59-573: In mythological or religious cosmology , the seven heavens refer to seven levels or divisions of the Heavens . The concept, also found in the ancient Mesopotamian religions , can be found in Judaism and Islam ; the Christian Bible does not mention seven levels of heaven. Some of these traditions , including Jainism , also have a concept of seven earths or seven underworlds both with
118-490: A functional theory of the planets. The oldest surviving planetary astronomical text is the Babylonian Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa , a 7th-century BC copy of a list of observations of the motions of the planet Venus that probably dates as early as the second millennium BC. The Babylonian astrologers also laid the foundations of what would eventually become Western astrology . The Enuma anu enlil , written during
177-544: A long time. Since the discovery of key archaeological sites in the 19th century, many cuneiform writings on clay tablets have been found, some of them related to astronomy . Most known astronomical tablets have been described by Abraham Sachs and later published by Otto Neugebauer in the Astronomical Cuneiform Texts ( ACT ). Herodotus writes that the Greeks learned such aspects of astronomy as
236-523: A more scientific approach to astronomy as connections to the original three traditions weakened. The increased use of science in astronomy is evidenced by the traditions from these three regions being arranged in accordance to the paths of the stars of Ea , Anu , and Enlil , an astronomical system contained and discussed in the MUL.APIN. MUL.APIN is a collection of two cuneiform tablets (Tablet 1 and Tablet 2) that document aspects of Babylonian astronomy such as
295-513: A single column of calculations for the Moon using this same "System B", but written in Greek on papyrus rather than in cuneiform on clay tablets. Historians have found evidence that Athens during the late 5th century may have been aware of Babylonian astronomy. astronomers, or astronomical concepts and practices through the documentation by Xenophon of Socrates telling his students to study astronomy to
354-612: A system of ten heavens. This cosmology , taught in the first European universities by the Scholastics , reached its supreme literary expression in The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri . The idea of seven heavens is carried over into the esoteric Christian cabala . The Quran and Hadith frequently mention the existence of seven samāwāt (سماوات), the plural of samāʾ (سماء), meaning 'heaven, sky, celestial sphere', and cognate with Hebrew shamāyim (שמים). Some of
413-631: A term later adopted by the Akkadians as “namburbu”, meaning roughly, “[the evil] loosening”. The god Ea was the one believed to send the omens. Concerning the severity of omens, eclipses were seen as the most dangerous. The Enuma Anu Enlil is a series of cuneiform tablets that gives insight on different sky omens Babylonian astronomers observed. Celestial bodies such as the Sun and Moon were given significant power as omens. Reports from Nineveh and Babylon , circa 2500-670 B.C., show lunar omens observed by
472-634: Is in a fragmentary state. Nevertheless, the surviving fragments show that Babylonian astronomy was the first "successful attempt at giving a refined mathematical description of astronomical phenomena" and that "all subsequent varieties of scientific astronomy, in the Hellenistic world , in India , in Islam , and in the West … depend upon Babylonian astronomy in decisive and fundamental ways." An object labelled
531-562: Is largely due to the current fragmentary state of Babylonian planetary theory, and also due to Babylonian astronomy and cosmology largely being separate endeavors. Nevertheless, traces of cosmology can be found in Babylonian literature and mythology. It was a common Mesopotamian belief that gods could and did indicate future events to mankind through omens; sometimes through animal entrails, but most often they believed omens could be read through astronomy and astrology . Since omens via
590-658: Is nearer to the Sun at perihelion and moving slower when it is farther away at aphelion . The only surviving planetary model from among the Chaldean astronomers is that of the Hellenistic Seleucus of Seleucia (b. 190 BC), who supported the Greek Aristarchus of Samos ' heliocentric model. Seleucus is known from the writings of Plutarch , Aetius , Strabo , and Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi . The Greek geographer Strabo lists Seleucus as one of
649-556: The Earth rotated around its own axis which in turn revolved around the Sun . According to Plutarch, Seleucus even proved the heliocentric system through reasoning , though it is not known what arguments he used. According to Lucio Russo , his arguments were probably related to the phenomenon of tides . Seleucus correctly theorized that tides were caused by the Moon , although he believed that
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#1732780038546708-568: The Neo-Assyrian period in the 7th century BC, comprises a list of omens and their relationships with various celestial phenomena including the motions of the planets. In contrast to the world view presented in Mesopotamian and Assyro-Babylonian literature , particularly in Mesopotamian and Babylonian mythology , very little is known about the cosmology and world view of the ancient Babylonian astrologers and astronomers. This
767-814: The Seven Planets , who form part of the entourage of Ruha in the World of Darkness . According to all Puranas , the Brahmanda is divided into fourteen worlds known as lokas . Seven are upper worlds : Bhuloka (the Earth and sky), Bhuvarloka , Svargaloka , Maharloka , Janarloka , Tapaloka and Satyaloka ; and seven are lower worlds : Atala , Vitala , Sutala , Talatala , Mahatala , Rasatala and Patala . [REDACTED] Learning materials related to Seven Heavens at Wikiversity Religious cosmology Too Many Requests If you report this error to
826-404: The Sun , Mars , Jupiter , and Saturn ) moved at different paces in the sky both from each other and from the fixed stars beyond them. Unlike comets , which appeared in the sky with no warning, they moved in regular patterns that could be predicted. They also observed that objects in the sky influenced objects on Earth as when movements of the sun affect the behavior of plants or movements of
885-532: The Talmud , it is suggested that the upper part of the universe is made up of seven heavens ( Hebrew : shamayim ): The Jewish Merkavah and Hekhalot literature was devoted to discussing the details of these heavens, sometimes in connection with traditions relating to Enoch, such as the Third Book of Enoch . The Second Book of Enoch , also written in the first century CE, describes the mystical ascent of
944-512: The flat Earth . Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone. The lowest dome of the heavens was made of jasper and was the home of the stars . The middle dome of heaven was made of saggilmut stone and was the abode of the Igigi . The highest and outermost dome of the heavens was made of luludānītu stone and was personified as An , the god of the sky. The celestial bodies were equated with specific deities as well. The planet Venus
1003-669: The gnomon and the idea of the day being split into two halves of twelve from the Babylonians. Other sources point to Greek pardegms, a stone with 365-366 holes carved into it to represent the days in a year, from the Babylonians as well. In 1900, Franz Xaver Kugler demonstrated that Ptolemy had stated in his Almagest IV.2 that Hipparchus improved the values for the Moon's periods known to him from "even more ancient astronomers" by comparing eclipse observations made earlier by "the Chaldeans", and by himself. However Kugler found that
1062-485: The metaphysical realms of deities and with observed celestial bodies such as the classical planets and fixed stars . Beliefs in the plurality of the heavens were not restricted to the belief in seven heavens. Ancient near eastern cosmology largely accepted the existence of three heavens. In Jewish cosmologies (albeit absent from the Hebrew Bible ), the number of heavens could range from 3 to 365, with 7 being
1121-668: The patriarch Enoch through a hierarchy of Ten Heavens. Enoch passes through the Garden of Eden in the Third Heaven on his way to meet the Lord face-to-face in the Tenth (chapter 22). Along the way, he encounters vividly described populations of angels who torment wrongdoers; he sees homes, olive oil , and flowers. The book's depiction of ten heavens represented an expansion of the ancient seven-heaven model. This expanded cosmology
1180-413: The Chaldean astronomers during this period include the discovery of eclipse cycles and saros cycles , and many accurate astronomical observations. For example, they observed that the Sun 's motion along the ecliptic was not uniform, though they were unaware of why this was; it is today known that this is due to the Earth moving in an elliptic orbit around the Sun, with the Earth moving swifter when it
1239-568: The Mesopotamians. "When the moon disappears, evil will befall the land. When the moon disappears out of its reckoning, an eclipse will take place". The astrolabes (not to be mistaken for the later astronomical measurement device of the same name) are one of the earliest documented cuneiform tablets that discuss astronomy and date back to the Old Babylonian Kingdom. They are a list of thirty-six stars connected with
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#17327800385461298-470: The Moon affect ocean tides . The concept of seven heavens as developed in ancient Mesopotamia where it took on a symbolic or magical meaning as opposed to a literal one. The concept of a seven-tiered was likely In the Sumerian language , the words for heavens (or sky) and Earth are An and Ki . The ancient Mesopotamians regarded the sky as a series of domes (usually three, but sometimes seven) covering
1357-675: The Origin of the World states that seven heavens were created in Chaos by Yaldabaoth below the higher realms , and each of them are ruled over by an Archon . During the end times , these heavens will collapse on each and the heaven of Yaldabaoth will split in two, causing its stars to fall upon the Earth, therefore causing it to sink into the Abyss . In the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul ,
1416-501: The Pinches anthology, but do contain some differing information from each other. The thirty-six stars that make up the astrolabes are believed to be derived from the astronomical traditions from three Mesopotamian city-states, Elam , Akkad , and Amurru . The stars followed and possibly charted by these city-states are identical stars to the ones in the astrolabes. Each region had a set of twelve stars it followed, which combined equals
1475-516: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 203013418 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:47:18 GMT Babylonian astronomy Babylonian astronomy was the study or recording of celestial objects during the early history of Mesopotamia . The numeral system used, sexagesimal ,
1534-757: The World of Light) and demons. In the Ginza Rabba , seven maṭartas are listed and described in Chapter 3 in Book 5 of the Right Ginza . However, the number of maṭartas is not always seven; Book 6 of the Right Ginza (also known as the "Book of Dinanukht ") lists six, and Chapter 4 in Book 1 of the Left Ginza lists eight. Alternatively, the Seven Heavens can also be seen as corresponding to
1593-549: The apostle Paul ascends through the lower Seven Heavens. At the seventh heaven, he meets an old man who opens the gate to the realm beyond the material universe, and Paul then ascends to the eighth, ninth, and tenth heavens. In Mandaeism , a series of maṭartas , or "toll houses," are located between the World of Light ( alma ḏ-nhūra ) from Tibil (Earth). The term maṭarta has variously been translated as "watch-station", "toll-station", "way-station", or " purgatory ". Maṭartas are guarded by various uthras (celestial beings from
1652-414: The authors were inspired by the same source for at least some of the information. There are six lists of stars on this tablet that relate to sixty constellations in charted paths of the three groups of Babylonian star paths, Ea, Anu, and Enlil. There are also additions to the paths of both Anu and Enlil that are not found in astrolabe B. The exploration of the Sun, Moon, and other celestial bodies affected
1711-424: The body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows—was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. The description is usually taken as an oblique reference by the author to himself. The passage appears to reflect first-century beliefs among Jews and Christians that
1770-532: The development of Mesopotamian culture. The study of the sky led to the development of a calendar and advanced mathematics in these societies. The Babylonians were not the first complex society to develop a calendar globally and nearby in North Africa, the Egyptians developed a calendar of their own. The Egyptian calendar was solar based, while the Babylonian calendar was lunar based. A potential blend between
1829-539: The four most influential astronomers, who came from Hellenistic Seleuceia on the Tigris, alongside Kidenas (Kidinnu), Naburianos (Naburimannu), and Sudines . Their works were originally written in the Akkadian language and later translated into Greek . Seleucus, however, was unique among them in that he was the only one known to have supported the heliocentric theory of planetary motion proposed by Aristarchus, where
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1888-495: The heliocentric theory by determining the constants of a geometric model for the heliocentric theory and by developing methods to compute planetary positions using this model. He may have used trigonometric methods that were available in his time, as he was a contemporary of Hipparchus . None of his original writings or Greek translations have survived, though a fragment of his work has survived only in Arabic translation, which
1947-422: The interaction was mediated by the Earth's atmosphere . He noted that the tides varied in time and strength in different parts of the world. According to Strabo (1.1.9), Seleucus was the first to state that the tides are due to the attraction of the Moon, and that the height of the tides depends on the Moon's position relative to the Sun. According to Bartel Leendert van der Waerden , Seleucus may have proved
2006-548: The ivory prism was recovered from the ruins of Nineveh . First presumed to be describing rules to a game, its use was later deciphered to be a unit converter for calculating the movement of celestial bodies and constellations . Babylonian astronomers developed zodiacal signs. They are made up of the division of the sky into three sets of thirty degrees and the constellations that inhabit each sector. The MUL.APIN contains catalogues of stars and constellations as well as schemes for predicting heliacal risings and settings of
2065-538: The late second millennium BCE make references to seven heavens and seven earths. One such incantation is: "an-imin-bi ki-imin-bi" (the heavens are seven, the earths are seven.) The understanding that the heavens can influence things on Earth lent heavenly, magical properties to the number seven itself, as in stories of seven demons, seven churches, seven spirits, or seven thrones. The number seven appears frequently in Babylonian magical rituals . The seven Jewish and
2124-582: The later Hellenistic models , though the Babylonian astronomers were concerned with the philosophy dealing with the ideal nature of the early universe . Babylonian procedure texts describe, and ephemerides employ, arithmetical procedures to compute the time and place of significant astronomical events. More recent analysis of previously unpublished cuneiform tablets in the British Museum , dated between 350 and 50 BC, demonstrates that Babylonian astronomers sometimes used geometrical methods, prefiguring
2183-513: The methods of the Oxford Calculators , to describe the motion of Jupiter over time in an abstract mathematical space. Aside from occasional interactions between the two, Babylonian astronomy was largely independent from Babylonian cosmology . Whereas Greek astronomers expressed "prejudice in favor of circles or spheres rotating with uniform motion", such a preference did not exist for Babylonian astronomers. Contributions made by
2242-505: The months in a year, generally considered to be written between 1800 and 1100 B.C. No complete texts have been found, but there is a modern compilation by Pinches, assembled from texts housed in the British Museum that is considered excellent by other historians who specialize in Babylonian astronomy. Two other texts concerning the astrolabes that should be mentioned are the Brussels and Berlin compilations. They offer similar information to
2301-469: The most popular figure. The notion or belief in a cosmos structured or tiered into seven heavens likely originates or derives from the seven visible heavenly bodies (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and the Sun). Each of the seven heavens corresponds to one of the seven classical planets known in antiquity. Ancient observers noticed that these heavenly objects (the Moon , Mercury , Venus ,
2360-448: The movement of celestial bodies and records of solstices and eclipses . Each tablet is also split into smaller sections called Lists. It was comprised in the general time frame of the astrolabes and Enuma Anu Enlil , evidenced by similar themes, mathematical principles, and occurrences. Tablet 1 houses information that closely parallels information contained in astrolabe B. The similarities between Tablet 1 and astrolabe B show that
2419-402: The movements of celestial bodies. One such priest, Nabu-rimanni, is the first documented Babylonian astronomer. He was a priest for the moon god and is credited with writing lunar and eclipse computation tables as well as other elaborate mathematical calculations. The computation tables are organized in seventeen or eighteen tables that document the orbiting speeds of planets and the Moon. His work
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2478-614: The number "seven". One viewpoint is that the number "seven" here simply means "many" and is not to be taken literally (the number is often used to imply that in the Arabic language). But many other commentators use the number literally. One modern interpretation of "heavens" is that all the stars and galaxies (including the Milky Way ) are all part of the "first heaven", and "beyond that six still bigger worlds are there," which have yet to be discovered by scientists. The Gnostic text On
2537-501: The observation of a repeating 18-year Saros cycle of lunar eclipses. Though there is a lack of surviving material on Babylonian planetary theory, it appears most of the Chaldean astronomers were concerned mainly with ephemerides and not with theory. It had been thought that most of the predictive Babylonian planetary models that have survived were usually strictly empirical and arithmetical , and usually did not involve geometry , cosmology , or speculative philosophy like that of
2596-449: The periods that Ptolemy attributes to Hipparchus had already been used in Babylonian ephemerides , specifically the collection of texts nowadays called " System B " (sometimes attributed to Kidinnu ). Apparently Hipparchus only confirmed the validity of the periods he learned from the Chaldeans by his newer observations. Later Greek knowledge of this specific Babylonian theory is confirmed by 2nd-century papyrus , which contains 32 lines of
2655-575: The planets were produced without any human action, they were seen as more powerful. But they believed the events these omens foretold were also avoidable. The relationship Mesopotamians had with omens can be seen in the Omen Compendia, a Babylonian text composed starting from the beginning of the second millennium on-wards. It is the primary source text that tells us that ancient Mesopotamians saw omens as preventable. The text also contains information on Sumerian rites to avert evil, or “nam-bur-bi”,
2714-421: The planets, and lengths of daylight as measured by a water clock , gnomon , shadows, and intercalations . The Babylonian GU text arranges stars in 'strings' that lie along declination circles and thus measure right-ascensions or time intervals, and also employs the stars of the zenith, which are also separated by given right-ascensional differences. The Babylonians were the first civilization known to possess
2773-505: The realm of Paradise existed in a different heaven than the highest one—an impression that may find support in the original Greek wording (closer to "caught away" than "caught up"). In the second century, Irenaeus also knows seven heavens (see his Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching 9; cf. Against Heresies 1.5.2). Over the course of the Middle Ages , Christian thinkers expanded the ancient Mesopotamian seven-heaven model into
2832-474: The seven Islamic heavens may have had their origin in Babylonian astronomy . In general, the heavens is not a place for humans in Mesopotamian religion. As Gilgamesh says to his friend Enkidu , in the Epic of Gilgamesh : "Who can go up to the heavens, my friend? Only the gods dwell with Shamash forever". Along with the idea of seven heavens, the idea of three heavens was also common in ancient Mesopotamia. In
2891-612: The skies has its own Qibla or a structure which became direction of prayer, similar to Kaaba of the mortal world, where the Qibla of highest heaven is called Bayt al-Ma'mur , while the Qibla building for the lowest sky is called Bayt al-Izza . In other sources, the concept is presented in metaphorical terms. Each of the seven heavens is depicted as being composed of a different material, and Islamic prophets are resident in each. The names are taken from Suyuti 's Al-Hay’a as-samya fi l-hay’a as-sunmya: There are two interpretations of using
2950-404: The thirty-six stars in the astrolabes. The twelve stars of each region also correspond to the months of the year. The two cuneiform texts that provide the information for this claim are the large star list “K 250” and “K 8067”. Both of these tablets were translated and transcribed by Weidner. During the reign of Hammurabi these three separate traditions were combined. This combining also ushered in
3009-463: The two that has been noted by some historians is the adoption of a crude leap year by the Babylonians after the Egyptians developed one. The Babylonian leap year shares no similarities with the leap year practiced today. It involved the addition of a thirteenth month as a means to re-calibrate the calendar to better match the growing season. Babylonian priests were the ones responsible for developing new forms of mathematics and did so to better calculate
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#17327800385463068-509: The verses in the Quran mentioning the samaawat are Q41:12 , Q65:12 and Q71:15 . The seven heavens are not final destinations for the dead after the Day of Judgment, but regions distinct from the earth, guarded by angels and inhabited by souls whose abode depends on their good deeds (fasting, jihad, Hajj, charity), with the highest layer, the closest to God . According to Quran and Hadiths, each of
3127-618: The way for modern astrology and is responsible for its spread across the Graeco-Roman empire during the 2nd Century, Hellenistic Period . The Babylonians used the sexagesimal system to trace the planets transits, by dividing the 360 degree sky into 30 degrees, they assigned 12 zodiacal signs to the stars along the ecliptic. Only fragments of Babylonian astronomy have survived, consisting largely of contemporary clay tablets containing astronomical diaries , ephemerides and procedure texts, hence current knowledge of Babylonian planetary theory
3186-548: Was an important contribution to astronomy and the philosophy of science , and some modern scholars have thus referred to this approach as a scientific revolution. This approach to astronomy was adopted and further developed in Greek and Hellenistic astrology . Classical Greek and Latin sources frequently use the term Chaldeans for the philosophers , who were considered as priest - scribes specializing in astronomical and other forms of divination . Babylonian astronomy paved
3245-484: Was based on sixty, as opposed to ten in the modern decimal system . This system simplified the calculating and recording of unusually great and small numbers. During the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Babylonian astronomers developed a new empirical approach to astronomy. They began studying and recording their belief system and philosophies dealing with an ideal nature of the universe and began employing an internal logic within their predictive planetary systems. This
3304-437: Was believed to be Inanna , the goddess of love, sex, and war. The Sun was her brother Utu , the god of justice, and the Moon was their father Nanna . Ordinary mortals could not go to the heavens because it was the abode of the gods alone. Instead, after a person died, his or her soul went to Kur (later known as Irkalla ), a dark shadowy underworld , located deep below the surface of the Earth. Sumerian incantations of
3363-638: Was developed further in medieval Christianity . The New Testament does not refer to the concept of seven heavens. However, an explicit reference to a third heaven appears in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians , penned in Macedonia around 55 CE. It describes the following mystical experience: I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in
3422-713: Was later recounted by astronomers during the Seleucid dynasty. A team of scientists at the University of Tsukuba studied Assyrian cuneiform tablets, reporting unusual red skies which might be aurorae incidents, caused by geomagnetic storms between 680 and 650 BC. Neo-Babylonian astronomy refers to the astronomy developed by Chaldean astronomers during the Neo-Babylonian , Achaemenid , Seleucid , and Parthian periods of Mesopotamian history. The systematic records in Babylonian astronomical diaries allowed for
3481-596: Was later referred to by the Persian philosopher Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865-925). Many of the works of ancient Greek and Hellenistic writers (including mathematicians , astronomers , and geographers ) have been preserved up to the present time, or some aspects of their work and thought are still known through later references. However, achievements in these fields by earlier ancient Near Eastern civilizations, notably those in Babylonia , were forgotten for
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