Eshbal Ratzon | Tel Aviv University (original) (raw)
Books by Eshbal Ratzon
Material and Digital Reconstruction of Fragmentary Dead Sea Scrolls - The Case of 4Q418a, 2022
Scholars working with ancient scrolls seek ways to extract maximum information from the multitude... more Scholars working with ancient scrolls seek ways to extract maximum information from the multitude of fragments. Various methods were applied to that end on the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as on other ancient texts. The present book augments these methods to a full-scale protocol, while adapting them to a new computerized environment. Fundamental methodological issues are illuminated as part of the discussion, and the potential margin of error is provided on an empirical basis, as practiced in the sciences. The method is then exemplified with regard to the scroll 4Q418a, a copy of a wisdom composition from Qumran.
תעודה לב-לג: מְלאֶכתֶ מַחשֲׁבָתֶ מחקרים במדעי היהדות מוגשים לפרופסור בצלאל בר־כוכבא בהגיעו לגבורות, 2021
![Research paper thumbnail of תפישת מבנה היקום בספר חנוך "The Conception of the Universe in the Book of Enoch," PhD Dissertation [HEBREW]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/26408599/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Papers by Eshbal Ratzon
Introduction to the Material Study of Instruction (Musar LaMevin) 151 1 Copies, Editions, and Rec... more Introduction to the Material Study of Instruction (Musar LaMevin) 151 1 Copies, Editions, and Reconstructions of Instruction 155 2 Material Information on 4Q418a 161 Re-Edition of 4Q418a 164 Eshbal Ratzon 1 Conventions of this Chapter 165 2 Wad A (frags. 1-8) 165 3 Wad B (frags. 9-12) 179 4 Wad C (frags. 13-14c) 186 5 Wad D (frags. 15-19) 189 6 Wad E 204 7 Single-Layered Fragments 210
This paper examines the two intercalation schemes found in the Mesopotamian astronomical compendi... more This paper examines the two intercalation schemes found in the Mesopotamian astronomical compendium MUL.APIN from the beginning of the first millenium BCE, and the lunar theory that they imply. It demonstrates that the two schemes do not agree with each other. Two intercalation rules in the second scheme use the conjunction of the moon and the Pleiades. This paper concludes that the intercalation rules are based on the assumption of a 28-day ideal sidereal month. These rules work with a triennial cycle of intercalating one additional month every third lunar year. Two similar intercalation schemes from other compositions, likewise dating from the beginning of the first millenium BCE, are known: a seventh- century intercalation scheme from Babylonia that also assumes a 28-day ideal sidereal month and an intercalation scheme from an unpublished astronomical commentary that, like the scheme in MUL.APIN, uses a triennial cycle. Previous scholars believed that discrepancies exist between ...
Journal of Biblical Literature, 2017
In this article we offer a reconstruction and edition of one of the last unpublished Dead Sea Scr... more In this article we offer a reconstruction and edition of one of the last unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls. It is an extremely fragmentary calendrical scroll written in the Cryptic A code. While images of 4Q324d were included in the DJD series, no formal edition of it exists. The suggested jigsaw-puzzlelike reconstruction integrates forty-two extremely small fragments into a stretch of five consecutive columns of what we consider to be one continuous scroll (pace earlier preliminary editions). In terms of its content, the calendar contained in this scroll resembles the one found at the top of 4Q394 3-7 (a copy of 4QMMT) and in 4Q394 1-2. An intriguing interlinear gloss in both shape and content offers a ruling on the Festival of Wood Offering that follows the halakic rulings of the Temple Scroll. A distinctive corpus of scrolls written in cryptic script stands out among the scrolls found in Qumran. 1 While the final publication of all Qumran scrolls is often celebrated, several scrolls in cryptic script are the only scrolls left that have not been This study was written with the support of the Israel Science Foundation, grant number 1330/14. We would like to express our gratitude to Asaf Gayer, who has been deeply involved in the material reconstruction of this scroll and offered invaluable help. Composite images in this article are based on the PAM images, supplied to us courtesy of the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, Israel Antiquities Authority. In addition, we gained much benefit from the new multispectral images supplied to us by the same library (photographer: Shai Halevy).
PLOS ONE, 2020
Scholars have used mathematical models to estimate the missing length of deteriorated scrolls fro... more Scholars have used mathematical models to estimate the missing length of deteriorated scrolls from ancient Egypt, Qumran, Herculaneum, and elsewhere. Based on such estimations, the content of ancient literature as well as the process of its composition is deduced. Though theoretically reasonable, many practical problems interfere with the method. In the current study, the empirical validity of these mathematical models is examined, showing that highly significant errors are quite frequent. When applied to comparatively intact scrolls, the largest contribution to errors is the subjectivity inherent in measuring patterns of damaged areas. In less well preserved scrolls, deterioration and deformation are more central causes of errors. Another factor is the quality of imaging. Hence, even after maximal reduction of interfering factors, one should only use these estimation methods in conjunction with other supporting considerations. Accordingly, past uses of this approach should be reevaluated, which may have substantial implications for the study of antiquity.
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 2018
Science in Context, 2017
ArgumentThe Astronomical Book of Enoch describes the passage of the moon through the gates of hea... more ArgumentThe Astronomical Book of Enoch describes the passage of the moon through the gates of heaven, which stand at the edges of the earth. In doing so, the book describes the position of the rising and setting of the moon on the horizon. Otto Neugebauer, the historian of ancient science, suggested using the detailed tables found in later Ethiopic texts in order to reconstruct the path of the moon through the gates. This paper offers a new examination of earlier versions of the Astronomical Book, using a mathematical analysis of the figures and astronomical theories presented throughout the Aramaic Astronomical Book; the results fit both the data preserved in the scrolls and the mathematical approach and religious ideology of the scroll's authors better than the details found in the late Ethiopic texts. Among other new insights, this alternate theory also teaches about the process of the composition of the Astronomical Book in the first centuries of its composition.
Dead Sea Discoveries, 2015
In the 21st issue of Dead Sea Discoveries, Dennis Duke and Matthew Goff offered their collaborati... more In the 21st issue of Dead Sea Discoveries, Dennis Duke and Matthew Goff offered their collaboration as physicist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar in order to study the lunar theory of the Aramaic Astronomical Book (aab). They use the astronomical model of lunar elongation—the angular distance between the moon and the sun on the observed heavenly sphere—to compute the times of the moon’s visibility and invisibility. They conclude that the times written on the Aramaic fragments are closer to reality than the times written in the Babylonian sources of the aab. This paper concludes that lunar elongation is not the best explanation of the astronomical data of the aab, and Duke and Goff’s computations should be refined according to some astronomical, cosmological, textual, and historical considerations.
Dead Sea Discoveries, 2015
This paper finds a parallel to the division of each Babylonian zodiacal sign into 30 degrees in t... more This paper finds a parallel to the division of each Babylonian zodiacal sign into 30 degrees in the Enochic cosmology. In particular a new explanation of the rare Aramaic word חרתיה in 4Q209 (4Q209 7iii 1–2, 6) from the Aramaic Astronomical Book is offered as describing heavenly openings on the horizon for the daily rising and setting of the sun. These openings were smaller parts of each one of the twelve gates compared previously by scholars to the zodiacal signs. It seems plausible that the description of the daily openings appeared four times in the account of every year at the end of each season. The addition of these four days can be seen as part of the author’s polemic against the Mesopotamian 360-day year. An implication of the repetition of the sentence in 4Q209 8 3–4 is that this scroll was probably longer than previously assumed and included a triennial cycle synchronizing lunar and solar years.
Journal of Semitic Studies, 2015
The paper offers a new explanation for the traditions preserved in 1 Enoch 69:2–25 in the framewo... more The paper offers a new explanation for the traditions preserved in 1 Enoch 69:2–25 in the framework of a comprehensive discussion of the entire Third Parable (1 Enoch 58–69). A new translation is supplied for vv. 13‐25, alongside detailed textual and exegetical notes, based on the collation of eleven Ge’ez manuscripts of group I, five of which are not previously studied. Much of the discussion proceeds from form-critical marks within chapters 64–9, as well as within chapter 69 itself. The need for small-scale analysis arises from the fact that in the Third Parable many themes are inextricably woven together. The demarcation of Enochic and Noachic passages in the Book of Parables is discussed anew. A central theme of the Third Parable, the instruction of angelic knowledge, appears both in the Noachic passages (chapters 65–8) and in the Enochic chapter 69 and is discussed here in particular. The unit 69:2–14 (except for 2b which is a late duplication of the list of angels from 6:7–8) comprises six angels with extraordinary names, mostly unknown elsewhere, with Kesab’el, the prince of the Divine Name concluding the list. A second tradition in vv. 15–25, focusing on the angel Michael, discusses the role of the Divine Oath in the creation and sustenance of the world. Parts of v. 14 are a late attempt to bridge the gap between the two traditions. Several notorious cruxes in vv. 2–25 are explained on the basis of Ethiopic scribal practices, leaving little place for speculation about their meaning. Finally, several later Jewish sources from the Cairo Genizah reflect knowledge of the chapter in its final form, with the two angelic traditions joined together.
Journal of Jewish Studies, 2024
The Babylonian Talmud, primarily composed in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, exhibits various non-stan... more The Babylonian Talmud, primarily composed in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, exhibits various non-standard linguistic features, interspersed throughout it. Medieval rabbis highlighted some tractates, often referred to as the ‘special tractates’, which possess a more abundant number of occurrences of these features than others. This identification involved mostly classical linguistic and philological methodologies, along with some scholarly intuition. This article proposes identifying special tractates using quantitative methods, namely machine-learning tools. Our algorithm successfully detected a large percentage of non-Babylonian features in all special tractates. A more nuanced examination revealed a concentration of features in specific stories of Tamid, rather than throughout the tractate. It also points to other tractates which are comparatively close to the special tractates, and several tractates whose dialect is more uniform than the average, a phenomenon not previously investigated. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of employing machine-learning tools in comparison to human analysis.
Revue de Qumran, 2023
The present article proposes a new edition of the cryptic scroll 4Q313, based on the improved ima... more The present article proposes a new edition of the cryptic scroll 4Q313, based on the improved images at our disposal. The current readings do not support previous identification of this scroll as a copy of MMT. The very fragmented text might be related to a prayer for the healing of the misguided sinners. A paleographical analysis, based on the new reading, demonstrates that the handwriting of this scroll is very similar to that of 4Q298. This may imply that the two scrolls were penned by the same hand, but 4Q313 was written in a less formal script. * This paper was created as part of the work of Vered Noam, with decipherment and reconstruction by Eshbal Ratzon, 4QMMT: Some Precepts of the Torah (Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming). I thank Avraham Yoskovitz, Naomi Hadad, and Noam Eisenstein for their help in preparing this paper's manuscript. I am also grateful to Émile Puech, Vered Noam, Charlotte Hempel, Jonathan Ben-Dov and Asaf Gayer for their valuable comments on earlier drafts, and the careful anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions. 1 A very limited inventory of scrolls written in two other cryptic scripts (B and C) also exists in Qumran, but this paper will focus only on the Cryptic A scrolls.
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert Collected Papers (eds.: Ofer Sion Joe Uziel Amir Ganor Eitan Klein), 2023
Ratzon, E., A Sectarian Background to 1 Enoch 22. In Verheyden J., Kloppenborg J.S., Roskam G., S... more Ratzon, E., A Sectarian Background to 1 Enoch 22. In Verheyden J., Kloppenborg J.S., Roskam G., Schorn S. (Eds.), On Using Sources in Graeco-Roman, Jewish and Early Christian Literature, Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium (BETL). Peeters, 2022 (pp. 171-197).
Dead Sea Discoveries, 2016
This paper is part of an ongoing debate regarding the theory raised a year ago by Dennis Duke and... more This paper is part of an ongoing debate regarding the theory raised a year ago by Dennis Duke and Matthew Goff in an attempt to re-explain the numerical values found in the Aramaic Astronomical Book (aab). According to their proposal, the composers of the aab or their sources computed the times of lunar visibility and invisibility using the phenomenon of lunar elongation. In this article, I accept Duke and Goff’s argument that their theory does not contradict the data preserved in the fragments of the scrolls of the aab. However, I demonstrate that their theory is unnecessarily complicated and that their proposal both ignores knowledge of physics available to the authors of the aab while making use of knowledge that neither the authors of the aab nor their sources obtained. Therefore, I suggest accepting Duke and Goff’s theory as a modern explanation of the astronomy of the aab, but not as a historical reconstruction.
Archive for History of Exact Sciences, 2021
BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script... more BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script, preserves what remains of two new unparalleled pieces from the cuneiform astronomical repertoire relating to the zodiac. The text on the obverse assigns numerical values to sectors assigned to zodiacal signs, while the text on the reverse seems to relate zodiacal signs with specific days or intervals of days. The system used on the obverse also presents a new way of representing the concept of numerical ‘zero’ in cuneiform, and for the first time in cuneiform, a system for dividing the horizon into six arcs in the east and six arcs in the west akin to that used in the Astronomical Book of Enoch. Both the obverse and the reverse may describe the periodical courses of the sun and moon, in a similar way to what is found in astronomical texts from Qumran, thus adding to our knowledge of the scientific relationship between the two cultures.
תעודה לב-לג, 2021
Binder, S., Ratzon, E., and Shivtiel, Y., Introduction to the Studies in Honor of Bezalel Bar-Koc... more Binder, S., Ratzon, E., and Shivtiel, Y., Introduction to the Studies in Honor of Bezalel Bar-Kochva. Te'uda 32, 2021 (pp. 17-26).
Binder, S., Ratzon, E., and Shivtiel, Y., Professor Bezalel Bar-Kochva: Scholarly Achievements. Te'uda 32, 2021 (pp. 27-53).
Material and Digital Reconstruction of Fragmentary Dead Sea Scrolls - The Case of 4Q418a, 2022
Scholars working with ancient scrolls seek ways to extract maximum information from the multitude... more Scholars working with ancient scrolls seek ways to extract maximum information from the multitude of fragments. Various methods were applied to that end on the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as on other ancient texts. The present book augments these methods to a full-scale protocol, while adapting them to a new computerized environment. Fundamental methodological issues are illuminated as part of the discussion, and the potential margin of error is provided on an empirical basis, as practiced in the sciences. The method is then exemplified with regard to the scroll 4Q418a, a copy of a wisdom composition from Qumran.
תעודה לב-לג: מְלאֶכתֶ מַחשֲׁבָתֶ מחקרים במדעי היהדות מוגשים לפרופסור בצלאל בר־כוכבא בהגיעו לגבורות, 2021
Introduction to the Material Study of Instruction (Musar LaMevin) 151 1 Copies, Editions, and Rec... more Introduction to the Material Study of Instruction (Musar LaMevin) 151 1 Copies, Editions, and Reconstructions of Instruction 155 2 Material Information on 4Q418a 161 Re-Edition of 4Q418a 164 Eshbal Ratzon 1 Conventions of this Chapter 165 2 Wad A (frags. 1-8) 165 3 Wad B (frags. 9-12) 179 4 Wad C (frags. 13-14c) 186 5 Wad D (frags. 15-19) 189 6 Wad E 204 7 Single-Layered Fragments 210
This paper examines the two intercalation schemes found in the Mesopotamian astronomical compendi... more This paper examines the two intercalation schemes found in the Mesopotamian astronomical compendium MUL.APIN from the beginning of the first millenium BCE, and the lunar theory that they imply. It demonstrates that the two schemes do not agree with each other. Two intercalation rules in the second scheme use the conjunction of the moon and the Pleiades. This paper concludes that the intercalation rules are based on the assumption of a 28-day ideal sidereal month. These rules work with a triennial cycle of intercalating one additional month every third lunar year. Two similar intercalation schemes from other compositions, likewise dating from the beginning of the first millenium BCE, are known: a seventh- century intercalation scheme from Babylonia that also assumes a 28-day ideal sidereal month and an intercalation scheme from an unpublished astronomical commentary that, like the scheme in MUL.APIN, uses a triennial cycle. Previous scholars believed that discrepancies exist between ...
Journal of Biblical Literature, 2017
In this article we offer a reconstruction and edition of one of the last unpublished Dead Sea Scr... more In this article we offer a reconstruction and edition of one of the last unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls. It is an extremely fragmentary calendrical scroll written in the Cryptic A code. While images of 4Q324d were included in the DJD series, no formal edition of it exists. The suggested jigsaw-puzzlelike reconstruction integrates forty-two extremely small fragments into a stretch of five consecutive columns of what we consider to be one continuous scroll (pace earlier preliminary editions). In terms of its content, the calendar contained in this scroll resembles the one found at the top of 4Q394 3-7 (a copy of 4QMMT) and in 4Q394 1-2. An intriguing interlinear gloss in both shape and content offers a ruling on the Festival of Wood Offering that follows the halakic rulings of the Temple Scroll. A distinctive corpus of scrolls written in cryptic script stands out among the scrolls found in Qumran. 1 While the final publication of all Qumran scrolls is often celebrated, several scrolls in cryptic script are the only scrolls left that have not been This study was written with the support of the Israel Science Foundation, grant number 1330/14. We would like to express our gratitude to Asaf Gayer, who has been deeply involved in the material reconstruction of this scroll and offered invaluable help. Composite images in this article are based on the PAM images, supplied to us courtesy of the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, Israel Antiquities Authority. In addition, we gained much benefit from the new multispectral images supplied to us by the same library (photographer: Shai Halevy).
PLOS ONE, 2020
Scholars have used mathematical models to estimate the missing length of deteriorated scrolls fro... more Scholars have used mathematical models to estimate the missing length of deteriorated scrolls from ancient Egypt, Qumran, Herculaneum, and elsewhere. Based on such estimations, the content of ancient literature as well as the process of its composition is deduced. Though theoretically reasonable, many practical problems interfere with the method. In the current study, the empirical validity of these mathematical models is examined, showing that highly significant errors are quite frequent. When applied to comparatively intact scrolls, the largest contribution to errors is the subjectivity inherent in measuring patterns of damaged areas. In less well preserved scrolls, deterioration and deformation are more central causes of errors. Another factor is the quality of imaging. Hence, even after maximal reduction of interfering factors, one should only use these estimation methods in conjunction with other supporting considerations. Accordingly, past uses of this approach should be reevaluated, which may have substantial implications for the study of antiquity.
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 2018
Science in Context, 2017
ArgumentThe Astronomical Book of Enoch describes the passage of the moon through the gates of hea... more ArgumentThe Astronomical Book of Enoch describes the passage of the moon through the gates of heaven, which stand at the edges of the earth. In doing so, the book describes the position of the rising and setting of the moon on the horizon. Otto Neugebauer, the historian of ancient science, suggested using the detailed tables found in later Ethiopic texts in order to reconstruct the path of the moon through the gates. This paper offers a new examination of earlier versions of the Astronomical Book, using a mathematical analysis of the figures and astronomical theories presented throughout the Aramaic Astronomical Book; the results fit both the data preserved in the scrolls and the mathematical approach and religious ideology of the scroll's authors better than the details found in the late Ethiopic texts. Among other new insights, this alternate theory also teaches about the process of the composition of the Astronomical Book in the first centuries of its composition.
Dead Sea Discoveries, 2015
In the 21st issue of Dead Sea Discoveries, Dennis Duke and Matthew Goff offered their collaborati... more In the 21st issue of Dead Sea Discoveries, Dennis Duke and Matthew Goff offered their collaboration as physicist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar in order to study the lunar theory of the Aramaic Astronomical Book (aab). They use the astronomical model of lunar elongation—the angular distance between the moon and the sun on the observed heavenly sphere—to compute the times of the moon’s visibility and invisibility. They conclude that the times written on the Aramaic fragments are closer to reality than the times written in the Babylonian sources of the aab. This paper concludes that lunar elongation is not the best explanation of the astronomical data of the aab, and Duke and Goff’s computations should be refined according to some astronomical, cosmological, textual, and historical considerations.
Dead Sea Discoveries, 2015
This paper finds a parallel to the division of each Babylonian zodiacal sign into 30 degrees in t... more This paper finds a parallel to the division of each Babylonian zodiacal sign into 30 degrees in the Enochic cosmology. In particular a new explanation of the rare Aramaic word חרתיה in 4Q209 (4Q209 7iii 1–2, 6) from the Aramaic Astronomical Book is offered as describing heavenly openings on the horizon for the daily rising and setting of the sun. These openings were smaller parts of each one of the twelve gates compared previously by scholars to the zodiacal signs. It seems plausible that the description of the daily openings appeared four times in the account of every year at the end of each season. The addition of these four days can be seen as part of the author’s polemic against the Mesopotamian 360-day year. An implication of the repetition of the sentence in 4Q209 8 3–4 is that this scroll was probably longer than previously assumed and included a triennial cycle synchronizing lunar and solar years.
Journal of Semitic Studies, 2015
The paper offers a new explanation for the traditions preserved in 1 Enoch 69:2–25 in the framewo... more The paper offers a new explanation for the traditions preserved in 1 Enoch 69:2–25 in the framework of a comprehensive discussion of the entire Third Parable (1 Enoch 58–69). A new translation is supplied for vv. 13‐25, alongside detailed textual and exegetical notes, based on the collation of eleven Ge’ez manuscripts of group I, five of which are not previously studied. Much of the discussion proceeds from form-critical marks within chapters 64–9, as well as within chapter 69 itself. The need for small-scale analysis arises from the fact that in the Third Parable many themes are inextricably woven together. The demarcation of Enochic and Noachic passages in the Book of Parables is discussed anew. A central theme of the Third Parable, the instruction of angelic knowledge, appears both in the Noachic passages (chapters 65–8) and in the Enochic chapter 69 and is discussed here in particular. The unit 69:2–14 (except for 2b which is a late duplication of the list of angels from 6:7–8) comprises six angels with extraordinary names, mostly unknown elsewhere, with Kesab’el, the prince of the Divine Name concluding the list. A second tradition in vv. 15–25, focusing on the angel Michael, discusses the role of the Divine Oath in the creation and sustenance of the world. Parts of v. 14 are a late attempt to bridge the gap between the two traditions. Several notorious cruxes in vv. 2–25 are explained on the basis of Ethiopic scribal practices, leaving little place for speculation about their meaning. Finally, several later Jewish sources from the Cairo Genizah reflect knowledge of the chapter in its final form, with the two angelic traditions joined together.
Journal of Jewish Studies, 2024
The Babylonian Talmud, primarily composed in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, exhibits various non-stan... more The Babylonian Talmud, primarily composed in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, exhibits various non-standard linguistic features, interspersed throughout it. Medieval rabbis highlighted some tractates, often referred to as the ‘special tractates’, which possess a more abundant number of occurrences of these features than others. This identification involved mostly classical linguistic and philological methodologies, along with some scholarly intuition. This article proposes identifying special tractates using quantitative methods, namely machine-learning tools. Our algorithm successfully detected a large percentage of non-Babylonian features in all special tractates. A more nuanced examination revealed a concentration of features in specific stories of Tamid, rather than throughout the tractate. It also points to other tractates which are comparatively close to the special tractates, and several tractates whose dialect is more uniform than the average, a phenomenon not previously investigated. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of employing machine-learning tools in comparison to human analysis.
Revue de Qumran, 2023
The present article proposes a new edition of the cryptic scroll 4Q313, based on the improved ima... more The present article proposes a new edition of the cryptic scroll 4Q313, based on the improved images at our disposal. The current readings do not support previous identification of this scroll as a copy of MMT. The very fragmented text might be related to a prayer for the healing of the misguided sinners. A paleographical analysis, based on the new reading, demonstrates that the handwriting of this scroll is very similar to that of 4Q298. This may imply that the two scrolls were penned by the same hand, but 4Q313 was written in a less formal script. * This paper was created as part of the work of Vered Noam, with decipherment and reconstruction by Eshbal Ratzon, 4QMMT: Some Precepts of the Torah (Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming). I thank Avraham Yoskovitz, Naomi Hadad, and Noam Eisenstein for their help in preparing this paper's manuscript. I am also grateful to Émile Puech, Vered Noam, Charlotte Hempel, Jonathan Ben-Dov and Asaf Gayer for their valuable comments on earlier drafts, and the careful anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions. 1 A very limited inventory of scrolls written in two other cryptic scripts (B and C) also exists in Qumran, but this paper will focus only on the Cryptic A scrolls.
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert Collected Papers (eds.: Ofer Sion Joe Uziel Amir Ganor Eitan Klein), 2023
Ratzon, E., A Sectarian Background to 1 Enoch 22. In Verheyden J., Kloppenborg J.S., Roskam G., S... more Ratzon, E., A Sectarian Background to 1 Enoch 22. In Verheyden J., Kloppenborg J.S., Roskam G., Schorn S. (Eds.), On Using Sources in Graeco-Roman, Jewish and Early Christian Literature, Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium (BETL). Peeters, 2022 (pp. 171-197).
Dead Sea Discoveries, 2016
This paper is part of an ongoing debate regarding the theory raised a year ago by Dennis Duke and... more This paper is part of an ongoing debate regarding the theory raised a year ago by Dennis Duke and Matthew Goff in an attempt to re-explain the numerical values found in the Aramaic Astronomical Book (aab). According to their proposal, the composers of the aab or their sources computed the times of lunar visibility and invisibility using the phenomenon of lunar elongation. In this article, I accept Duke and Goff’s argument that their theory does not contradict the data preserved in the fragments of the scrolls of the aab. However, I demonstrate that their theory is unnecessarily complicated and that their proposal both ignores knowledge of physics available to the authors of the aab while making use of knowledge that neither the authors of the aab nor their sources obtained. Therefore, I suggest accepting Duke and Goff’s theory as a modern explanation of the astronomy of the aab, but not as a historical reconstruction.
Archive for History of Exact Sciences, 2021
BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script... more BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script, preserves what remains of two new unparalleled pieces from the cuneiform astronomical repertoire relating to the zodiac. The text on the obverse assigns numerical values to sectors assigned to zodiacal signs, while the text on the reverse seems to relate zodiacal signs with specific days or intervals of days. The system used on the obverse also presents a new way of representing the concept of numerical ‘zero’ in cuneiform, and for the first time in cuneiform, a system for dividing the horizon into six arcs in the east and six arcs in the west akin to that used in the Astronomical Book of Enoch. Both the obverse and the reverse may describe the periodical courses of the sun and moon, in a similar way to what is found in astronomical texts from Qumran, thus adding to our knowledge of the scientific relationship between the two cultures.
תעודה לב-לג, 2021
Binder, S., Ratzon, E., and Shivtiel, Y., Introduction to the Studies in Honor of Bezalel Bar-Koc... more Binder, S., Ratzon, E., and Shivtiel, Y., Introduction to the Studies in Honor of Bezalel Bar-Kochva. Te'uda 32, 2021 (pp. 17-26).
Binder, S., Ratzon, E., and Shivtiel, Y., Professor Bezalel Bar-Kochva: Scholarly Achievements. Te'uda 32, 2021 (pp. 27-53).
pp. 15-14, Representations of Angelic Beings in Early Jewish and in Christian Traditions, Edited by Amsalu Tefera and Loren T. Stuckenbruck, Mohr Siebeck, 2021
Archive for History of Exact Sciences, 2020
BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script... more BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script, preserves what remains of two new unparalleled pieces from the cuneiform astronomical repertoire relating to the zodiac. The text on the obverse assigns numerical values to sectors assigned to zodiacal signs, while the text on the reverse seems to relate zodiacal signs with specific days or intervals of days. The system used on the obverse also presents a new way of representing the concept of numerical 'zero' in cuneiform, and for the first time in cuneiform, a system for dividing the horizon into six arcs in the east and six arcs in the west akin to that used in the Astronomical Book of Enoch. Both the obverse and the reverse may describe the periodical courses of the sun and moon, in a similar way to what is found in astronomical texts from Qumran, thus adding to our knowledge of the scientific relationship between the two cultures.
ד''ר אשבל רצון היא מרצה בחוג לפילוסופיה יהודית ותלמוד ובמכון כהן להיסטוריה ופילוסופיה של המדעים ו... more ד''ר אשבל רצון היא מרצה בחוג לפילוסופיה יהודית ותלמוד ובמכון כהן להיסטוריה ופילוסופיה של המדעים והרעיונות באוניברסיטת תל אביב. היא מתמחה בספרות הבית השני, במדע עתיק ובמדעי הרוח הדיגיטליים. אשבל נשואה לעקיבא, אמא לראשית, ניב, מגד ועתר והכי חשוב היא אחות של אנוה.
במשך אלפי שנים, עוד מראשיתו, העם היהודי עבר ארועי מלחמה וכיבוש על ידי עמים אחרים. בפרק נתמקד בתקופת הבית השני, אשר החלה בראשית שיבת ציון בשנת 538 לפנה"ס, עד שנת 70 לספירה. בתקופה זו ומייד לאחריה, התקיימו המרד הגדול ומרד בר כוכבא (שהסתיים בשנת 136) בו סבלו היהודים תבוסה והרס נרחב. בפרק אשבל מספרת לנו, מה לדעתה אפשר ללמוד מתקופה זו על ימינו אנו, על הנרטיב המשתנה של העם היהודי בעקבות הארועים ועל הצורך בתקווה ושכחה.
מגילות קומראן הן אחד הממצאים הארכיאולוגיים החשובים ביותר שנמצאו בארץ ישראל. כמעט 1000 מגילות שנכת... more מגילות קומראן הן אחד הממצאים הארכיאולוגיים החשובים ביותר שנמצאו בארץ ישראל. כמעט 1000 מגילות שנכתבו בתקופת בית המקדש השני נמצאו במדבר יהודה ליד ים המלח. המגילות מכילות את העותקים העתיקים ביותר של המקרא שהגיעו לידינו בנוסף על ספרים חיצוניים בלשונם המקורית, ספרות יהודית שהתגלתה מחדש לאחר שאבדה לנו לחלוטין וספרות כתתית. בהרצאה נספר את הסיפור הדרמטי של גילויין ורכישתן, נלמד על חשיבותן ועל האופן שבו חוקרים משחזרים כיום את הכתוב בהן.
https://zoom.us/rec/share/4otkd6n0zX9OQp3Jr1vuS6ImG9W7X6a81HMf-vINn0aw3M5eHCgff9dJDR9W9eL8?startTime=1587917723000
ארץ שטוחה ומרובעת בספר חנוך. תודה לפנחס רוט על ההזמנה ולסמינר המחלקתי של החוג למחשבת ישראל באונ... more ארץ שטוחה ומרובעת בספר חנוך.
תודה לפנחס רוט על ההזמנה ולסמינר המחלקתי של החוג למחשבת ישראל באוניברסיטת בן גוריון על האירוח.
A Flat, Square Earth in the Book of Enoch, Presented in the Jewish Philosophy Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
בלוחות ירחיים חלק מן החודשים הם בני 29 ימים ואחרים הם בני 30 ימים. בעברית המודרנית אנו מציינים את... more בלוחות ירחיים חלק מן החודשים הם בני 29 ימים ואחרים הם בני 30 ימים. בעברית המודרנית אנו מציינים את הסוג הקצר בשם חודש חסר, ואת הסוג הארוך בשם חודש מלא. מונחים אלה מופיעים לראשונה בתלמוד. בהרצאה אנסה לטעון כי ניתן לשחזר שימוש במונח "חודש חסר" כבר בנוסח הארמי של ספר המאורות שנמצא בקומראן. זהו ספר אסטרונומי מן המאה השלישית לפני הספירה לערך, שבין היתר המנסה לסנכרן בין לוח ירחי אידיאלי ללוח שמשי אידיאלי בן 364 ימים שהיה מקובל מאוחר יותר בכת קומראן. המצאותו של המונח בספר קדום כל כך היא מפתיעה שכן המונחים התנאיים לסוגי החודשים הם: בזמנו ובעיבורו לגבי ירח שנראה לראשונה בלילה לאחר 29 ימים או לאחר 30 ימים בהתאמה. בהרצאתי אטען שהמונחים התנאיים משנים בכוונה את המונחים המקובלים עד לזמנם כחלק מהמאבק הכתתי על הלוח. בעוד שכת קומראן טענה שלוח השמש הוא עדיף, כי לא חסרים בו ימים, המינוח התנאי נותן עדיפות לחודשים קצרים בהם הירח נראה "בזמנו", כלומר בזמן הראוי. בתקופה האמוראית שכך כבר המאבק הכתתי, ועל כן ניתן היה לחזור למונחים הקדומים ללא חשש.
This paper examines the two intercalation schemes found in the Mesopotamian astronomical compendi... more This paper examines the two intercalation schemes found in the Mesopotamian astronomical compendium MUL.APIN from the beginning of the first millenium BCE, and the lunar theory that they imply. It demonstrates that the two schemes do not agree with each other. Two intercalation rules in the second scheme use the conjunction of the moon and the Pleiades. This paper concludes that the intercalation rules are based on the assumption of a 28-day ideal sidereal month. These rules work with a triennial cycle of intercalating one additional month every third lunar year. Two similar intercalation schemes from other compositions, likewise dating from the beginning of the first millenium BCE, are known: a seventh-century intercalation scheme from Babylonia that also assumes a 28-day ideal sidereal month and an intercalation scheme from an unpublished astronomical commentary that, like the scheme in MUL.APIN, uses a triennial cycle. Previous scholars believed that discrepancies exist between the dates of the conjunctions of the moon and the Pleiades across all three schemes. However, this paper proposes that the astronomical assumptions of the three schemes are identical.
We are delighted to invite you to an international conference on ancient science. The conference... more We are delighted to invite you to an international conference on ancient science.
The conference will be held on July 19, Wednesday, between 9:00–18:00 at Tel Aviv University (Gilman 496) and will also be broadcast on Zoom.
The conference will deal with ancient science in four sessions: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Judea.
We would be very happy if you could attend (and register through the link
in the attached invitation)
The workshop Human-Machine Cooperation in Archaeology, Epigraphy and Ancient History was devoted ... more The workshop Human-Machine Cooperation in Archaeology, Epigraphy and Ancient History was devoted to the application of digital tools in projects related to ancient history, material culture, and texts. This choice assumes that the application of digital tools to the study of ancient times shares similar challenges, and the output of such projects may be of interest to all participants in the workshop. We aim to bring together international and Israeli scholars of archaeology, epigraphy, biblical studies, ancient history, computer science, digital humanities, and members of the Israeli high-tech industry in order to investigate the following issues:
• Presentation of specific projects, their challenges, paths taken to accomplish them, and possible outcomes.
• The application of newly developed algorithms and technologies.
• Interaction between teams and technologies – making technology a member of the ancient history and archaeology community.
• Technology in the service of scholarship – what can technology teach us that we cannot learn without it?
• The intended users (scholarly community, the general public, others).
• Databases vs. TEI, and choosing the right conventions.
• Copyrights vs. opening and sharing our sources.
• Master classes and intensive small learning workshops on the implementation of digital humanities tools.