Chapter 3: Time and Space
Section B: The Israelite Conception of Time
Part 1: The Time of Heavenly Luminaries
Subpart a: The Uselessness of the Western Concept of Time
Boman correctly notes that westerners are notorious for flatly ignoring any conception of time that isn’t their own. They seem to deny that any other conception is even possible. Scholars have assumed that something about human nature itself demands that an awareness of time hinges first on an awareness of space, and that conception of time is built on movement.
And yet, it is painfully obvious that neither the Hebrew in particular, nor the ANE in general, have followed this course. They’ve all been quite inconsistent with the Indo-European culture alive at about the same time. Hebrew in particular reverses the western understanding of future and past. We see the future before us, that past behind. Hebrews saw the future as a concealed thing chasing them down from behind, and the past as a open before them.
Subpart b: Sun and Moon as Time-Determinants; Perception of Time
The Hebrews used the same luminaries in the sky to get a sense of what “now” means. However, they used them differently. The Greeks think of them as physical objects in the sky, orbs. Size matters. Western minds are fixed primarily on solar influences, noting the least light on the peak of winter, and the longest exposure to the sun on midsummer day. Ancient festivals reflected these notations.
The Hebrews ignored the sun’s schedule and kept their eyes on the moon. Their words for the luminaries (lamps and lights) do not indicate what they are but how they function, serving as illumination. The meaning of night and day were established before the sources of light were created. Light bears authority regardless of source.
In northern Europe, the transition between night and day tends to linger, almost imperceptibly. In the Middle East, it is much more dramatic and sharp. Thus, the Hebrew conception focuses on the separation between light and dark and the moral implications. They never revered the sun, but the original source of light: God. His Presence is very decisive. Periods of human history are not marked by standard divisions of celestial motion but by the moral content of the events.
Thus, the moral meaning of what we experience is not determined by the movement of the luminaries — God forbade them from ever going down that route (we call it “astrology”). Rather, the meaning is found in His gaze, His declaration of what it is. Thus, the lights in the sky, along with the rainbow when it shows up, are marks of God’s mercy and reliability. They determine nothing; they manifest glory and grace that stood long before them.
For western minds, the moon is just an accessory floating nearby. For the Hebrews, being closer to us means it speaks most loudly of God’s care. Thus, the sacred seasons are marked by the moon, not the sun. Meanwhile, more mundane activities can rely on the sun, such as how the city gates do not open until the sun is hot. It’s not about the sun as some ruler in the sky, but what things are like right now in the Promised Land. Time is marked by subjective effects, not celestial mechanics.
I must note that Boman is not so blunt as this outline; I’m bringing in my own previous studies to clarify his subtle thrust and voluminous citations of other scholars. Still, this part of the book is quite good.
