This sugya presents a discussion of non-Jewish festivals, their calendrical setting, and their meaning. The Mishnah begins with R’ Meir’s catalog of Roman holidays: Kalenda, Saturnalia, Kratesis, royal festival days, the king’s birthday, and the anniversary of a king’s death.
As usual, thank you for yet another erudite piece.
The Babylonians figured out the lunar cycle by the 9-10th century BCE.
The Egyptians figured out the solar cycle earlier than that (they worshipped Ra!).
The Greeks refined that knowledge by the 4-5th century BCE.
The Talmud is framing all this from
a halachic/moral perspective.
Natural phenomena- those governed by G-d’s unmovable laws of physics- will always be ‘used’ to demonstrate human superiority over the deities. The temptation for humans to place themselves as gods has been the ‘story’ of humanity.
The Talmud is addressing this in particular in this wonderful tractate .
As usual, thank you for yet another erudite piece.
The Babylonians figured out the lunar cycle by the 9-10th century BCE.
The Egyptians figured out the solar cycle earlier than that (they worshipped Ra!).
The Greeks refined that knowledge by the 4-5th century BCE.
The Talmud is framing all this from
a halachic/moral perspective.
Natural phenomena- those governed by G-d’s unmovable laws of physics- will always be ‘used’ to demonstrate human superiority over the deities. The temptation for humans to place themselves as gods has been the ‘story’ of humanity.
The Talmud is addressing this in particular in this wonderful tractate .