Mazzaroth

Book excerpt: In Mazzaroth; or The constellations, originally published in 1862, 19th-century English linguist and scholar FRANCES ROLLESTON (1781-1864) presents readers with her theory of the gospel in the stars. Rolleston believed that through the ancient names for the stars, one could discover the oldest knowledge transmitted from God to man: the method of man's redemption and the coming of the Jewish messiah. Mentioned in the book of Job, the Mazzaroth is generally believed to be the signs of zodiac. By passing through each sign, a person with a full understanding of the constellations and their meanings can interpret God's message. Rolleston painstakingly provides readers with evidence, she claims, that the signs of the zodiac are an allegory for the New Testament. Through Egyptian hieroglyphs, Assyrian writings, and even the writings in ancient Mexico, she constructs a system of symbols and metaphors all of which attest to a singular meaning to the arrangement of the constellations. Students of the occult and readers with an interest in astrology will find this an entertaining read.