God promises Abram that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the sky, assumed to be uncountable. In 10th century Baghdad, scholars were well-versed in Ptolemy’s Greek astronomy, including his official limited count of stars. This challenged the Karaite Jewish exegete Ya‘qub al-Qirqisani to reinterpret the meaning of God’s promise.
Prof.
Miriam Goldstein
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