Chapter 78

The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries: The Sun and Moon: the Waxing and Waning of the Moon.

78):1 And the names of the sun are the following: the first Orjares, and the second Tomas.

2. And the moon has four names: the first name is Asonja, the second Ebla, the third Benase, and the fourth Erae.

3. These are the two great luminaries: their circumference is like the circumference of the heaven, and the size of the circumference of both is alike.

4. In the circumference of the sun there are seven portions of light which are added to it more than to the moon, and in definite measures it is transferred till the seventh portion of the sun is exhausted.

5. And they set and enter the portals of the west, and make their revolution by the north, and come forth through the eastern portals on the face of the heaven.

6. And when the moon rises one-fourteenth part appears in the heaven: the light becomes full in her: on the fourteenth day she accomplishes her light.

7. And fifteen parts of light are transferred to her till the fifteenth day (when) her light is accomplished, according to the sign of the year, and she becomes fifteen parts, and the moon grows by (the addition of) fourteenth parts.

8. And in her waning (the moon) decreases on the first day to fourteen parts of her light, on the second to thirteen parts of light, on the third to twelve, on the fourth to eleven, on the fifth to ten, on the sixth to nine, on the seventh to eight, on the eighth to seven, on the ninth to six, on the tenth to five, on the eleventh to four, on the twelfth to three, on the thirteenth to two, on the fourteenth to the half of a seventh, and all her remaining light disappears wholly on the fifteenth.

9. And in certain months the month has twenty-nine days and once twenty-eight.

10. And Uriel showed me another law: when light is transferred to the moon, and on which side it is transferred to her by the sun.

11. During all the period during which the moon is growing in her light, she is transferring it to herself when opposite to the sun during fourteen days [her light is accomplished in the heaven], and when she is illumined throughout, her light is accomplished full in the heaven.

12. And on the first day she is called the new moon, for on that day the light rises upon her.

13. She becomes full moon exactly on the day when the sun sets in the west, and from the east she rises at night, and the moon shines the whole night through till the sun rises over against her and the moon is seen over against the sun.

14. On the side whence the light of the moon comes forth, there again she wanes till all the light vanishes and all the days of the month are at an end, and her circumference is empty, void of light.

15. And three months she makes of thirty days, and at her time she makes three months of twenty-nine days each, in which she accomplishes her waning in the first period of time, and in the first portal for one hundred and seventy-seven days.

16. And in the time of her going out she appears for three months (of) thirty days each, and for three months she appears (of) twenty-nine each.

17. At night she appears like a man for twenty days each time, and by day she appears like the heaven, and there is nothing else in her save her light.