The unit of time we call seconds relate, I believe, to the beat of a man’s heart when at rest.
Minutes and hours are constructed in a way that relates seconds to days using a numerlogical system based on the number 360, the approximate number of days in a year.
The numbers 12 and 360 were sacred to the ancient mesopotamians, as were the shapes circle, square and triangle. This mystical numerology and geometry crops up often in ancient religion and science, from the Pythagoreans to the Mayans. These numbers are special because they relate the number of lunar cycles in a year (about 12) to the number of diurnal cycles in a year (about 360). They also allow a circle (representing either the heavens or the earth) to be divided into symmetrical units we now know as degrees, minutes and seconds. The square represents the cardinal directions, and the triangle generally represents relationships, such as that between heaven, earth, and man.
Originally, there were 12 hours in a “day”, defined as the duration between sunrise and sunset. Think of a sundial, rather than a mechanical clock. So such “hours” relate to days as months relate to years. The arc of the sundial would be divided into 12 equal segments, although the duration of each “hour” would vary in absolute terms by the time of year, depending on how far from the equator the observer was.
The brilliant men of the ancient Levant, encompassing a fertile crescent-shaped region from Lebanon, through Turkey, Kurdistan and Iraq, of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations happened to be living relatively near the equator, and so this seasonal effect would be negligible within the limits of their ability to measure.
Other brilliant men living in other parts of the world in other times, such as the Chinese and the Mayans appear to have independently developed some sophisticated systems of time measurement with comparable predictive ability, but it was the system of the Mesopotamians that formed the basis of our modern calendar and time system, which is now accepted without reservation throughout the world. If only we could establish such accord in other realms, such as language, religion, and dvd formats.
So.
The partitioning of time into years is in relation to earth’s revolution around the sun;
Into months, the moon’s revolution around the earth;
Into days, the earth’s rotation on its own axis.
But weeks?
The ancient Babylonians marked time primarily by the lunar calendar, and divided the roughly 28 day lunar cycle into four quarters, basically by the quarter phases of the moon, with various rituals associated with the respective days of each phase. Eventually, this seven day cycle lost its connection to the lunar calendar, but certain rituals remained associated with the seven day cycle.
Centuries later, the Greeks followed this model, naming the days for the sun, the moon and the five known planets, themselves named for the gods Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus and Cronus. The Romans followed the greeks, substituting gods from the their own pantheon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The germanic tribes, influenced by roman civilization, substituted gods from their own pantheon for the romans: Tiu, Woden, Thor, Freya. Thus in English we have Sun’s day, Moon’s day, Tiu’s day, Woden’s day, Thor’s day, Freya’s day, and only Saturn’s day remains from the Roman pantheon in the English names for days.
The Judaic calendar probably derives, either directly or indirectly from the Babylonian, substituting traditional Jewish rituals associated with the Genesis story of creation, and Judaic numerology, in which the number seven was considered sacred, for on the seventh day, God rested.
The seventh day is called the ‘sabbat’ meaning to stop, to pause in one’s work (rendered in English ‘sabbath’). We are taught to stop for a reason. To reflect, and ponder God’s work. To rest from our own work, and to give thanks. Something for all of us moderns to consider. Rest and contemplate and honor the sabbath. It is a commandment from your Lord.
The division of time into weeks is thus unique, and different from all other conventional time divisions we use.
According to the Mosaic law, there is in addition to a sabbath day, a sabbath year. In the ancient tradition, fields were to go fallow for a year, anyone could eat the fruit that grew untended, slaves were to be set free, and all debts and grudges were to be forgiven.
One was to have been fortunate and prudent enough to allow for this, or one might rely on the support of one’s family and community otherwise.
For some of us lucky moderns, the sabbath year lives on in the so-called ‘sabbatical.’ I think there is a lot of wisdom in this. If you can’t take a whole year off, at least pull back a little bit, reflect, contemplate the mystery of the cosmos, be grateful and honor those around you, your friends, family and even your servants. And take care to forgive any grudges you may be holding. You will be glad you did.
On the seventh cycle of sabbath years, in other words, every fifty years, there was the Jubilee. It is named for the Jubal horn, the special ram’s horn, which was blown in celebration. In contrast to the sabbath, which occurred on different cycles for different individuals, the Jubilee is like a sabbath year observed by the whole community. In Jubilee years, God-fearing elders would compete with each other in acts of generosity, showing their gratitude for God’s benevolence by freeing all their slaves, and forgiving all debts, and sharing all their possessions with one another.
Something to think about.