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    4Q318: A Jewish Zodiac Calendar at Qumran?

    Jacobus, Helen

    In: Charlotte Hempel, editor(s). The Dead Sea Scrolls: Texts and Context. Leiden: Brill; 2010. p. 365-395.

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    Abstract

    The zodiac calendar of 4QZodiac Calendar and Brontologion (“brontos” is the Greek word for thunder; “logion” means oracle or utterance), has been recognised as a calendar by several scholars, although its method of functioning has been relatively unexplored. This paper explains how the scroll’s zodiac calendar is a working, schematic calendar that is related to the Hebrew calendar in use today. The relationship between the zodiac calendar and its accompanying thunder omen text is also reassessed. The text, numbered as 4Q318 (4Q means Qumran Cave 4, 318 is the number of the scroll), indicates that this zodiac calendar was based upon late Babylonian zodiac calendrical traditions. The Babylonian-Aramaic month names are used in the scroll and are the same as those in the Hebrew calendar. 4Q318 could have been used as a template for working out the position of the moon in the zodiac on a given date. The brontologion could be used with this calendar to provide an archaic prediction when the sound of thunder was heard, based on the moon’s position in the zodiac on that day.

    Keyword(s)

    4Q318 brontologion thunder omen Dead Sea Scrolls Qumran calendar zodiac

    Bibliographic metadata

    Type of resource:
    Content type:
    Type of book contribution:
    Author(s) list:
    Publication date:
    Place of publication:
    Leiden
    Publisher:
    Contribution start page:
    365
    Contribution end page:
    395
    Contribution total pages:
    30
    Contribution editor(s) list:
    Abstract:
    The zodiac calendar of 4QZodiac Calendar and Brontologion (“brontos” is the Greek word for thunder; “logion” means oracle or utterance), has been recognised as a calendar by several scholars, although its method of functioning has been relatively unexplored. This paper explains how the scroll’s zodiac calendar is a working, schematic calendar that is related to the Hebrew calendar in use today. The relationship between the zodiac calendar and its accompanying thunder omen text is also reassessed. The text, numbered as 4Q318 (4Q means Qumran Cave 4, 318 is the number of the scroll), indicates that this zodiac calendar was based upon late Babylonian zodiac calendrical traditions. The Babylonian-Aramaic month names are used in the scroll and are the same as those in the Hebrew calendar. 4Q318 could have been used as a template for working out the position of the moon in the zodiac on a given date. The brontologion could be used with this calendar to provide an archaic prediction when the sound of thunder was heard, based on the moon’s position in the zodiac on that day.
    Related website(s):
    • Related website http://www.brill.nl/dead-sea-scrolls-0

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    University researcher(s):

    Record metadata

    Manchester eScholar ID:
    uk-ac-man-scw:128116
    Created by:
    Taylor, Scott
    Created:
    27th July, 2011, 16:02:11
    Last modified by:
    Jacobus, Helen
    Last modified:
    29th July, 2011, 15:10:59

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