[Avodah] Astrology

[Micha Berger]

On Sat, November 25, 2006 1:46 pm, Yisrael Medad quoted Jim Steward in a
letter to the London Review Bookshop about astrology:
:                         In ancient Israel astrology was an offence, and was
: rejected as a source of knowledge, as were all other kinds of divination,
: magic generally, and consultation of the dead. Ancient Israelites believed
: (according to Genesis) that the sun, moon and stars were merely 'lights'.

1- This is historically untrue.

2- Also, astrology was a big thing much much later, among the philosophically
inclined rishonim (and their non-Jewish contemporaries), all of whom had quite
developed theologies (including those contemporaries). It's not like Jewish
theology rules out astrology. And for many authetically Jewish theologies,
quite the reverse.

2- Bereishis says "limemsheles". Not merely lights.

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             Spirituality is like a bird: if you tighten
micha at aishdas.org        your grip on it, it chokes; slacken your grip,
http://www.aishdas.org   and it flies away.
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