Customer Reviews

Gospel and the Zodiac

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Bill Darlison is a Genius!

For hundreds of years scholars have been commenting on the "Solar Godman" story embedded within the gospel narratives. There are many portions of the gospel narratives that are taken directly from the ancient storyline of the sun's journey through the constellations of the year, but scholars have had a diffucult time picking out the specific portions and ensuring that they were ALREADY in the proper narrative order to be considered the "Solar Godman" story. This has been used as both criticizm against the gospel narratives, in ancient writings such as those of Celsus or by more modern authors such as Timothy Freke and Earl Doherty, as well as an important form of "separating fact from fiction" in the Jesus story for the likes of scholar's such as the Jesus Seminar.

Bill Darlison has finally done in great and specific details what hundreds of other scholars have only been able to hint at. His book--THIS BOOK--will be used and talked about for hundreds of years in the world of Biblical Scholarship as the "Eureka" moment of understanding the Gospel of Mark, and therefore the development of all other gospels dependent upon Mark's narrative structure!

It is refreshing to hear from a voice who understands the times of the period. The modern person does not understand mythology and esoteric spirtiuality. Bill Darlison does as did Joseph Campbell. Read this book with an open mind and agree or disagree accordingly. No rational person thinks that the Bible is to be read as literal history. It is much deeper than that.

This book links the Gospel and the constellations in a very cohesive manor. Bill Darlison covers topics such as Jesus' journey through Tyre and John the Baptist & Jesus' relationship to the constellations. He also gives you a break down of the spiritual aspects of every constellation.

I find Darlison's break down of biblical allegory and his out takes on the decans of the various constellations enlightening.

This book seems destined to be another casualty in the war of false dichotomies between those who say that a lesson without literal history has nothing to offer and those who say that a story with history has no deeper insights to offer. This is a tragedy as I feel that this book is neither in the vein of Christian Orthodoxy, nor is it part of the neo-Gnostic movement that seems to be something of a fad lately. This book is neither and readers on either side of the debate who insist that this book is just another version of Zeitgeist or the Da Vinci code's philosophy are really missing out on a lot that the author is offering here.

To get to the point, this book is about the Jesus. Note that I did not Christianity, or the church, or any conspiracy theories. This book is an honest effort to get back at the heart of the early Christian faith, which, since its inception was a creed of social action and active participation in the divine. The solar calendar was used as a narrative vehicle to give life to the parables and teachings of an obscure rabbi in Roman Palestine whose followers honestly believed that they possessed the truth that will set you free. This why the church calendars of the Coptics in Egypt and Ethiopia still use the one year martyr's calendar as opposed to the three year Roman Missal. The adoptionist wing of early Christianity knew that martyrdom, in both literal and metaphorical senses- the achieving of one's own Christhood (being made brothers as St. Paul said) was the faith's true goal.

This is the heart of Christianity and the Gospel message: To take up one's own cross. This is what St. Francis did, it is what St. Teresa of Avila did, and it is what mother Theresa did in India. True Christianity has always been about BEING Christ as much as it is about believing in what others wrote about him- if not more so. The stories are the vehicle whose belief should motivate our progress towards grace. To the extent that zodiacal syncretism was and potentially still is helpful in transmitting that grace and self development, I feel that we all - Orthodox and Gnostics alike - have much to gain from Re-learning the gospels.

I should also add that i feel this is why Eastern religions are so much more appealing to scientifically minded westerners, because religion in much of Asia operates the same way that Jesus described the Sabbath - it is there to serve man and not the other way around. Those Asians who take the Buddhist and Taoist lore literally may do so without being considered ignorant or simple, while those of a more philosophical nature can freely apply subjective reason, psychological insight, and mythic interpretation to their inherited traditions without being labeled heretics.

Anyways, a good book that I fear will continue to have a hard time finding a truly receptive audience.

View @ You Tube the video titled: "Sun of God?" youtube(dot)com/watch?v=QQ-kvw1fYXs

I have not yet read this book, but I have it on Inter-Library Loan request at the local public library. The video linked above I've known about for awhile now. It comprises what this book says the Unitarian Minister has discerned from the scripture. It's fascinating and concise I think, so as to acquire a immediate understanding of what this book purports to say about what has intrigued scholars and lay persons like myself, alike.

I'll expand on my comment once the book arrives. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the video.

Live the Peace,
U.

Interesting idea well presented..However over all another sad attempt by someone who interacts regularly with the bible to legitimize their own non-orthodox interpretations. It is interesting to me that one who claims to hold to no creeds could be so dogmatic about their interpretation of scriptures. One can almost feel the condescension towards people who disagree with him dripping from the pages. Schleiermacher is turning over in his grave.