Article ID: CBB349474811

Non-Rabbanite Jewish Calendars in the Works of Jacob al-Qirqisānī and Saadia Gaon (2021)

unapi

The correct way of setting the calendar was a matter of much debate among medieval Jews. While it is well-known that medieval Rabbanite and Qaraite communities practiced different calendars, the Jewish calendar landscape of the ninthtenth centuries appears to have been much more diverse. Medieval sources suggest that Jewish groups in that period used calendars based on a variety of principles including observation, different calculations, and a combination of observation and calculation. No in-depth examination exists of medieval alternatives to the Rabbanite calendar. This article is a study of non-Rabbanite medieval Jewish calendars described in tenth-century Babylonian works the Kitāb al-Tamyīz and the Commentary on Genesis by Saadia Gaon, and Kitāb al-Anwār wal-Marāqib by Jacob al-Qirqisānī. In addition to analysing the calendation methods described in the sources, I assess the trustworthiness of Saadia and al-Qirqisānī’s reports and suggest that they reflect real calendars of the period with some degree of accuracy.

...More
Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB349474811/

Similar Citations

Article Bradley E. Schaefer; James Stamm; (2020)
A case study of the Picture Rocks sun dagger, plus a review of the intentionality of sun daggers (/isis/citation/CBB994670972/)

Article Langermann, Y. Tzvi; (2004)
From My Notebooks: A Citation from Saadia's Long Commentary to Genesis, in Hebrew Translation (/isis/citation/CBB000651195/)

Article Lars Gislén; C. J. Eade; (2019)
The calendars of Southeast Asia. 1: Introduction (/isis/citation/CBB102722370/)

Article Liritzis, Ioannis; Castro, Belen; (2013)
Delphi and Cosmovision: Apollo's Absence at the Land of the Hyperboreans and the Time for Consulting the Oracle (/isis/citation/CBB001214519/)

Book Aveni, Anthony F.; (2001)
Skywatchers: A Revised and Updated Version of Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico (/isis/citation/CBB000101948/)

Article Lars Gislén; C. J. Eade; (2019)
The calendars of Southeast Asia. 4: Malaysia and Indonesia (/isis/citation/CBB023534657/)

Article Nadia Vidro; (2022)
The Medieval Qaraite Calendar in the Diaspora (/isis/citation/CBB597971555/)

Article Ciampini, Emanuele M.; (2007)
Invocazioni astrali su coperchi di sarcofagi del Medio Regno (/isis/citation/CBB000831591/)

Article Hamid-Reza Giahi Yazdi; (2020)
The Jalālī Calendar: the enigma of its radix date (/isis/citation/CBB546781279/)

Book Eisen, Arri; Laderman, Gary; (2007)
Science, Religion, and Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Controversy (/isis/citation/CBB001024572/)

Article Calvo, Emilia; (2004)
Two Treatises on Mīqāt from the Maghrib (14th and 15th Centuries A.D.), (/isis/citation/CBB000931710/)

Article Chu, Pingyi; (1999)
Sanjiao hanshu yu Mingmo de Zhongxi lifa zhi zheng: Kexue de wuzhi wenhua shitan (/isis/citation/CBB000203106/)

Book Haag, James W; Peterson, Gregory R; Spezio, Michael L; (2011)
Routledge Companion to Religion and Science (/isis/citation/CBB001180183/)

Article Leicht, Reimund; (2013)
The Reception of Astrology in Medieval Ashkenazi Culture (/isis/citation/CBB001213460/)

Book Sirat, Colette; Klein-Braslavy, Sara; Weijers, Olga; (2003)
Les méthodes de travail de Gersonide et le maniement du savoir chez les scolastiques (/isis/citation/CBB000740996/)

Chapter Lasker, Daniel J.; (2001)
Karaite Attitudes towards Religion and Science (/isis/citation/CBB000470765/)

Authors & Contributors
Gislén, Lars
Eade, J. C.
Blake, Stephen P.
Stamm, James
Vidro, Nadia
Spezio, Michael L
Journals
Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage
Aleph: Historical Studies in Science and Judaism
Ta-lu ts'a-chih
Suhayl: Journal for the History of the Exact and Natural Sciences in Islamic Civilisation
MHNH (Revista Internacional de Investigación sobre Magia y Astrología Antiguas)
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
Publishers
University of Texas Press
University of Pennsylvania Press
Routledge
M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
J. Vrin
Franz Steiner Verlag
Concepts
Science and religion
Calendars
Time measurement
Judaism
Astronomy
Astronomical chronology
People
Sa'adia ben Joseph
Profayt Duran
Philoponos, Joannes Grammaticus
Levi Ben Gershon
Isidore of Seville
Time Periods
Medieval
Early modern
Ancient
14th century
Mughal Empire
Safavid dynasty
Places
Southeast Asia
Middle and Near East
Carolingian Empire
Arizona (U.S.)
Indonesia
Spain
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment