SIS REVIEW Vol. I:1 (Newsletter 3) – January 1976 Click here for cost
Aphrodite – The Moon or Venus?, by Peter James
A secondary thesis of Worlds in Collision is that the astral nature of ancient religions has so far been largely ignored by scholars – in particular, the planetary character of some Greek deities has been overlooked. This article examines the identity of one of these and suggests an answer to the question ……….
Problems of Electricity in Astronomy, by Eric Crew
There is something simple and satisfying about gravitational forces in astronomical problems. All bodies have mass and this attracts other mass. The force between centres of gravity varies inversely as the square of the distance. Acceleration is proportional to the force and inversely to the mass. As the velocity increases, things become more complicated and the velocity of light is involved. These problems are generally well understood and form the basis of conventional celestial mechanics. Almost everything is orderly and changes are gradual. Catastrophes, like collisions, are rare. ………………..It is difficult to persuade astronomers to comment on electrical characteristics. ………… you will rarely find the word ‘electricity’ mentioned. …………….
Myth and Method, by Ian Grant
In this essay I contribute to the characterisation of Velikovsky’s mythological method and suggest that the proper basis for deciding on its validity lies in the testing of its empirical conclusions. It is not my purpose to attempt an account of the development of his methods, rather to describe basic features of it in a mature stage. …………
In Defence of the Revised Chronology –An answer to John Day, by Martin Sieff
[A series of ‘Objections to the Revised Chronology’, by John Day, was published in Newsletter 2, September 1975 and this article is in response.] The same numbering of the sections has been adopted for easier reference; sections 7 to 9 will follow ….. with further thoughts from John Day and any other points to be made. Newsletter no. 2 can be read in full online – click here.
I agree with John Day that radiocarbon dating is a two-edged sword. But, accordingly, if Velikovsky cannot claim radiocarbon confirmation, neither can he be rejected on radiocarbon refutation. The sword cuts both ways! Day points out that ‘a radiocarbon dating of an object of the 25-26th [Egyptian] Dynasties gave the date 280 BC (+ or – 130), about 400 years too late’, and cites a similar result relating to Nectanebo I. But, as he himself admits, these are too late by the same period for both Velikovsky’s and the orthodox chronology! …………..
SIS REVIEWVol. I:2 (Newsletter 4) – Spring 1976 Click here for cost – Spring 1976 – – – Spring 1976
Megalithic Astronomy, by Euan MacKie
Valuable evidence which must be considered in relation to theories of recent catastrophism is provided by the prehistoric standing stone observatories of the British Isles and Britanny. Enough work has been done on these Late Neolithic sites to make it clear that a large number of them were positioned and designed in order to mark accurately the rising and setting positions of celestial bodies and they thus provide a record of the state of parts of the solar system about 4,000 years ago. The disadvantage of this kind of evidence is that, since it depends on the work of non-literate societies, we cannot know directly which celestial bodies were being observed; the sites are not labelled in any way that we can decipher except by making assumptions about the state of the solar system at that time. The principles on which the megalithic observatories have been identified – and on which they are claimed to work – are relatively simple. They depend on the fact that there is only one way for a technologically primitive society to make accurate observations of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars – by using the great circle of the horizon and by indicating points on it with a pair of markers. ……………
Electricity in Astronomy [Part II], by Eric Crew
Although the electrical nature of lightning has been accepted since B. Franklin and others conducted their famous and risky experiments with kites in 1752, many aspects of this fascinating phenomenon are still the subject of scientific conjecture. It is probably true to say that if we lived on a planet with no atmosphere and depended on telescopes for our knowledge of Earth, we would still be arguing about the nature of the flashes and radio-emission observed in the terrestrial atmosphere, just as scientists are disputing today about the atmospheric characteristics of Jupiter and the Sun. …………..This paper will deal mainly with aspects of lightning which are not well-known, but first we will described the theory which is generally accepted. ………….
Manna as a Confection, by Michael G. Reade
In the April 1st issue of New Scientist, it was proposed, with reference to an obscure part of the Kabbalah, that manna was produced by a purpose-built machine, whose origin may have been extra-terrestrial. In a more down-to-earth vein, this article considers, from a professional viewpoint, the possibility of a natural synthesis of manna.
In Defence of the Revised Chronology – An Answer to John Day, continued, by Martin Sieff (assisted by Peter James)
7. The Temple in Jerusalem. What evidence can Velikovsky adduce for identifying Thutmose III as Shishak?:
‘The pharaoh invaded Judea and, according to the Egyptian and scriptural narratives alike, “took all the cities” and approached the capital, called Kadesh ………………..’ [1]
……once more, we turn to Day, for either the refutation of this evidence or the provision of insuperable stumbling blocks. ………….
SIS REVIEW Vol. I:3 – Summer 1976[no longer called ‘Newsletters’] Click here for cost
The Conquest of Canaan, by John J. Bimson
How well do the findings of archaeologists working in the field reconcile with Velikovsky’s Revised Chronology for the ancient Middle East? This paper, accepted for publication by Pensée before that journal’s demise, examines one aspect of this question. …………….
Aphrodite – The Moon or Venus? (continued), by Alfred de Grazia [with a reply from Peter James]
If Peter James is correct in identifying Aphrodite with the planet Venus, eschewing her identification with the Moon, orthodox classicists will be pleased and, as he says, Immanuel Velikovsky wil be wrong and Ralph Juergens will be wrong. Furthermore, I shall be [more wrong] than anybody, for I have circulated a book ………… that is based upon the thesis that Aphrodite is very much Moon. Not only that, but also that Moon and planet Mars are the specific subjects of the opera-ballet ‘bedroom comedy’ sung of by Homer’s Demodocus in the Odyssey. …………… Lest Mr James sleep too well in his belief in the absence of evidence that Aphrodite can be identified with Moon, permit me to abstract some passages that are contained in my book and that deal with the subject. …………….
Electricity in Astronomy, Part III, by Eric Crew
Electrical processes are generally ignored by astronomers and yet they may succeed in resolving many problems in astrophysics. The simple comparison of the effects of lightning on Earth with those of assumed discharges scaled up to stellar and galactic levels demonstrates the value of this work. The benefits could be of reciprocal value to meteorologists and astronomers.
Jets from Electrical Discharges. Many kinds of jets have been observed by astronomers, from the streams of hot gas flowing from the edges of sunspots at about 8 km/sec to the galactic jets (as in M87) advancing into the rarified atmosphere, according to C. E. R. Bruce, at over 4,000 km/sec for tens of millions of years and eventually forming galactic arms. There is no generally accepted astronomical explanation for these jets, …………
On Schools of Thought, by R. G. A. Dolby
What can we usefully learn from the ‘Velikovsky Affair’?
An important set of philosophical problems arises from cases in which the way we classify people and their actions determines the conceptual structure we use in interacting with them. For example, deep and difficult problems frequently arise when we must make fine but somewhat arbitrary distinctions the basis for different social responses. The boundary between the ‘criminal’ and the ‘criminally insane’ may be hard to draw, but it has major implications for their subsequent institutional treatment. Such problems occur even in social systems where rational objectivity is assumed to reign. We cannot escape the political implications of our social classifications. ………..
SIS REVIEW Vol. I:4 (‘issue 4’) – Spring 1977 Click here for cost
Schools of Thought – A Reply, by Hugo Meynell
I am not sure that Alec Dolby, in his article in the last issue of the Review [SISR I:3], has presented the methodological issues involved with quite the sharpness that they deserve and in what follows will try to show why…………… To comment usefully on Alec Dolby’s article, one has to say something about Thomas Kuhn, whose disciple Mr Dolby is and whose theories he applies. …………..
Rockenbach’s De Cometis and the Identity of Typhon, John J. Bimson
In the Fall of 1973 [issue] of Pensée there appeared ‘A Note on Rockenbach’s ‘De Cometis’ by Carter Sutherland. The article dealt with the passage in Abraham Rockenbach’s essay on comets (published in 1602) in which the comet of Typhon is described. Velikovsky had previously made use of this passage in Worlds in Collision (the section ‘The Comet of Typhon’) because it supports his assumption that this comet appeared at the time of the Exodus. Dr. Sutherland’s article gives us an English translation of the entire Latin passage presented by Velikovsky, including a sentence which Velikovsky omitted from his own English translation. Dr Sutherland commented that this previously omitted sentence ‘directs our attention to the giants and opens a possibly fruitful, if certainly tedious, area of investigation.’ Let us begin by looking at the sentence in its context, using Dr Sutherland’s translation. ………..
The Cosmology of Job, by Martin Sieff [‘Planets in the Bible: I’]
Opinion is divided as to the dating of the book of Job. Because the earliest known example of Satan as Accuser ….. in Hebrew literature is in the book of Zechariah (3:1ff), an early post-Exilic date is generally assumed.
The Historical Context ………. The Wisdom of Job ……….. Catastrophe on Earth: The witness of Job ………… Catastrophe from the Sky: Amos ……… Catastrophe from the Sky: The effects on the Earth …………….
Galactic Space Charge and Stellar Energy, by Ralph E. Juergens
[The paper ………… was offered to Nature in 1967; some of the points contained in it have also been raised in the author’s papers in Pensée. Both the author and the Editors of the Review are aware of problems in the model as presented here, and of some need to update the paper; but we have decided to offer it to members in the spirit in which it was accepted – to serve as ‘a springboard for further discussion’. We would be glad to have members’ thoughts on the paper. These will be included in the next issue ………………. ]In investigating the possibility that the Sun and the other stars of the universe may actually derive their energy electrically from the outside, as the complex structure and thermal properties of the solar atmosphere suggest, it occurred to me that a non-uniform distribution of space charge in the galaxy at large could provide the driving potential for stellar electrical discharges. …………
SIS REVIEW Vol. I:5 (‘issue 5’) – Summer 1977 Click here for cost
The Inexact Science of Radiometric Dating, by Roy MacKinnon
The material presented in Earth in Upheaval by Immanuel Velikovsky indicates that there exists substantial geological evidence to support the contention that the Earth repeatedly experienced global catastrophes, some of which may have been witnessed in geologically recent times by man and recorded in his myths and legends. It is an implicit consequence of this evidence that some events commonly surmised to have required millions of years within the framework of uniformitarian suppositions must now be considered to have a duration of a few hours. Unless it is granted that uniformitarian processes demand further protraction than currently believed, then it follows that the total duration allowable for the history of the Earth must be correspondingly contracted from the 4,600 million years a majority of scientists assume to be necessary. …………………………………..
A Further Note on Jericho, by John J. Bimson
In an article dealing with the Israelite Conquest and [Immanuel Velikovsky’s] Revised Chronology [SISR I:3], I discussed at some length the destruction of Jericho described in the Old Testament. I argued in detail, from archaeological finds, for an identification of the collapse and destruction of Jericho related in Joshua 6:20-24 with the fall of the Middle Bronze Age city. In the present short note I will indicate briefly how archaeological finds relating to Jericho’s later periods parallel the biblical history of the city when the Revised Chronology is applied to them. ………….
Notes on the Androgynous Comet, by Zvi Rix
A correct placing of past events in the time-axis is a precondition for a correct understanding of the concepts held by the ancients and hence for the prevention of neuroses based on misconceptions resulting from distortion of the past. The collective therapy advocated by Velikovsky depends above all on a valid structuring of the history of mankind. …………..