THE PLANETS.

Note: It appears that the original number of planets corresponds with the Biblical number of 7 days per week, and the number of constellations with the number of 12 months per year. S.A.F.L.

     [A few very short notes on the names of the planets, in a fragmentary state, have been found since the decease of the Writer. They were evidently intended as rough notes of matter to be incorporated with this work. Such very slight arrangement as was practicable, has been adopted in giving the substance as below in the words of the writer, without interpolation, excepting where marked by brackets. A part of the page entitled "The Planet Venus" was already in the press, as was also a part of that headed "The Pole." - C. D.]

     To Seth is attributed the origin of the names of astronomy, and in his time it is said it was begun to call by the name of the Lord (Gen. iv. 26). This may imply the naming of the stars by names to the glory of the Lord, as is maintained in the previous pages of Mazzaroth. It may also include the having given names to the planets; from their brightness and varying position it seems likely that they were the earliest noticed and named. The names of the five that would be early noticed as bright, large moveable stars have come down to us as given in Mazzaroth, Part HI., page 5, in the East, and as still in use in Europe in the West, different in sound, but in some degree corresponding in meaning.
     The name Planets is derived from moveableness, so distinguishing them from the fixed stars. Seth would early perceive they derived their brightness from the light of the sun, and that they appeared to attend on him their common centre. The sun, the minister (Chald.) of light 1.
     The heavens declare the glory of God, by His name El, Al, the Allah of the Oriental languages, frequently applied in the sacred writings to the Second Person of the Triune God. To this purpose the yet extant and unchanged names of the fixed stars are shown to turn; the names of the Planets were not intended to speak directly of the glory of the Creator or the Redeemer, but as seen in His work, the Lord's people, the congregation of the Lord, so called before His first coming, the Church of Christ since that coming, dark in themselves, enlightened and light-giving in the light of Christ.
     When the Arabian astronomers brought to Europe, under the patronage of Alphonso, king of Castile, the ancient names of the fixed stars now in use among us, the planets were found familiarly and universally known by names in use among the Romans. These names the Romans appear to have found in use in that early Italy, of which they preserved other fragmentary traces in their language, referable, like all other ancient words, to the first language of mankind. These names so originating and so transmitted to us, are still in use, and are to be explained to us, are still in use, and are to be explained by the Noetic or Hebrew roots they contain.

                    Saturn,         resting.
                    Jupiter 2,      the Lord hath set free.   
                                         1 Chron. ix. 34; 2 Chron. xxiii. 10.
                    Mars 3,         the wounded.
                    Earth,           the broken.
                    Venus 4,        the beloved.
                    Mercury 5,    going and returning again.

     The inventors of Astronomy could not omit the Planets in the nomenclature of the stars, by which they desired to make the heavens declare the glory of God. The evidence of that design is in the names themselves.
     The Coptic names of the Planets, given by Montuela from Ulugh Beigh, are Rephan, Saturn; Piclums, Jupiter; Melochk, Mars; Surath or Athor, Venus; Thauth, Mercury.
     The Rabbinical names, as given by Sebastian Munster, are "Sabbater, rest; Zedek, just; Ma,adim, red; Nogah, splendid; Mercurium, Cochab, or Catab, as it is written."
     Kronos, the Greek name of Saturn, resting. Arab. quievit, Prov. xvii. 27, Marg. cool.
     Latin, Saturn from bid (as Latium).

                                         
     From remote antiquity such have been called "the houses," or appropriate stations of the five planets, the sun, and the moon. Belonging to Mars, who bruises and is bruised, are Aries, the Lamb bruised, wounded in sacrifice and Scorpio, where He who should come is shown as bruised.
     Venus: Libra, redemption ; Taurus, deliverance.
     Jupiter: Sagittarius, deliverance by Him coming forth ;  Pisces, whose are the congregation.
     Saturn: Capricornus, the sacrifice slain ; Aquarius, the water of purification.
     Mercury: Virgo, the branch ; Gemini, the two comings.
     It seems probable that these agreements must have been arranged by the discoverers of the planets, the inventors of the emblems of the signs.
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   1 That Shemish, usually masculine, is sometimes feminine, accounts for the varying gender of the sun in different languages, as in German.
   2 Jah, corrupted into Ja, offers no difficulty to the Bible student. "Praise Him in His name Jah," will occur to every one such. Pether, or Piter, to open as a gate, as a line of descent, whence Pater and Father in modern languages, to set free. "Setting free" originates a stream of water and B course of events; and the line of a pedigree is originated by the father, man by Adam, the Jews by Abraham. So Pater may be referred to the Hebrew root Patar, whence "Pater," Latin, &c. One meaning of Zedek, the Oriental name of Jupiter, is to set free by justifying.
   3 Mars, the wounded, as Christ for His Church, His Church in Him.
   4 Venus, in all countries and languages feminine, the Church from Adam downwards.
   5 Mercury, whose old Italian name Mercurius has the Hebrew roots, from afar returning; whose Greek name means coming.
   The first three planets and the fifth in the Heb. and Arab, are not feminine, but masculine; the fourth in all languages feminine, as the "congregation of the Lord" in the Old Testament, and the Christian Church always feminine; "reposing," "set free," "by blood," applying to both genders, as "returning," the masculine always including the feminine when needful. In the ancient names, however, the gender of the fourth is doubtful, like the Church, including both. Zedek, "set free," applies to both genders' the Ja, masculine, is to post-Noetic addition.

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