The Hebrew astronomical tradition that shall be surveyed in this essay is that tradition recorded in the Hebrew alphabet dealing with the motions of the heavenly bodies and the structure of the heavens. These writings utilize principally the Hebrew language, but include texts in languages such as Aramaic and Arabic that can be written out in Hebrew script. Topics of specifically Jewish interest, such as calendar computations and doctrinal matters, occupy only a minor portion of this literature. For the most part, the Hebrew astronomical tradition differs little from contemporary writings belonging to the traditions with which Jews found themselves in immediate contact at any given age and place. To the extent that these other traditions may be classified as non‐Western, the Hebrew tradition may be by and large considered such.
The earliest substantive materials are found in the Talmud and Midrash. Most of the discussions center upon the structure and physics of the heavens. Of...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Beller, E. Ancient Jewish Mathematical Astronomy. Archive for History of the Exact Sciences 38 (1988): 51–66.
Feldman, W. M. Rabbinic Astronomy and Mathematics. 2nd ed. New York: Hermon Press, 1965.
Gandz, Solomon. Studies in Hebrew Astronomy and Mathematics. Ed. Shlomo Sternberg. New York: Ktav, 1970.
Goldstein, B. R. The Survival of Arabic Astronomy in Hebrew. Journal for the History of Arabic Science 3.1 (1979): 31–9.
‐‐‐. The Hebrew Astronomical Tradition: New Sources. Isis 72 (1981): 237–51.
‐‐‐. Scientific Traditions in Late Medieval Jewish Communities. Les Juifs an regard de l'histoire. Mélanges en l'honneur de Bernhard Blumenkranz. Ed. G. Dahan. Paris: Picard, 1985a. 235–47.
‐‐‐. The Astronomy of Levi ben Gerson (1288–1344). New York: Springer, 1985b.
Langermann, Y. T., P. Kuntizsch, and K. A. F. Fischer. The Hebrew Astronomical Codex Sassoon 823. Jewish Quarterly Review 78.3/4 (1989): 253–92.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Langermann, Y.T. (2008). Astronomy of the Hebrews. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9214
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9214
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4559-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4425-0
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law