The Behenian Fixed Stars

[DianeOD]

Bees, Monks,Architecture and Florilegia

Apologies in advance. This will be another unusually long post..

I must be getting senile.. THe 'beehive' was an eastern Christian description of a collection of important passages from texts: what the west more often called a 'florilegium' or 'tresor' or 'arca'.

Those who have read my stuff, know that I think the origins of card-use lie with the Nestorian religious-medical communities of the near east.

One of them wrote a florilegium called the "Book of the Bee'. I love its introduction, which contains the following - my thoughts exacty too -
“When thou, O brother, art recreating thyself among these plants, those which appear and which thou dost consider to be insipid and tasteless, leave for thy companions, for they may be more suitable to others (than to thee); but, upon those which are sweet, and which sweeten the palate of thy understanding, do thou feed and satisfy thy hunger.”
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I thought you might enjoy hearing why it is called the Book of the Bee, and perhaps the list of chapters. So here they are. The whole book, I see, is now on the web. Google "Wallis Budge" "Book of the Bee".

Note comparison of the 'Beehive" to architecture, and the structure of the universe in the following.... Oh yes, an important member of the Nestorian community, born in China and long resident in Persia, came to the west at the command of the secular and the ecclesiastical leaders of his time - just after Marco Polo had made the trip in the other direction. Even went to England, as well as Bologna, Lombardy, and the court of France.
Here are extracts. Enjoy.
____________

Aecletic Bee Book extract
….
And, behold, we have gleaned and collected and gathered together chapters and sections relating to this whole universe from the garden of the divine Books and from the crumbs of the Fathers and the Doctors, having laid down as the foundation of our building the beginning of the creation of this world, and concluding with the consummation of the world to come.

We have called this book the 'Book of the Bee,' because we have gathered of the blossoms of the two Testaments and of the flowers of the holy Books, and have placed them therein for thy benefit. As the common bee with gauzy wings flies about, and flutters over and lights upon flowers of various colours, and upon blossoms of divers odours, selecting and gathering from all of them the materials which are useful for the construction of her handiwork; and having first of all collected the materials from the flowers, carries them upon her thighs, and bringing them to her dwelling, lays a foundation for her building with a base of wax; then gathering in her mouth some of the heavenly dew which is upon the blossoms of spring, brings it and blows it into these cells; and weaves the comb and honey for the use of men and her own nourishment: in like manner have we, the infirm, hewn the stones of corporeal words from the rocks of the Scriptures which are in the Old Testament, and have laid them down as a foundation for the edifice of the spiritual law.

And as the bee carries the waxen substance upon her thighs because of its insipidity and tastelessness, and brings the honey in her mouth because of its sweetness and value; so also have we laid down the corporeal law by way of substratum and foundation, and the spiritual law for a roof and ceiling to the edifice of the spiritual tower.

And as the expert gardener and orchard-keeper goes round among the gardens, and seeking out the finest sorts of fruits takes from them slips and shoots, and plants them in his own field; so also have we gone into the garden of the divine Books, and have culled there from branches and shoots, and have planted them in the ground of this book for thy consolation and benefit.

When thou, O brother, art recreating thyself among these plants, those which appear and which thou dost consider to be insipid and tasteless, leave for thy companions, for they may be more suitable to others (than to thee); but, upon those which are sweet, and which sweeten the palate of thy understanding, do thou feed and satisfy thy hunger. If, however, owing to their fewness, they do not fill thee, seek in succession for their roots, and from thence shall thy want be satisfied.

Know also, O brother, that where there is true love, there is no fear[n.1]; and where there is freedom of speech, there is no dread; and we should not dare to be so rash as to enter upon these subjects, which are beyond the capacity of our simple understanding, unless we relied upon thy immaculate love; because, in the words of one of the inspired[n.2], 'When thou findest honey, eat (only) so much as is sufficient for thee, lest, when thou art sated, thou vomit it[n3]'; that is to say, do not enquire (too closely) into the divine words...
…………………
OF the author of 'the Book of the Bee,' the bishop Shelêmôn or Solomon, but very little is known. [D's note: imagery of Solomon recurs often in early packs and wrappers]

This bishop Solomon was a native of Khilât or Akhlât (in Armenia, at the western end of lake Vân), and by religious profession a Nestorian. He became metropolitan bishop of al-Basra (in al-`Irâk, on the right bank of the united streams of the Tigris and Euphrates) about A.D. 1222, in which year he was present at the consecration of the catholicus or Nestorian patriarch Sabr-îshô` (Hope-in-Jesus)[Budge notes: {T}he last Sunday of the Week of the Apostles, i.e. the first Sunday of the New Year. The word is compounded of the Persian nau-sard, 'New Year,' and êl, 'God,' meaning 'the Church's-New Year.']. In the Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Works compiled by `Ebêd-yêshû` or `Abd-îshô` (the-Servant-of-Jesus) he is stated to have written, besides 'the Bee,' a treatise on the figure of the heavens and the earth, and sundry short discourses and prayers.
………………………….
LIST OF THE CHAPTERS IN THIS BOOK.
I. Of God's eternal intention in respect of the creation of the universe.
II. Of the creation of the seven natures (substances) in silence.
III. Of earth, water, air, and fire.
IV. Of heaven.
V. Of the angels.
VI. Of darkness.
VII. Of effused (circumambient) light.
VIII. Of the firmament.
IX. Of the creation of trees and plants, and the making of seas and rivers.
X. Of the making of the luminaries.
XI. Of the creation of sea-monsters, fish, winged fowl, and the reptiles that are in the seas.
p. 4
XII. Of the creation of beasts and animals.
XIII. Of the formation of Adam.
XIV. Of the making of Eve.
XV. Of Paradise.
XVI. Of the sin of Adam.
XVII. Of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.
XVIII. Of Adam's knowing Eve.
XIX. Of the invention of the instruments for working in iron.
XX. Of Noah and the Flood.
XXI. Of Melchizedek.
XXII. Of the generations of Noah, how seventy-two families sprang from three sons.
XXIII. Of the succession of generations from the Flood until now.
XXIV. Of the building of the Tower.
XXV. Of Abraham.
XXVI. Of the temptation of Job.
XXVII. Of Isaac's blessing upon Jacob.
XXVIII. Of Joseph.
XXIX. Of Moses and the Children of Israel.
XXX. Of Moses' rod.
XXXI. Of Joshua the son of Nun, and the Judges, and brief notices of the Kings of the Children of Israel.
XXXII. Of the death of the Prophets; how they died, and (where) they were buried.
XXXIII. Of the divine dispensation which was wrought in the New Testament, and of the genealogy of Christ.
XXXIV. Of the announcement of the angel to Jonachir (Joachim) in respect of Mary.
XXXV. Of the annunciation of Gabriel to Mary in respect of her conception of our Lord.
XXXVI. Of our Lord's birth in the flesh.
XXXVII. Of the prophecy of Zarâdôsht, that is Baruch the scribe.
XXXVIII. Of the star which appeared in the East on the day of our Lord's birth.
XXXIX. Of the coming of the Magi from Persia, and the slaughter of the infants.
p. 5
XL. Of the going down of our Lord into Egypt.
XLI. Of John the Baptist and his baptism of our Lord.
XLII. Of our Lord's fast and His contest with Satan.
XLIII. Of the passover of our Lord.
XLIV. Of the passion of our Lord.
XLV. Of the resurrection of our Lord.
XLVI. Of the ascension of our Lord.
XLVII. Of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles in the upper chamber.
XLVIII. Of the teaching of the Apostles, their deaths, and the place where each of them (was buried).
XLIX. The names of the twelve Apostles and the seventy (Disciples), one after another in (his) grade.
L. Of minor matters; those of the Apostles who were married, etc.
LI. The names of the Eastern Patriarchs, and the places where they were buried1.
LII. The names of the kings who have reigned in the world from the Flood to the present time, and the (number of the) years of the reign of each of them. The names of the kings of the Medes and the Egyptians; the names of the seventy old men who brought out the Scriptures and translated them; the names of the Roman emperors, and of the kings of Persia.
LIII. Of the end of times and the change of kingdoms. From the book of Methodius, the bishop of Rome.
LIV. Of Gog and Magog, who are imprisoned in the North.
LV. Of the coming of Antichrist, the son of perdition.
LVI. Of death and the departure of the soul from the body.
LVII. Of the rising of the dead and the general resurrection, the end of the material world, and the beginning of the new world.
LVIII. Of the manner in which men will rise in the day of the resurrection.
LIX. Of the happiness of the righteous, and the torture of sinners; and of the manner in which they will exist yonder.
LX. Of the demons and sinners in Gehenna, whether after they have been punished and have suffered and received their sentence, they will have mercy shewn to them or not; and if mercy be shewn to them, when it will be.

Final Note: although the Nestorians were separated from Rome by a schism in the early Church, reconciliation occurred during that visit in the 13thC. Thereafter, (as was Rome's habit), this church too was termed a 'Chaldean' church. Ficino quotes from Nestorian medical works accurately, and his mention of the 'ancient Chaldean priests' as combining medicinal with pastoral practice actually refers to these Christians, not to pagan priesthoods as is commonly thought.

 

[DianeOD]

"the spiritual law for a roof and ceiling to the edifice of the spiritual tower"

Oops.

Wanted to offer an image from the 'ceiling of the spiritual tower' of Norwich, to show how the matter of the Book of the Bee might link with arcana major imagery, but cannot work out how to make a picture appear in a post.

Maybe later

 

[DianeOD]

"the spiritual law for a roof and ceiling to the edifice of the spiritual tower"

Thanks for the advice received about pictures.

These are to show that the content of the Book of the Bee is perfectly compatible to the series of our major arcana. The astronomical series offered a kind of universal framework, through which one could remember and represent the character of anything in the world.


Here's the version of "The Brayers" that was set as a keystone into the ceiling of the Norwich cathedral. The figure is already correctly associated with the end of the world, and it shows clearly that this link between the geographical, and the temporal 'end of the world' was already established within some religious communities.

- and here's one more of the many. This represents the Pleiades, sometimes called the 'heap of seed' but commonly represented by the image of a cup. It has been - perfectly appropriately - used to embody the story of Benjamin and Joseph, and the story of the granaries of Egypt, and the cup hidden in the bags of seed which Joseph's brethren were carrying out of Egypt. The cup itself is 'hidden' here, as by tradition it had to be among near eastern peoples, since it signified the Ultimate Victory, whose day no one knew. It is "hidden' in the Charles VI series, too.

 

[DianeOD]

Charles VI ids

As promised.
A list of the compass-points, their stars, and the cards provided for them in the present recension of the Charles VI set.

* The original seven ‘core’ cards are marked with an asterisk.
The later errors, and the additional cards (‘ring-ins’) are noted.

() Pope and Emperor are indicated by the (), because their ‘beasts’ , being named on the compass, act as substantives for their more important associated constellations.

The numbers indicate the point of the compass, running north to south along the eastern rim. (The equivalent point on the western rim was indicated as the same star, setting i.e. 'reversed'. So north-east star also marks north-west. The North, and the South stars mark no other point. The pairings of stars are by equivalent distance above/below the true east point)

My titles are in quotation marks
___________

1. Al Jah/Al Simmiya – alpha Ursa Minoris - inscribed La Monde – Pole Star. NORTH "Angel of the World"

*2. Al Farqadan – beta, gamma Ursa Minoris - insc. L’Amoreux – "Guards and Dancers".

*3. Al Naash – alpha, zeta U. Majoris – insc. Le Chariot – Funeral-Car / "Ship-Car of the Naib".

4. Al Naqa – alpha, beta Cassiopaeia – insc. Le Justice – "Woman on the Kursiyy", Throne of Justice.[perhaps, but not necessarily, an illustration of Libra. Made here to do duty].

5. Al ‘Aiyug [Ar: aiyuq] – alpha Aurigae – insc. Le Lune – "Star of the Reckoner" / of the Table.[ The subject is the Magus – NOT the Moon. Presence of the moon here a reference to the Lunaries of health and the use of lunar mansions for many other forms of calculation, including geomantic notations - correctly, this figure should have a table of sand or wood, not a book.]

()6. Al Waqi – alpha Lyrae: fides – substantive Le Pape – "Commander of the Faithful". Bootes

*7+[8] Al Simak & [Thurayya] – Perseus [& Pleiades] – insc. La Morte – "Destroyer"[with the "Hidden Victory"].

• Al Simak al Azaal – erroneous - alpha Virginis & alpha Persei Algol – insc. Le Sol – "The Spinner".

()9. Altair – alpha Aquilae – substantive: L’Empereur – "Chief of the East".[elevated by association of the bird with Cepheus]. NOMINAL EAST

*10. Al Jauzah – Orion – insc. Le Fou – "The First/Central One". ASTRON. EAST

11. Al-tir – alpha Canis Majoris (Sirius)– not insc.– "The Piercing Supporter". [not here a Page of Swords, equivalent to the Star in some packs.]

*12. Al-iklil – beta, delta Scorpionis ; + 13. Al aqrab - alpha Scorpionis – insc. Le Pendu – "Suspended Gold".

*14 . Al himaran - alpha, beta Centauri [and Crux]– insc. Le Jugement Dernier – "The Brayers [and Square of Assembly]"

*15. Suhail – alpha Carina – L’ermit – "The Cenobite" (Hermit).

16. Achernar – alpha Eridani – Temperance – "Temperance".

17. Qut b Suhail - ?Larger Magellenic cloud - ?Octans – La Force [Southern Pole] – "The Southern Woman". [card originally for Draco. Here made to do duty] SOUTH.

[10b]-- wrongly included: Maison de Dieu – the other Jauzah – Gemini.
.... giving in total 17 cards

 

[baba-prague]

represents the Pleiades, sometimes called the 'heap of seed' but commonly represented by the image of a cup. It has been - perfectly appropriately - used to embody the story of Joseph, and the story of the cup hidden in the bags of seed which his brethren were carrying out of Egypt. The cup itself is 'hidden' here, as by tradition it had to be among near eastern peoples, since it signified the Ultimate Victory, whose day no one knew. It is "hidden' in the Charles VI series, too.

Please can you say why you have come to the conclusion that this represents the Pleiades? I know that it's common for all sorts of day-to-day activities to be shown on carvings in English cathedrals. Looking at this, it would seem simply to represent a miller. Do you know if other occupations are shown around it? Usually there is a series - so it's really important to see this carving in its physical context. If, of course, it's surrounded by depictions of other Biblical tales, then indeed it's likely to be Biblical itself (though the style would not make that my first conclusion) - but is it part of a series showing the life of Joseph? Again some context would be very helpful.

Here in Prague, for example, there are several places in which one can see a series of representations of common medieval occupations - miller, blacksmith, wool spinner, shoe-maker etc. I'm very curious to know (with an entirely open mind) why you come to the conclusion that this symbolises anything else.

 

[DianeOD]

Pleiades "type"

The answer here has to be brief. I'll try.

What I discovered - and it took more than a decade - was that the origins for the imagery of the earliest western 52-card and larger (tarot) pack is a body of near-eastern religious-folk tradition that drew on the forms and other attributes of the main stars to create 'types' in story-telling, art, and imagery of all kinds.

Because it was an existing - and very longstanding tradition - it came to inform religious oratory ... and by that means became a standard series of celestial "types" for preachers, lawyers and others to use.

We call it folk-astronomy, and astronomical moralia.

THat habit was not native to the west, but the west did already know about using patterns for the retention of information. (Carruthers is the best basic source for the importance of memory-systems in our period. Not Yates, whose period is much too late.) And they knew about drawing moral lessons from verbal or visual imagery.

I believe the ancient 'star-characters' came to Europe through eastern Christian churchmen, most notably a Nestorian called Mar Sawwma.

In a sense the arcana major consists of "stellar archetypes" but not Archetypes in the modern sense. Medieval people didn't think like Jung.

So - the image above are not meant to "be" the Pleiades, but another example of the 'Pleiades type', employed from the array of possible 'star-types' because it was the one best-suited to the story's subject-matter.

However, it is a bit more complicated than that.

Religion plays a part in why Atout-type figures were initially well-accepted.

It was thought that "the heavens declare the glory of God" and that the "immortal scroll of heaven" really was like a scroll; with all the past, present and future of God's plan for the world written into it with the stars. This allowed also the use of zodiacal astrology for many educated people. Even eminent churchmen like Pierre d'Ailly believed astrology was o.k., as late as the fourteenth century.

Actually what I am describing is note astrology, its " moralised astronomy".

Also, becaue this was a 'character-type' it was supposed to be used over and over in many contexts, with only small variations of dress and so forth.

This was commonly done. In one place within Norwich cathedral the Lord of the Rod is dressed as Pharaoh, in another as St. Joseph or Moses. .. The star 'character' is what matters, you see.

The Lord of the Rod signifies a master; a good master like a teacher, or a master of magic like Moses; or an evil master like Pharaoh, or the 'master' of Christ's family - Joseph. What identifies them all as the same underlying 'character' is a small number of stock attributes. For the Lord of the Rod it is his rod or staff, which has to be held prominently. His nature has to be shown in 'character' and so on... You don't find the Lord of the Rod courting pretty girls, for example.

Exactly the same principle lay behind constructing imagery of the first Christian saints. The system is truly ancient. For example, I have even seen early Christian imagery - from the 5th - 10th centuries - which shows Christ as 'Master of the Rod' doing his miracles.

About professions... of course, after cards had been around, and were mass-produced, the original significance got muddled, and largely lforgotten ... so captions start to appear and the information previously 'layered' into the set starts to appear separately, in thematic packs.

I can understand you wanting definite references but its not practical - I'd have to cite so many articles, and books.

Half my sources are in languages like Coptic, Syriac and Arabic. Others are allusions scattered through dozens of different journal articles. One important source is a 15th century treatise on navigation by the stars. Another is a book of medieval calendars. Another ... and so on. So eventually, the 'types' on card, and the reason for them, became clear to me through practice.

These days I can identify the various astronomical 'types' at a glance, but believe me it wasn't always so!

(And actually, there aren't that many different ones).

 

[baba-prague]

T

I can understand you wanting definite references but its not practical - I'd have to cite so many articles, and books.

Many thanks for that explanation, which is interesting. But what I was asking for was more the physical context of that carving. Is it surrounded by Biblical tales, by astronomical references, by representations of trades - or what? (it isn't depictions of trades in cards I'm talking about, it's depiction of trades in medieval imagery in general - as I say, it's not uncommon, you can see it here without a great deal of searching). As you know, at this period images were very often shown as a series, so you can often determine what something depicts (if there is a doubt) by what is around it. Do you know what lies in proximity to this image? If it is surrounded by depictions of trades, then I would tend to be of the opinion that it's simply showing a trade, and is not so likely to be an astronomical reference. But, as I say, I have an open mind.

 

[Huck]

But what I was asking for was more the physical context of that carving.

It doesn't really help in the question, but anyway worth a look´: Norwich castle

http://www.cathedral.org.uk/pages/html/gallery.html

 

[DianeOD]

Context for the Norwich bosses

Oh, I see.
No - the ceiling keystones ("bosses") of Norwich follow a linear pattern - that of biblical history - exactly like the "Book of the Bee."

 

[baba-prague]

Oh, I see.
No - the ceiling keystones ("bosses") of Norwich follow a linear pattern - that of biblical history - exactly like the "Book of the Bee."

Thanks, that certainly helps to clarify.