THE ASTRONOMICAL BOOK

Eupolemos states that Abraham "invented astrology and Chaldean science" Original: "τὴν ἀστρολογίαν καὶ Χαλδαϊκὴν εὑρεῖν" and taught the Phoenicians "the evolutions of the sun and moon and all other things" Original: "τροπὰς ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα". In Egypt, he initiates the priests of Heliopolis in astrology, revealing to them that "the invention of these sciences goes back to Enoch, and it was he who was the first to invent astrology, not the Egyptians" Original: "τὴν δὲ εὕρεσιν αὐτῶν εἰς Ενὼχ ἀναπέμπειν, καὶ τοῦτον εὑρηκέναι τὴν ἀστρολογίαν, οὐκ Αἰγυπτίους". The Greeks claim that Atlas invented astrology, but Atlas is none other than Enoch; Enoch had a son, Methuselah, and he learned all these things through the angels of God Original: "Ἕλληνας δὲ λέγειν τὸν Ἄτλαντα εὑρηκέναι ἀστρολογίαν, εἶναι δὲ τὸν Ἄτλαντα τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ Ἐνώch; τοῦ δὲ Ἐνώch; γενέσθαι υἱὸν Μαθουσάλαν <...> ὃν πάντα δι' ἀγγέλων θεοῦ γνῶναι.". Eupolemos thus gives us a summary of the Astronomical Book of Enoch: an astrological treatise describing the path of the sun and moon, learned by angelic instruction and passed to Methuselah.

Given the Samaritan character of this narrative (such as the primordial role of Abraham and the reference to the temple of Argarizin), an anonymous Samaritan source may be seen here. The Samaritan history used by Eupolemos may date back to the third century, as one of its objectives was the exaltation of the temple of Gerizim. This reference obliges us to rethink the priestly milieu in which our document was written.