Our world history is a cultural bridge between our past
and our present under inevitably changing. Our thinking and religions as well as
researching of the space and the stars
descend directly from the oldest civilizations of history.
A new unusual book
presents in a fascinating and different way new insights about how history
itself through times has been "dependent" on not least the religious perception
of cosmos.
In writing and
verbally we can be witness to a frequently commenting on "our increasing lack of
history". Our world history is an absolutely necessary source of knowledge to
all of us. However, during the latest decades many people sense history as an
irrelevant subject. This is very unfortunate, because the best and broadest
possible knowledge of our common past forms the basis of the understanding of
our own time - right from many ancient traditions, still present in our daily
life, till a necessary close familiarity with historical coherence.
Fortunately, we also
experience that "somebody does something about it". The Danish writer
Ove von
Spaeth has
been able to present a number of new-discovered features from our early
culture history, in which not least Moses was an original catalyst still marking
our times.
Ove von Spaeth
demonstrates convincingly that as far back as in ancient Egypt we find
scientific knowledge which can in fact be followed often all the way till present
times' Western Europe.
Opposition to the Copernicus Theory
In his book, "The Secret Religion", the title of his most recent work, Ove von
Spaeth invites us into a wealth of very interesting traces convincingly leading
through the eras into our age in prodigious sequences. This comment will only refer
to a few features from one of these many "time tracks", i.e. an important mark
on our culture history via the understanding of space in different times.
Through times a perception
of what in broad terms may be designated "the world order" was zealously
maintained by biblical interpreters by their preventing new thoughts
and science from influence.
For instance, when
mentioning the biblical "sign in the sky" during the Joshua battle, many have
interpreted this as a miracle ("Book of Joshua", 10:12-13). Later,
although as a misunderstood argument, the episode was included in the
condemnation of the astronomer Copernicus' theory on the true picture of the world with the
sun situated as the centre of the planets' orbits.
The protestant rebellion
in Western Europe against the later development of Catholicism was supposed to
have meant more freedom of dissemination of new perceptions. Therefore, it is
quite peculiar and attention-provoking that in his notes (often reproduced by
his students during the 1520's), entitled "Tischreden", Martin Luther attacked
the Copernicus theory by stating, "... people listens to an astrologist amateur
(i.e. Copernicus) who strives to prove that the Earth is rotating and not the
sky and the firmament, the sun and the moon ... This fool wants to turn
astronomic science upside down - but the Holy Scripture says that Joshua
commanded the sun to stand still, not the Earth. ..."
Moses was the Early Turning Point
With his deep historical interest in space and the stars, the author Ove von Spaeth goes back into the older civilizations of history, but also on to the
edge of future of our own age.
As to early history,
important parts are being researched from new angles, i.e. via fascinating and
unusual paths having accomplished scientific, new thinking in relation to exploration
of the space.
The book points out a
wealth of extremely interesting circumstances of his research showing several
newly discovered areas. Based on influence from scientific knowledge of ancient
Egypt, historians have for some time been able to prove special traces (also
within the medical field) can be followed all the way up till today's Western
Europe. For instance, the writer pointing to an often less noticed connecting
line known to us as the work of Antiquity, "Corpus Hermeticum" of Egyptian
roots, actually giving decisive contributions to later European philosophy and
very way of thinking.
Ove von Spaeth gives a
very fine account of how it around the perception of the starry sky and
the cosmos is possible to observe a special pattern of connections to history
and thus religion history; and by this also how, not least, the understanding of
space and our place in it had influenced up to modern Western thinking.
Ove von Spaeth gives a
very fine account of the possibility of observing a special pattern relating to
history in the perception of cosmos, and thus of religion history, and not least
of how the perception of space and our position here had influenced modern Western thinking.
Space and the Religion
Based on the development line reaching from ancient Egypt till today's
West-world some relevant and conclusive phases from Ove von
Spaeth's book are reproduced here:
2500 BC: With an
immense, factual celestial knowledge the orientation lay-out of building sites
of the largest Egyptian pyramids and temples - and parts of the interior - were created based on
a number of lines of sight (checked by modern astronomers) to certain
stars. At this time ideas about one creator god were known.
1500 BC: Senmut,
Egyptian Grand Vizier and Master of Calendar, carries out an advanced star map,
a task
requiring a thorough knowledge of the firmament and cycles of celestial
phenomena.
This star map is from
the times of Moses. Many circumstances known in Egyptian astronomy can also be
found in the Bible's "Book of Job" of which Moses traditionally is
considered as its author. At the same time, here in the Moses era, a revival is
seen concerning ancient Egyptian ideas about one creator god
- a principle and inspiration also to Pharaoh Akhenaton a couple of generations
later.
800-300 BC: The
Babylonians are exploring and "recording" the sky analytically, and their
knowledge is received also in neighbouring countries. Many religions are
appearing at this time, e.g. the Zarathustra religion, Buddha's teaching, and
also some of the most influential Greek philosophers.
300 BC-100 AD:
By using hundreds of Babylonian star data bases the Greek mathematicians and astronomers develop and expand different celestial
models - and convey this knowledge to
Egypt, Persia, and India. The sky was no longer a unilaterally
understood constant. Due to the rise of
different religions and philosophies in the Middle East at that time, it was
with leading groups
no longer given that the religion of the ancestors was to be preferred. The period reached its climax at the same time as Christianity had its beginning here.
1400-1500 AD: For
fifteen hundred years up till the Renaissance, the clerical influence on the
perception of the world had in reality the population confined to extremely
narrow dimensions, a "small world" with a severely restricted frame of
comprehension. In the next sequence the veritable culture shock appeared
during the Enlightenment in the 1600-1800 and surprised with a series of
astronomical discoveries: other worlds were in existence!
Tycho Brahe, Newton - and Moses
Basicly, Moses' teaching and the Bible present no restrictions (restrictions
were set by interpreters) as to which perception of cosmos should be valid. In the
long run this has proved to be an advantage to development of western scientific
perception, progress, and research (of space).
In addition to his
immense research and his discoveries throughout his entire life Isaac Newton had
studied biblical texts thoroughly. His firm idea was that Moses understood many
advanced relations of the structure of the universe. Ove von Spaeth points out
the possibility that such kinds of knowledge could very well provide modern
science with extensive inspiration, if the archives and treasures which Moses
according to Egyptian-Greek records carried off from Egyptian temples,
might be found in his concealed tomb at Mount Nebo.
This is to be seen in the light
of the incredible ancient work, the "Corpus Hermeticum" - with its strongly
Egyptian influenced previous history - which during its re-discovery in the
Renaissance was a genuine inspiration to European pioneers. Especially
concerning a different perception of the space - and the consequences of this.
Also on the background of
this ancient work it is demonstrated how the great pioneer astronomer Tycho Brahe developed his new
revolutionary research methodology - and on the basis of this established a
scientifically expanded perception of the space of our surrounding cosmos. These features
simply became the conclusive turning point of the world's science and technical
evolution.
New Science, New Insight
Ove von Spaeth's "The Secret Religion" - which as the other volumes of his
series, "Assassinating Moses" can be read
independently - presents an
unusually exciting and inspiring material for improving studies. A review cannot
render this book complete justice or present all the many themes which are considered from
new orientating angles; and on the other side, this reviewing cannot either be thoroughly critical to
various areas of detail to which specialists may have found assessment necessary. A few
printer's errors could have been avoided although the book is characterized by
much meticulousness.
No reader, however, will remain
untouched by the surprising insights, which is the result of this intriguing
historic material. And the reading is all along based on the influence of Moses
on many crucial circumstances in the early Middle East - as well as during
Antiquity via his at this later time flourishing posthumous reputation.
As to this influence the
book provides a very surprising view of this
period's wide-spread cultic practices of various directions. Many of the most important ones have contributed
with their marking the growing Christianity - often stronger than admitted later.
If the reader is
not necessarily in accordance with all statements, he or she would be
inspired to express disagreements as a talented opposition - as the book
presents fascinating world historic relations and traces, all in fact
written with pleasant expertise, competence and, not least, engagement. With
an able hand the strange and complicated material has been made structured
and available.
There are large gaps in
the knowledge of official research in several of the same topics presented
in the book. And a good many researchers with an urge for authoritarian
"truth" in this world shy away from openly admitting the size of these gaps.
The writer's knowledge and unprejudiced vision in this regard actually
outdistance with sophisticated expertise the researchers who only think of
imparting knowledge on what was agreed once upon a time.
According to Ove von
Spaeth, the "two cultures of today", i.e. the spiritual and the physical
sciences, now after their separation introduced during the Enlightenment as a
necessity for the great development, must again get into interaction - and
redefinition - based on humanity's new knowledge.
J.J.
Ove von Spaeth: "The Vanished Successor, - Rediscovering the Hidden War
Leading to Exodus". Copenhagen 2001. - C.A. Reitzel, Publisher and
Bookseller, pages 255, illustr., DKK
248.
(Jens Jorgensen, MA Historian, Examiner of
History at the Universities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense, and former
Headmaster of Slagelse College/High School; for several years a Member of
Parliament, the Conservative Party's Spokesman on Educational subjects).
(With permission per 14th January 2005 for OvS. to reproduce the above
article)
