Origins and Historical Usage...
The traditional pentagram with the five points of the (one up two down)
enclosed inside a circle. This style of pentagram has existed for countless
thousands of years, first dating back to around 3500 BCE. where it was used
in Ancient Mesopotamia where it was used by the rulers as a symbol to tell
that their power breadth the four corners of the world.
The early Greeks called the pentagram the Pentalpha (Pent for the number five
and Alpha being the first letter of the Greek alphabet). The Pythagoreans
considered it's geometric qualities to be symbolic (both mathematically and
metaphysically) of perfection.
To the Hebrews the five points of the pentagram were tied to the Pentateuch
(the first five books of the Bible) and represented as a whole Truth.
Although occasionally referred to as the Seal of Solomon, it is important to
note that is incorrect and that the Star of David or double triangle is the
true Seal of Solomon.
The Pentagram as a Christian symbol...
Perhaps the most curious is the pentagram as it relates to early
Christianity. Up until medieval times, the five points of the Pentagram
represented the five wounds of Christ on the Holy Cross. During these times
the Pentagram, so criticized by modern Christians carried no evil
implications at all and in fact was symbolic of their savior.
Constantine himself, the Roman Emperor who converted to Christianity and
whose mother Helena discovered the religious relic "The True Cross" chose to
use the Pentagram on his seal and amulet. In the ensuing church that grew
from Constantine's takeover of the Roman Empire, the cross became the chosen
symbol of Christianity rather than the Pentagram.
The Pentagram as a symbol of evil......
Some believe that with the destruction of the Knights Templar by the combined
treachery of King Phillip IV and Pope Clement V, the inquisition of the
church begin. Starting with the Templars, who fell under accusations of
worshipping an idol called Baphomet. (some believe that if this idol existed
at all it did not resemble anything like Levi's Baphomet.) Torture and
death abound......the church began to destroy all who opposed the rule of the
Holy See. Heretics, Pagans and Witches all met with the same fate of
conversion or death.
It was during this time that the horned gods still worshipped by the peasants
and folk people of Europe, such as Pan became the accepted (by the Christian
Church) imagery for the Devil. Therefore in the eyes of the church if the
peasants worshipped false, evil gods, then the Pentagram symbol (used as
symbol of security) must therefore be evil as well.
Conclusion......
Napoleon Bonaparte once said..."What is history, but a fable agreed upon?"
So it has come to be an accepted belief (a fable agreed upon) of many
fundamentalist Christians that the Pentagram is evil....
©2000 Written by: XvLadyLeenavX@aol.com