Head of All Years: Astronomy and Calendars at Qumran in their Ancient Context

Full title
Head of All Years: Astronomy and Calendars at Qumran in their Ancient Context
Research notes

Reader Checked|18/10/2012 SE

Reference type
Author(s)
Ben-Dov, Jonathan
Year
2008
Journal / Book Title || Series Title
Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah
Number of volumes
0
Issue / Series Volume
78
Publisher
Brill
Place of Publication
Leiden
Chapter
xx + 331
Alternative title
STDJ
Label
13/10/2008
Abstract

Rather than being an isolated, primitive body of knowledge the Jewish calendar tradition of 364 days constituted an integral part of the astronomical science of the ancient world. This tradition attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in the Pseudepigrapha stands out as a coherent, novel synthesis, representing the Jewish authors apocalyptic worldview. The calendar is studied here both from within analyzing its textual manifestations and from without via a comparison with ancient Mesopotamian astronomy. This analysis reveals that the calendrical realm constituted a significant case of inter-cultural borrowing, pertinent to similar such cases in ancient literature. Special attention is given to the Book of Astronomy (1 Enoch 72-82) and a variety of calendrical and liturgical texts from Qumran.

Primary Texts: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Composition / Author
Passage
73^74
Composition / Author
Passage
78^79
Composition / Author
Passage
82