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BOOK I

THE HEAVENLY BODIES

Modern Astronomy--Astronomy in the Classical Age--The Canon of Holy Scripture closed before the Classical Age--Character of the Scriptural References to the Heavenly Bodies--Tradition of Solomon's Eminence in Science--Attitude towards Nature of the Sacred Writers--Plan of the Book 3

The Order of the Heavenly Movements--Daily Movement of the Sun--Nightly Movements of the Stars--The "Host of Heaven"-- Symbolic of the Angelic Host--Morning Stars--The Scripture View of the Heavenly Order 55

Importance of the Moon in Olden Times--Especially to the Shepherd--Jewish Feasts at the Full Moon--The Harvest Moon--The Hebrew Month a Natural one--Different Hebrew Words for Moon-- Moon-worship forbidden--"Similitudes" of the Moon--Worship of Ashtoreth--No mention of Lunar Phases--The Moon "for Seasons" 79

Number of the Stars--"Magnitudes" of the Stars--Distances of the Stars 95

Great Comets unexpected Visitors--Description of Comets-- Formation of the Tail--Possible References in Scripture to Comets 103

Aerolites--Diana of the Ephesians--Star-showers--The Leonid Meteors--References in Scripture--The Aurora Borealis 111

Vivid Impression produced by a Total Solar Eclipse--Eclipses not Omens to the Hebrews--Eclipses visible in Ancient Palestine-- Explanation of Eclipses--The Saros--Scripture References to Eclipses--The Corona--The Egyptian "Winged Disc"--The Babylonian "Ring with Wings"--The Corona at Minimum 118

The "Seven Planets"--Possible Scripture References to Venus and Jupiter--"Your God Remphan" probably Saturn--The Sabbath and Saturn's Day--R. A. Proctor on the Names of the Days of the Week--Order of the Planets--Alexandrian Origin of the Weekday Names--The Relation of Astrology to Astronomy--Early Babylonian Astrology--Hebrew Contempt for Divination 130

BOOK II

THE CONSTELLATIONS

The "Greek Sphere"--Aratus--St Paul's Sermon at Athens--The Constellations of Ptolemy's Catalogue--References to the Constellations in Hesiod and Homer--The Constellation Figures on Greek Coins--And on Babylonian "Boundary-stones"--The Unmapped Space in the South--Its Explanation--Precession--Date and Place of the Origin of the Constellations--Significant Positions of the Serpent Forms in the Constellations--The Four "Royal Stars"--The Constellations earlier than the Old Testament 149

The Bow set in the Cloud--The Conflict with the Serpent--The Seed of the Woman--The Cherubim--The "Mighty Hunter" 162

Resemblance between the Babylonian and Genesis Deluge Stories--The Deluge Stories in Genesis--Their Special Features--The Babylonian Deluge Story--Question as to its Date--Its Correspondence with both the Genesis Narratives--The Constellation Deluge Picture--Its Correspondence with both the Genesis Narratives--The Genesis Deluge Story independent of Star Myth and Babylonian Legend 170

Joseph's Dream--Alleged Association of the Zodiacal Figures with the Tribes of Israel--The Standards of the Four Camps of Israel--The Blessings of Jacob and Moses--The Prophecies of Balaam--The Golden Calf--The Lion of Judah 186

The Four Serpent-like Forms in the Constellations--Their Significant Positions--The Dragon's Head and Tail--The Symbols for the Nodes--The Dragon of Eclipse--Hindu Myth of Eclipses--Leviathan--References to the Stellar Serpents in Scripture--Rahab--Andromeda--"The Eyelids of the Morning"--Poetry, Science, and Myth 196

TIMES AND SEASONS

Rotation Period of Venus--Difficulty of the Time Problem on Venus--The Sun and Stars as Time Measurers--The apparent Solar Day the First in Use--It began at Sunset--Subdivisions of the Day Interval--Between the Two Evenings--The Watches of the Night--The 12-hour Day and the 24-hour Day 269

The Week not an Astronomical Period--Different Weeks employed by the Ancients--Four Origins assigned for the Week--The Quarter-month--The Babylonian System--The Babylonian Sabbath not a Rest Day--The Jewish Sabbath amongst the Romans--Alleged Astrological Origin of the Week--Origin of the Week given in the Bible 283

The New Moon a Holy Day with the Hebrews--The Full Moons at the Two Equinoxes also Holy Days--The Beginnings of the Months determined from actual Observation--Rule for finding Easter--Names of the Jewish Months--Phoenician and Babylonian Month Names-- Number of Days in the Month--Babylonian Dead Reckoning--Present Jewish Calendar 293

The Jewish Year a Luni-solar one--Need for an Intercalary Month--The Metonic Cycle--The Sidereal and Tropical Years--The Hebrew a Tropical Year--Beginning near the Spring Equinox--Meaning of "the End of the Year"--Early Babylonian Method of determining the First Month--Capella as the Indicator Star--The Triad of Stars--The Tropical Year in the Deluge Story 305

Law of the Sabbatic Year--A Year of Rest and Release--The Jubilee--Difficulties connected with the Sabbatic Year and the Jubilee--The Sabbatic Year, an Agricultural one--Interval between the Jubilees, Forty-nine Years, not Fifty--Forty-nine Years an Astronomical Cycle 326

The Jubilee Cycle possessed only by the Hebrews--High Estimation of Daniel and his Companions entertained by Nebuchadnezzar--Due possibly to Daniel's Knowledge of Luni-solar Cycles--Cycles in Daniel's Prophecy--2300 Years and 1260 Years as Astronomical Cycles--Early Astronomical Progress of the Babylonians much overrated--Yet their Real Achievements not Small--Limitations of the Babylonian--Freedom of the Hebrew 337

BOOK IV

THREE ASTRONOMICAL MARVELS

METHOD OF STUDYING THE RECORD--To be discussed as it stands--An early Astronomical Observation. BEFORE THE BATTLE--Movements of the Israelites--Reasons for the Gibeonites' Action--Rapid Movements of all the Parties. DAY, HOUR, AND PLACE OF THE MIRACLE--Indication of the Sun's Declination--Joshua was at Gibeon--And at High Noon--On the 21st Day of the Fourth Month. JOSHUA'S STRATEGY--Key to it in the Flight of the Amorites by the Beth-horon Route--The Amorites defeated but not surrounded--King David as a Strategist. THE MIRACLE--The Noon-day Heat, the great Hindrance to the Israelites--Joshua desired the Heat to be tempered--The Sun made to "be silent"--The Hailstorm--The March to Makkedah--A Full Day's March in the Afternoon--"The Miracle" not a Poetic Hyperbole--Exact Accord of the Poem and the Prose Chronicle--The Record made at the Time--Their March, the Israelites' Measure of Time 351

The Narrative--Suggested Explanations--The "Dial of Ahaz," probably a Staircase--Probable History and Position of the Staircase--Significance of the Sign 385

The Narrative--No Astronomical Details given--Purpose of the Scripture Narrative--Kepler's suggested Identification of the Star--The New Star of 1572--Legend of the Well of Bethlehem--True Significance of the Reticence of the Gospel Narrative 393

A TABLE OF SCRIPTURAL REFERENCE 401

INDEX 405

THE RAINBOW 2

MERODACH AND TIAMAT 25

CIRRUS AND CUMULI 47

A CORNER OF THE MILKY WAY 94

THE GREAT COMET OF 1843 102

FALL OF AN AEROLITE 110

METEORIC SHOWER OF 1799 115

THE ASSYRIAN 'RING WITH WINGS' 126

CORONA OF MINIMUM TYPE 127

ST. PAUL PREACHING AT ATHENS 148

THE ANCIENT CONSTELLATIONS SOUTH OF THE ECLIPTIC 155

THE CELESTIAL SPHERE 156

THE MIDNIGHT CONSTELLATIONS OF SPRING, B.C. 2700 164

THE MIDNIGHT CONSTELLATIONS OF WINTER, B.C. 2700 165

OPHIUCHUS AND THE NEIGHBOURING CONSTELLATIONS 189

AQUARIUS AND THE NEIGHBOURING CONSTELLATIONS 192

HERCULES AND DRACO 197

HYDRA AND THE NEIGHBOURING CONSTELLATIONS 200

ANDROMEDA AND CETUS 207

STARS OF THE PLEIADES 219

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