By both Liaf and Morfessa
We are now up to the 5th Zodiac constellation Capricorn (and the 2nd group or book which show the results of the Redeemer's sufferings). As much as we love Bullinger, his book shows where the 'traditions of men' enter into the picture to distort truth a little. As with any good Christmas-celebrating crowd, Bullinger made the comment in his book that the sun was actually in Capricorn when Jesus was born. No. If anything, it was in Virgo, the constellation at the start of the series. Because of the precession of the equinoxes, back in the early autumn of say, 2 BC or there abouts, the sun would have been in Virgo, albeit the "feet end" of her.
Capricorn is half goat, half fish (the tail end). In the Egyptian zodiacs of Denderah and Esneh, it is called Hu-penius or, 'the place of the sacrifice'. In the Indian zodiac, we have a 'goat passant but transversed by a fish' as Bullinger described it. The Hebrew name is similar to the Abrabic name Gedi or, 'the kid cut off'. In Latin, Capricorn means, 'goat'. Stellar names include Deneb al Gedi, 'the sacrifice that comes', Dabih, 'the sacrifice slain', and Sa'ad al Naschira, 'the record of the cutting off'.
The constellation is portrayed as a dying goat, head bowed down and leg folded under as if unable to raise it. On its back end, however, is the tail of a fish seemingly full of life and vigor. Both these animals have Biblical analogies that help us discern the meaning. Simply put, this constellation represents the Savior, cut off and wounded for us, but with the results of the living tail end of the fish that produces multitudes born of Him. Fish always represented procreation, and hence as Jesus said to the disciples about making them 'fishers of men'.
We must put this little constellation in the context of the others in this decan to understand it, for the name in Hebrew connotes 'destroying' or 'desolate'. Before we continue on, let us describe at least the general area of this tiny constellation. It is between Cygnus and Aquila, with the two dominant stars "Deneb" and "Altair" that we already mentioned was part of the 'summer triangle'. If you are uncertain where we said that, then reread these messages up to now and take excellent notes--- also get familiar with a star maps so that you can check off these constellation names as we go along. (One day Liaf and Morfessa may visit you and expect you to point out common constellations :-) ). As for the zodiac constellations, they merely follow the ecliptic. In Capricorn that we already talked about, one has to look left of Sagittarius about 30 degrees. Likewise, Sagittarius is left of Scorpio, and so forth. We assume you already are aware that the zodiac follows the ecliptic. You merely have to get a feel as to where the ecliptic is on any given night. That takes a little understanding and imagination, but it is not too difficult once one gets the idea. Capricorn is VERY LOW in the Southern skies since it follows that the sun (which is near this constellation during the winter) is also very low during that time. However, in the middle Northern latitudes, the constellation Sagitta passes within about 20 degrees straight overhead at some point in the day.
We do not like Bullinger's explanation of this constellation the way Capt elaborates on it, although the idea is the same. It seems in this case, Capt fills in details more. But if we see the name means 'destroying' or 'desolate' in the context of the goat, it points to the judgment of all unrighteousness and sin. As David said in Psalm 38:2-3, For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. Unlike the arrow of Sagiittarius aimed at the heart of Scorpio meant for enemies of Christ, this arrow, Sagitta, is for the Son of God convicting the hearts of men of their sin and represents the Word of God. The context, remember, is the goat, and through the Holy Spirit, men see their sins in the light of Christ's death on the cross.
This constellation has one of the bright stars of the 'summer triangle' called Altair (or Al Tair), which means, 'the wounding'. This constellation is that of an eagle pierced, wounded, and falling down. Other star names include Al Shain, or, 'the bright' or 'scarlet colored' (blood), Tarared, or, 'wounded' or 'torn', and in the lower wing Alcair, or, 'the piercing'. All the names connote wounding of some sort because of the effects of the arrow. Christ was pierced (Zechariah 12:10) resulting in the falling eagle yet Jesus said He would be "lifted up" for all to see drawing all men unto Him. Speaking of lifting up, this brings us to the last constellation:
Nearby Aquila is Delphinus, as jumpy little dolphin leaping up. In the Persian planisphere this was fish and a stream of water. The ancient names connected with this constellation are the Hebrew Dalaph, or, 'pouring out of water', Dalaph in Arabic, or 'coming quickly', Scalooin (also Arabic), or, "swift' as in water flow, and the Syriac and Chaldee names Rotaneb (or Rotaneu) meaning, 'swiftly running'.
The first and obvious conclusion is that Delphinus represents Christ risen from the dead. This decan would not be complete without the resurrection. However, it is interesting to note that this constellation has 'fish' and 'water' themes to it. Remember, this 'second book' we stated deals with how Christ's work relates to His people. Fish also had a procreation theme to them. Therefore, this constellation not only points to Christ's resurrection, but to the fact that He also became the firstfruits of them that slept (I Corinthians 15:20).
Well, there you have it. The whole decan of Capricorn shows Christ slain for His people, the conviction it brings to bring one to repentance, and the resurrection for Christ and His people. The next message we will bring will be on Aquarius--- stay tuned for this fascinating and spiritually enlightening meaning in this constellation and its associated constellations.