Zodiac Calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Reception
Author | : Helen R. Jacobus |
Publisher | : BRILL |
Total Pages | : 555 |
Release | : 2014-10-30 |
ISBN-10 | : 9789004284067 |
ISBN-13 | : 9004284060 |
Rating | : 4/5 (67 Downloads) |
Download or read book Zodiac Calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Reception written by Helen R. Jacobus and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2014-10-30 with total page 555 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ancient mathematical basis of the Aramaic calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls is analysed in this investigation. Helen R. Jacobus re-examines an Aramaic zodiac calendar with a thunder divination text (4Q318) and the calendar from the Aramaic Astronomical Book (4Q208 - 4Q209), all from Qumran. Jacobus demonstrates that 4Q318 is an ancestor of the Jewish calendar today and that it helps us to understand 4Q208 - 4Q209. She argues that these calendars were taught in antiquity as angelic knowledge described in 1 Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. The study also encompasses Babylonian, Hellenistic, Byzantine astronomy and astrology, and classical and Jewish writings. Finally, a medieval Hebrew zodiac calendar related to 4Q318 with an astrological text is published here for the first time.