Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/283

245 Astrology

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

245

could not free themselves altogether from the belief in the " decrees of the stars " nor could Nahiv. 4)



manides (commentary to Gen. i. 16 Lev. xxiii. 24, and elsewhere), Isaac Arama ("Akedat Yizhak," xxxiv., Introduction to Ex.), Solomon b. Adret (Responsa, No. 652), and others. As;

The

made the basis of Mescalculations in almost every century (see Ibn Ezra to Dan. xi. 29 trology was

Basis of Messianic

sianic

Abravanel, "Mashmia' Yeshu'ah"; Azariah dei Rossi, "Meor Enayim," ch. xliii. Zunz, I.e. Steinschneider, "Jildische Literatur," in Ersch and Gruber's "Encyc." p. 441, notes 80, 81). Maimonides was the only authority that opposed Astrology energetically. He found it forbidden by " the Law in the verse, " Ye shall not observe times ("lo te'onenu ") Lev. xix. 26, in accordance with R. Akiba, Sanh. 685 ("Yad," 'Akkum, xi. 8), and declared it, Talmudical utterances notwithstanding, to be bordering on idolatry, "a disease, not a science, a

Calculations.





under the shadow of which all sorts of superstitions thrive, and which must be uprooted in order to give way to the tree of knowledge Opposed and the tree of life" ("Letter to the by Mai- Men of Marseilles " Steinschneider, monides. "Cat. Bodl." col. 1903; idem, "Hebr. Uebers." p. 931). However, the belief was too deeply rooted to be abandoned by the great tree



majority of thinkers (see Law, in "Ben Chananja," As the last important prominent 1863, pp. 430-434). follower of Astrology may be mentioned David Gans, the astronomer and historian, and friend of Tycho de Brahe, the contemporary of Wallenstein, whose historical work, "Zemah David" (see introduction to vol. ii.), lays great stress upon the influence of the constellations upon history. Modern science has abolished Astrology. Only the formula of congratulations, " Mazzal tob " (Good luck), is a survival of the old belief, as is the rejection of certain days in the week or the month for weddings or new ventures (see Shulhan 'Aruk, Yoreh De'ah, 179, 2). Bibliography Steinschneider, Jildische Literatur, in Erseh und Gruber's Eneyc. pp. 441-442; idem, Die HchrUinehcn

Mittelalters, pp. 186, 501-649, 666, 846, 856-858, 931; idem, in Jew. Quart. Rev. xiii. 107-109; Zunz, O. S. iii. 93-95; Schmiedl, Studien Uber JUdische Beligwnsphilogaphie, pp. 299-316, Vienna, 1869 ; L. Low, Die Astroloaie in der Biblischen, Talmudisehen und NachtalmudUfchen Zeit. in Ben Chananja, 1863, pp. 401, 431 et seq.; idem, Oesammelte Schriften, ii.; Rosin, Die Ethik desMaimonides, 1876, pp. 65 et seo;.; idem, in Monatssehrift, 1898, pp. 447 et seq. ; Senior Sachs, Ha-Yonah, i. 59-93, Berlin, 1851.

Uebersetzuniien.

ctes

Astronomy

According to Gen. i. 6, this rakia' was midst of the waters, and it divided the waters above from those beneath. God " made " it of matter already existing at the time of Creation that is, He did not " create " it at that time. The rakia' representing the sky in Ezek. i. 22 resembled ice therefore it is quite possible that the author of Genesis, like Ezekiel, regarded the sky as being composed of solidified water or ice. Such a sky, being transparent, would permit the stars, which are located above its vault, to be seen through it. The heavenly bodies, according to Gen. i. 16, were thickness.

set in the





also

made

from existing material, after had come into existence. They

(not created) light

Trie Four Elements

were certainly made of the material of light, just as the vault of the sky in Genesis, was made out of water-material, and the human sold from air (Gen. ii. 7), and all things living upon earth from earth (Gen. i. All these were made of the four elements, 24). light (or fire), water, air, and earth; only those creatures which subsist in air and water that is, in other elements than those of which they are composed were created while man, the image of God, although living on earth and being of the earth, was " created and made " (Gen. i. 26, 27 but see ii. 7). The stars were supposed to be living creatures.

—

—





passage (Judges v. 20) may be regarded as other than a poetical figure, the stars " walk on the way " they " come out " in the mornBy a miracle, sun and ing, and " go in " at night. moon are made to stand suddenly still (Josh. x. 12). If the difficult



fight from their courses like warriors on the march (Judges ib.); the poet perhaps thinks of falling of Heaven, stars. In later times the stars are spoken of as "the hosts of heaven." This conception is accurately paralleled among the Assyrians, kinsmen of the Hebrews, who likewise conceive of the stars as soldiers serving the god of heaven, Anu, and probably also the somewhat similar god Ninib, whose abode was the planet Eabani (?) is compared in the Gilgamesh Saturn. epic (tab. i. col. 5, 28, 40 see Schrader, " K. B. vi. i. 130 et seq.) with an' army of Anu and falling

They

Stars the Hosts



ASTRONOMY.— Biblical Data: Biblical Astronomy, in the broad sense, includes the views taken in the books of the Bible of the position of the earth

see*, p. 120) with i. cols. 11, 33, 35; The stars stand in of Anu and Ninib. God's presence, to the right and the left of His throne II Chron. xviii. 18) they serve Him (I. K. xxii. 19 (Neh. ix. 6 Ps. ciii. 21), and praise Him (Ps. ciii. 21), Like the kings of earth, they may be cxlviii. 2). consigned by God's judgment to the nether world (Isa. xxiv. 21 et seq.); and God will in future execute judgment among them as among the nations of Reverence is offered earth (Isa. xxxiv. 4 et seq.).

in the universe, the designation of the stars, planets,

to

fixed stars, and the views held regarding them. The material for the subject, except so far as the earth is concerned, is very meager, dependence for

the most part having to be placed on ambiguous In the references chiefly in the poetical sections. present article the stars, planets, and fixed stars in general are dealt with. (For the earth, sun, and moon, The sky, the abode of see Cosmogony, Sun, Moon.) the stars, is described as a " rakia' " (yp-|, a plate) that is, a rigid, broad, solid plate possessing a certain

stars or (tab.

the

army







as living creatures, even in later times (Jer. and quite naturally upon the housetops (Jer. xix. 13, xxxii. 29; Zeph. i. 5), in the same manner as the Assyrians worshiped the sun (Gilgamesh

them

viii.

2),

epic,

iii.

2,

7 (15); Schrader,

"K. B."

vi. 1, 146).

At the head of this starry host stands a " captain of the army " (K3¥n "IB>. Josh. v. 14; Dan. viii. 11); according to the passage in Daniel, he was the star highest in altitude as well. By this designation probably Saturn was intended, the farthest removed from earth and therefore the highest in the heavens,