Rather than being an isolated, primitive body of knowledge the Jewish calendar tradition of 364 days constituted an integral part of the astronomical science of the ancient world. This tradition-attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in the Pseudepigrapha-stands out as a coherent, novel synthesis, representing the Jewish authors' apocalyptic worldview. The calendar is studied here both 'from within' - analyzing its textual manifestations - and 'from without' - via a comparison with ancient Mesopotamian astronomy. This analysis reveals that the calendrical realm constituted a significant case of inter-cultural borrowing, pertinent to similar such cases in ancient literature. Special attention is given to the "Book of Astronomy" (1 Enoch 72-82) and a variety of calendrical and liturgical texts from Qumran.
Author(s): Jonathan Ben-Dov
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 331
CONTENTS......Page 6
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 12
LIST OF FIGURES......Page 14
LIST OF TABLES......Page 16
ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES......Page 18
INTRODUCTION......Page 22
0.1 Calendars, Astronomy, and Cosmology......Page 23
0.2 Authorship, Tradition, and Rewriting......Page 28
0.3 Late Cuneiform Culture and the History of Science......Page 33
0.4 General Features of the 364-day Year......Page 36
0.4.1 Intercalation......Page 39
CHAPTER ONE: UNIFYING ELEMENTS OF THE 364-DAY CALENDAR TRADITION......Page 42
1.1 1 En 82:9–20 and the Hierarchic Division of Time......Page 43
1.2 Stars, Angels and Priests: The Hierarchic Division of the Year......Page 46
1.3 The Turn of the Seasons and the Cardinal Days of the Year......Page 52
1.3.1 The Book of Astronomy......Page 53
1.3.1.1 The 360-day Year......Page 55
1.3.1.2 The Cardinal Days: The Beginning or End of Every Season?......Page 59
1.3.2 The Aramaic Levi Document (ALD) and the Book of Jubilees......Page 61
1.3.3 The Serek Hymn 1QS X and Related Texts......Page 65
1.3.4 Calendrical Texts from Qumran......Page 68
1.3.5 11QPsa XXVII......Page 70
1.4 The Septenary Principle......Page 73
1.4.1 The Book of Astronomy......Page 74
1.4.2 Sabbaths and Festivals......Page 76
1.4.3 The Number Seven in Long-term Time Reckoning......Page 79
1.4.4 Counting of Weeks and of the Days of the Week inthe Book of Jubilees......Page 80
1.4.5 The Days of the Week in the Qumran Texts......Page 83
1.5 Conclusion......Page 88
2.1 The Problem of AB’s Composition and Literary Identity......Page 90
2.2 Lunar Theory in AB......Page 98
2.2.1 1 En 73:1–8......Page 103
Excursus: The Question of the “Additional” Half-Part......Page 7
2.2.2.1 Delimitation and Internal Structure......Page 110
2.2.2.2 Comments on 1 En 74:1–9......Page 112
2.2.3 A First Treatise on Lunar Theory: 73:1–74:17 and its Relation to the EMLV......Page 115
2.2.4 The Second Lunar Treatise, Part I: 1 En 78:1–9......Page 118
2.2.5.1 The Original Order of Chapters 78–82......Page 122
2.2.5.2 The Second Lunar Treatise, Part III: Comments on 1 En 78:10–14, 17......Page 128
2.2.5.3 The Second Lunar Treatise, Part IV: Comments on 1 En 78:15–16, 79:3–5......Page 129
2.2.6 Summary: Lunar Theory in AB......Page 131
2.3 Stars in AB......Page 134
2.4 Conclusion: AB’s Composition and Thematic Structure......Page 137
3.1 The Schematic Year......Page 140
3.2 The Moon in AB: Ideological Aspects and Lunar Theory......Page 143
3.3 A Triennial Cycle in 1 En 74:10–16?......Page 146
3.4 The Range of Time Covered in the EMLV......Page 150
3.5.1 The Absence of the Triennial Cycle from 4Q503 ‘papDaily Prayers’......Page 153
3.5.2 The Lunar Cycle in 4Q334 Ordo......Page 160
3.5.3.1 Notes on the Structure of 4Q317......Page 161
3.5.3.2 The Moon in 4Q317 and the EMLV: A Comparison......Page 165
3.5.3.3 4Q317 as a Sectarian Document......Page 166
3.5.4 The Triennial Cycle and Lunar Phenomena in Mišmarot Scrolls......Page 168
3.6 Theological Statements Concerning the Moon and its Orbit in the Early Stages of the 364DCT......Page 169
4.1 The Astronomical Teaching of Mul.Apin......Page 174
4.1.1 The “Water-Clock Formula”......Page 178
4.1.2 The First Intercalation Scheme......Page 181
4.1.3 The Second Intercalation Scheme and the 364DY......Page 182
4.1.4 The Shadow-length Table......Page 188
4.1.5 Lunar Visibility: Mul.Apin Section l and EAE 14......Page 190
Excursus: Additional Notes on EAE 14......Page 195
4.2 The Acceptance and Influence of Mul.Apin-type Astronomy......Page 197
4.2.1 Mul.Apin in Neo-Assyrian Letters and Reports......Page 198
4.2.2 Mul.Apin-type Astronomy Outside Mesopotamia......Page 201
4.3 AB and Mul.Apin-type Astronomy......Page 202
4.3.1 The 360-day Year, the 364-day Year, and the Triennial Cycle......Page 203
4.3.2 The Length of Daytime and Night Time......Page 204
4.3.3 The Gates/Paths of Heaven and the Annual Seasons......Page 205
Excursus: A Possible Source for the System of Twelve Gates......Page 206
4.3.4 Lunar Visibility......Page 210
4.3.5 The Stars......Page 213
4.4 Conclusion: AB and Mul.Apin-type Astronomy......Page 216
CHAPTER FIVE: LUNAR PHASES IN THE MIŠMAROT SCROLLS AND LATE BABYLONIAN ASTRONOMY......Page 218
5.1.1 4Q320......Page 219
5.1.1.1 Creation in 4Q319 and 4Q320......Page 221
5.1.2 4Q321 and 4Q321a......Page 228
5.2.1 General......Page 229
5.2.2 Dwq—A Morphological and Etymological Analysis......Page 236
5.2.3 The Mišmarot Lunar Texts and Other Lunar Texts from Qumran......Page 240
5.2.4 Earlier Attempts to Identify X and dwq......Page 243
5.3.1 Non-mathematical Astronomy of the Persian and Hellenistic Period......Page 248
5.3.2 The Lunar Three......Page 252
5.3.3 The Lunar Text BM 32327+......Page 253
5.3.4 The Lunar Three and the Qumran Lunar Data: Comparison and Implications......Page 257
5.3.5 Further Answers to the “dwq = full moon” Hypothesis......Page 260
5.3.6 The Order of X and dwq in 4Q321......Page 262
5.4 Conclusion......Page 264
6.1 Nature and Date of the Cultural Contact......Page 266
6.2 Mesopotamian Elements in the Enochic and Qumran Literature......Page 271
6.3 Aramaic Cultural Mediation......Page 280
6.4 Possible Contacts with Syrian Culture......Page 287
6.5 Cuneiform Culture, Babylonian Jewry, and the Transmission to Judaea......Page 291
6.6 Adoption or Adaptation: Babylonian Science in Qumran Calendars......Page 297
7.1 The Jewish 364-day Calendar Tradition......Page 300
7.2 The Composition of AB......Page 301
7.3 The Jewish Representation of MesopotamianAstronomy......Page 303
7.4 The Westwards Transmission of BabylonianAstronomy......Page 307
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 310
INDEX OF ANCIENT SOURCES......Page 330
INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS......Page 340
INDEX OF SUBJECTS......Page 346
