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Star of David (Encyclopedia)
[Star of David facts from encyclopedia
topic]
The Star of David (Magen David in Hebrew The ancient Canaanitic language of the
Hebrews that has been revived as the official language of
Israel
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject] or Mogen Dovid in Ashkenazi
Hebrew The ashkenazi hebrew
language is a descendant of biblical hebrew favored for liturgical
use by ashkenazi jewish practice....
[Click link for
more facts about this topic], Shield of David,
Solomon's Seal, or Seal of Solomon) is a generally
recognized symbol of Judaism The monotheistic religion of the Jews
having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the
Torah and in the Talmud
[For more facts about this
topic, click this link] and Jewish
identity[For more info, click on
this link]. It is also known colloquially as the Jewish
Star. With the establishment of the State of
Israel Jewish republic in
southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of
Palestine
[For more info, click on this link]
the Jewish Star on the Flag of
Israel[For more, click on this
link] has also become a symbol of Israel Jewish republic in southwestern Asia
at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of
Palestine
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject].
The shield of David is not mentioned in rabbinic
literature Rabbinic
literature, in the broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of
judaisms rabbinic writing/s throughout history....
[For
more facts about this topic, click this link]. Notably, not a
single archeological proof exists as yet concerning the use of this
symbol in the Holy
Land An ancient country is
southwestern Asia on the east coast of the Mediterranean; a place of
pilgrimage for Christianity and Islam and Judaism
[For
more facts about this topic, click this link] in ancient
times, even after King David. A David's shield has recently been
noted on a Jewish tombstone A stone that is used to mark a
grave
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link] at Taranto Thumb|300px|map of italy showing
taranto in the bottom righttaranto is a coastal city in apulia,
southern italy....
[For more, click on this
link], in Southern Italy A republic in southern Europe on the
Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman
Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century
AD
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link], which may date as early as the third century of the
common era. The earliest Jewish literary source which mentions it,
the Eshkol ha-Kofer of the Karaite[For more facts about this topic, click this
link] Judah Hadassi (middle of the 12th cent.), says, in ch.
242: "Seven names of angels precede the mezuzah Religious texts from Deuteronomy
inscribed on parchment and rolled up in a case that is attached to
the doorframe of many Jewish households in accordance with Jewish
law
[For more, click on this link]: Michael,
Gabriel, etc.... Tetragrammaton Four Hebrew letters usually
transliterated as YHWH (Yahweh) or JHVH (Jehovah) signifying the
Hebrew name for God which the Jews regarded as too holy to
pronounce
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link] protect thee! And likewise the sign called 'David's
shield' is placed beside the name of each angel." It was, therefore,
at this time a sign on amulets.
In magic papyri of antiquity,
pentagram A star with 5 points; formed by 5
straight lines between the vertices of a pentagon and enclosing
another pentagon
[For more facts about this topic,
click this link]s, together with stars and other signs, are
frequently found on amulets bearing the Jewish names of God The supernatural being conceived as
the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of
the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic
religions
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link], and used to guard against fever and other diseases.
Curiously enough, only the pentacle appears, not the hexagram. In
the great magic papyrus at Paris and London there are twenty-two
signs side by side, and a circle with twelve signs, but neither a
pentacle nor a hexagram. The syncretism of Hellenistic, Jewish, and
Coptic influences probably did not, therefore, originate the symbol.
It is possible that it was the Kabbalah An esoteric theosophy of rabbinical
origin based on the Hebrew scriptures and developed between the 7th
and 18th centuries
[Click link for more facts about
this topic] that derived the symbol from the Templars.
Kabbalah makes use of this sign, arranging the Ten Sephiroth[Click link for more facts about this
topic], or spheres, in it, and placing it on
amulets.
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject]Tanakh The Jewish scriptures which consist of
three divisions--the Torah and the Prophets and the
Writings
[For more info, click on this link]
dated 1307 and belonging to Rabbi Yosef bar Yehuda ben Marvas from
Toledo A city in central Spain on the Tagus
river; famous for steel and swords since the first
century
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link], Spain A parliamentary monarchy in
southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial
power
[For more info, click on this link], was
decorated with a Shield of David.
In the synagogues, perhaps,
it took the place of the mezuzah, and the name "shield of David" may
have been given it in virtue of its presumed protective powers. The
hexagram may have been employed originally also as an architectural
ornament on synagogues, as it is, for example, on the cathedral Any large and important
church
[For more info, click on this link]s of
Brandenburg The territory of an Elector (of the
Holy Roman Empire) that expanded to become the kingdom of Prussia in
1701
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link] and Stendal Stendal is a city in saxony-anhalt,
germany....
[Click link for more facts about this
topic], and on the Marktkirche at Hanover The English royal house that reigned
from 1714 to 1901 (from George I to Victoria)
[Click
link for more facts about this topic]. A pentacle in this
form is found on the ancient synagogue at
Tell
Hum.
In
1354, King
of Bohemia[For more, click on this
link]Charles
IV Charles iv (may 14, 1316 -
29 november, 1378), of the house of luxembourg, king of the romans
(as charles (karl) iv, 1368 - 1378), holy roman emperor (charles iv,
1355...
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject] prescribed for the Jews of Prague The capital and largest city of the
Czech Republic in the western part of the countryi; a cultural and
commercial center since the 14th century
[For more
facts about this topic, click this link] a red flag with both
David's shield and Solomon's seal, while the red flag with which the
Jews met King Matthias of Hungary A republic in central
Europe
[For more, click on this link] in the 15th
century (14th century - 15th
century - 16th century - other centuries)...
[For more
info, click on this link] showed two pentacles with two
golden stars (Schwandtner, Scriptores Rerum Hungaricarum, ii.
148). The pentacle, therefore, may also have been used among the
Jews. It occurs in a manuscript as early as the year 1073 (facsimile
in M. Friedmann, Seder Eliyahu Rabbah ve-Seder Eliyahu Ztṭa,
Vienna, 1901).
In 1460, the Jews of Ofen (Budapest Capital and largest city of Hungary;
located on the Danube River in north-central
Hungary
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject], Hungary A republic in central
Europe
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link]) received King Mathios Kuruvenus with a red flag on
which were two Shields of David and two stars. In the first Hebrew The ancient Canaanitic language of the
Hebrews that has been revived as the official language of
Israel
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject]prayer A fixed text used in
praying
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject] book, printed in Prague in 1512, a large Shield of
David appears on the cover. In the colophon A publisher's emblem printed in a book
(usually on the title page)
[For more, click on this
link] is written: "Each man beneath his flag according to the
house of their fathers... and he will merit to bestow a bountiful
gift on anyone who grasps the Shield of David." In 1592, Mordechai
Maizel was allowed to affix "a flag of King David, similar to that
located on the Main Synagogue" to
his synagogue in
Prague. In 1648, the Jews of Prague were again allowed a flag, in
acknowledgment of their part in defending the city against the Swedes A native or inhabitant of
Sweden
[Click link for more facts about this
topic]. On a red background was a yellow Shield of David, in
the centre of which was a Swedish star. (Source:
)
Jewish lore links the symbol to the "Seal of
Solomon In medieval jewish,
islamic mythology|islamic and christian legends, the seal of solomon
was a magical signet ring said to have been possessed by king
solomon (or sulayman in the islamic version),
which...
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject]", the magical signet ring used by King
Solomon Solomon or shlomo
(hebrew: ; standard hebrew: lomo; tiberian hebrew: lmh, meaning
"peace")...
[For more, click on this link] to
control demons and spirits. Jewish lore also links the symbol to a
magic shield owned by King David that protected him from enemies.
Following Jewish emancipation after the French
revolution The revolution in
France against the Bourbons; 1789-1799
[Follow this
hyperlink for a summary of this subject], Jewish communities
chose the Star of David to represent themselves, comparable to the
cross used by most Christian A religious person who believes Jesus
is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian
denomination
[For more, click on this link]s.
The star is found on the flag of
Israel[For more facts about this
topic, click this link].
The shape of the star is an
example of the hexagram A regular polygon formed by extending
each of the sides of a regular hexagon to form two equilateral
triangles
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link], a symbol which has significance for other belief
systems. The hexagram pre-dates its use by Jews. Its most prevalent
usage outside of Judaism was and is the occult Occult practices and
techniques
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject].
Some Orthodox
Jewish[For more, click on this
link] groups reject the use of the hexagram because of its
association with "magic" and the "occult". Yet the Star of David
remains an important symbol within legitimate Jewish mysticism and
the Kabbala An esoteric theosophy of rabbinical
origin based on the Hebrew scriptures and developed between the 7th
and 18th centuries
[For more info, click on this
link]. Some Haredi Any of several sects of Orthodox
Judaism that reject modern secular culture and many of whom do not
recognize the spiritual authority of the modern state of
Israel
[For more info, click on this link]
groups, such as Neturei
Karta Neturei karta (aramaic:
"guardians of the city") is a group of haredi (ultra-orthodox) jews
who not only reject all forms of zionism (as do some other orthodox
jewish communities), but also actively oppose...
[For
more facts about this topic, click this link], reject it
because of its association with Zionism A policy for establishing and
developing a national homeland for Jews in
Palestine
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this
subject]. Many Modern
Orthodox Modern orthodox
judaism (or modern orthodox, also known as modern orthodoxy and
sometimes abbreviated as "mo") is a movement within judaism that
attempts to synthesize orthodox judaism with...
[For
more, click on this link] synagogues, and many synagogues of
other Jewish movements, have the Israeli flag with the Star of David
prominently displayed at the front of the synagogues near the Ark
containing the Torah scrolls. The Star of David can also be found on
the tombstones of religious Jews going back hundreds of years in Europe The 2nd smallest continent (actually a
vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all
of the continent except the British Isles
[Click link
for more facts about this topic] as it became accepted as the
universal symbol of the Jewish people.
Some researchers have
theorized that the Star of David represents the astrological chart
at the time of David's birth or anointing as king. The Star of David
is also known as the "King's Star" in astrological circles, and was
undoubtedly an important astrological symbol in Zoroastrianism System of religion founded in Persia
in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster; set forth in the Zend-Avesta;
based on concept of struggle between light (good) and dark
(evil)
[For more info, click on this
link].
Prof. Gershom Sholem theorizes that the "Star
of David" originates in the writings of Aristotle, who used
triangles in different positions to indicate the different basic
elements. The superposed triangles thus represented combinations of
those elements. From Aristotle's writings those symbols made their
ways into early, pre-moslem, Arab literature. The Arabs were very
interested in arithmetics, and were also very strongly drawn to
occult and demonic tales. In fact, one of the most important
personae in early Arab literature was King Salomon (Suliman). The
Babylonian Talmud contains a legend about King Salomon being
kidnapped by Ashmedai, the king of demons. He succeeded in
kidnapping the king by stealing his "seal of Salomon" - (Arabic -
Hattam Soliman), although according to the talmud this seal was
simply a metal coin with hebrew letters meaning the name of God,
inscribed on it. It is possible that the seal was altered in the
Arab tales. The first apparition of the symbol in Jewish scriptures
was in oriental Kabbalistic writings, so it is possible that it was
an alteration of the pentagram
under Arab influence. Early Jewish sybols include the Shofar
(ram's horn), Lulav (shoot of palm), and the seven-branch Menorah
(candelabra), but no hexagram is found in early Jewish
sybolism.
A Star of David, often yellow-colored, was used by the Nazi A German member of Adolf Hitler's
political party
[For more, click on this link]s,
during the Holocaust An act of great destruction and loss
of life
[For more, click on this link], as a
method of identifying Jews, as it was seen as the "Jewish Star". The
requirement to wear the Star of David with the word Jude (German A person of German
nationality
[For more, click on this link] for
Jew) inscribed, was extended to all Jews over the age of 6 in
German-occupied areas on September 6, 1941. In other areas, local
words were used (e.g. Juif in French The Romance language spoken in France
and in countries colonized by France
[Click link for
more facts about this topic], Jood in Dutch The West Germanic language of the
Netherlands
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of
this subject]). In occupied Poland A republic in central Europe; the
invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 started World War
II
[For more info, click on this link] Jews were
forced to wear a white armband with a blue Star of David on it, as
well as a patch on the front and back of their
clothing.
Jewish inmates in concentration
camp A penal camp where
political prisoners or prisoners of war are confined (usually under
harsh conditions)
[For more info, click on this
link]s were later forced to wear similar Nazi
concentration camp badges Nazi concentration camp badges, made primarily of
inverted triangles, were used in the concentration camps in the
nazi-occupied countries to identify the reason the prisoners had
been placed there....
[For more info, click on this
link].
See also: Yellow
badge A yellow badge is a
mandatory mark or a piece of cloth of specific geometric shape, worn
on the outer garment in order to distinguish a person of certain
religion or ethnicity in public....
[For more facts
about this topic, click this link] appears to contain an
image of a Star of David, consisting of 13 smaller American Stars
symbolizing the 13 original colonies, above the eagle's head. Some
claim that this appears, supposedly in gratitude for the financial
contributions of Haym
Solomon Haym solomon (or
salomon) (1740 - 1785) was a prime financier of the american side
during the american revolutionary war against
england....
[Click link for more facts about this
topic] to the American
Revolution The revolution of
the American colonies against Great Britain;
1775-1783
[Click link for more facts about this
topic] and American
War of Independence The
revolution of the American colonies against Great Britain;
1775-1783
[For more, click on this link] of
1776, which many are not aware of. Some maintain Solomon designed
the great seal himself.
The Star of David is also used less
prominently by The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church founded by Joseph Smith in 1830 with
headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah
[Follow this
hyperlink for a summary of this subject], chiefly in
architecture. It symbolizes the Tribes of
Israel Twelve kin groups of
ancient Israel each traditionally descended from one of the twelve
sons of Jacob
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of
this subject] and friendship and affinity towards the Jewish
people. Additionally, some independent LDS theologians such as
Jewish-LDS Daniel
Rona Daniel rona (hebrew: )
is a church of jesus christ of latter-day saints (lds) tour guide
and theologian, well known in the lds world for
being...
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link] have further suggested the possibility that the Star of
David was actually modeled after the Urim and
Thummim Urim and thummim (in
hebrew urim vetumim, , tiberian hebrew ûrîm wummîm, standard hebrew
...
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link], but this is not official doctrine of the Church. Raelism[For more info, click on this link]
uses a symbol inspired by the Star of David. The symbol initially
chosen by Claude
Vorilhon Raël (born claude
vorilhon on september 30, 1946) is the founder and spiritual guide
of the raelian movement....
[Follow this hyperlink for
a summary of this subject] for his movement was the source of
considerable controversy: it resembled a Star of David with the
image of a swastika The official emblem of the Nazi Party
and the Third Reich; a cross with the arms bent at right angles in a
clockwise direction
[For more facts about this topic,
click this link] embedded in its center. According to
official Raelian statements, the swastika "represents infinity of
time, and trace its origins to Sanskrit and Buddhist symbols, to the
Chinese character for temple, and to ancient catacombs, mosques, and
synagogues." In 1991, the symbol was changed to remove the swastika
and deflect public criticism, as well as to gain acceptance in
Israel for the building of a Raelian "embassy" to greet anticipated
Elohim space vessels.
Notes:
There is a plant named Solomon's seal Polygonatum Sometimes placed in subfamily
Convallariaceae
[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of
this subject] multiflorum in the lily Any liliaceous plant of the genus
Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
[For more, click
on this link] family.
In Unicode[Click link for more facts about this
topic], the "Star of David" symbol is U+2721 (✡).
Children
of Israel The children
of israel (hebrew: bnai yisrael or bnei yisrael or bnei
yisroel ;) (arabic: )...
[For more facts about
this topic, click this link]
Y-chromosomal
Aaron Y-chromosomal
aaron is the name given to the hypothesised ancestor of the
kohanim (singular “kohen” or kohane), a patrilineal priestly
caste in judaism....
[For more info, click on
this link]
Jewish
humour Jewish humour is
a style of humour that involves anecdotal humour rather than
topical humour....
[Click link for more facts
about this topic]
Judaism The monotheistic religion of the
Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied
chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud
[Click
link for more facts about this topic]
Jews A person belonging to the
worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to
it) and connected by cultural or religious
ties
[For more facts about this topic, click this
link]
Jewish
history Jewish history
is the history of the jewish people, faith (judaism) and
culture....
[For more facts about this topic,
click this link]
Israel
and Zionism
Jewish
society
Anti-Semitism The intense dislike for and
prejudice against Jewish people
There is a plant named Solomon's seal 