I have been reading a very old book, The Star Evangel written by George Aldridge in 1904. Aldridge suggested that the constellations contained a message older than the Bible. His premise was that God revealed the gospel message to the early humans who preserved that message through the constellations. That way, the message could be preserved throughout the generations even without a written alphabet.
I have to admit, the idea is intriguing. Aldridge (and others whose research he drew upon) does a masterful job of seeing gospel truths in those old star connections. He probably over-stretched his point on some of his conclusions, but the general impression I have is that he’s got something there.
To Aldridge, there is a reason that the star charts begin with a virgin (Virgo) who bears a seed and also a branch. The charts end with a lion (Leo) who rules. Aldridge sees Christ in the stars. He also sees significance in the ancient names of the stars.
And why not? If God has gone to all the trouble to give modern humanity his infallible word in scripture, who’s to say he could not have given a glimpse of this revelation to the ancients?
Here is Aldridge’s book in a nutshell:
| Christ, the Redeemer | The Seed of the Woman Redemption Conflict with Satan Victory over Satan |
the virgin the scales the scorpion the bowman |
| Christ, the Life-Giver | Life by Sacrificial Death Water of Life Life and Dominion The Ever-Living Conqueror |
the goat the waterman the fishes the ram |
| Christ, the Rightful King | The Advent in Power Unity in Rule and Redemption Gathering the Ransomed The Enemy’s Overthrow |
the bull the twins the crab the lion |
I appreciate two things that Aldridge stresses. He sees the message in the stars as emphasizing the hope of the ages as a kingdom that is to come. Amen to that.
Also, he calls on his fellow New Zealanders who have visual access to the Southern Cross to get the message, and trust in the One who died on the cross for them – and for the rest of us.
My only caution is that we are far removed from these ancients, so much of what we might see in the constellations would probably be hopeful eisegesis, rather than careful exegesis.
My … other only caution is that shared by Aldridge. He warns against those who have taken the stars and turned them into means of controlling human destiny: the field of astrology. That is a demonic corruption of what God intended the stars to do for us.
In spite of this, it would do us all no harm to contemplate whether there is a message in the night sky. As long as we keep our hope set on Christ.
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If you are interested in looking further into this idea, these links are a good start. Not all of them support the idea, and please don’t assume I agree with everything the links say:
Is the gospel spelled out in the stars?
The Gospel Message—Written in the Stars?
Summary of the meanings of the Constellations from “Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph Seiss
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P.S. Thanks, Ernie
jeffersonvann 