The First Jewish Astronomers
Lunar Theory and Reconstruction of a Dead Sea Scroll
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14670911 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eshbal Ratzon (0000-0001-9960-2615, University of Haifa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 113-139 |
| Publication date | 2017-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science in Context (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0269-8897 • E-ISSN: 1474-0664 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0269889717000114 |
| PMID | 28699573 |
| OpenAlex | W2734875870 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 15 |
Argument The Astronomical Book of Enoch describes the passage of the moon through the gates of heaven, which stand at the edges of the earth. In doing so, the book describes the position of the rising and setting of the moon on the horizon. Otto Neugebauer, the historian of ancient science, suggested using the detailed tables found in later Ethiopic texts in order to reconstruct the path of the moon through the gates. This paper offers a new examination of earlier versions of the Astronomical Book, using a mathematical analysis of the figures and astronomical theories presented throughout the Aramaic Astronomical Book; the results fit both the data preserved in the scrolls and the mathematical approach and religious ideology of the scroll's authors better than the details found in the late Ethiopic texts. Among other new insights, this alternate theory also teaches about the process of the composition of the Astronomical Book in the first centuries of its composition
Archaeology · Art · Astronomy · Dead Sea Scrolls · Heaven · Horizon · Ideology · Literature · Physics · Scroll · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Historical Astronomy and Related Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Law · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2025 (7) |
| Highly cited | No |