God placed seven planets in the firmament and gave each one a distinct personality. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled by Jerahmeel ben Solomon, these celestial bodies are not just astronomical objects. They are cosmic appointees, each governing a different domain of human experience.
Saturn presides over poverty, sickness, and death. He appears as an old man carrying a sickle. Mars governs war, bloodshed, hatred, and destruction. His appearance is terrifying: an armored warrior gripping a sword in his right hand and a spear in his left, dressed in a coat of mail. Wherever he turns, wickedness follows. Jupiter rules over life, peace, prosperity, and sovereignty. He looks like a noble, valiant man with the head of a ram.
Venus governs love, desire, marriage, and the fertility of all living things. She takes the form of a young woman holding a tree branch. Mercury controls wisdom, knowledge, and the ability to unravel mysteries in any language. He appears as an old man with thin lips and wings, his lower body resembling a dragon.
The firmament divides into seven vertical layers. The moon occupies the lowest. Then Mercury, Venus, and the sun at the center. Mars sits above the sun, then Jupiter, and Saturn at the very top, completing its circuit in three years.
On the fifth day, God brought the Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן) forth from the waters. This great serpent holds the creatures of the deep between its two fins. Every day it opens its mouth, and a massive serpent flies into its jaws to feed it. The center of the earth rests upon these colossal serpents, and God Himself plays with the Leviathan, as it says: "You created this Leviathan to sport with it" (Psalms 104:26).
IV. (1) The following seven planets God created and
placed in order in the firmament for the benefit of the
world; for by means of them people calculate the signs,
12 [IV. 2
seasons, and astronomical computations; the time of
summer, the number of the hours, days and months, periods
and festivals (appointed times), as it is said, ' They shall be
for signs, for seasons, for days and for years.' (2) The seven
days of the week are called after the seven planets, the
Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and
Mars. On the first day Sol, i.e. the sun, rules, and this day
is called Zondakh. On the second day the moon serves; it
is called Luna, therefore the second day is called Lunedi,
i.e., Mondakh. On the third day Mars serves; it is called
Mars, hence Marsdi, i.e., Diensdakh. On the fourth day
Mercury, or Marcurios, serves, therefore it is called
Markusdi, i.e., Godansdakh. On the fifth day Jupiter
serves; it is called lovis, hence lovisdi, i.e., Donnersdakh.
On the sixth day Yenus, i.e., Veneri, serves, therefore the
day is called Vindredi, that is Yredakh. On the seventh day
Saturnus serves, therefore the day is called Sabbatdi, i.e.,
Satuldakh. (3) In what order are they placed in heaven ?
They are distributed there as sun and moon and the five
planets. The firmament is divided into seven degrees, one
above the other. There are seven distinct places for these
seven planets; and this is their order: (4) The first degree is
near the earth, and this lowest degree is the habitation of
the moon, in which the moon makes a circuit round the
firmament. The second degree is the habitation of
Mercury, in which it describes its circuit in the firmament.
The third degree is the habitation of Venus, in which it
also describes its circuit in the firmament. The fourth
degree is the middle of them, viz., the habitation of the
sun, which completes its circuit of the heaven in twelve
months. The fifth degree is the habitation of Mars, which
makes its circuit in the firmament.^ The seventh degree
is the highest of all, viz., the habitation of Saturn, which
completes its circuit in three years. (5) This is the order
of their work: Saturn is appointed over the poor and
needy women, over faintness and sickness, diseases of the
body, and over death. His appearance is like that of an
1 The sixth degree is missins^ in the MS.
old man with a sickle in his hand. (6) Mars is appointed
over war (bloodshed) and the sword, over the wicked, over
slander, over strife, battle, hatred, jealousy, quarrels, over
warriors, wounds, injuries, bruises, over fire, water, and
destruction. His appearance is like that of an armed
w^arrior with a sword in his right hand, and he appears
like a man of wrath and a stirrer up of strife. Wherever
he turns wickedness ensues; he looks terrible in his coat
of mail, and with the spear which he bears in his left hand.
(7) Jupiter is appointed over life, peace and good, over
prosperity, tranquillity, joy, pleasant conversation, re-
joicings, riches, greatness, sovereignty and majesty. His
appearance is like that of a valiant and noble-looking man,
and his head is that of a ram. (8) Venus is appointed
over kindness, favour, love, lust, passion, desire, marriage,
the birth of man and animals, the fruits of the earth and
the fruits of the tree. Its form is that of a young girl
beautifully adorned, and swaying a branch of a tree in her
hand. Mercury is appointed over wisdom, discretion,
understanding, knowledge, and the active intellect en-
abling one to unravel mysteries, to devise plans in every
branch of work, and in the writings of any language.
Its form is that of an old man with thin lips; he possesses
wings, and the lower part of the body is like a dragon.
(9) The sun is appointed over hght, to separate light from
darkness, and through it to enable us to calculate the
days, months and years, and to do every kind of work,
to make any cunning work, to walk any distance, and
to migrate from city to city and from town to town.
The moon holds the key of heaven and earth, and is
appointed over morning and evening. She is set over
all creatures, to lead them in the right or wrong way,
although she has no power in herself either to do good or
evil. But everything is done by order and command.
Everything was created by means of the word of God.
(10) Hence the Rabbis have said that the orbit of the sun
and the circuit of the moon, the order of the stars, the
arrangement of the planets, the calculation of the circuits,
14 [V. 1
the lengths of the days and the division of the hours,
which are at first long and then become gradually shorter,
are all the work of God.
V. On the fifth day He brought forth from the waters
all manner of winged birds, male and female, all manner
of locusts, and also the Leviathan, a serpent which holds
all the dwellers of the lower waters between his two fins.
The centre of the earth rests upon the huge serpents, which
form food for the Leviathan. Every day he opens his
mouth, and a huge serpent comes every day to feed him.
It flies and flutters and enters the mouth of Leviathan,
while God sports with it, as it is said, * Thou hast created
this Leviathan to sport with it.'
