Genesis 5 Part 15: Controversies

Above is a stained-glass window depicting the Magi. They were likely the astrologers from the Jewish community in Babylon.

Calling the Magi astrologers or magicians is considered controversial nowadays. And equally my theory is just as controversial too. Though not necessarily from a theological point of view, but more so from an astronomical stand point.

Controversy I: Zodiac

By using sidereal orbits, the period a planet takes to go round the Sun, we are assuming the Hebrews had a Zodiac. The Zodiac can be used to record the position of the planets on the elliptical axis. Without it, I suggest, it would be impossible to calculate the sidereal orbits.

We know the Egyptians used 36 ‘decans’ to achieve the same result as a Zodiac from around 2,000 BC. Though there is no evidence in the Bible that the Hebrews used the same astronomical system.

But, we can find Biblical evidence for a 12 constellation Zodiac. I will unpack this in the next post.

Controversy II: The Sidereal Data

Before the ancient Hebrews could work out this astronomical wheel, they would need to know the sidereal astronomical data. But where did they get it from?

If we lay out the ages in a table we can find this information. Firstly, we see Mercury in the table below at 90 days. See how they could have worked out the figures for Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

As you can see these aren’t just random numbers being added together to make up the sidereal orbits. They create patterns.

The pattern starts with Mercury, then expands out to Venus and then Mars. Jupiter’s orbit is calculated from the lifespans after the patriarch begets their son, while Saturn is predominantly calculated using the total life spans. Though Enoch is excluded from Saturn’s data as he was taken to Third Heavens.

Controversy III: The Numbers

Another controversial part of this theory is where do the numbers come from. If they were known by the Bible writers, why weren’t they mentioned. Even in the extra-Biblical books which talk about astronomy, like 1 Enoch and the Book of Jubilees, there is no mention of this astronomical clock.

Kabbalah and other mystical Jewish traditions do not appear to mention this either. Nor do the Gnostic sects with their so called ‘secret knowledge’.

If these numbers were included in the Scriptures while the Jews where in Babylon, why don’t we see a similar text with the same numbers? As Babylonians recorded significant amounts of astronomical data, if the Jews copied it, where are these amongst their records.

Well, we kind of do have a list, and it’s called the Sumerian King’s List. I couldn’t find any evidence that the Babylonians used this list in astronomy. But after a brief look at the Sumerian King’s List, I have found some astronomical data within it. As far as I can see so far, the data is very different from Genesis 5. I will discuss my findings in a later post. But it appears the Babylonians may not have been aware of this information.

Could the numbers be a later inclusion into the Bible? Well we know these numbers have been in the Bible for over a millennia, long before the Copernicus Revolution.

Also looking at Gilgal Rephaim (3,500BC), it seems that if this correlates with the Genesis 5 astronomical model, then these ancient communities may have been aware of these numbers. Even as far back as 4th Millennium BC.

Controversy IV: Mathematics

Finally, another controversial element to this theory is the mathematics involved. How did they divide 912 into 10759?

Evidence from around 6,000 BC shows:

• elaborate pottery design

• layouts of temples and shrines

• application of triangle ratios such as 3:4:5 triangles

• using rectangles, circles and squares

• standardised length measurements

By 3,200 BC, we see evidence of mathematical practices in Sumer.

So if this astronomical clock was from around 3-4,000 BC, then the mathematical ability could have been available to handle these large calculations.

There are many questions and more research is needed to unpick what is going on here.

The next post will unpack Genesis 49 and the Hebrew Zodiac. This is not part of the Genesis 5 series, and I will publish a comprehensive series on Genesis 49. After this post, we will go back to the Genesis 5 series and look at the ‘beget’ data and discover what it might mean.