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| Public Domain |
Tonight, as I look at the beautiful full moon, which always reminds me of the Eucharist, as if the sky is a huge monstrance for Christ, I think also of those ancients who worshipped Sin. The god Sin was seen as larger than the sun and therefore, by these people seen as the male god and the sun as the female goddess. Other pagans reversed this order.
Several historians of this period write that the Arabs worshipped the moon-god. Among those believing this are the famous historians of the ancient world Tuch, Goldziger and Osiander. One can look up their references.
Other peoples, such as the ancient Peruvians, the Greeks and the Natives of Vancouver Island also worshipped the moon as the first god among many. The god was worshipped in Ur as well, the city which Abraham left in obedience to the one, true God.
R. W. Rogers discovered cuniform praising the moon as well.
References are at the end of this post.
Macrobius on the Saturnalia, wrote that women dressed like men and men dressed like women for this feast of the moon, a custom soundly condemned by St. Paul.
It is, therefore, no accident that God revealed Himself on Mt. Sinai, to set the record straight, as to whom was real worship to be established. God revealed Himself as the God, not one of many, and not merely one without power, but the Creator, the Lawgiver, the giver of peace and order.
The name of the specific Arab tribe which is known to have worshipped the moon is Hagarites, or sons of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael from whom the Arabs claim descendence. During Saul's kingship over Israel, the tribe of Rueben conquered the Hagarites, as written in the first book of Chronicles. They are also mentioned in one of the psalms.
More on the moon-worshipping Hagarites may be found here. http://nabataea.net/hagar.html
As I look at the bright moon tonight through the back window of my flat, I am so grateful that I am a Catholic and know the one, true God, the Holy Trinity.
For revelation and my parents passing on to me the Faith, I am eternally grateful.
The Muslims, btw, see this as they lineage, which is why some scholars think they worshipped the moon god as well. Those who have seen Lawrence of Arabia, or read any of his biographies will recognize the last tribe mentioned under the 12 Sons of Ismael, the Howietat.
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| http://nabataea.net/hagar.html |
http://www.varchive.org/itb/moonwor.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Mount_Sinai
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7023-hagarenes-hagarites
