Poetic Astronomy in the Ancient Near East: The Reflexes of Celestial Science in the Ancient Mesoptamian,Ugaritic and Israel Narrative

408 Pages·2013·8.52 MB·English

by  Jeffrey L. Cooley

Poetic Astronomy
in the Ancient Near East
History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant
Edited by
Jeffrey A. Blakely University of Wisconsin, Madison
K. Lawson Younger Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
1. The Horsemen of Israel: Horses and Chariotry in Monarchic Israel (Ninth–
Eighth Centuries b.c.e.), by Deborah O’Daniel Cantrell
2. Donkeys in the Biblical World: Ceremony and Symbol, by Kenneth C. Way
3. The Wilderness Itineraries: Genre, Geography, and the Growth of Torah,
by Angela R. Roskop
4. Temples and Sanctuaries from the Early Iron Age Levant:
Recovery after Collapse, by William E. Mierse
5. Poetic Astronomy in the Ancient Near East: The Reflexes of Celestial
Science in the Literature of Ancient Mesopotamia, Ugarit, and Israel,
by Jeffrey L. Cooley.
Poetic Astronomy
in the Ancient Near East
The Reflexes of Celestial Science
in Ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic,
and Israelite Narrative
Jeffrey L. Cooley
Winona Lake, Indiana
Eisenbrauns
2013
© 2013 by Eisenbrauns Inc.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America

www.eisenbrauns.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cooley, Jeffrey L.
Poetic astronomy in the ancient Near East : the reflexes of celestial science in
ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic, and Israelite narrative / Jeffrey L. Cooley.
pages cm. — (History, archaeology, and culture of the Levant ; 5)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-1-57506-262-4 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Astronomy, Ancient—Middle East. 2. Astronomy, Ancient, in
literature. 3. Astronomy—Middle East—History. 4. Bible. O.T.—
Criticism, interpretation, etc. 5. Middle East—History I. Title.
QB19.C66 2013
520.9394—dc23
2012048703
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI
Z39.48-1984. ♾™
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Abbreviations viii
1. The Study of Ancient Near Eastern
Celestial Science and Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2. Pan-Babylonianism 2
1.3. Understanding Mesopotamian Astronomy 6
1.4. The Problem in Assyriology 8
1.5. The Problem in Biblical Studies 13
1.6. The Problem in Ugaritology 16
1.7. Bridging the Gap 17
1.8. Celestial Science in
Ancient Near Eastern Literature 24
Appendix 1.1: Definitions of Important Terms
Used in This Study 26
2. Celestial Science in Mesopotamia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.1. Introduction 28
2.2. Pre–Old Babylonian Celestial Sciences 32
2.3. Celestial Divination Material 44
2.4. Celestial Divination Supportive Material:
Didactic and Practical Tools 58
2.5. Celestial Divination Interpretive Material 79
2.6. Miscellaneous Celestial-Science Material 81
2.7. Summary History of Mesopotamian Astronomy 83
3. Celestial Science in Mesopotamian Literature.. . . . . . . 87
3.1. Introduction 87
3.2. Divination 89
3.3. Catasterisms and Other Celestial Aetia 110
v
vi Contents
3.4. Miscellaneous 160
3.5. Conclusion 179
4. Celestial Science at Ugarit and in Ugaritic Literature.. . 180
4.1. The Celestial Sciences at Ugarit 180
4.2. The Celestial Sciences in Ugaritic Literature 192
Appendix 4.1: Interpretations of the Baal Cycle 214
Appendix 4.2: Gaster’s Interpretation
of the Aqhat Text 217
Appendix 4.3: Interpretations of KTU 1.23 221
5. Celestial Science in Ancient Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
5.1. Introduction 225
5.2. Celestial Terminology in the Hebrew Bible 226
5.3. Astral Religion 245
5.4. Celestial Divination 252
5.5. The Calendars of the Hebrew Bible 263
5.6. Celestial Science in Ancient Israel:
Conclusion 286
6. Celestial Science in Ancient Israelite Literature.. . . . . 288
6.1. Introduction 288
6.2. Celestial Agents, Astral Religion, and Calendar 289
6.3. Joshua 10 292
6.4. Judges 5 298
6.5. The Shadow on the Steps of Ahaz 304
6.6. Genesis 1:14–18 313
6.7. The Stars in Job 320
6.8. Conclusion 326
7. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Index of Authors 373
Index of Scripture 379
Index of Ancient Near Eastern Names and Sources 383
Preface and Acknowledgments
This book is a revision of my doctoral dissertation, Poetic Astronomy in
the Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible: The Reflexes of Celestial Science in
Ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic and Israelite Literature, which I completed
in 2006, at the School of Graduate Studies at the Hebrew Union College–Jew-
ish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to being modestly
reorganized, it is different in content from that original manuscript: chaps. 2
and 4 have been heavily revised in most places, as has chap. 3, to which quite a
bit of new material has been added. Very little from the original work remains
in chaps. 1, 5, and 6, which were rewritten from the ground up.
In spite of the significant nature of the revision, this work was still very
much influenced by my dissertation readers at HUC–JIR. Foremost, I would
like to thank Stephen A. Kaufman, who is a rigorous critic and a brilliant
linguist. His mind is an inescapable steel trap of logic—one in which I found
myself caught many times. Thankfully, he always helped me out by showing
me the proper intellectual manipulations that would release that trap’s saw-
toothed jaws. It is no wonder that he has been referred to as “the Satanic
Prince of Noodges” in no less a publication than Harper’s Magazine. 1 My
second reader, Samuel Greengus, brought just as much to this project. His
Assyriological and biblical expertise were invaluable, especially on the subject
of calendars. It was a true pleasure to work with both of these gentlemen.
In addition to the support offered by my official readers, I have benefited
a great deal from the intellectual and professional assistance of many others.
At HUC–JIR, Nili Fox and Hélène Dallaire were always ready with com-
passionate advice and critical insight when asked. The same can be said of
Edmund Cueva, Shannon Byrne, and Fred Benda, S.J., of Xavier University’s
Department of Classics. Ed, Shannon, and Fred were very supportive, and,
in addition to this, have provided me with professional opportunities that I
would not have had otherwise. Because a significant portion of this manuscript
was completed since I began working at Boston College in 2009, I’ve also
benefited greatly from my colleagues here who have read and commented on
1. J. McManus, “Fortune’s Smile: Betting Big at the World Series of Poker,” Harper’s
Magazine 301/1807 (December 2000) 55.
vii
viii Preface and Acknowledgments
portions of the manuscript: Pheme Perkins, John Darr, Yonder Gillihan, Chris-
topher Frechette, S.J., and David Vanderhooft. Furthermore, Boston College
doctoral candidates John Barker, O.F.M., and Joel Kemp offered their insights
on parts of the manuscript in the context of Boston College’s Biblical Studies
Colloquium. In addition to this, I am immensely grateful to my undergraduate
research fellow, Matthew Richey, who proofread this manuscript, corrected its
many silly mistakes, and greatly improved its clarity.
I am thankful to several anonymous reviewers as well as Matthias Albani
(Evangelische Hochschule Mortizburg), who offered their critical comments
on the original manuscript. Others also have improved my scholarship as a
matter of either formal or friendly reviewing, including Jerrold Cooper (The
Johns Hopkins University), Christopher Woods (University of Chicago), Jay
Crisostomo, and Gina Konstantopolis. Alan Lenzi (University of the Pacific),
and fellow HUC–JIR alumni Kyle Greenwood (Colorado Christian Univer-
sity), David Everson, and Angela Roskop Erisman provided their insights and
offered their emotional and intellectual support over the years. I am grateful
to the staffs of the Klau Library at HUC–JIR and the O’Neill Library at Bos-
ton College for their work, especially the interlibrary-loan librarians Marilyn
Krider (HUC–JIR) and Anne Kenny (BC), who always managed to track down
obscure articles and little-known tomes. I am, of course, intensely thankful to
Jim Eisenbraun and his capable staff, particularly Beverly McCoy, for bring-
ing this work to publication.
Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank my wife, Amy. She has
been the center of my world for over 20 years. It has been a long road to this
point, and Amy has been an active participant in my intellectual journey, sup-
porting me emotionally, intellectually and, at times, financially. To paraphrase
Prov 31:10: אצָמְאֶ ינִאֲ ליִחַ ־תשֶׁאֵ .
Abbreviations
In addition to the abbreviations offered in Patrick Alexander et al. (eds.),
The SBL Handbook of Style for Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early
Christian Studies (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999); and Ignace J. Gelb
et al. (eds.), The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University
of Chicago (21 vols.; Chicago: Oriental Institute, 1956–2011), the following
abbreviations are used in this volume:
Preface and Acknowledgments ix
ABCD Francesca Rochberg-Halton. Aspects of Babylonian Celestial Divination:
The Lunar Eclipse Tablets of Enūma Anu Enlil. AfOB 22. Horn: Berger,
1988
ACh Charles Virolleaud. L’astrologie chaldéenne: Le libre intitulé “enuma
(Anu) ilBêl”: Publié, transcrit, traduit et cammenté. Paris: Geuthner,
1905–12
ACT Otto Neugebauer. Astronomical Cuneiform Texts: Babylonian Ephe­
merides of the Seleucid Period for the Motion of the Sun, the Moon, and
the Planets, vols. 1–3. London: Humphries, 1955
Brown, AA David Brown. Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy­Astrology. CM 18.
Groningen: Styx, 2000
ASM Hermann Hunger and David Pingree. The Astral Sciences in
Mesopotamia. HO 44. Leiden: Brill, 1999
BPO Erica Reiner and David Pingree. Babylonian Planetary Omens 1: Enūma
Anu Enlil Tablet 63—The Venus Tablet of Ammiṣaduqa. Bibliotheca
Mesopotamia 2/1. Malibu, CA: Undena, 1975; Babylonian Planetary
Omens 2: Enūma Anu Enlil Tablets 50–51. Bibliotheca Mesopotamia
2/2. Malibu, CA: Undena, 1981; Babylonian Planetary Omens 3. CM 11.
Groningen: Styx, 1998; Babylonian Planetary Omens 4. CM 30. Leiden:
Brill, 2005
MAst Ulla Koch-Westenholz. Mesopotamian Astrology. CNI 19. Copenhagen:
Museum Tusculanum, 1995
MCG Wayne Horowitz. Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography. MC 8. Winona
Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1998
MUL.APIN Hermann Hunger and David Pingree. MUL.APIN: An Astronomical
Compendium in Cuneiform. AfOB 24. Horn: Berger, 1989
SOEAE W. van Soldt. Solar Omens of Enuma Anu Enlil: Tablets 23 (24)–29 (30).
Istanbul: Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut, 1995
TEO 1, 2 Paul Bordreuil and Dennis Pardee. La Trouvaille épigraphique de
l’Ougarit 1: Concordance. RSO 5. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les
Civilisations, 1989; J.-L. Cunchillos. La Trouvaille épigraphique de
l’Ougarit 2: Bibliographie. RSO 5. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les
Civilisations, 1990