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It's hard to sort out interpretation from misinterpretation. One way I do it is by looking for confirming references from other sources that clearly would not be subject to the same bias, and hence, the Oracle bone post.

Whether 1054AD or circa 1500BCE we are discussing observations by the ancient Chinese without the benefit of modern-day technology. Not to say that we are any smarter than they were, but none of the ancient empires could bring our current technology to bear on the observation of planets, comets, or stars. I have yet to see any proof from an ancient text that confirms Venus was rolling around the solar system, running amuck, and doing an impersonation of a comet.

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Velikovsky could have been wrong about Venus seeming to the ancients like a comet, or could have exaggerated the view. And yet the Chinese oracle bone presents me, independently, with the same view, taken from the same approximate time period, expressed in the same way.

If you are quoting from the 1054AD event, it wasn't Venus at all, but a supernova the Chinese were witnessing - said bright object in the sky remaining stationary for weeks - that's no comet or planet.

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So I hear you about Velikovsky. Now why should I disbelieve the Chinese?

Actually, I believe the Chinese were making their observations in earnest since they believed the actions of the stars were portents for what was to occur on earth. Although serious about what they were doing at the time, seeking out good or bad omens cannot be called good science.

Again, ancient observations of events in the sky with limited technology does not support catastrophic events at circa 1500BCE. Especially when you consider that no other current scientific discipline has found any corroborating geological evidence. No ice core, lake core, or sea core data supports such as drastic conclusion as presented by Velikovsky in 1950 and 1952. Tree ring analysis shows absolutely nothing also. If Venus was guilty of a near miss with Mother Earth at that time, I would expect to see all of those squiggly lines blasting off the charts. But alas, no.

Time for dinner - I'm preparing Venus salad tonight. :)