Franz Boll

Who was Franz Boll?

Franz Boll was a German scholar and contemporary of Cumont. He became Professor of Classical Philology at the University of Heidelberg.

He is known for his editorial and biographical work on Claudius Ptolemy. He also wrote on astrology. He is quoted as saying "Astrology wants to be religion and science at the same time; that marks its essence", and "Mankind measures time using the stars. Lay people, whose knowledge is based on belief, rather than science, say: "The course of the stars determines Time," and from this, religious people drifts the saying that "Heaven guides everything on Earth."

Boll is also known for his claim that the Book of Revelation includes an allegorical depiction of the changes of astrological ages from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius where instead of the end of the world, the Apocalypse is really the end of an aeon. He also wrote many astrological articles and with Gundel and Bezold produced one of the best introduction to the history of astrology.