nciple 63

CHAPTER VII. THE MOON

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

CHAPTER VIII. THE STARS

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

CHAPTER IX. COMETS

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

CHAPTER X. METEORS

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

CHAPTER XI. ECLIPSES OF THE SUN AND MOON

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

CHAPTER XII. SATURN AND ASTROLOGY

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

CHAPTER I. THE ORIGIN OF 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

CHAPTER II. GENESIS AND THE CONSTELLATIONS

The Bow set in the Cloud--The Conflict with the