or, The Constellations
by Frances Rolleston
Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org
MAZZAROTH;
or, the
CONSTELLATIONS.
"Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?"-Job 33:32
SECOND PART
GEMINI
THE TWINS, THE UNITED
Prophecies corresponding in word or type with the figures and the names | Texts where the word or its root is used in this sense in the Hebrew Bible | Hebrew Roots | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Psa 22:20 | Hebrew name, Thaumim, the united | twined | Exo 26:24 | M)t | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zech 6:13 Zech 13:7 | Arabic, Al Tauman, the twins, or pair
| Syriac, as the Hebrew
| Coptic, Pi Mahi, the united
| as in brotherhood
| Zech 11:14
| hx) | Clusus, or Claustrum Hori, station of the coming
| wayfaring men
| Jer 9:2
| xr) | Greek, Didumoi, twins. Sept. Song 4:5
| Latin, Gemini, twins. Vulg. Gen 25:24; fellow
| Zech 13:7
| M( |
| Names in the Sign Jer 23:5
| Heb., Propus, the branch, spreading
| bough
| Isa 10:33
| rp | Jer 33:15
| spread
| Hab 1:8
| #p | Gen 3:15
| e Mebsuta, treading under foot
| Isa 14:19
| sb | Psa 16:8
| Arab., Wasat, set
| appointed
| Gen 4:25
| t# | Rev 22:20
| Al Giauza, the palm branch, stem
| Isa 11:1
| (zg |
| g Al Henah, in the foot, hurt, afflicted
| sorrow
| Gen 35:18
| hn) | Isa 11:1
| Al Dira, the seed (or branch)
| Gen 3:15
| (rz | Zech 3:8
| Gr. and Lat., a Castor, bearing an arrow, haste
| Deut 32:35
| #x | Zech 6:12
| Gr. and Lat., a Apollo, ruler, or judge
| Job 31:11
| Micah 5:2
| Gr. and Lat., b Pollux, bearing a branch, ruler, or judge
| Deut 32:31
| llp |
| Gr. and Lat., b Hercules, bearing a branch or club, coming to suffer
| to suffer
| Jer 9:1
| grief
| Isa 53:3
| lx |
| First Decan
| Heb., Arnebo, the enemy of him that cometh
| enemies
| Psa 139:20
| r( | Isa 27:1
| he that cometh
| Psa 118:26
| )b | Psa 110:1
| Nibal, the mad
| fool
| 1 Sam 25:25
| lbn |
| Rakis, the bound (Arab., with a chain)
| Exo 28:28
| skr | Rev 20
| Sugia, the deceiver
| Job 12:16
| g# |
| Arab., Arnebeth, the hare, enemy of what cometh
| pluck
| Psa 80:12
| hr) | Lat., Lepus, the hare, treading under foot
| Psa 108:13
| sb |
| Second Decan
| (Called the DOG, or wolf)
| wolf
| Gen 49:27
| b)z | Heb., a Sirius, the prince
| Isa 9:6
| r# | Isa 9:6
| Aschere, who shall come
| go
| Prov 4:14
| r#) | Isa 32:1 | Gen 35:18 Arab., Al Shira Al Jemeniya, the prince, or chief of the right hand
| Jonah 4:11
| Nmy | Acts 5:31
| Egyptian name, Seir, the prince
| (E.V.)
| Isa 9:6
| r# | Psa 110:1
| Heb., Abur, the mighty
| Gen 49:24
| rb) |
| Arab., Al Habor, the mighty
| Isa 1:24
| e Adhara, the glorious (Al Adra, Aludra.)
| Exo 15:6
| rd) | Isa 4:2 | Isa 11:10 b Mirzam, the prince or
| ruler
| Psa 2:2
| Nzr |
| Muliphen, the leader, the chief
| duke
| Gen 36:15
| Pl) | Isa 55:4
| d Wesen, the bright, shining
| scarlet
| Josh 2:18
| N# |
| Third Decan Isa 49:26
| Heb., a Procyon, the Redeemer
| redeemed
| Psa 136 24
| qrp | Isa 59:20
| Arab., Al Shira, Al Shemeliya, the prince, or chief
| Dan 12:1
| r# |
| Jonah 4:11
| lm# | Micah 5:2
| Al Mirzam, the prince or ruler
| Psa 2:2
| Nzr |
| Al Gomeyra, who completes, perfects
| Psa 138:8
| rmg | Isa 53:12
| b Al Gomeisa, the burthened, loaded, bearing for others
| Psa 68:19
| sm( |
| Zech 12:3
| | |
In the First Decan, according to the Persians, there was a serpent, also in the Egyptian zodiac, in the French Egypte. Zeeb, the wolf, in Arabic means coming quickly; in Heb., this shall come. In the Persian sphere, the Second Decan was figured as a wolf: one of the Twins had also the head of a wolf in some Oriental zodiacs. Some ancient forms of this sign are said by Hyde to have been two kids (Dupuis, Richer).
CANCER
THE CRAB OR SCARABAEUS, HOLDING THE POSSESSION
Prophecies corresponding in word or type with the figures and the names | Texts where the word or its root is used in this sense in the Hebrew Bible | Hebrew Roots | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Gen 49:11 John 10:28 | Hebrew name, Sartan, who holds, or binds | binding | Gen 49:11 | rs) |
Arabic, Al Sartan, the same | ||||
Syriac, Sartano, the same | ||||
Coptic, Klaria, the cattle-folds | folds | Psa 50:9 | )lkm | |
Num 24:18 | Greek, Karkinos, the crab | holding, encircling | ||
Eph 1:14 | Latin, Cancer, the crab | the possession | Gen 26:14 | hnq |
Latin, Cer, encircling, Arab. sense | rb | |||
Names in the Sign | ||||
Isa 60:6 | Heb., Praesepe, the nebula, a multitude, offspring | young | Deut 22:6 | xrp |
Isa 60:6 | (p# | |||
Heb. and Arab., a Acubene, the sheltering. | hiding-place | Isa 32:2 | )bx | |
Ma'alaph, assembled thousands | Psa 144:13 | Pl) | ||
Isa 40:11 | Arab., Al Himarein, the kids, or lambs | Ezra 6:9 | rm) | |
Gr., Nepa, grasping | lifted up | Deut 27:5 | Pyn | |
Lat., Asellus Boreas, and Asellus Australis. Vulg. she-ass | Gen 49:11 | Nt) | ||
First Decan | ||||
John 10:4,16 | Heb., b Kochab, waiting him who cometh | Psa 33:20 | hkx | |
wait | Gen 49:18 | hwq | ||
come | Ibid 10 | )b | ||
Arab., Al Pherkadain, the calves, young. Deut 22:6 | (Heb., the redeemed assembly | Psa 136:24 | qrp | |
Exo 12:3 | hd( | |||
Al Gedi, the kid | kid | Judg 6:19 | ydg | |
Al Ruccaba, the pole-star, the turned, or ridden on | bkr | |||
Psa 23:3 | Al Kaid, assembled, as in Ursa Major | |||
Gr. and Lat., a Cynosura, center or | base | Ezra 3:3 | Nk | |
Gr. and Lat., a Cynosura, of the constellations | Mazzaroth | Job 38:32 | rzn | |
Arcas, or Arctos, travelling company | Gen 37:25 | txr) | ||
Second Decan | ||||
Isa 60:7 Micah 2:12 | Heb. name, Ash, the assembled, (Arcturus) Job 9:9 | assemble | Joel 3:11 | #( |
Arab., a Dubheh, herd of animals. Chald. wealth | Heb. strength | Deut 33:25 | )bd | |
El Acola, the sheepfold. Psa 95:7, 100:3 | Psa 78:70 | hlkm | ||
Zech 9:16 | Benet Nash, daughters of the assembly. Joel 3:11 | daughters | Song 1:5 | tnb |
Psa 77:20 | Cab'd al Asad, wealth or multitude | many | Nahum 3:15 | dbk |
assembled | Gen 49:6 | ds | ||
Annaish, the assembled, as Ash. | Joel 3:11 | |||
Isa 40:11 | Heb., b Merach, the flock (Arab., purchased) | Jer 10:21 | (r | |
Isa 60:7 | Megrez, separated, as the flock in the fold | cut off | Psa 31:22 | zrg |
Jer 23:3 | Phacad, or Phacda, visited, guarded, numbered | Zech 10:3 | dqp | |
e Mizar, separate | Num 6:3 | rzn | ||
John 10:16 | Heb., e Alioth, the she-goat, or ewe | Psa 78:71 | hl( | |
i Talita, the lamb | Isa 40:11 | hl+ | ||
Arab., Al Cor, the lamb | Deut 32:14 | rk | ||
El Kaphrah, protected, covered (Heb., redeemed, ransomed) | Exo 30:12 | rpk | ||
Eze 34:11,12 | Dubheh Lachar, the latter herd, or flock | latter | Hagg 2:9 | rx) |
Eze 36:37 | h Al Kaid, the assembled | together | Gen 13:6 | dxy |
Gr., Helike, company of travellers, walking, (Iliad.) | companies | Job 6:19 | Klh | |
Amaza, coming, and going | to and fro | Gen 8:7 | )cy | |
Arctos, travelling | company | Gen 37:25 | txr) | |
John 10:1 | Calisto, the sheepfold, set or appointed | sheepfold | Psa 78:70 | )lkm |
appointed | Gen 4:25 | t# | ||
Lat., Ursa, the bear, the strong | mighty | Job 6:23 | Cr( | |
Third Decan | ||||
Psa 68:11 | Heb., Argo, the company of travellers | Gen 37:25 | xr) | |
Psa 2:8 | Sephina, the multitude, nebula? | abundance | Deut 33:19 | (p# |
Tureis, the possession | Num 24:18 | #ry | ||
Isa 49:12 | a Canopus, or the possession | Gen 26:14 | hnq | |
Isa 60:6 | Canobus, of him who cometh | Psa 96:13 | )b | |
Asmidiska, the released who travel | release | Deut 15:9 | +m# | |
run | Joel 2:9 | q# | ||
Hagg 2:7 | Arab., Soheil, the desired | asked | 1 Sam 1:27 | l)# |
Isa 4:2 | Subilon, the branch | Zech 4:12 | lb# | |
Jer 23:5 | Gr. and Lat., Argo, the company of travellers | Gen 37:25 | xr) | |
Job 6:19 |
The Scarabaeus is thought to have been the original emblem in Cancer. Sartan, who holds, would well apply to the "sacred beetle" of the Egyptians, who holds its "progeny" fast even in death. The Scarabaeus was placed here in the Persian sphere.
Some of the Arabs called Ursa Major El Naish, the bier, or funeral assembly (Ideler, Hyde, Barnes, &c.). The Christian Arabs called it the funeral of Lazarus, with Mary and Martha walking after it (Hyde, &c.).
Decan, a part or piece, Heb. and Arab. Daniel 2:45 qd
Decans are divisions of a sign, each occupying about a third. This division is said to have been introduced into Egypt by King Necepsos, about 700 years BC The Decans are here arranged from a work by Albumazer, Flor. Astro., a Latin translation of which is in the Library of the British Museum. Albumazer speaks of them as in the Persian, Egyptian, and Indian spheres. The Persians, he says, understood, but the Indians perverted them with inventions. He describes them from both. Amidst considerable variations, analogies may be traced to the constellations as now figured. Of the Signs and other thirty-six constellations as received in his time, he says, all the names and figures had been transmitted unaltered.
Albumazer, or Abu Masher, lived about the year 800 (AD). He is known as a great Arab physician and astronomer. At that time astronomy was much studied by the Arabs: it had also been cultivated by the Gerbanites, a sect of Arab astronomers, some centuries before the Christian era. Lyell, in his Geology, says of them, "These were evidently great astronomers." Ricciolus, an astronomical writer AD 1598, says that it appears from Arab astronomy, that it was as old as Adam, and the names preserved by the Arabs antediluvian. Aben Ezra, a celebrated Jewish writer who lived in the thirteenth century, refers to Albumazer as a great authority. He records that Auriga was called the Shepherd by the ancient Hebrews.
Ulugh Beigh, a Tartar prince and astronomer who lived about the middle of the fifteenth century, is considered to have transmitted the ancient Arabian science. His catalogue of the stars was printed by Dr. Hyde, with Commentaries, about 1660. See Hyde's Syntagma, &c. It has been since reprinted in England.
None of the Arabic names in Ursa Major and Minor have any reference to a bear. Dub in Hebrew is a bear; Dubhe is strength in Hebrew and Chaldee (Buxtorf). The bear was probably so named from its strength. El Acola, Hebrew and Arabic, is explicitly sheepfold, as other names are sheep and flock. In the Persian sphere there are three damsels walking, as "the daughters of Ash," and the same figures in Ursa Minor and Argo. There is no trace of a ship in any of them.
LEO
THE LION, THE SEPARATING
Prophecies corresponding in word or type with the figures and the names | Texts where the word or its root is used in this sense in the Hebrew Bible | Hebrew Roots | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Gen 3:15 | Hebrew name, Arieh, the lion rending | pluck | Psa 80:12 | hr) |
Gen 49:9 Num 23:24 Num 24:9 | Arabic, Al Asad, the lion, who rends, who wasteth | Psa 91:6 | d# | |
Prov 19:12 | Syriac, Aryo, the lion, who rends | |||
Hosea 13:3 Matt 25:32 | Coptic, Pi-Mentekeon, the plucking asunder | Jer 22:24 | qtn | |
Prov 20:2 Eze 1:10 | Greek, Leon, the lion. Sept. Gen 49:9 NT Rev 5:5 | |||
Rev 4:7 | Latin, Leo, the lion. Arab. and Syr. coming vehemently, leaping forth as a flame. Vulg. the same | Exo 3:2 | hbl | |
Names in the Sign | ||||
Psa 91:13 | Heb., a Regulus, the treading under foot | Isa 32:20 | lgr | |
Psa 50:2 | Zosma, the shining forth | sparkled | Eze 1:7 | Cc |
Matt 24:27 | Sarcam, the joining | wrapped together | Job 40:17 | gr# |
Arab., Minchir al Asad, the punishing, tearing, of the lion, (piercing) | Job 30:17 | rqn | ||
Isa 2:11 | g Al Giebha, the exaltation | Eze 17:24 | hbg | |
Enoch in Jude 14 | Heb., b Denebola, the judge or lord who cometh quickly | Lord | Psa 110:1 | Nd |
hasty | Eccl 7:9 | lhb | ||
Deneb. Aleced, the judge cometh, who seizes | judge | Psa 50:4 | Nd | |
catch | Psa 35:8 | dkl | ||
Arab. Al Dafera, the enemy put down | thrust down | Job 32:13 | hpd | |
First Decan | ||||
Rev 20:2,3,10 | Heb., Hydra, he is the abhorred | Isa 66:24 | Nw)rd | |
Arab., a Al Phard, the separated | Prov 19:4 | drp | ||
Al Drian, the abhorred | Isa 66:24 | Nw)rd | ||
Minchir al Sugia, piercing of the deceiver | Job 30:17 | rqn | ||
Job 12:16 | w# | |||
Second Decan | ||||
Psa 75:8 Rev 16:19 | Heb. and Arab., Al Ches, the cup. Also reckoned in Hydra | Psa 75:8 | sk | |
Isa 51:17 | ||||
Third Decan | ||||
Eze 39:17 | Heb., Chiba, the accursed | Num 23:8 | hbq | |
Arab., Al Gorab, the raven | Lev 11:15 | br( | ||
Rev 19:17 | Al Chibar, the joining together | coupled | Exo 26:3 | rbx |
Minchir al Gorab, piercing of the raven |
"The Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev 5:5) is known to have been always borne on the standard of Judah, whether in the wilderness (Num 2), or in after-times. Bailly says the zodiac must have been first divided when the sun at the summer solstice was in 1o Virgo, where the Woman's head joins the Lion's tail. Necepsos and Petosiris, Egyptian astronomers about 700 BC, taught that at the creation the sun rose in Leo, at the summer solstice, the moon in Cancer.
Dupuis says, "The ancient Persians called the starry serpent the Serpent of Eve." He refers to a book of Zoroaster, the Boundesh, which he calls their Genesis. The same star, Al Chibar, the joined, is reckoned both in the Raven and in Hydra; as El Nath in the horn of Taurus and in the heel of Auriga, Antares in the head of Scorpio and the heel of Ophiuchus, &c. By these junctions the places of the figures were preserved; also by naming one star as the head, as Ras al Awa in Ophiuchus, others the hand, as Caph in Cassiopeia, and Rigol, the foot, in Orion. Ulugh Beigh thus describes most of the constellations.
VIRGO
THE WOMAN, BEARING THE BRANCH
Prophecies corresponding in word or type with the figures and the names | Texts where the word or its root is used in this sense in the Hebrew Bible | Hebrew Roots | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Isa 11:1 Jer 23:5 Jer 33:15 | Hebrew name, Bethulah, a virgin, Arab., branch | Gen 24:16 | hltb | |
Zech 3:8 | Arabic, Sunbula, who bears | carry | Isa 46:4 | lbs |
Zech 6:12 | Sunbul, ear of corn | Job 24:24 | lb# | |
Syriac, Bethulto, as Bethulah | ||||
Psa 80:15 | Copt., Aspolia, station of the desired, the branch | Zech 4:12 | lb# | |
Greek, Parthenos, the virgin. Sept. Isa 7:14 | ||||
Isa 7:14 Micah 5:3 | Latin, Virgo, the virgin, Virga, branch. Vulg. Isa 11:1 | Isa 5:24 | xrp | |
Names in the Sign | ||||
Isa 4:2 | Arab., a Al Zimach, the branch or shoot, the star now called Spica | Isa 4:2 Isa 11:1 | xmc | |
Subilah, who carries Isa 46:4 | Jer 23:5 | xmc | ||
Aziman, two ears of corn | Zech 3:8 | |||
Al Azal, the branch | Isa 18:5 | lz | ||
Subilon, the spike of corn | ears | Isa 17:5 | lb# | |
First Decan | ||||
Gen 3:15 Isa 9:6 | | | ||
Heb., Subilah, who bears | Isa 46:4 | lbs | ||
Isa 7:14 | Arab., Adarah, a pure virgin, separated | chambers | Job 9:9 | rdx |
Adrenosa, the virgin who | carries | Gen 46:5 | )#n | |
Gr. and Lat., Astrea, the starry, the bright | Eze 8:2 | rhz | ||
Names of the Infant | ||||
Hagg 2:7 | Heb., Coma, the desired, longed for | Psa 63:1 | hmk | |
Isa 26:8,9 | Arab., Al Awa, the desired | Gen 3:6 | hz) | |
  Al Zimon, the desired | Psa 42:2 | )mc | ||
  Al Thaum, the twin, or united | Exo 26:24 | M)h | ||
Zech 13:7 |   Aleced, the united | darling | Psa 22:20 | dxy |
  b Zavijavah, the glorious, (Arab. form) | beautiful | Isa 4:2 | ybc | |
Psa 72:8 |   e Al Mureddin, who shall come down, shall have dominion | Psa 72:6 | dry | |
Ibid 8 | hdr | |||
Isa 4:2 |   Hazamethon, the branch, (in Coma) | branch | Psa 80:15 | Nb |
Zech 9:10 | Chald., Vindemiatrix, the son, who cometh, or the branch | come | Num 24:17 | Krd |
Gr., Prometheus, the deliverer, who cometh, or the branch (Arab.) who cometh | avenging | Judge 5:2 | (rp | |
came | Deut 33:2 | )t) | ||
bough | Lev 23:40 | yrp | ||
Second Decan | ||||
Isa 53:3 | Heb., Beze, the despised | Isa 53:3 | hzb | |
Dan 9:26 | Arab., Al Beze, the despised | |||
Isa 53:10 | Heb., Asmeath, the sin-offering | Lev 5:6 | M#) | |
a Toliman (in the foot), the heretofore and hereafter | Deut 32:7 | Ml( | ||
Psa 10:16 | ||||
Isa 9:6 | Gr., Chiron, the pierced, who pierces | Psa 22:16 | r)k | |
Pholas, the mediator | prayed | Gen 20:7,17 | llp | |
Zech 12:10 | Lat., Rex Centaurus, the king, the centaur, Centaurus | king | Isa 32:1 | Klm |
smitten | Isa 53:4 | hkn | ||
who cometh | Job 34:8 | xr) | ||
Third Decan | ||||
Psa 96:13 | Heb., Bootes, the coming | coming | Psa 121:8 | )b |
Psa 121:3 | a Arcturus, he cometh | goeth | Job 34:8 | xr) |
a Arcturus, the guardian keeper. Psa 121:5 | keeper | Song 1:6 | r+n | |
Hagg 2:7 | Mirach, the coming forth, as an arrow | shoot | Psa 64:7 | hry |
Isa 40:10 | e Mizar, or Izar, guarding, the preserver | preserver | Job 7:20 | rcn |
Psa 91:13 | Muphride, who separates | separate | Gen 13:9 | drp |
Arab., Aramech, being sent forth, as a dart | bowman | Jer 4:29 | xmr | |
Heb., Merga, who bruises | break | Psa 2:9 | (r | |
Zech 12:10 | Nekkar, the pierced. Zech 12:10 | pierced | Psa 22:16 | r)k |
Gen 3:15 | Arab., Al Katurops, the branch, treading under foot | rod | Isa 11:1 | r+x |
Isa 63:1 | stamped | Dan 7:7 | spr | |
Gr., Arctophylax, the guardian of Arctos. Acts 5:23 keeper | ||||
a Arcturus, the star so called. Sept. Job 9:9 |
Bethulah in Arabic is the sucker or branch of the palm (Castel), also a virgin. Ben in Hebrew branch, also son, as in Psalm 80:15, 17.
In the Pythian procession, the Greeks spoke of breaking from the laurel "the atoning bough." The branch-bearing sibyl of the Aeneid will here be traced.
The First Decan of Virgo, Albumazer says, was every where a woman with an infant. In the planisphere of Dendera, the woman, as the sign, carries the branch: below is a woman holding an infant. The palm-branches, John 12:13, with which the multitudes greeted the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem, acknowledged him as the promised "Branch," Zechariah 3:8, &c.
Baion is the comer, from Bao, to come. Erigone (Georg. I), who bears the coming One.
Albumazer describes Virgo as "a sign of two parts and three forms." Apparently the woman and the branch are the two parts, the ears of corn the third form. He then says, "There arises in the First Decan, as the Persians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians, the two Hermes, and Ascalius teach, a young woman, whose Persian name translated into Arabic is Adrenedefa,* a pure and immaculate virgin, holding in the hand two ears of corn, sitting on a throne, nourishing an infant, in the act of feeding him, who has a Hebrew name (the boy, I say), by some nations named Ihesu, with the signification Ieza, which we in Greek call Christ." Ieza is evidently the Hebrew verb "yesha," to save.
The infant seems to have been figured in this place in the time of Shakespear, as in Titus Andronicus an arrow is to be shot up to "the good boy in Virgo's lap." Coma (the desired in the Oriental dialects, the head of hair in Greek and Latin) seems to occupy the place of the branch. From the Greek meaning of the word, the Alexandrian astronomer seems to have taken the idea of calling it the hair of Berenice. That princess had given her hair as a votive offering for the safety of her brother. It was lost; and Conon met the difficulty by the assurance that it shone in heaven in the constellation Coma.* Adrenedefa, Heb. a pure virgin, offering (Exo 35:29).
Layard gives the figure of an Assyrian goddess who holds an infant in her arms, and reads her name Mylitt, or Mylitta, which would be "she who beings forth." Eratosthenes called Virgo Isis. Isis, with other Egyptian goddesses differently named, is often figured holding the infant deity Horus, he who cometh. From Gaffarelli it appears that "the ancient Arabs figured Virgo as a fruitful branch." The Christian Arabs placed an infant near Virgo, as Coma.
In the sacred books of the Chinese, it was said that "a virgin should bring forth a child in the West."
Among the Gauls, 100 BC, an altar was found with this inscription, "To the virgin who is to bring forth."
The Taurians in the Crimea had human sacrifices to a virgin. Krishna, in India, Mexitli, in Mexico, had no human father.
All these nations had the zodiac, where they might find the woman, and the branch; but that the woman was a virgin, the infant the seed of the woman, prophecy only could have told them. R. Ben Jochai on Genesis 3 speaks of Messiah as to be born of a virgin, probably from Isaiah 7.
The brightest star in the Centaur has been observed by Sir John Herschell to be growing rapidly brighter: it seems, therefore, one of the changeable stars. The name Toliman, annexed to it by Ulugh Beigh, the star of heretofore and hereafter, indicates an early observation of its changes.
Bootes has by all antiquity been called the guardian of the constellations called the Great and Little Bear. The name Arcturus has been given to the figure, as well as to its brightest star.
LIBRA
THE SCALES, THE REDEEMING
Prophecies corresponding in word or type with the figures and the names | Texts where the word or its root is used in this sense in the Hebrew Bible | Hebrew Roots | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Isa 40:12 | Hebrew name of the sign, Mozanaim, the scales, weighing | Isa 40:12 | Nz) | |
Psa 130:8 | Arabic, Al Zubena, purchase, redemption, gain | Dan 2:8 | Nbz | |
Exo 15:16 | Syriac, Mazatho, scales | |||
Deut 32:6 | Coptic, Lambadia, station of propitiation. Lam, Arab. graciousness; badia, branch | Prov 18:8 | Mhl | |
Isa 60:12 | Eze 17:6 | db | ||
Isa 63:9 | Greek, Zugos. Sept. Isa 40:12. NT Rev 6:5 | |||
Rev 5:9 | Latin, Libra, weighing. Vulg. Isa 40:12 | |||
Names in the Sign | ||||
Heb., Graffias, swept away | Jud 5:21 | |||
Psa 74:2 | Arab., a Zuben al Genubi, the purchase or price which is deficient | stolen | Gen 31:39 | bng |
1 Cor 6:20 Acts 20:28 | Zuben al Shemali, the purchase which covers | raiment | Deut 10:18 | lm# |
Zubenelg, and Zubenesh, corruptions of the above. | ||||
Al Gubi, heaped up, high | Psa 68:15 | bg | ||
Eph 1:14 | Zuben Akrabi, redemption of the conflict | battle | Psa 55:18 | brq |
Rev 14:4 | Syr., Zuben, buying, gaining | |||
First Decan | ||||
The Mark of Boundary, or Limitation | bound | Gen 49:26 | w)t | |
mark | Eze 9:4 | |||
Dan 9:26 | Hebrew name, Adom, cutting off, Given by Aben Ezra as the name of the South Polar Constellation, which ancient tradition said was in the form of a cross, as was the pole on which the brazen serpent was lifted up. Num 21:8 | Isa 38:10 | Md | |
Num 21:8 John 12:32 | ||||
Second Decan | ||||
Isa 53:7 | THE VICTIM, the animal held by the Centaur | |||
Psa 118:27 | Heb., Aseda, to be slain | destroyed | Psa 137:8 | d# |
Zech 12:10 | Arab., Asedaton, the same | |||
Gr., Thera, beast. Sept. Gen 8:19 | ||||
Lycos, wolf. Sept. Gen 49:27 | ||||
Lat., Victima, Bestia, the victim, the animal. Vulg. Gen 8:17 | ||||
Third Decan | ||||
Psa 21:3 | Heb., Atarah, a kingly crown | crown | Song 3:11 | r+( |
Psa 132:18 | Zech 6:11 | |||
encompassing | 1 Sam 23:26 | |||
Rev 19:12 | Arab., Al Iclil, ornament, or jewel | Gen 24:53 | ylk | |
Rev 14:14 | Gr. Stephanos. Sept. Zech 6:11 NT Rev 6:2 | |||
Lat., Corona. Vulg., Zech 6:11 NT Rev 6:2 | ||||
Name of the chief Star | ||||
Arab., a Al Phecca, the shining | Psa 50:2 | (py |
The emblem of the Scales, or Balance, is found in all the Eastern zodiacs. In some it is said to have been held in the claws of the Scorpion; whence Chelae, the claws, was sometimes substituted in the West for Libra (Virg. Georg).
In the Persian sphere, the First Decan was a man as in wrath, holding a balance in one hand, a lamb in the other. Thau, bound or limit, finished, is the name of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, originally in the form of a cross. Long before the Christian era, the cross was a most sacred emblem among the Egyptians. A few days before the sun entered Aries, the ancient Persians had the feast of the cross. At that time the Southern Cross was visible by night, probably about 10o above the horizon. They called Aries, the Lamb (Dupuis, &c.).
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