The Astronomy of the Bible: An Elementary Commentary on the Astronomical References of Holy ScriptureMaunder, E. Walter (Edward Walter)
Religion
The Astronomy of the Bible: An Elementary Commentary on the Astronomical References of Holy Scripture
Maunder, E. Walter (Edward Walter)
Astronomy in the Bible; Constellations
75. "The gods (his fathers) beheld the net which he had made,
76. They beheld the bow and how (its work) was accomplished.
77. They praised the work which he had done [ . . . ]
78. Then Anu raised [the . . .] in the assembly of the gods.
79. He kissed the bow, (saying), 'It is [ . . . ]'!
80. And thus he named the names of the bow, (saying),
81. '_Long-wood_ shall be one name, and the second name [shall
be . . . ],
82. And its third name shall be the _Bow-star_, in heaven [shall
it . . . ]!'
83. Then he fixed a station for it."
Dr. Cheyne even considers that he has found a reference to these two
stars in Job xxxviii. 36--
"Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts (Lance-star),
Or who hath given understanding to the heart (Bow-star)."
But this interpretation does not appear to have been generally accepted.
The same high authority suggests that the astronomical allusions in Amos
may have been inserted by a post-exilic editor, thus accounting for the
occurrence of the same astronomical terms as are found in Job, which he
assigns to the exilic or post-exilic period. This seems a dangerous
expedient, as it might with equal reason be used in many other
directions. Further, it entirely fails to explain the real difficulty
that _kīmah_ and _kĕsīl_ have not been found as Babylonian constellation
names, and that their astronomical signification had been lost by the
time that the "Seventy" undertook their labours.
Quite apart from the fact that the Babylonians could not give the name
of "Fool" to the representation in the sky of their supreme deity, the
Hebrews and the Babylonians regarded the constellation in different
ways. Several Assyriologists consider that the constellations, _Orion_
and _Cetus_, represent the struggle between Merodach and Tiamat, and
this conjecture is probably correct, so far as Babylonian ideas of the
constellations are concerned, for Tiamat is expressly identified on a
Babylonian tablet with a constellation near the ecliptic.[241:1] But
this means that the myth originated in the star figures, and was the
Babylonian interpretation of them. In this case, Cetus--that is
Tiamat--must have been considered as a goddess, and as directly and
immediately the ancestress of all the gods. Orion--Merodach--must have
been likewise a god, the great-great-grandson of Tiamat, whom he
destroys.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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