Notes on the Hebrew Names of the Planets, as Transmitted by Epiphanius of Salamis

Abstract

Abstract The article analyzes the names of the Hebrew planets, as transmitted by Epiphanius (4th century C.E.). The names for Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn are self-evident, but the names for Mars, Venus, and Mercury are more difficult to ascertain. The article engages in philological analysis in an effort to elucidate the underlying Hebrew forms of the terms written in Greek characters. Since these forms are not the ones used in rabbinic literature, the author further suggests that these terms may reflect a non-rabbinic stream of Judaism in late antiquity.