errancy galore (redux)
Farrell Till jftill@midwest.net
Thu, 22 Oct 1998 21:05:54 -0700 (00909133554, 2.2.32.19981023040554.00876ddc@midwest.net)
At 10:30 PM 10/22/98 +0000, Joseph Crea wrote:
>At 04:45 PM 10/22/98 -0700, Farrell Till wrote:
>>At 07:44 PM 10/22/98 +0000, Joseph Crea wrote:
>>
>>>CREA
>>> A brief addendum to the above. Peter Beckmann's __History of Pi__,
>>>states that as late as the 5th century CE, the Hebrews believed that pi = 3
>>>and offers as evidence a citation from the Talmud which goes as follows:
>>>
>>>
>>> "...that which in circumference is three hands broad is one hand broad".
>>>
>>>
>>>CREA
>>> Hope that this helps.
>>>
>>
>>TILL
>>Would you happen to know where this statement is in the Talmud or on what
>>page of Beckmann's book this was quoted?
>
>
>CREA
> Beckmann (curse him!) fails to give a reference to any specific location
>in the Talmud for his citation. However his citation occurs on page 15 of
>his __History of Pi__ (St. Martin's Press/Golem Press, 1971, ISBN
>0-312-38185-9) where he says [referring to the molten sea description at 1
>Kings 7:23 & 2 Chronicles 4:2]:
>
>
> "The Book of Kings was edited by the ancient Jews as a religious work
>around 550 B.C., but its sources date back several centuries. At that time,
>pi was already known to a considerably better accuracy, but evidently not to
>the editors of the Bible. The Jewish Talmud, which is essentially a
>commentary on the Old Testament, was published [!] about 500 A.D. Even at
>this late date it also states "that which in circumference is three hands
>broad is one hand broad".
>
>CREA
> More ammunition for the continuing battle, Farrell?
>
TILL
Doesn't it annoy the hell out of you when a writer does this? Here is a
valuable quotation (if it is true), but it is unusable until the primary
source is known.
Farrell Till
Skepticism, Inc.
jftill@midwest.net