Science in Qumran Aramaic Texts by Ida Fröhlich

Science in Qumran Aramaic Texts primarily explores the astronomical, demonological, divinatory, and medical imaginations of the Aramaic texts found at Khirbet Qumran (e.g., 4Q242, 4Q208–209, and 4Q560), in the Hebrew Bible (Daniel 5), and in Ge’ez translations (e.g., the Book of the Watchers and the Astronomical Book of 1 Enoch). If there is a core argument to the volume, it is that these understudied and fragmentary Aramaic texts must be analyzed on their own terms as witnesses to a distinct scientific tradition. They must not be thoughtlessly lumped together with the Hebrew, often sectarian texts also found at Khirbet Qumran: the Aramaic texts represent their own literary tradition. Nor must they be subordinated to Mesopotamian scientific traditions: the Aramaic texts represent a scientific imagination that, although influenced by Mesopotamia, produced its own innovations. How to cite: Currie, J.M. Science in Qumran Aramaic Texts by Ida Fröhlich. Aestimatio: Sources and Studies in the History of Science (2023) 4: 1-5. https://doi.org/10.33137/aestimatio.v4.42937