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Do rhe facts of modern research in–
dicare rhar asrrology is a science, and
rhar ir does enable people ro predice
and plan rheir businesses, marriages.
associarions and dai ly acriviries? Does
asrrology provide real answers ro life's
basic quesrions? Does ir explain che
purpose
of human life?
The answer is - all rhar research
has proved is rhar graviry and/or lighr
ar nighr can rrigger emocional insra–
biliry in people who are already
emorionally unsrable. Sur scicnce has
demonsrrared no observable connec–
rion berween rhe movemenrs of the
sun, che moon and rhe planees, and
rhe daily decisions and acriviries of a
human being. There is no scicnr ific
proof rhar asrrology can consisrendy
perform whar ir claims.
Misty Antiq u ity
ow consider rhe hisrory behind
astrology.
Where did astrology begin, any–
way?
Why have people rhrough che ages
bcen persuaded rhar rhe srars have a
rremendous effect on human desriny?
Why is ir makjng an incredible come–
back in worldwide populariry roday,
despire rhe absence of scienrific
proof?
Sorne scholars speculare rhar srar
worship began aeons ago when
human religion was evolving from
animism ro che ultimare concepc of
one deiry. Sornewhere along rhe way,
rhey say, men marvelled ar rhe rwin–
kling srars. which were so inaccessible
and so brillianr in che nighr sky rhar
rhey began ro worship rhem.
However, an ancienr chronicle re–
veals rhat in earliest times, man ac–
cually srudied che srars for calemlrical
purposes. Says che book of Genesis:
''And God said, l.er thcrc be lighrs in
rhe firmamenr of che heavcn ro
divide
rhe day from the nighr; and ler rhem
be for signs. and for seasons. and for
days, and years" (Genesis
1
:14).
When did early asrronomy bccome
asrrologicaJ lore? Hisrorians cannor
pinpoinr rhe exacr rime. However.
44
rhey can trace rhc earliesr asrrological
ideas back ro ancienr Babylon. four
rhousand years ago.
"The history o( astroiOJ!,.Y can
nt)UI
be
traced back to andent Babylonia.
and
indeed ro rhe earliesr phases of Baby–
Jonia as well as in Assyria as a direcr
offshoor of Babylonian culture" (" As–
rrology,"
E11cydopaedia Britannica.
rhe
11th edirion, p.
796).
The Greeks later derived rheir ar–
rangemenrs of rhe zodiac from Baby–
lonian myrhology, in which rhe
Babylonian Nimrod was identified
wi rh che Greek Orion. rhe grear
hunrer. He was
:~ ] so
idenrified wirh
rhe consrellarion
S:~gircarius,
"The
Archer." The book of Genesis rells us
rhat Nimrod was renowned as a grear
and rnighry hunrer (Gen.
10:9).
However. rhe ancienr Assyrians de–
veloped che asrrological aspecr of rhe
srars even furrher. To rhem. rhe moon
and rapidly moving planees seemed ro
be rhe mosr suirable celestial objecrs
ro presagc che furure.
In Assyrian rimes. frorn abotlr
800
B.C. ro
600
B.C., astrology was rhe
main interese of che stargazers. The
idea rhar rhe cdesrial orbs influenced
events on earrh bccame dominanr.
The srars were srudicd in order ro pre–
dice rhe furure, ro undersrand omens.
The fare of kings and empires was
read in che hcavens.
Says one Assyrian rcxr: ·•... When
Mars is dirn, ir is lucky; when brighr,
unlucky. When .Mars follows .Jupirer
rhar year will
be
lucky" (R. C.
Thompson.
The Reporls o{ the Magi–
cians and Astrolol(ers o( ineveh and
Baby/un,
1900,
p.
232) .
Since asrrology was so inrimarely
ried up wirh rhe lives and faces of
men and narions, che movemenrs of
che srars were scrurinized wich dire
foreboding and kccn concern.
Eclipses, in
particul:~r,
were looked
upon as very significanr asrrological
omens and porrcnrs in anc:enr As–
syria. Everv derail of an eclipse had
grear signiticance. Consequcnrly, rhe
Ass}'rians nored rhe exact day and
monrh. rhe rime of nighr and rhe po-
sirions of rhe srars in order ro deter–
mine furure evenrs on earth.
From Babylon
to
che
Middle
Ages
Alrhough rhe roors of asrrology go
back ro ancienr Babylon and Assyria,
ir was rhe Greeks who rook over the
Babylonian zodiac and went on
to
de–
velop rhe firsr known horoscopes. As–
rrology became very popular in
Greece, and among irs devorees werc
such men as Placo and Arisrode.
From Greece, rhe ancienr, hoary
supersrmon spread and filcered
chroughouc che Medirerranean world
and inro rhe resr of Europe.
During rhe heighr of rhe Roman
Empire, rhe Carholic Church gradu–
ally accepred che reachings of Plato
and Arisrorle on many subjecrs. The
Church farhers embraced man)' of rhe
reachings of rhe ancienr Babylonians.
Alrhough sorne, such as Augusrine,
inveighed againsr asrrology, cal ling ir
nonsense, nor all were· convinced.
Srares Dryer in "Medieval Cosmol–
ogy": "When we rurn over che pages
of sorne of rhese Farhers, we mighr
imagine rhat we were reading che
opiniom o( some Bab)'lonian priesl
writ–
ren clown sorne rhousands of years
be–
fore che Christian era; rhc ide-as are
exacrly rhc same, rhe only differc:nce
being rhar che o ld Babylonian priesr
had no way of knowing berrer ..."
(Mu ni rz,
Theories o( the Universe,
pp.
115-116).
The medieval Church, in rheory,
rejccred asrrological beliefs. bur as–
rrology remained a popular super–
sririon among common people. and
even religious leaders bcliev<::d in che
influence of che srars. In
1456,
Pope
Calixrus
lii
decreed rhar every Chris–
tian should pray for prorecrion
against rhe blazing visi ror from spacc
- a comer. In rhe Middle Age:.,
many believed che stars conrrolled che
affairs of men. cven popes. priests and
rhe asrronomcrs who drew up rhe
horosropes.
Peasanrs sowed grain and princc:s
wenr ro barde - if rhe srars wcrc
right. Almanacs showed che posirions
PLAIN TRUTH Oecember 1972