The Greek word magoi appears again in ac 8:9 and 13:6-8, to describe magicians rather than astrologers. Others prefer the translation "in its ascendancy" to the traditional "in the east." If the star was a single celestial body, it could possibly have been a nova in its final stage of existence, but this cannot be demonstrated. The magi spoke of it as a single entity, but some scholars have regarded it as a conjunction of Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. The star has been a matter of debate also.
True astrology meaning of pieces professional#
Thus the Mesopotamian magi ( Matt 2:1-2 ), who were most probably professional astrologers, were able to both reassure and alarm Herod by offering him astrological reasons for their journey. Such occurrences were not entirely unknown in antiquity, and sometimes were taken as pointing to the birth of a famous person, such as Alexander the Great. What may have been an example of celestial phenomena being given an astrological interpretation involved the appearance of an unusual star in the heavens. The New Testament It is against the intertestamental period's concern with angels and elemental spirits that the influence of astrology on early Christianity must be assessed. levels at Beth Alpha in Palestine, included a mosaic in the form of a zodiac, thus showing the extent to which astrology had infiltrated religious architecture. The remains of a Byzantine synagogue floor, unearthed at sixth-century a.d. Although the tradition was repudiated in Wisdom 13:1-4, it had already become impossible to halt the Jewish fascination with astrology. Some two centuries before Christ was born, astrology gained a foothold in Jewish religion, when identification of certain angels with stars and planets came into vogue. Daniel repudiated their supposed abilities by declaring that only God can be regarded as the true source of revelations concerning the future ( 5:14-16 ). Some writers have suggested that the term "Chaldean, " used to describe the wise men of Babylon who acted as astrologers, had actually been written galdu, "astrologers, " by Daniel, but later on was transcribed incorrectly as kaldu, since by then Chaldea ( mat Kaldu) had become known as the place where they flourished. Isaiah was the first to refer specifically to astrologers and their activities ( 47:13 ), and in his prophecy he predicted their destruction, saying that "the fire will burn them up" ( 47:14 ).ĭaniel seems to have been familiar with astrologers ( 2:27 4:7 ) and with their inability to interpret the king's dreams. Jeremiah also referred to the pagan veneration of Ishtar or Venus ( 7:18 44:17-19 ) as well as celestial bodies generally ( 8:2 19:13 ). Several centuries later, the influence of Mesopotamian star adulation was being experienced in Israel, causing Amos to condemn the northern kingdom's worship of Saturn ( 5:26 ). The Israelites were forbidden to worship stars ( Deu 9:14 ), this being seen as an offshoot of astrological speculation. The Old Testament While some have asserted that the twelvefold blessing pronounced by Jacob on his sons ( Gen 49:1-28 ) had some astrological significance, there is nowhere in the material any mention of the possible influence of heavenly bodies. When Greek culture was absorbed by the Romans, astrology assumed the form of a religion, and its practitioners began to design individual horoscopes. By the late fourth century b.c., Mesopotamian astrology had spread to Greece, and about a century later was adopted widely by the Egyptians. The superstitious Babylonians also devised the zodiac, a division of the celestial sphere into twelve equal parts known as signs or houses, which were named after the sun, moon, and principal planets. Once twelve of these menologies had been compiled, they were used year after year without change. In the second millennium b.c., Babylonian astrologers drew up horoscopes indicating what might be expected to happen in each month. Individual stars and constellations were given names, and when they began to be worshiped as gods, the way was opened for astrologers to make predictions as to how people on earth might be affected. In Babylonia, where astrology had its origins, considerable importance was attached to such phenomena as eclipses and meteors, to say nothing of planetary movements. The latter dealt with the movements of heavenly bodies, while the former attempted to interpret the possible effects that these might have upon earth's inhabitants. In the early history of humanity, astrology and astronomy were closely related. Bible Dictionaries - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Astrology Astrology
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