igoSJ IN BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA. 659 



will and intention. Through the planets and stars or rather in the 

 planets and stars one sees the gods at work and if one knows what 

 they are contriving, one knows what occurrences will take place on 

 earth. Again, as in the case of hepatoscopy, past experience and 

 association of ideas are the two main factors involved in the system 

 of interpretation gradually devised by the Babylonian-Assyrian 

 biiru priests or " inspectors " in their capacity as astrologers or 

 " inspectors "'of the heavens. A favorable event or a favorable out- 

 come of a crisis following upon certain aspects of the heavenly 

 bodies would be made the basis of a favorable prognostication on 

 another occasion when the same conditions presented themselves ; 

 and the prognostication would be made without reference to the par- 

 ticular event following upon the original observation. It was not 

 the event that was of importance but merely the circumstance 

 whether it was favorable or unfavorable. On the basis of this ex- 

 perience phenomena were entered as pointing to favorable or un- 

 favorable occurrences, and these entries served as a guide to the 

 priests in the task imposed upon them of divining the future. But 

 while the principle of post hoc propter hoc entered largely into the 

 fonnation of collections of astrological omens — as it did in the col- 

 lections of hepatoscopical omens^*^ — the natural or artificial associa- 

 tion of ideas was even a more prominent factor. Normal conditions 

 as a rule were interpreted as favorable. Thus, if the moon and sun 

 appeared in conjunction at the proper time, a favorable prognosti- 

 cation was indicated. If the conjunction took place at a time earlier 

 or later than the expected moment it forboded disaster of some 

 kind. Again, by a perfectly logical association, in case the new 

 moon was seen on the first day of the month, /. c, was not obscured 

 by clouds, the omen was of a favorable character; if, however, 

 clouds obscured it so that the new moon was not visible, difficulties 

 of some kind might be expected. Days were entered as favorable 

 or unfavorable according to these and numerous other indications 

 and though in the case of a specific inquiry of the gods recourse 

 was had to hepatoscopy in order to ascertain what a deity had in 

 mind with regard to the particular situation in question, the signs 



J ^'' See Jastrow, "Religion Babj-loniens und Assyriens," II., p. 251 seq., for 



•examples. 



