The Bible and Astrology

March 8, 2023 at 00:38 (UT/GMT)
(Gemini) FOWL
The Bible and Astrology
The Bible seemingly has a dichotomous and almost schitsophrenic relationship with Astrology. Seemingly....
The book is riddled with astrological symbolism, the Magi were clearly astrologers following "The Star" to the West... on and on... to me the stance of the Bible on astrology is clear as day however.... We see here, from Second Kings, Chapter 23, a clear admonishment....
"V.5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven."
But note, the admonishment here is towards those who worship the planets and luminaries as deities... (this is further complicated by how clearly Jehova is an avatar of Saturn, and Jesus a Solar Hero.... but I digress....) throughout the books it is clear that the wise men of God do watch the stars. The differentiation is blatant... aligning synchronously with the movements of the heavens, which were made by God to shine light upon us, is a separate issue from worshipping them as sovereign deities wherein we give ourselves over to their power, as oppoosed to using them as tools for attuning to God´s mastery of creation. It´s crystal clear to me... as it is in the very First chapter of Genesis....
"V.14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:"

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March 21, 2023 at 04:28
(Aquarius) Waybread
FOWL-- this is a great topic.

I think the key is to look at the Bible historically and as a work of literature, whatever else it might be.

The Bible itself actually has very few proscriptions against astrology. It condemns prognostication (false prophecy) and divination in a general way, but specifics against "star-gazers" or Chaldeans (a sub-group of Babylonians most associated with astrology,) are very few.

What the Bible condemns strenuously is worshipping other gods: the First Commandment. The concept of star-worshippers makes little sense today, but anciently the Mesopotamians believed that planets were actual gods, and they did worship them. So the spiritual danger for the Israelites was in worshipping these planetary gods.

The main critique of astrology is in Isaiah 47:13-15. Here the problem with astrologers is that they may predict the future but they are powerless to save themselves or anybody else from it.

Essentially, a God who can create the universe can change it at will; and only He can choose to save people from impending destruction.

The authors of most of the Old Testament lived long before the development of the horoscope. The Babylonians practiced a kind of "whole sky astrology," that was mostly what we would call mundane astrology-- concerned with king and country. Horoscope interpretation for individual personality assessment probably dates from around the 2nd century BCE. It is not prohibited in the Bible.

The Israelites don´t seem to have equated God with Saturn, although some Greek and Latin authors said they did. Baal was a Canaanite rain god. Jesus has solar attributes but is more notably a crop god who dies and is reborn.

As a work of literature, the Bible has some beautiful verses about stars, such as in the Book of Job, cited above. Ancient people used the heavens as a giant celestial calendar and clock.

Of course, some Christian leaders did condemn and prohibit astrology, long after the Bible was codified.
March 21, 2023 at 09:39
(Gemini) FOWL » Waybread
Great info! Thanks Bread!

I would agree with the Greek and Latin Authors however. Jehova bears MANY similarities to Saturn overall, his demands for sacrifice, be it time, animal, or human are extremely Saturnian. The obsession with lineage is extremely Saturnian. The sabbath was on Saturn Day, while the Christians celebrated Sunday...
March 21, 2023 at 20:18
(Aquarius) Waybread » FOWL
Hey, thanks.

The Saturn association is not intrinsic to Judaism, but was a gloss (or surmise) by non-Jewish authors.

For one thing, the Jewish sabbath starts on Friday at sundown, and ends on Saturday after sundown. In northern latitudes in winter, we´re talking about a large chunk of Friday and a truncated Saturday.

Saturday is not the Jewish term. Depending upon the dialect, it is called Shabbat or Shabbos, like our word Sabbath. Other days are basically called by their number in the order of the week. The portion of Friday before the sabbath is called Yom Shishi, or 6th day. Sunday is Yom Rishon, the first day heading up the week.

Note that the Sabbath was declared to be the 7th day of rest.

Also, the Jewish God has many ascriptions that do not pertain to Kronos/Saturn. Names like the master and creator of the universe, or the divine consciousness that preceded the Creation. The god Saturn was the son of Uranus, and was not seen as a universal creator god. The Jewish God is anthropomorphized to some extent, but it was forbidden to make idols representing God, which was the opposite of Greek and Roman worship.

All kinds of gods in the ancient world "demanded" temple sacrifices; or at least worshippers gave them sacrifices in various festivals and petitionary prayers. Some ancient cultures practiced human sacrifice, like the Phoenicians. This was not a Jewish practice (cf. the Binding of Isaac.) Sacrificial practices in the Greek and Roman worlds pertained to all of their major gods.
March 21, 2023 at 20:53
(Gemini) FOWL » Waybread
Great points... of course over time the gods all shift and sway. Trying to track one deity over time in any system can make the head swoon. I think there are significant elements of similarity to at least say he is has a strong Saturnian presence at the very least... definitely not a one to one analog.
March 23, 2023 at 05:00
(Aquarius) Waybread » FOWL
I think that´s a Christian (or post-Christian) interpretation. The idea that Judaism has a God of laws and Christianity has a God of love and mercy, for example. Religious Jews, in contrast, see God as exhibiting law-giving as well as love and mercury.

Anyway, I´ve been studying some of these themes for a few decades. That doesn´t necessarily make me correct, but it does cut down on the swoon factor.
March 23, 2023 at 07:33
(Gemini) FOWL » Waybread
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. I truly and deeply appreciate it.
March 23, 2023 at 13:36
(Capricorn) Opal E » Waybread
It seems to me that those considerations are actually the same in both religions. They both follow the laws of, and they both seek mercy and forgiveness for their sins.

I have heard the same sentiment in the Islamic faith.

Mercy, love, laws. One common denominator. Religion.

Oh my stars Waybread, you changed your Avatar!
March 24, 2023 at 01:33
(Capricorn) Opal E
https://www.deseret.com/2015/3/…

5 major religions and their choice and why of Worshiping Sabbath.
March 24, 2023 at 17:45
(Leo) spung
A crazy?? video I just came accross, about how the bible is a compilation of Emerald tablets. Hmmm.
Anyone been investigating it closer?
YouTube
YouTube
March 27, 2023 at 10:31
(Taurus) Nofarmaimon08
I am Jewish, living in Israel.
תורה and astrology have a connection from Abraham (אברהם) our father.
March 27, 2023 at 10:46
(Taurus) Nofarmaimon08
"ויאמר אלהים יהי מארת ברקיע השמים להבדיל בין היום ובין הלילה והיו לאתות ולמועדים ולימים ושנים". רש"י כותב: "והיו לאתות" - "כשהמאורות לוקין סימן רע הוא לעולם. (הכוונה לליקוי חמה או לבנה) (אבל) "בעשותכם רצון הקב"ה אין אתם צריכים לדאוג מן הפורענות".


אלהים שולח את אברהם (בראשית ט"ו): "הבט נא השמימה וספור הכוכבים, אם תוכל לספור אותם... כה יהיה זרעך", בתלמוד במסכת שבת קנ"ו אמר אברהם: "נסתכלתי באיצטגננות שלי ואיני ראוי להוליד בן". אמר לו הקב"ה: "צא מאיצטגנינות שלך, שאין מזל לישראל. מה דעתך שצדק עומד במערב והריני לוקח אותו ומעמידו במיזרח". אברהם אבינו, איצטגננות היתה בליבו, ובקיא היה בהלכות המזלות ובדקדוק תחילת השעות וכו´, ומלכי מזרח ומערב היו משכימים לשאול אותו במזלות (מסכת יומא כ"ח). בשירת דבורה אנו מוצאים: "הכוכבים ממסילותם נלחמו בסיסרא" (שופטים ה´ פסוק 20).

the story regarding astrology: Those who practice and know the theory of astrology, understand how accurate it is in the data about Jupiter and Saturn, about their character and strength. And it was only one house among other houses in each of which he sang praises to the power of the Creator of the world, who, among his other great deeds, established the various stars, their meaning and destiny.
It can be said that the polemics on the subject of astrology are, in fact, between those who think that the star system is a doctrine that stands on its own and thus causes people to believe in other forces, which are not on us, may fail man, and between those who think that knowing the times and calculating the times is a recognition of the power of the Almighty God and in fact God for understanding the universe, as Avraham Ibn Ezra wrote, "the comprehensive and comprehensive divine plan".
It is found in Genesis and not a verse you wrote ---זה נמצא בבראשית ולא פסוק שכתבת
Just for general knowledge, everything that is translated into Hebrew, never comes out correctly. Because in Hebrew it is very difficult to understand the writing (from the Torah/תורה)
March 29, 2023 at 02:12
(Capricorn) Opal E » Waybread
Nice to see you here too! I have a book on The Bible and Astronomy. It´s by Joan Andre Moore. I think you would like it.

I get the avatar thing, lots computer stuff just don´t work. Mercury suits you.
March 31, 2023 at 03:15
(Aquarius) Waybread » Nofarmaimon08
Nofarmaimon08,

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

As you know there is a Jewish tradition that Abraham was the founder of astrology. It´s in Josephus, possibly in a Midrash, I´m not sure. But the Bible attributes to Abraham the quote, "My father was a wandering Aramaean..." Aram being a region northeast of Israel, worshipping the same planetary gods as the Mesopotamians and Assyrians.
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