WHY IS COPERNICUS INTERESTING FOR THE

HISTORIAN OF JEWISH THOUGHT AND

CULTURE?

One historian’s search for “real”

issues.

1 Issues of Reception• No room for apologetics!• No “appropriation” of Copernicanism in the sense that I understand the term.

• Is there a typical reaction?

MS Oxford 2066, by “Eliezer”

brief timeline:• Copernicus {14 Feb(?)1473-1543}• Kepler {1571-1630}• Newton {1642-1727}• Rafael Levi Hannover {1685-1779}

רררר רררררר רר ררררר ררררר ררררר רררררררררר רררר ררר רררררר רררר ררר רררר ררררר רררר...ררררררר רררררר רררררר

רררר רר רררר רררר רר רררר רררר ררר ררר ררר רררר ררררר רררר רר רררררר רררררר ררר רררר ררר רררררר רררר ררר רררר ררררר ררררררר ררררררר רר ררררר ררררר רררררר רר ררררררר

ררר רר ררררררר ררר רר רררר ררררר רררר רררר רררר ררר ררררר ררררר רררר ררררררר רררר רררר רר"ר רררר רר רר רררר

רררר ררר ררר ררררררר ררר ררר רררררר ררררר רר

In our own time the great astronomer Copernicus came up with a different conception of the world-structure, which is known as “the new configuration”… The advantages of the new structure are indeed many, even innumerable, but this is not the place to explain them all; just the general advantage, which is that we don’t need to say that the sphere of daily motion moves from east to west with great velocity, forcing all of the stars along with it. Indeed, such a velocity is inconceivable, given that the sun is the largest star, yet makes such a great circuit around the earth in 24 hours, and so also the rest of the stars. This is enough for a beginner in this science.

2 “Background” IssuesIt was obvious to astronomers in antiquity and the medieval period that the sun plays a role in the motions of all of the planets—even if this fact is not a part of the “Ptolemaic system”.

Many Jewish thinkers of varying background and tendencies took a deep interest in theoretical astronomy—it was a “real issue” for them.

Let N be an integer number of tropical years, R an integer number of planetary circuits in longitude, and A an integer number of synodic periods. Then, for the outer planets, N=R + A. Good numerical approximations were already known in early Babylonian astronomy.

Otto Neugebauer, HAMA, I, 150-151.

From an anonymous, incomplete, unpublished medieval Hebrew philosophical text:

רר ררררר ררררר רררררר רר ררר רררר רר ררר רר' רררררר רררררררר רררררר

רררררר ררררר ררררר רררר ררררר ררר …ררררר רררר

their full motion is like its [the sun’s], because the motion of each of the three superior planets, which is the sum of its motion in the epicycle and in its own orb, is equal to the motion of the sun…

3 Transmission, Migration, and other Modes of Cultural Transfer

• Massive movement eastward of educated Jews from Iberian peninsula to Italy, the Ottoman Realms (and back to Italy)

• Movement back and forth between Poland and Italy

• Constantinople—Venice axis, Constatinople—Venice—Crete triangle

To look at Islamic civilization as a transmitter of science is to view it from a point outside it…herein, precisely, is the danger that lurks for the Islamist who allows his own choice of research problems to be unduly determined by facts of transmission, however important these may be…the hypothesis seemed plausible that Copernicus might have been influenced by his Islamic predecessors…

But what about the significance of the new models for the history of Islamic astronomy itself? What do we learn from them about the scientific outlook motivation of Islamic astronomers?

A.I. Sabra, “The Appropriation and Subsequent Naturalization of Greek Science in Medieval Islam.”

Conclusion: Some Real Issues in Jewish History that connect to

Copernicus• Cataloguing Jewish responses to Copernicus

• Medieval texts addressing issues in cosmology, especially the role of the sun

• Studies on people such as Finzi, Isserles, Galeano, Abu-l-Khayr, Abraham de Balmes

• Studies on Routes of Migration of People and Ideas