Book on the Universe

seven intervals of creation, long before, as far as nature had bubbled forth and grown into the mass it now possesses, nevertheless, it is necessary that the time of seven days was led by the first intellect capable of counting, through a septenary interval of days. When, therefore, Adam saw the first full day of the Sabbath, guided by the acting intellect and revelation, it is necessary that he placed six days before it. For this reason, Sunday is the first day. Days of this kind consist of 24 hours, but the hours are not always equal. For in the shortest day there are 12 hours, and in the longest night joined to it there are 12; but they are as much longer as the daylight hours were shorter, and vice-versa. And they are equal and unequal at the equinoxes. Therefore, they placed one beginning of the solar year at the vernal equinox, and another for the lunar year, because the world was founded when the moon was in Libra or the seventh month with the sun established in the first, because equality is prior to inequality, and the similar part to the dissimilar. Whence it is certain that, gradually from the beginning of April or the first month, the sun has strayed in the observation of the year up to the 25th of March or the twelfth, whence gradually in 1400 years it has come from the 25th to the 10th day. Therefore, all things must be returned to their places. The beginning of the day, in truth, ought to be taken from midnight when the sun ascends: the night, when it descends. There are, moreover, in the sacred writings, weeks of days, weeks of weeks, of months, and of years, about which [I speak] elsewhere. Days also ought to be called first, second, third, etc., with fables and holidays cast aside, so that all things may be restored. Furthermore, the corrected year consists of 365 days, 5 hours, 45 minutes, 24 seconds, so there is an error of one day every 106 years...