Predictions of meteorological, social and political events for the Coptic year to come based on the position of the Moon in the zodiacal signs at the time of the heliacal rising of Sirius. The text is divided into twelve chapters for the twelve signs. Each chapter is structured as follows: predictions based on the position of the Moon in each decan of the sign concerned; predictions based on the position of the Moon in that sign; a list of goods to buy and sell.

Origin: The date of composition of the work is unknown and the only extant manuscript is dated 1822-3. The tradition of predictions based on the sign of the Moon at the rising of Sirius is considerably older (for a brief discussion of this genre and Ptolemy’s place in it, see B.4.1). The title of the present work mentions ‘Ḥākimī, Hermes the wise, and Ptolemy’ (Kitāb al-Ḥākīmī wa-Hirmis al-ḥakīm wa-Baṭlīmūs) as its authors. This is peculiar in that Hermes and Ptolemy are commonly regarded as authorities in similar texts, while the character of al-Ḥākimī is less known. It is possible that the original title was Kitāb al-ḥakīmay Hirmis wa-Baṭlīmūs, and that the scribe misinterpreted al-ḥakīmay as a personal name. However, several treatises on the same topic preserved in Cairo manuscripts are ascribed to one ʿAlī l-Ḥākimī l-Baṣrī, ʿAlī l-Ḥākim al-Baṣīr, or the like, a name that has been explained as a corruption of the epithet al-ḥakīm al-baṣīr (‘the knowledgeable wise man’; cf. David A. King, A Survey of the Scientific Manuscripts in the Egyptian National Library, Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns / Cairo: The American Research Center in Egypt, 1986, p. 27, no. A22). Hence, the mention of al-Ḥākimī in the present work may also be an intentional reference to this ʿAlī l-Ḥākimī l-Baṣrī.

Text: [Berlin, SBPK, Wetzstein II 1155]

(1v–57r) هذا تقويم الشعرى اليمانيّة من كتاب الحاكمي وهرمس الحكيم وبطليموس قالت الحكماء إنّ الشعرة (كذا) كوكب كانت الجاهليّة فيما مضى يعبدونها — آلات الصبغ تشتري في كيهك وتباع في برموده الادهان كلّها تشتري في أبيب وتباع في برمهات.

Bibl.: Wilhelm Ahlwardt, Verzeichniss der arabischen Handschriften der Königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, vol. V, Berlin: Asher, 1893, pp. 307–308 (no. 5916).

Ed.: None.