Astronomical Book Research Articles

The extraordinary universe of Peter Apian: technical investigation of five copies of a 16th-century astronomical book

In 1540, in Ingolstadt, Germany, the influential astronomer and printer Peter Apian produced the Astronomicum Caesareum: a printed and hand-coloured astronomical book visualising the Ptolemaic universe through the use of diagrams and wheelcharts, worthy of his imperial patron, Charles V. About 130 copies have survived to this day, with varying degrees of paper quality and level of decoration, and only eleven volumes are considered deluxe copies. We thoroughly analysed one deluxe volume held at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and compared the results with four (one deluxe and three standard) other copies from institutions in the UK. A non-invasive analytical protocol was applied, including extensive microscopy, fibre-optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), X-ray spectroscopy (XRF), macroscale XRF (MA-XRF) and Raman spectroscopy. The most interesting pages were chosen based on art-historical evidence and the variety of the colour palette, including on volvelles (wheelcharts) and coats of arms. Following a systematic approach, we analysed the same pages in each volume, gathering information on the colour palette in all the volumes. The type of paper and the presence of watermarks were also documented. A wide range of materials was identified in the five copies, including red, purple and yellow organic dyes, lead white, verdigris, vermilion, azurite, indigo, smalt, and lead–tin yellow. Mosaic gold was used to embellish certain paint passages in the deluxe volumes and metals (gold and silver) were applied on some pages. The comprehensive findings were essential to identify specific traits related to Apian’s workshop, to differentiate deluxe from standard copies, to suggest an order of production of the copies, and to provide new information on this landmark book and more generally in an under-researched field of study.

AKURASI SISTEM PENENTUAN AWAL WAKTU SHALAT MENURUT KITAB FATHULLATHÎFRRAHÎM DENGAN SISTEM KONTEMPORER

The Book of Fathullathîfurrahîm authored by KH Abdul Muhaimain and written by KH Ahmad Gozali Asyiq who was his student. A book of astronomy was taught at the BANY SYAFI'I Islamic boarding school, located in Palas Bendungan, Cilogon District, Banten. The book is as reference for determining the start of prayer times without the help of modern tools such as scientific calculators.
 A scientific culture that is relatively rare in a information technology era but there is still a scientific discipline that is applied very manually. Even though it seems impractical, (of course it is not only seen from a pragmatic point of view), but is appreciated for its scientific value which is the basis for determining the initial digital prayer times which has become a general reference.
 As a form of scientific treasure, the existence of the book Fathullathîfurrahîm فتح اللطيف الرحيم should be appreciated. However, comparisons of the provisions based on the book with the technology-based prayer times should also be examined to find out the accuracy. The accuracy of the results will impact harmonization for those who follow the time schedule based on the book and those who use a technology-based prayer time schedule.
 This study used a qualitative method with an arithmetic approach using data collection techniques, library research and interviews. Primary data was obtained directly from the Bany Syafi'i Islamic boarding school with reference to the book Fathullathîfurrahîm, while secondary data included all documents in the form of books, books, writings, interview results, papers related to the research object. Analysis technique with inductive analysis, namely from specific facts then abstracted in the form of general conclusions. With descriptive analysis, then compared with other methods to get a systematic, factual, and accurate picture of the phenomenon being investigated. The results of the study show that the reckoning of calculating the start of the prayer time is done manually (not using any tools such as Rubu' Mujayyab) using only the rules from the book Fathullathîfurrahîm. As for the level of accuracy of the initial prayer times in the book with the initial calculation of the contemporary prayer time, the time difference is 0-2 minutes.

Иудейская литература периода Второго Храма как возможный источник для концепции Ефрема Сирина о боговдохновенном учителе-писце (на примере шестого гимна «О Распятии»)

In his 6th Hymn De crucifixione that is consecrated to the interpretation of three days problem of Jesus’ resurrection, the Syriac poet-theologian Ephrem the Syrian (4th c.) functions as a teacher of astronomical and calendric lore. The article focuses on the probable sources of the construction of Ephrem’s authority as a teacher in this hymn. The author demonstrates that the astronomical discourse in the Syriac hymn is constructed with the specific structural devices, e.g., the first-person discourse, the term “calculation” and metaphorically expressed with the image of the scribe. These elements have obvious parallels within the Jewish Aramaic texts of the Second Temple, e.g., “the Aramaic Astronomical Book” and “the Document of Levi”. Like in Ephrem’s Hymn De crucifixione, in these texts are used the astronomical and other arithmetical calculations. The Jewish scribes who composed these works, transformed the old Babylonian mathematical lore into new narrative forms. In the course of this, these real scribes used fictive authority of the biblical figures associated with writing, e.g., Moses, David, Enoch, Noah and others. The author gives heed to the similar use of these biblical figures in Ephrem’s hymns and draws a conclusion about the self-definition by Ephrem as the scribe who is inspired by God and obtain a capability to interpretate God’s “secrets”. As a result, Ephrem “blends” the Christological typological interpretation of the “secret” or “symbol” with ancient Jewish and Mesopotamian connotations. Hence, in his sixth Hymn De crucifixione, the Syrian poet functions not as a theologian but as a teacher with quasi-prophetic status who is aligned with Moses and David and imitates their writing and interpretative activities. In the opinion of the author, these conclusions could shed light not only on the origins of Ephrem’s works, but on the origins of the Syriac Christianity as a whole.

The current study aims at setting efficiency

The current study aims at setting efficiency of round house strategy on developing life skills for third year students / department of sciences /college of basic education / university of Mosul to reach such an aim, semi experimental was adopted on sample of 46 students from physics branch /third year /department of sciences for academic year 2017/2018 tools and materials of study (life skills) , content analysis survey, teachers guide ,curriculum book of astronomy was chosen according to round house strategy, test of life skills . Statistical analysis was found using means and t test for independent samples. Researcher concluded that there is a stntistical differance at level of 0,05 betwen means of experimental and control groups in post test of life skills. Mean of control group was 9,74 while experimental, s was 22,17 with an increase of 12,43 skills of experimental group was arranged (solving problems and taking decisions 4,61) good communication with others (4,43) creative and critical thinking (4,30) lastly citizenship and self awareness was (4,39) given these findings researcher recommends the use of round house strategy in teaching theoretical and practical materials due to its efficiency in in developing life skills of students

Seeing at a Glance

Abstract During the 17th century, the debate over the true world system (sistema mundi) was essentially between the heliocentric and geo-heliocentric models. Comparisons were made between tables that recorded more and more celestial observations in various printed astronomical works. Giovanni Battista Riccioli’s Almagestum novum (1651) provides an excellent example of how tables were used. Riccioli wanted to find the best hypothesis (hypothesis absoluta) with the help of a rigorous database from which he could proceed to make mathematical deductions. Tables in early modern astronomical books were important because they showed the results of observations. Presented in a clear way they became persuasive visual arguments.

BM 76829: A small astronomical fragment with important implications for the Late Babylonian Astronomy and the Astronomical Book of Enoch

BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script, preserves what remains of two new unparalleled pieces from the cuneiform astronomical repertoire relating to the zodiac. The text on the obverse assigns numerical values to sectors assigned to zodiacal signs, while the text on the reverse seems to relate zodiacal signs with specific days or intervals of days. The system used on the obverse also presents a new way of representing the concept of numerical ‘zero’ in cuneiform, and for the first time in cuneiform, a system for dividing the horizon into six arcs in the east and six arcs in the west akin to that used in the Astronomical Book of Enoch. Both the obverse and the reverse may describe the periodical courses of the sun and moon, in a similar way to what is found in astronomical texts from Qumran, thus adding to our knowledge of the scientific relationship between the two cultures.

The Tradition of the 364-Day Calendar versus the Calendar Polemic in Second Temple Judaism

The article presents the major hypotheses concerning the emergence of the 364-day calendar within Judaism and the related calendrical controversy, which presumably caused the separation of a certain group of Jews, known to us as the Qumran Community, from the temple cult in Jerusalem. It is not known whether the 364-day calendar tradition is older than that of the Astronomical Book, or whether the adoption of this tradition was accompanied by conflicts. The Qumran texts do not provide unequivocal evidence for any calendrical polemics. The only witness to these polemics is The Book of Jubilees, copies of which were found in the Qumran library. However, the Qumran Community itself did not share the radical line of The Book of Jubilees, which condemns reliance on the moon in time-keeping. The 364-day calendar is presumed to have been a distinctive feature of the Qumran Community, which however did not arouse any controversies within Second Temple Judaism.

Analysis of accuracy of the beginning of hijriah months reckoning of ad-Dur al-Aniq book in 20 years

In the treasures of the development of astronomy and the method of reckoning in Indonesia, there are several classical Islamic astronomy (falak) books with various methods such as the book Sulam an-Nayyirain, Syamsul Hilal, Durus al-Falakiyyah, Nurul Anwar, and so on. One of the interesting things to study is the book Ad-Dur al-Aniq by KH. Ahmad Ghozali Muhammad Fathullah, an expert in astronomy who came from Madura, the book which is declared as a modern Islamic astronomy book with the method of reckoning tahqiq bi at-tadqiq. This method of reckoning tahqiq bi at-tadqiq is the most accurate because it has a long process and there are many interpolations. The calculation of reckoning for the beginning of the Hijri month in this book goes through 4 main stages, namely the calculation of ijtima, the time of sunset, the position of the sun, and the moon at sunset, and the conclusion of the reckoning. At each stage, it also consists of several counting processes and ta�dil. Through the calculation process, it can be proven that the calculation method in the book ad-Dur al-Aniq is included in the category of the tahqiqi bi at-tadqiq method with a very long algorithm and several corrections so that it gets very accurate results. The theory and calculation system are based on modern astronomical formulas (spherical trigonometric theory) and use a scientific calculator or computer as a calculation tool. After comparing the calculation results using the Jean Meeus algorithm and NASA SKYCAL, the result is that the average difference between the three calculations is no more than 2 minutes.

Irsyadul Murid Hisab Of The Beginning Islamic Lunar Month On Digital Falak Web-Based

Abstract:The development of astronomy in determining the beginning of the Islamic lunar month has occurred so rapidly, along with the sophistication of technology that makes it easy for users to get information. The digital falak web-based application was made by Ahmad TholhahMa'ruf an astronomy scholar from Islamic boarding school who presented the astronomy books. This web- based application displayed data and calculations in several books of astronomy inclusion including IrsyadulMuridbook. The research method used was qualitative with descriptive approach. The type of data used was library research. The results showed that the algorithm used in the early reckoning of Islamic lunar inIrsyadulMuridbook based on the digital falak web was different toIrsyadulMuridbook. The results of calculating the book IrsyadulMuridwith the digital falak web of celibacy were inappropriate which was done manually within the last 3 years making the results different. So, it could be concluded that the digital Falak web was inaccurate if it was used for rukyat data. Evaluation was necessarily needed, thus hisab(astronomical calculation) result in digital falak web-based would be equivalent to hisab in IrsyadulMuridbook. Keywords:digital falak web,Islamic lunar month,IrsyadulMurid.

Global influence of the map of Japan produced by Japanese cartographer Sekisui Nagakubo

Abstract. Both epoch-making high accuracy map of Japan named 日本分野図, Nihon bunya zu “Allocation Map of Japan” (Dr. Kazutaka Unno called it as “Astronomical Map of Japan”)compiled by Japanese Cartographer 森幸安 Kouan Mori in 1754,and following, 改正日本輿地路程全図”Kaisei Nihon Yochi Rotei Zenzu “Revised General Route Map of Japan” by 長久保赤水 Sekisui Nagakubo in1779 were created according to the latitude data observed in 14 provinces in Japan recorded in 天文瓊統 Tenmon Keitou (book of Astronomy and divination in Japan) written by Japanese astronomer 渋川春海 Harumi Shibukawa. And in 天文瓊統 Tenmon Keitou (book of Astronomy and divination in Japan) the latitude of 北京 Beijing, 南京 Nanjing and 高麗 Korea recorded in 四海験測 Si hăi yān tsē Nationwide survey conducted by 郭守敬 Guo Shoujin et al in1279 in 元 Yuan Dynasty were displayed for revision of calendar to new 授時暦 Shoushi-li calendar. 渋川春海 Harumi Shibukawa adopted 授時暦 Shoushi-li calendar formulated by 郭 守敬 Guo Shoujin et al to his 貞享改暦 Joukyou revision of calendar in Japan 1685. This proves that the technology of observation of the latitude in Japan was transmitted from China for revision of calendar and observed latitude datas recorded in Tenmon Keitou were exploited to the cartography of Map of Japan without land survey project.In 1754 森幸安 Kouan Mori compiled his 日本分野図, Nihon bunya zu “Allocation Map of Japan” by Chinese technology of 方格図 fānggētu grid map east and west equidistant from the distance of latitude 1° by Chinese Cartographer 羅洪先 Luo Hong xian’s 廣輿図 Guan YuTu, “Vast map of China” in Ming. Kouan Mori improved his map of Japan to realise the particularity in each allocation grid. Kouan Mori learned global atlas from duplicate the Matteo Ricchhi’s 坤輿万国全圖 Kunyu Wanguo Quatu:general map of Myriad countries on the earth 1602. In 1779, 長久保赤水 Sekisui Nagakubo made many modifications to the Kouan Mori’s maps and improve it to carry in pocket, named 改正日本輿地路程全図 Kaisei Nihon Yochi Rotei Zenzu “Revised General Route Map of Japan” and published it. Since 1809, this Nagakubo’s map has been repeatedly duplicated and translated into the language of each country in Europe and published, in Russia in 1809 and 1810, in France in 1827 by name of famous Surveyor Krusenstern. In 1855–1862 by United Kingdom Admiralty published the map “Japan Nipon (mean Honshuu Island) Kiusiu and Sikok and a part of coast of Korea” based on a replica map by Krusenstern in 1827. However, these were published without knowing the name of the Japanese original author Sekisui Nagakubo.

Tradycja roku 364-dniowego w judaizmie okresu Drugiej Świątyni

Artykuł przedstawia rok 364–dniowy jako rok schematyczny, będący innowacją w ramach judaizmu okresu hellenistycznego, która wyłoniła się z astronomii-astrologii mezopotamskiej. Po raz pierwszy na gruncie judaizmu rok ten spotykamy w Księdze Astronomicznej (1 Hen 72–82), a następnie w Księdze Jubileuszy, której autor włącza go w ramy przymierza z Bogiem. Rok schematyczny prawdopodobnie wyłonił się z babilońskiego roku idealnego, złożonego z 360 dni, do którego dodano cztery dodatkowe dni na koniec każdego kwartału, tak aby dostosować go do cyklu szabatowego. Świadkami tego dostosowania roku schematycznego są zwoje wspólnoty z Qumran, w których wszystkie teksty kalendarzowe oparte są o 364–dniowy rok. Rok schematyczny nie należy identyfikować z rokiem słonecznym, gdyż uwzględnia on również fenomeny związane z księżycem.

The Wise Book of Astronomy and Philosophy in London, Wellcome Library, MS 411 (ff. 32r–37v)

The Wise Book of Astronomy and Philosophy in London, Wellcome Library, MS 411 (ff. 32r–37v)

Enoch Book of Watchers and Astronomical Book: Theodicy in the Context of a Proto-Scientific Cosmology

In the earliest book of 1 Enoch, the Astronomical Book, Enoch the “seer” exhorts the reader to contemplate cosmological phenomena. The book displays a keen interest in cosmology and meticulous observation of the natural world. Such characteristics still today form the foundation of the discipline of science. The second earliest Enochian writing, 1 Enoch Book of Watchers, in addition to proto-scientific observations, propounds an alternative explanation for the existence of evil to the traditional Christian belief in the doctrine of “original sin” as a result of the “fall” of Adam and Eve. The origin of evil is recognised to be divine, but the deity is exonerated from responsibility for it. There is an intriguing relation between the observations of natural phenomena, cosmology, divination, and angelic activity in these earliest Jewish apocalypses. This article considers the striking similarity between the use of proto-scientific elements in this pseudepigraphical literature to offer a solution to the vexed problem of theodicy, and the scientific observations that culminated more than two thousand years later in the new paradigm of evolution as the means of creation, and hence for understanding the inevitability of suffering and evil in cosmological terms.

SEJARAH PERKEMBANGAN ILMU FALAK DALAM PERADABAN INDIA DAN KETERKAITANNYA DENGAN ISLAM

Although it is acknowledged that Islamic astronomy developed very rapidly during the Abbasid period (750-1258 AD), it should be noted that before the advancement of astronomy of the Islamic world, Muslim scholars of the time were very incentive to translate astronomical books from other nations, one of them was from India. There were at least two factors that led to the emergence and development of astronomical science in pre-Islamic Indian civilization. The first, the teachings of Hinduism that made the sun as the ruler and source of life. The second, the influence of civilization from other nations such as Egypt, Persia, and Greece. In pre-Islamic times, there were a number of names of historical figures of Indian astronomy namely Lagadha, Yajnavalkya (800-900 BC), Aitareya Brahmana (about 900-800 BC), Aryabhata (476-550 AD), Varahamihira (499-587 AD) Brahmagupta (598-668 AD), Bhaskara II (1114-1185 AD), and Nilakantha Somayaji (1444-1544 AD). While in Islam, there was a number of names namely Mulla Farid, Mulla Chand, Mulla Tayyib, Mulla Mahmud Jaunpuri (1606-1651 AD), Ghulam Hussain Jaunpuri (1790-1862 AD) and others. The results of civilization of Indian astronomy is clearly visible with the ancient astronomical texts, the concept of the universe, the Hindu calendar, observatory, zij (astronomical tables), and astronomical tools such as gnomon, Yasti Yantra, Ghati Yantra, astrolabe, and others.

The First Jewish Astronomers: Lunar Theory and Reconstruction of a Dead Sea Scroll.

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.

Writing Jewish Astronomy in the Early Hellenistic Age: The Enochic Astronomical Book as Aramaic Wisdom and Archival Impulse

The full publication of 4Q208 and 4Q209 in 2000 has enabled a renaissance of research on the Enochic Astronomical Book, illumining its deep connections with Babylonian scholasticism and spurring debate about the precise channels by which such “scientific” knowledge came to reach Jewish scribes. This article asks whether attention to Aramaic manuscripts related to the Astronomical Book might also reveal something about Jewish scribal pedagogy and literary production in the early Hellenistic age, particularly prior to the Maccabean Revolt. Engaging recent studies from Classics and the History of Science concerning astronomy, pedagogy, and the place of scribes and books in the cultural politics of the third century bce, it uses the test-case of the Astronomical Book to explore the potential significance of Aramaic sources for charting changes within Jewish literary cultures at the advent of Macedonian rule in the Near East.

An Apocryphal God: Beyond Divine Maturity by Mark McEntire

Reviewed by: An Apocryphal God: Beyond Divine Maturity by Mark McEntire Bradley C. Gregory mark mcentire, An Apocryphal God: Beyond Divine Maturity (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015). Pp. xi + 283. Paper $39. Building on McEntire’s previous book, Portraits of a Mature God: Choices in Old Testament Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013), this book extends the same approach into the Jewish literature of the Second Temple period, concentrating on the last three centuries b.c.e. The title of the book functions as a clever double entendre: the literature commonly designated “Apocrypha” constitutes a substantial portion of the study, and the meaning of “apocrypha” as “hidden” is an allusion to the conclusion of his earlier book, in which the character of God had become increasingly “hidden” or obscure by the end of the Tanak. The goal of this book is to assess how the Jewish literature of the late Second Temple period responded to the problem of God’s perceived detachment from the world. M. takes a narrative-theological approach in which he explores what these texts reveal about the various authors’ understanding of God within their cultural milieu. Rather than proceeding chronologically through this period, M. groups the literature by commonalities of approach, genre, subject matter, or viewpoints. This has the advantage of creating an interesting dialogical relationship between the works in how they grapple with understanding God’s relationship with the world, though M. is careful to emphasize that the works themselves were not necessarily written in direct response to one another. Thus, the particular arrangement of his treatment of this literature should be understood as primarily heuristic. The disadvantage of this approach, however, is that works are treated out of chronological order, making diachronic developments a little more difficult to follow, and sometimes particular books (e.g., Daniel) are split into different chapters. For each text, M. provides an introduction covering standard issues such as authorship and provenance before guiding the reader through the contents of the work. Along the way he makes observations about how the text presents God or God’s role or, even more interestingly, what assumptions about God the work takes for granted. After introducing the scope and methodology of the book, three chapters (“God of the Defeated and Scattered,” Parts I, II, and III) are devoted to the question of how various authors grappled with the experiences of subjugation in the Second Temple period. In [End Page 120] chap. 2, M. examines how the portrait of God was reconfigured in Jubilees, 1 Enoch 1–36 (the Book of the Watchers), and 1 Esdras as their authors retold Israel’s past. M. finds that the God of these works is more removed from the world than in the corresponding stories in the Tanak and that, to compensate for this gulf, supernatural beings play a more prominent role. In chap. 3, M. demonstrates how stories found in Judith, Tobit, Daniel 1–6, the Greek additions to Daniel, the Greek additions to Esther, and 3 Maccabees depict God as assisting pious Jews in various ways as they showed ingenuity and resourcefulness. In chap. 4, M. explores the books of Sirach, Baruch, and Wisdom of Solomon and finds that, in comparison with the sapiential books of the Tanak, these books place a greater emphasis on God’s actions in Israel’s history. The move toward integration of wisdom with the rest of Israelite religion facilitates the successful living of the wise in the shifting sociopolitical environments of the Second Temple period. In chap. 5, “God of Revolt,” M. examines how 1 and 2 Maccabees view God’s role in the Maccabean revolt and the eventual triumph of the Hasmoneans. While both works portray God as providing assistance in the clash with the Seleucids, they have striking differences as well. God’s assistance is more subtle and implicit in 1 Maccabees, while in 2 Maccabees it is more overt, even if appearing inconsistently. In chap. 6, “God of Dreams and Visions,” M. treats the depiction of God in the apocalyptic works of 1 Enoch 72–105 (the Astronomical Book, the Dream Visions, and the Epistle of Enoch), Daniel 7–14 (Greek), and Jubilees 1 and 23. The spatial and temporal...

The Middle English Wise Book of Philosophy and Astronomy: A Parallel-Text Edition

Book Review| April 01 2016 The Middle English Wise Book of Philosophy and Astronomy: A Parallel-Text Edition The Middle English Wise Book of Philosophy and Astronomy: A Parallel-Text Edition. Edited by Carrie Griffin. Middle English Texts, 47 Heidelberg: Universitätverlag Winter, 2013. Pp. lxxv + 74. $63. George R. Keiser George R. Keiser Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google The Journal of English and Germanic Philology (2016) 115 (2): 265–267. https://doi.org/10.5406/jenglgermphil.115.2.0265 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation George R. Keiser; The Middle English Wise Book of Philosophy and Astronomy: A Parallel-Text Edition. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 1 April 2016; 115 (2): 265–267. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/jenglgermphil.115.2.0265 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressThe Journal of English and Germanic Philology Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright 2016 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois2016 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

A Response to Eshbal Ratzon, “Methodological Issues concerning the Astronomy of Qumran”

This article offers a brief response to a recent article by Eshbal Ratzon, in which she is critical of an article we published in dsd on the Aramaic Astronomical Book in 2014. Ratzon raised several methodological issues with respect to our essay. In this response we attempt to clarify the relationship of our paper to those issues.

Astronomy of Qumran: Further Considerations

This paper is part of an ongoing debate regarding the theory raised a year ago by Dennis Duke and Matthew Goff in an attempt to re-explain the numerical values found in the Aramaic Astronomical Book (aab). According to their proposal, the composers of the aab or their sources computed the times of lunar visibility and invisibility using the phenomenon of lunar elongation. In this article, I accept Duke and Goff’s argument that their theory does not contradict the data preserved in the fragments of the scrolls of the aab. However, I demonstrate that their theory is unnecessarily complicated and that their proposal both ignores knowledge of physics available to the authors of the aab while making use of knowledge that neither the authors of the aab nor their sources obtained. Therefore, I suggest accepting Duke and Goff’s theory as a modern explanation of the astronomy of the aab, but not as a historical reconstruction.