The Limitations of Using the Zodiac: A Gnostic Perspective

 The Zodiac

**The Limitations of Using the Zodiac: A Gnostic Perspective**

In the Gnostic tradition, the use of the zodiac and its connection to fate, providence, and the ordering of the universe is critically examined. While ancient cultures such as the Babylonians and the Greeks saw the zodiac as a means of understanding the cosmos and human destiny, Gnosticism, particularly in texts such as *Eugnostos, the Blessed*, rejects these frameworks as incomplete and misleading. The Gnostic perspective is rooted in the belief that true knowledge of God and the divine order transcends worldly systems of thought, including astrology.

### The Zodiac in Ancient Texts

The term "zodiac" is often associated with the twelve signs that make up a band of the heavens along which the sun, moon, and planets appear to move. The Hebrew word for zodiac is *mazzaroth* (also translated as “constellations of the zodiac”), found in scriptures such as 2 Kings 23:5 and Job 38:32. In these passages, the zodiac is linked with worship practices that were condemned in ancient Israel. Kings like Josiah sought to eliminate foreign god worship, which included veneration of the celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and the signs of the zodiac.

2 Kings 23:5 specifically mentions the actions of foreign priests making sacrificial offerings "to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations of the zodiac and to all the army of the heavens." This reference places the zodiac in the context of idolatrous worship, condemning the idea of celestial bodies as divine powers influencing human destiny. 

In Job 38:32, the term *mazzaroth* appears once more, but it is framed differently as a reference to the constellations in their proper course. The verse, "Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth constellation in its appointed time?" questions human ability to control or understand the divine orchestration of the cosmos. This passage highlights the celestial phenomena as part of God's domain, outside human understanding or manipulation.

### The Gnostic Rejection of the Zodiac

For Gnostics, the belief that celestial bodies or constellations could influence human fate or control the destiny of individuals was considered a false and incomplete understanding of the divine. In texts like *Eugnostos, the Blessed*, Gnostic thought directly challenges such ideas.

In the text, Eugnostos states:

*"Rejoice in this, that you know. Greetings! I want you to know that all men born from the foundation of the world until now are dust. While they have inquired about God, who he is and what he is like, they have not found him. The wisest among them have speculated about the truth from the ordering of the world. And the speculation has not reached the truth. For the ordering is spoken of in three (different) opinions by all the philosophers; hence they do not agree."*

Eugnostos critiques the common philosophical explanations of the world. He presents three views about the ordering of the universe: self-direction, providence, and fate. However, he dismisses all of them as flawed. He argues that these views are ultimately human speculations, leading nowhere near the truth of the divine. In Gnostic thought, the material world and its celestial mechanics, including the zodiac, are not responsible for human fate or the divine order.

The Gnostic rejection of astrology is profound. Eugnostos continues:

*"For some of them say about the world that it was directed by itself. Others, that it is providence (that directs it). Others, that it is fate. But it is none of these. Again, of the three voices I have just mentioned, none is true. For whatever is from itself is an empty life; it is self-made. Providence is foolish. Fate is an undiscerning thing."*

Eugnostos refutes these views by explaining that real truth cannot be found through the lens of fate, providence, or self-governance. According to Gnosticism, such ideas are superficial and inadequate explanations of the divine order. The true nature of the world is not bound by celestial forces or predestination.

### The Gnostic Path to Knowledge

For Gnostics, knowledge of the divine truth is the path to immortality, not adherence to the stars or the ordering of the material world. Eugnostos emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge of the true God, transcending the limits of human speculation and celestial influence:

*"Whoever, then, is able to get free of these three voices I have just mentioned and come by means of another voice to confess the God of truth and agree in everything concerning him, he is immortal dwelling in the midst of mortal men."*

This Gnostic principle stresses that true salvation and immortality come through direct knowledge of the divine, not through the understanding or manipulation of the cosmos. The human quest for truth, in this sense, is about transcending the physical realm and understanding the divine light that lies beyond the stars.

### Conclusion

In conclusion, the Gnostic perspective on the zodiac underscores a fundamental difference between traditional interpretations of the cosmos and Gnostic spirituality. While ancient cultures and some religious traditions used the zodiac to explain fate and divine order, Gnosticism emphasizes the inadequacy of such methods in understanding the true nature of the divine. As Eugnostos teaches, true knowledge comes not from the stars, but from transcending the false systems of the world and connecting with the God of truth.

2 Kings 23:5 And he put out of business the foreign-god priests, whom the kings of Judah had put in that they might make sacrificial smoke on the high places in the cities of Judah and the surroundings of Jerusalem, and also those making sacrificial smoke to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations of the zodiac and to all the army of the heavens

Job 38:32 Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth constellation in its appointed time? And as for the Ash constellation alongside its sons, can you conduct them?

Zodiac meaning: a belt of the heavens within about 8° either side of the ecliptic, including all apparent positions of the sun, moon, and most familiar planets. It is divided into twelve equal divisions or signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces).

The zodiac is the name given by people of old to an imaginary band passing around the heavens, wide enough to include the circuits of the sun and the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn. It is just a convenient method of reference to the position of the stars. Animal figures and outlines were chosen to represent these stars, and their relative position in the heavens, for animistic reasons

The Hebrew word for Zodiac is Mazzaroth or mazzalohth

“The Mazzaroth constellation.” Hebrew, Mazzarohth´; Greek, Mazouroth´ (as in 2Kings 23:5 where it is translated “constellations of the zodiac”);

The Aramaic Targum equates Mazzaroth with the mazzalohth´ of 2 Kings 23:5, “constellations of the zodiac,” or “twelve signs, or, constellations.” Some believe that the word is derived from a root meaning “engird” and that Mazzaroth refers to the zodiacal circle.

-Or, the signs of the Zodiac. The Heb. is mazzaloth, probably a variant form of mazzaroth (Job 38:32). The word is used in the Targums, and by rabbinical writers, in the sense of star, as influencing human destiny, and so fate, fortune, in the singular, and in the plural of the signs of the Zodiac (e.g., Ecclesiastes 9:3; Esther 3:7). It is, perhaps, derived from 'azar, "to gird," and means "belt," or "girdle;" or from 'azal, "to journey," and so means "stages" of the sun's course in the heavens.

The constellations or signs of the zodiac are, no doubt, intended (comp. Job 38:32, where the term מַזָּדות may be regarded as a mere variant form of the מַזָּלות of this passage). The proper meaning of the term is "mansions;" or "houses," the zodiacal signs being regarded as the "mansions of the sun" by the Babylonians (see 'Ancient Monarchies,' vol. 3. p. 419). And to all the host of heaven

2 Kings 23:5 And he put out of business the foreign-god priests, whom the kings of Judah had put in that they might make sacrificial smoke on the high places in the cities of Judah and the surroundings of Jerusalem, and also those making sacrificial smoke to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations of the zodiac and to all the army of the heavens

Beyond Fate

Unlike the Pharisees, says Josephus, the Sadducees denied the workings of fate, maintaining that an individual, by his own actions, was solely responsible for what befell him. (Jewish Antiquities, XIII, 172, 173 [v, 9]) 

Like the Sadducees some Gnostics rejected the ideas of "self governed", "Fate", and "Providence"  

Eugnostos, the Blessed, to those who are his.

Rejoice in this, that you know. Greetings! I want you to know that all men born from the foundation of the world until now are dust. While they have inquired about God, who he is and what he is like, they have not found him. The wisest among them have speculated about the truth from the ordering of the world. And the speculation has not reached the truth. For the ordering is spoken of in three (different) opinions by all the philosophers; hence they do not agree. For some of them say about the world that it was directed by itself. Others, that it is providence (that directs it). Others, that it is fate. But it is none of these. Again, of three voices that I have just mentioned, none is true. For whatever is from itself is an empty life; it is self-made. Providence is foolish. Fate is an undiscerning thing. (Eugnostos, the Blessed)

Whoever, then, is able to get free of these three voices I have just mentioned and come by means of another voice to confess the God of truth and agree in everything concerning him, he is immortal dwelling in the midst of mortal men. (Eugnostos, the Blessed)

The Savior said to them: "I want you to know that all men are born on earth from the foundation of the world until now, being dust, while they have inquired about God, who he is and what he is like, have not found him. Now the wisest among them have speculated from the ordering of the world and (its) movement. But their speculation has not reached the truth. For it is said that the ordering is directed in three ways, by all the philosophers, (and) hence they do not agree. For some of them say about the world that it is directed by itself. Others, that it is providence (that directs it). Others, that it is fate. But it is none of these. Again, of the three voices I have just mentioned, none is close to the truth, and (they are) from man. But I, who came from Infinite Light, I am here - for I know him (Light) - that I might speak to you about the precise nature of the truth. For whatever is from itself is a polluted life; it is self-made. Providence has no wisdom in it. And fate does not discern. But to you it is given to know; and whoever is worthy of knowledge will receive (it), whoever has not been begotten by the sowing of unclean rubbing but by First Who Was Sent, for he is an immortal in the midst of mortal men." (Eugnostos, the Blessed)

Eugnostos starts by refuting three propositions about the nature of the world which to him represent the basic shortcomings of contemporary philosophy, or perhaps of philosophy as such: (1) the world is governed by itself, (2) by a providence, or (3) is subject to predestination. His refutation is neither philosophical in the proper sense of that word, nor does it deal with the implications of these propositions in detail: That which is from itself leads an empty life, providence is foolish, and that which is subject to destiny or fate is something that does not attain knowledge. According to Eugnostos, real insight is not reached through philosophy; what matters is to be able to refute the propositions of philosophy and by means of another proposition to gain access to and reveal the god of truth. The attainment of this, he says, means to be immortal amidst the mortals