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Babylonian Star-Lore. an Illustrated Guide to the Star-Lore and Constellations of Ancient BabyloniaToday our most obvious link to the ancient cultures of Babylonia is through the twelve constellations that make up the zodiac. The zodiac is, however, but a part of a much larger system of star lore that could reveal so much about ancient man and his beliefs. Knowledge of this lore could provide many profound insights into how early civilisations viewed the gods, the nature of the universe and the destiny of mankind. This book is the first of its
Today our most obvious link to the ancient cultures of Babylonia is through the twelve constellations that make up the zodiac. The zodiac is, however, but a part of a much larger system of star-lore that could reveal so much about ancient man and his beliefs. Knowledge of this lore could provide many profound insights into how early civilisations viewed the gods, the nature of the universe and the destiny of mankind. This book is the first of its kind, specifically written for the layman, to explore the constellations and star-lore of ancient Babylonia. It presents the idea that the constellation figures as a whole amount to a 'pictorial calendar' that integrates various seasonal festivals - concerned with the mythic life-cycle of the sun, the farming and herding year, the institution of kingship and various rites directed towards the dead - into an elegant system that ultimately represents an archaic image of time itself. The introductory sections provide all the essential background information on how ancient Near Eastern cultures viewed the heavens. It starts with a survey of the writing system and then moves on to consider the nature of ominous signs and celestial divination. The final sections introduce the reader to the archaic view of the cosmos and an overview of the whole star-map. The main body of the book is composed of an A-Z Gazetteer, which explores the names, appearances and associated lore of each star and constellation in greater detail. A set of appendices furnishes additional information on the planetary and geographic associations of the stars, the calendar and the seasonal cycle of Mesopotamia. Beyond the familiar figures of the zodiac, the Babylonian constellations have laid in almost total obscurity for the last two thousand years. Here for the first time the complete star-map is reconstructed and many of its secrets revealed, so that now the whole system of celestial symbolism can be restored to something approaching its former glory.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Solaria Publications
Published: 09/11/2014
ISBN: 9780955903748
Pages: 416
Weight: 1.63lbs
Size: 9.69h x 7.44w x 0.85d
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4.6 ★★★★★
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Incredible & Absolutely Fascinating
Format: Paperback
This book is incredible. Very well researched and balanced in approach. It is the best book I've ever read on the early church and the most inspiring book I've read on how the church can be powerful without seeking worldly power. I would highly recommend this to every pastor and serious Christian. I wouldn't advocate for adopting everything the early church did (Kreider doesn't either), but there is so much to learn. Especially the church in the West, and specifically in America, where Christian nationalism is on the rise. This book could not be more timely or important in helping people understand the relationship between the church and government, and why discipleship that actually changes the habits, values, and lives of Christians must become the hallmark of the church again.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2026
★★★★★ 5
So much I never realized about the shaping of the early Church
Format: Paperback
This is one of the best books I've read. Really well researched. It is interesting in its empahsize on the virtue of patience from the perspective of the early church as it was shaped and formed into what we recognize as The Church.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2024
★★★★★ 5
Profoundly challenging; I'm going back to this over and over
Format: Paperback
The remarkable growth of the early church has puzzled and challenged scholars. How did a tiny sect that attracted mainly the poor and unimportant and faced waves of persecution grow? How did they sustain their vigor and their distinctiveness such that well into the third century they were still well known for their non violence and care of the poor and downtrodden? Why did the church make baptism and membership so difficult? I've never found satisfactory answers. Kreider's exhaustively researched book did more than answer those questions. It stirred and challenged my thinking about how to "do church."
He argues, with compelling evidence, that a central conviction by the early Christians had much to do with their sustained vitality. They centered on the teachings of Jesus, in particular the sermon on the mount. They actually believed they were to live in obedience to the upside down Way of Jesus. It was this distinctive and intriguing lifestyle - Kreider uses the term "habitus" or their habitual behavior - that the church insisted upon and that attracted others. They patiently lived in community, expecting that over time, the impact of the light of their lives would "bubble up" or ferment in the lives of their neighbors.
So, rather than emphasize evangelism, the early Christians emphasized catechesis - careful formation and teaching. Only after a lengthy period of time - up to three years! - during which the prospective member was mentored and drilled in the life of Christ, was the person allowed to be baptized and take the Lord's Supper. They had to demonstrate, prove, that they were indeed genuinely living the life of Christ. Caring for the poor, sharing their resources, returning good for evil, turning the other cheek - those things had to be demonstrably evident.
Kreider ends by contrasting this patient habitus with the changing focus after Constantine. His examination of Augustine's redefinition of faithful Christian living that provided a way for Christians to both claim allegiance to Jesus' teachings yet use force and violence was both incisive and deeply saddening.
These days, most followers of Jesus do a better job of rationalizing why they can't take the Sermon on the Mount as more than platitudes. This book further challenges me, and I hope, the church at large, to actually live like Jesus! What a novel idea.
There are just a handful of books that have deeply influenced me, books that I find myself returning to again and again. The Patient Ferment is one of those books now. I hope this book becomes widely read, and even more, widely influential. May it disturb our comfort...
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Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2017
★★★★★ 4
Insightful, balanced and thoroughly researched
Format: Kindle
I was a bit afraid that this book would somehow a attribute of the early church, postulate it as a silver bullet and then suggest it simplictically as the only solution for the modern day church. Instead I got a well balanced, finely nuanced and engagingly told narrative of the early church and the role patience was practiced, neglected and rethought by various Christian groups and bishops. The book end with an adequate invitation to think the concepts through for our own time.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
★★★★★ 5
Excellent
Format: Paperback
I might be as bold to say this is my favorite book on Christianity I have read to date.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2025