150 JASTROW— THE SIGN AND NAME [April 25, 



Now what was the purpose for which the movements of the 

 planets were observed by the Babylonians? What other than to 

 secure through such observation, signs by means of v»'hich the future 

 could be divined? The planets were, primarily, regarded as 

 " omens " and since, as has been above set forth, divination through 

 the heavens follows in point of time divination through the liver of 

 the sheep, we would expect conceptions and terms used in " liver " 

 divination to be transferred to astrological divination. The use of 

 the term " sheep " as the designation of the planets observed to 

 secure omens, precisely as omens were furnished by means of sacri- 

 ficial sheep, I, accordingly, take as an illustration of this dependence 

 of astrology upon hepatoscopy, forming, as it were, the connecting 

 link between the two. It may be noted in this connection that the 

 interpretations given in astrological texts to signs observed are paral- 

 leled in the " liver " divination texts,^^ and there can be little doubt 

 that they are transferred bodily from the latter and earlier class of 

 texts to the former. 



The explanation here proposed, according to which Lu-Bat 

 as applied to the planets conveys the notion that they were regarded 

 as " omens " or means of securing omens, throws a new light upon 

 the statement in Diodorus"^ that the Babylonians commonly called 

 the five planets f/j/^r^vcT?, i. e., " interpreters," adding as a reason 

 for the designation that the planets were regarded as " inter- 

 preting " for mankind the intention of the gods. Bouche-Leclercq 

 (" L'Astrologie Grecque," p. 40, note 3), recognizes that the term 

 " interpreters " does not embody a Greek tradition, but the notice 

 in Diodorus, so far from being, as he supposes, of " doubtful value," 

 reflects the perfectly correct view that the planets were used as 

 " omens "-^ and the term " interpreters " is evidently an attempt to 



■° The interpretations in the " astrological " texts are in fact practically 

 identical with those in "liver" divination, furnishing the same references to 

 public events and differing merely in containing more references to crops, to 

 prices of food and to famine. Cf ., e. g., Craig, " Astrolog.-Astronom. texts," 

 PI. 2, 3 ; 20, 22 with CT, XX., 26, Obv. 3 ; Boissier, Doc. Assyr., 7, 21 ; 

 Craig 20, 31 with CT, XX., 32, 54; 99, 100 (where ilu = Nergal). Cf. Jastrow, 

 /. c, II., p. 342, note 11). 



""Bibl. Histor., Book II. (ed. Dindorf), 30, 4. 



"To be sure, what Diodorus says in addition why the planets and not 

 also the other stars were regarded as " interpreters " is rather beside the 



