Cassini continues: ‘Nothing better helps to know the antiquity of astronomy than what Ptolemy (120AD) says of the observations of the skies by which Hipparchus (140BC) reformed this science two thousand years ago. Ptolemy reports that those who were already called astronomers in the days of Hipparchus had observed that the Moon not only moves unequally both by longitude as well as latitude but also that the extent of its inequality, since known as Apogee and Perigee, successively passes through all the degrees of the Zodiac, and that its greatest latitude as well in the north regions as in the regions of the south is transported by the flight of time, by all the degrees of this same circle, in such manner that at each revolution the Moon cuts across the Ecliptic in different degrees. That these astronomers, in order to discover the rules governing these inequalities, compared together many lunar eclipses by which means they sought to find the longest periods of time which being equal among themselves, each contained the same number of unequal months, that Hipparchus, to connect these long periods once found, had chosen from a great number of ancient observations those proper to his purposes; and that having compared them amongst themselves, he noticed that the Sun and the Moon starting from that same point in the sky, would meet 4267 times in 126007 days and one hour after the Moon had made 4612 revolutions by the Zodiac with regard to the fixed stars, less seven degrees and one half, and that it made 4573 returns to the point of its apogee. That nevertheless after this period of 4573 revolutions, the eclipses do not come back to the original size, but only after 5458 months. This witness by Ptolemy shows of course that some of these observations of the skies used by Hipparchus were very old. For a very long interval of time is required and a great number of observations as well to be able to conclude that these very long periods observed together by Hipparchus were uniform; it is not difficult to see the need for many observations to control this uniformity when one thinks that of all the eclipses occurring from 2500 years ago to the present moment there are not two that would be out of conformity with the spaces of these long periods. An objection that could render suspect the antiquity of these observations used by Hipparchus is that about 2200 years from the time this astronomer lived up to the Deluge, which would appear to have buried all monuments of arts and sciences. But one must not be surprised that the memory of the astronomic observations made during the first age of the world, could have lasted even after the Flood, since Josephus recalls that the descendants of Seth to preserve for posterity the memory of the observations of the skies that had been made, sculpted the main ones on two columns, one of stone, the other of brick; that the one of stone survived the Deluge, and that in his time one could see traces of it in Syria. It is therefore established that right from the first age of the world, men had already made great progress in the science of the movement of the stars. One could even say that they were more versed in this lore than they have been since the Flood, if it is true that the year used as a yardstick by the ancient Patriarchs was of the greatness of those composed by the great period of 600 years, as mentioned in the Antiquities of the Jews written by Josephus. We cannot find in the remaining monuments of all the other nations any vestige of this period of 600 years, one of the finest yet to be invented. For supposing the lunar month of 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes and 3 seconds, one finds that 219146 days and a half make 7421 lunar months; and this same number of 219146 days and a half gives 600 solar years each consisting of 365 days, 5 hours, 51 minutes and 36 seconds. If this is the year in use before the Flood, as there appears to be every chance of being so, it must be admitted that the ancient Patriarchs knew already with great precision the movement of the stars; for this lunar month accords, for one second out, with that which has been determined by modern astronomers; and the solar year is more exact than that of Hipparchus and Ptolemy, who assigned the year 365 days, 5 hrs, 55 minutes and 12 seconds. [Today’s tropical year is said to be 365 days, 5 hours, 48 min., 51.6 seconds]. After the Deluge, mankind, having been dispersed throughout the world, the Kings of each people took great care to cultivate astronomy, as the historians of all nations attest. Uranus, King of the peoples that first inhabited the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, was considered to be of the race of the gods because he had a special knowledge of the skies. Zoroaster, King of the Bactrian, is only so well-known because he excelled in astronomy. The first Kings of China acquired for themselves an immortal glory for having made 4000 years ago, shortly after the Flood, many astronomical observations that the Chinese have conserved to this day. Finally, Prometheus, King of Scythia, son of ‘Japer’, that many famous authors hold to have been the same as ‘Japeth’ one of the sons of Noah, taught his ignorant and stupid people the science of the stars; which gave rise among the poets to the saying that he had stolen fire from Heaven, and had brought statues to life. The peoples had such great veneration for these great men that studied astronomy that they rendered them divine honours and dedicated to them temples and altars. But whatever one may make of all these stories whose chronology is perhaps not always very exact, it is certain that soon after the Flood, the Chaldeans observed the skies with much care. Philo attests that Thare, who was born in Chaldea over a hundred years before the death of Noah, was very much given up to astronomy and that he taught it to his son Abraham. Josephus adds that Abraham came to the knowledge of the true God in contemplating the stars; and that having passed from Chaldea into Egypt; he brought the science of astronomy there. This science was held in such esteem at this time that only Kings or Priests made profession of it. Perhaps this is why Virgil, speaking of Dido and Eneus, introduces Lopas who sings what Atlas, King of Mauritania, had taught of the eclipses of the Sun and of the Moon, and of the situation and movements of the stars. Astronomy being held in such esteem in Egypt, it is not surprising that it was taught to Moses who was raised as a Prince Royal of the care of the daughter of Pharaoh. Clement of Alexandria says that Moses made great progress in this science, and that he later taught it to the Jews. Thus astronomy having come from Chaldea into Egypt, passed from Egypt into Judea, and was in a short time carried into Phoenicia and into all the neighbouring countries.
‘Up to then astronomers hadn’t yet attempted to apply their speculations for use of navigation. But as the Phoenicians were as entrepreneurial as they were hard working, they began to use the observations of the skies to lead them on long distance voyages. So successful was their profiting from the advantages of astronomy, that they were able to carry commerce into far distant lands, made themselves into masters of the seas, established colonies along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and having entered the ocean, took hold of the Isle of Cadis and built there a very magnificent city. The reputation they had of excelling in navigation caused them to be called upon in various kingdoms to conduct the fleets of foreign princes. Salomon gave them the control of the fleet that he sent via the Red Sea into Ophir; whence they brought back much gold and a great store of the same goods that Europeans presently bring back from South Africa and the Indies. Nechao II, King of Egypt, also employed them to conduct his fleet, which made a much longer voyage according to Herodote: for he says that having followed the Red Sea coast it entered the ocean, crossed the Torrid Zone, toured Africa and came back to Egypt via the Mediterranean Sea.’[1]
[1]J. D. Cassini: The Progress of Astronomy and its Use for Geography and in Navigation, Paris, 1693, pp.1, 5. 
Topic: Fr Paul Robinson SSPX. v Young Earth Creationists (Read 29502 times)