Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pacs-l Message-ID: Approved: NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 11:48:26 CDT Sender: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum From: MICHAEL STRANGELOVE <441495@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA> Subject: Dissertation Now Available via FTP/LISTSERV Lines: 140 ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The Religious Studies Publications Journal - CONTENTS Announcing the First Network-Accessible Disseration Now Available _______________________________________________________________ Volume 2.004 ISSN 1188-5734 _______________________________________________________________ February 17, 1993 The CONTENTS Project is pleased to announce the electronic publication of the first network-accessible dissertation: ASTROLOGY AND JUDAISM IN LATE ANTIQUITY Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of History by Lester J. Ness Miami University Oxford, Ohio, 1990 The abstract and table of contents follows retrieval instuctions. >>> Retrieval Information <<< FTP to panda1.uottawa.ca (137.122.6.16) Directory: /pub/religion/ as the files: astrology-and-judaism-dissertation.txt astrology-and-judaism-biblio.txt FTP login: anonymous Password: your full e-mail address Also available as a low ASCII text via the CONTENTS Project LISTSERV fileserver as the files: ASTROLGY DISS-1 (note spelling carefully) ASTROLGY DISS-2 ASTROLGY DISS-3 ASTROLGY DISS-4 ASTROLGY DISS-5 ASTROLGY BIBLIO from Listserv@uottawa or Listserv@acadvm1.uottawa.ca Send the command to either of the above addresses, interactively or as a mail message. Do not use the REPLY command to send this file request. Do not send this file request to the address CONTENTS@uottawa or CONTENTS@acadvm1.uottawa.ca. Those on BITNET can send the GET command interactively by typing the command: TELL LISTSERV AT UOTTAWA GET file name (VM/CMS users) or SEND LISTSERV AT UOTTAWA GET file name (VAX users) Internet-only users cannot use the above command. _______________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT ASTROLOGY AND JUDAISM IN LATE ANTIQUITY by Lester J. Ness The goal of this dissertation will be to explain how it was that the Jews of the Hellenized world adopted and adapted astrology. There will be a focus on the zodiac mosaics found in the synagogues of Byzantine period Israel. The dissertation will begin with a chapter on the origins of astrology in Mesopotamia. There we will see how astrology grew from the beliefs that the planets manifested the gods, and that one could predict the gods' wills by predicting, mathematically, the planets' motions. The result was the first horoscopes. The second chapter will tell how the Hellenistic world adopted the Mesopotamian practice and blended it with Greek science to produce the mathematical "scientific" astrology familiar to most twentieth century readers. The following third chapter will show how astrology's religious side fared in the Hellenized Near East. The planets were important gods, astrological art was used to praise the gods, and to portray their power and ability to care for the world and their worshippers. Horoscopes and astrological magic allowed one to communicate with the gods and persuade them to help one through life. Chapter four will deal with Jewish astrology, both "scientific" and "religious." We will examine a variety of Jewish writings from the Hellenized Near East to demonstrate that Jews did indeed practice astrology. We will conclude that Jews adapted the polytheistic assumptions of astrology to their own monotheistic world-view by interpreting the planet gods as planet angels, beings superior to humans, but subordinate to the one genuine god, YHWH. The fifth and final chapter will discuss the various zodiac mosaics, both as archaeological sites and as works of art, and the various theories which try to explain what they meant. Finally, we will conclude that, since the planets are the subordinates of YHWH, administering His will in the world as part of His creation, the zodiac mosaics are best explained as indirect portrayals of God. The sun and the zodiac signs were His creatures. They carried out His commands. They were the satraps of His cosmos. Thus, they were appropriate visual substitutes for the God whom even Moses might not see. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS v LIST OF MAPS ix Chapter INTRODUCTION 1 1. ASTROLOGY IN MESOPOTAMIA 3 2. HELLENISTIC SCIENTIFIC ASTROLOGY 68 3. ASTRAL RELIGION 110 4. JEWISH ASTROLOGY 160 5. ASTROLOGY IN SYNAGOGUE ART 215 BIBLIOGRAPHY 281 ______________________________________________________________________ The Religious Studies Publications Journal - CONTENTS is an electronic journal that archives and disseminates research and pedagogical material of relevance to Religious Studies. Its goal is to provide free FTP and LISTSERV archiving of quality scholarly material and to also provide a comprehensive directory of network accessible resources for Religious Studies in a wide variety of mediums. Electronic subscriptions are free: to subscribe, send a mail message to Listserv@uottawa or listserv@acadvm1.uottawa.ca with the text: SUBSCRIBE CONTENTS your name. Inquires regarding the CONTENTS project should be sent to the project director: Michael Strangelove Department of Religious Studies University of Ottawa 177 Waller, Ottawa K1N 6N5 (FAX 613-564-6641) <441495@Uottawa> or <441495@Acadvm1.Uottawa.CA>