Church Fathers, Learning, Paganism, Geocentricity, Angelic Movers

CC has added three new photos (icons).

It is a misnomer to call the earth a planet. It is an innovation of the last few centuries that arose with the error of heliocentrism. The great saints of antiquity, both in the East and the West, referred to the sun as a planet, but did not call the earth a planet. By definition, a planet is in motion, from the ancient Greek planan: ‘wander.’ Planets are called 'wandering stars'. The earth does not 'wander'.

His text under photos

then quotes four of the three Fathers depicted in icons:

St. John Chrysostom (4th century)

Homily III on Titus

For they who are mad imagine that nothing stands still, yet this arises not from the objects that are seen, but from the eyes that see. Because they are unsteady and giddy, they think that the earth turns round with them, which yet turns not, but stands firm. The derangement is of their own state, not from any affection of the element.

St. Basil the Great (4th century)

Nine Homilies on the Hexaemeron

Homily III

Let the learned people see if they do not disagree among themselves. The water which the sun consumes is, they say, what prevents the sea from rising and flooding the rivers; the warmth of the sun leaves behind the salts and the bitterness of the waters, and absorbs from them the pure and drinkable particles, thanks to the singular virtue of this planet in attracting all that is light and in allowing to fall, like mud and sediment, all which is thick and earthy. From thence come the bitterness, the salt taste and the power of withering and drying up which are characteristic of the sea. While as is notorious, they hold these views, they shift their ground and say that moisture cannot be lessened by the sun.

St. Augustine of Hippo (5th century)

The City of God

Book VII. Chapter 16

Although they would have Apollo to be a diviner and physician, they have nevertheless given him a place as some part of the world. They have said that he is also the sun; and likewise they have said that Diana, his sister, is the moon, and the guardian of roads. Whence also they will have her be a virgin, because a road brings forth nothing. They also make both of them have arrows, because those two planets send their rays from the heavens to the earth.

St. John of Damascus (8th century)

An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith

Book II Chapter VII

For there are said to be seven planets: Sol, Luna, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Venus and Saturn. But sometimes Venus is called Lucifer and sometimes Vesper. These are called planets because their movements are the reverse of those of the heaven. For while the heaven and all other stars move from east to west, these alone move from west to east. And this can easily be seen in the case of the moon, which moves each evening a little backwards.

Hans-Georg Lundahl (my comments with quotes)

"For they who are mad imagine that nothing stands still, yet this arises not from the objects that are seen, but from the eyes that see. Because they are unsteady and giddy, they think that the earth turns round with them, which yet turns not, but stands firm. The derangement is of their own state, not from any affection of the element."

Cited about Kate Petruccio in Taming of a Shrew:

"He who is giddy, thinks the world turns round"

St Basil seems to have got sth wrong:

"Let the learned people see if they do not disagree among themselves."

Well, at least he says to let them see.

"The water which the sun consumes is, they say, what prevents the sea from rising and flooding the rivers; the warmth of the sun leaves behind the salts and the bitterness of the waters, and absorbs from them the pure and drinkable particles, thanks to the singular virtue of this planet in attracting all that is light and in allowing to fall, like mud and sediment, all which is thick and earthy. From thence come the bitterness, the salt taste and the power of withering and drying up which are characteristic of the sea."

Water cycle described rather accurately.

"While as is notorious, they hold these views, they shift their ground and say that moisture cannot be lessened by the sun."

Overall water content not lessened by Sun.

St John of Damascus:

"For there are said to be seven planets: Sol, Luna, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Venus and Saturn. But sometimes Venus is called Lucifer and sometimes Vesper. These are called planets because their movements are the reverse of those of the heaven."

By movement of Heaven, he means the daily movement, at stellar circum-telluric angular speed, full circle in a few minutes less than 24 h.

"For while the heaven and all other stars move from east to west," (only) "these alone" (also) "move from west to east." (visibly to naked eye) "And this can easily be seen in the case of the moon, which moves each evening a little backwards."

These have a double movement, or a movement analysable as double, like he did here. The movement they have in common with stars, with ether, thus, namely the daily movement. And the reverse movement which differentiates their movement from that of stars, so as to make them wander through the zodiac.

Sun through zodiac - one year.

Moon through zodiac - one stellar month (somewhat shorter than lunar month, since this is about its faces, which also depend on position of Sun).

Note that many fix stars also have a movement, namely aberration and parallax, as they are called (geocentricity does not agree with calling them such, but they are named by heliocentrics), but these movements are only visible to telescopes and astronomic tubes. [They are also not through whole zodiac.]

"Although they would have Apollo to be a diviner and physician,"

I wonder whether the physician was not a Pagan/Gentile saint, or perhaps his son Asclepius was so. In whose school were Hippocrates and St Luke.

The diviner is the Pythonic spirit of Delphi. A k a Apollyon.

"they have nevertheless given him a place as some part of the world. They have said that he is also the sun; and likewise they have said that Diana, his sister, is the moon,"

I think that angels of Sun and Moon are very ill pleased of being imagined as deities of pythonic mantia and of witchcraft!

In case they care at all!

"and the guardian of roads. Whence also they will have her be a virgin, because a road brings forth nothing."

Pagan imagination, not very important.

We do the kind of thing too when St Anthony is patron of finding of lost objects - except that St Anthony is a real saint, they are not real gods.

"They also make both of them have arrows, because those two planets send their rays from the heavens to the earth."

Now, it may be the inverse, they were imagined as archers first (Apollo due to being plague god, Apollyon in another sense, or perhaps rather Beelzebub), and this was then rationalised as the rays from the planets - whence Apollo and Diana replaced Sol son of Hyperion and Luna, sister of Sol (of which Sol is also, alas, associated with witchcults: Medea is supposed to descend from him and have her magic powers from him).

St Augustine is great on analysing Paganism, but he sometimes (like other saints) doesn't give due credit to the capacity of Pagans to coalesce divinities from widely different sources.

Was Mercury a magician of Greece (Hermes) about 1000 BC (or of Egypt even earlier, Thot = Hermes Trismegistos) or was he a magician of Sweden 1st c BC (Oden)? Paul the Deacon presumes he can't be both. (Let alone all three.)

But two people can by Pagans have been imagined to be same divinity.

Can Buddha have been a man? St Francis Xaver concludes negatively, since the diverse incarnations add up to 9000 years of life. But the "last of incarnations" (and some earlier ones) can certainly have been real people. Siddharta Gautama is supposed to be last incarnation of Buddha, I think he did exist. I don't think he was a god in any sense, I don't think he attained supreme enlightenment and I don't think he was reincarnation of previous people, some of whom might nevertheless have lived.