be a good idea to write a book about astrological bits that interest rather few people. I'm thinking about launching a blog where I could serve the common good but I must postpone it until some project has been finished.

Levente