Introduction
The most prominent religious expression related to Astrology that we find mentioned in the Bible regards the practice of the Magi who visited Jesus at the time of his birth. The Magi were known to be a priestly clan of “stargazers” from the region of what is now modern day Iran and its surrounding area, who were, at least to some extent, involved in Astrology.
We don’t really know much about these specific visitors from “the East” beyond the fact that they were called Magi and that they brought gifts to Jesus. The story of the Magi who visited Jesus at his birth appears only once in the Bible, in Matthew (2:1-12). Some scholars believe that they were not astrologers at all. We are not told what the “Star of Bethlehem” was, and people have speculated everything from an astronomical phenomenon to a supernatural sign. The thing that makes some have doubts is the fact that these Magi seem to have had some familiarity with the Old Testament prophesies about the coming Jewish Messiah, and somehow connected that with an event they saw in the sky. Given what little we know about these visitors, however, it is difficult to draw solid conclusions.
What we do know is that the Magi mentioned in Matthew’s gospel were from someplace to the east of Israel and they had some knowledge of the Jewish expectation of a coming Messiah. Thus, they obviously had contact with some Jewish community somewhere – possibly in Babylon. We also know that the Magi were an identifiable group from an identifiable location.
While we do know that the astrological beliefs of the Magi were somewhat unique to their group, in general we can also be certain that these beliefs were based on an animistic worldview. That being the case, their beliefs had many of the same problems that are associated with Animism in general – specifically, problems that come into play based on Astrology’s foundational beliefs. Astrology contends that the position of the planets and the stars, as they move through the night sky, have direct influence on the lives of individuals and the events that happen in the world. In addition to their natural properties, the planets and stars are also seen as god-like bodies from which mysterious power radiates. This power is believed to influence, or cause, the events that happen on earth.
The word translated into English as “Magi” comes from the Greek word magos. This referred to a specific class of “wise men” who existed in ancient Babylon (Chaldea), Media, Persia, and certain other Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asian countries. These wise men served in such positions as professors, priests, doctors, astrologers, fortune tellers, dream interpreters, clairvoyants, and magicians. In a general sense, this was the name given to the wise men and philosophers of that time in that region.
History
The word Magi refers originally to a class of astrologer-priests from Persia (modern day Iran). In many sources, the Magi are associated with Zoroastrianism, but this priestly class actually predated the Zoroastrian religion. While scholars are not completely certain, it is believed that the prophet Zoroaster himself lived somewhere between 1500-1000 B.C. He is believed to have been a reformer of the polytheistic Persian religion that existed during his time. Zoroastrianism as a more formalized religion, however, did not emerge until around the sixth century B.C.
In their earliest days, the Magi were a priestly class and were responsible for the religious and funerary practices of the people in that land. These priests were particularly known for their skill in interpreting omens, signs, and the stars. Depending on the particular document one is reading, the Magi are sometimes referred to as wise men or as kings. The King James Version of the Bible translated the word as “wise men,” which is why that particular terminology is now so common. The word Magi is ultimately derived from the Old Persian word magus and represented a hereditary religious caste. In the New Testament, the Greek word for Magi (magos) is used in a more general way to refer to a sorcerer or to sorcery in general. It also carried the sense of illusionist, fortune-teller, and interpreter of dreams.
The Histories of Herodotus (a historical record of Western Asia, Northern Africa, and Greece written in 440 BC) is a primary source of information about the early period of the Achaemenid era (648-330 B.C.), and actually contains information concerning the role of the Magi. According to Herodotus, the Magi were the sixth tribe of the Medians (until the unification of the Persian empire under Cyrus the Great, the people in that region were known as “Mede” or “Mada”).
After the fall of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, it was the Magi who organized Persian society. After that, Cyrus the Great (585-529 B.C.) rose to power and founded the Persian Empire. He was followed by his son Cambyses (d. 522 B.C.). Not liking Cambyses’ rule, the Magi revolted and attempted to replace him with one of their own.
This rebellion, however, was later put down by Darius I. After that, the Magi sect continued to exist, but its political influence was greatly reduced. With their diminished influence, some of the Magi migrated west and settled in Greece and Italy. There are also indications that some may have even migrated east to India, and even China.
In spite of the decrease in their political power, they remained important in the religious sphere. After some Magi demonstrated their expert ability in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the Great placed them in charge of the state religion of Persia. At this early time, they were not yet associated with Zoroastrianism. With their rise in religious status, the Magi became the supreme priestly caste of the Persian empire. This dominance continued through the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods.
The influence of the Magi was almost completely wiped out with the invasion of the Arabs around 637 A.D. At that point, Islam essentially eliminated the Zoroastrian religion that the Magi had become associated with. With that, their influence faded away, and many of them emigrated to India and settled in the western part of that country. As individuals must be born into the sect to be a part of it, the Magi have continually dwindled, and the number that exists today is very small.
Authority
The primary authority source for Astrology are the various star charts and horoscope tables that have been developed to compute people’s destiny and understand the future. These charts are far from uniform as they are developed by different people using different interpretive systems. As such, the different charts generate very different results.
Evidence for the Authority
Nothing gives objective validity to any system of Astrology. Each chart and table is merely assumed to be valid by the practitioner using it. No independent referee discerns between the various conflicting systems. As for evidence, Astrology has many serious credibility problems. These problems include such issues as:
- Authority – There is no authoritative basis for any form of astrological belief. It is based upon animistic precepts, with various authorities contradicting one another.
- Earth Centered Universe – Astrological systems were created with the assumption that the earth is the center of the universe with the stars and planets revolving around it. This does not represent cosmology as we now understand it.
- Shifting Constellations – Early astrologers were unaware of the ongoing change in location of stars in the sky. The twelve signs of the zodiac originally corresponded with the twelve constellations associated with them. However, in the last 2000 years they have shifted about 30 degrees and are now seen in different places. For instance, a person born on September 1 is considered a Virgo, but the sun is now actually in the constellation Leo.
- Missing Planets – Astrology is based on a belief that there only exists five planets, as those five were the only ones known when the systems were created. We now know of several more in our solar system, and evidence is that others possibly exist as well.
- Influential Forces – Scientists have studied forces such as gravity and various kinds of radiation, but have found no evidence of the kinds of forces astrologers claim exert influence on the destiny of mankind.
Worldview Beliefs
God
In most modern versions of Astrology, there is typically no god, as such. Rather, impersonal forces of the universe exert influence upon people based on the position and movement of the stars and planets. In many ancient historical forms, heavenly bodies were associated with various gods – but even here the concept of god is typically not personal.
The Zoroastrian religion expresses a form of that idea but with a slightly different twist. Zoroastrians believe in one God named Ahura Mazda (meaning Wise Lord). He is considered to be compassionate, just, creator of the universe, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and unchanging. It also believes that Zoroaster was God’s prophet. He was not, himself, worshiped, but his teachings did provide man the path of truth and righteousness to draw close to God.
Zoroastrian religion also believes in the existence of Amesha Spentas. These are “Holy Immortals” that are not themselves gods, but are considered to be beings that emanated from him. This is the place where Animistic beliefs are exposed in the Zoroastrian religion. These beings are conceived of as divine attributes of God that he used to help him design the world.
Evil, in Zoroastrianism, is represented by Ahura Mazda. He is the originator of death and all that is evil in the world.
Man
Astrology asserts that man is simply an element of the cosmos. No attempt to explain his nature is made except to affirm that he is influenced by the powers of the heavenly bodies.
Salvation
Astrology, in general, considers salvation to be nothing more than the ability to understand the predictions of the horoscope, and to use that information to make a better life. Later Zoroastrian belief did have a concept of heaven and hell, and people went to one or the other based on their deeds during life on earth.
Other Beliefs and Practices
Zoroastrian Creation Myth
It is uncertain how much the Zoroastrian creation myth influenced the beliefs of the Magi who visited Jesus, but it was, at the very least, a belief that did have influence on the development of the beliefs of the Magi historically. The underlying ideas the make up the myth have a very strong animistic flavor to them and probably predated Zoroastrianism itself. It could be that Zoroaster refined the beliefs that were prominent in his day to develop it into his ideology.
According to the Zoroastrian creation myth, Ahura Mazda (God) existed in light and goodness above, while Angra Mainyu (Satan) existed in darkness and ignorance below. These beings were totally independent of one another, neither having created the other. Ahura Mazda was responsible for creating all that is good, while Angra Mainyu created all that is bad.
Ahura Mazda first created the Amesha Spentas (the Holy Imortals) who supported him in his work, along with other lesser beings who were also worthy of worship. Following that, he created the universe itself for the purpose of trapping evil. His creative work consisted of making a two part universe shaped like a floating egg. The first part was the spiritual part of the universe, then 3,000 years later he created the physical part. The physical part was perfectly flat, peaceful, and there was no darkness. He then created Gayomard (a primordial man-like creature) and the first bull.
Angra Mainyu was the opposite of Ahura Mazda. He was the source of evil and his purpose was to destroy. As a part of his efforts, he created demons, along with bad creatures such as snakes, ants, and flies. As Ahura Mazda created good creatures, Angra Mainuy created an opposite, evil creature for each good creature made – all except for humans, which he found he could not match.
After the creative activity was completed, Angra Mainyu invaded the universe and imposed suffering and death on Gayomard and the bull. This assault also turned the perfectly flat, peaceful, and sunlit world into a mountainous, violent place that is half night. In the process, however, the evil forces became trapped in the universe and could not get out. Angra Mainyu’s invasion caused the death of Gayomard and the bull, but not before they were able to give off seeds that insured their posterity. The bull’s seed produced all of the beneficial plants and animals of the world. Gayomard’s seed produced a plant whose leaves became the first human couple. Thus, from that time on, humans were trapped with evil in the universe.
The Magi’s Religion
An important aspect of the Magi’s religion related to watching stars. Because of their proficiency in this, they gained an international reputation as great astrologers. During the time frame when the Magi were prominent, astrology was regarded as a science. The religious practices of their sect and their use of astrology is why the later use of the word Magi came to be associated with the occult. In fact, the English word magic is derived from this word. The Magian faith came to be characterized by a belief in the principles of dualism (there was a good God and a bad God), and by belief in a resurrection and a future life.
Magian Astrology
Surviving Zoroastrian texts indicate that astrology was used by ancient Magi as a method of measuring time, both historically and based on the calendar. Their particular form of Astrology was used to date events in Aryan history (Aryan is an ethnic label for the people group that were from Iran, and is the etymological source of the word Iran.). They also used Astrology to predict recurring events such as seasons, along with significant climatic changes that had the potential to cause widespread problems.
In ancient Persia, astronomy and astrology were combined. Those involved in “the science of stargazing” were called “wise men.” Their craft involved the study and worship of the sun, moon, stars, and planets as a means of understanding the operation of the supernatural.
Outside Influences
Seemingly, though many Magi embraced astrology, they also paid attention to other streams of knowledge. In fact, it is very likely that there came to be a Hebrew influence on the Magi that may account for why some followed the star to look for the Messiah. It appears that some of them were possibly even familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures that had been written up to that time. In the Bible, in Daniel 2:12, 18, and 4:6, 18, we read of the wise men in Babylon. When Israel went into exile in Babylon, Daniel was taken into King Nebuchadnezzar’s household. He spent 70 years exiled among the Magi as one of the king’s wise men. One of the titles given him was the Chief of the Magi (Daniel 2:48). This made him a lead administrator in the king’s court – first in the Babylonian empire, and later in the Persian empire. Very likely, Daniel and his fellow Israelites in exile led many Magi to worship the one true God of Israel, and made them aware of the coming Jewish messiah. The Magi who followed the star to the baby Christ were very possibly influenced by the writings of Daniel. When they saw the sign of the star in the sky, it is quite possible that they recognized this as a fulfillment of divine prophesy.