Christianized (All Terms)

Authors: Doris Vickers, Susanne M Hoffmann

---

Error creating thumbnail:

Central Europe (c. 1648). The culture of Christianization of the sky was an early modern attempt to unite European thinkers across the boundaries of a multitude of Christian confessions.

In this lexicon, we describe the names of a specific historical movement in Early modern history. During the Thirty Years' War in Central Europe (1618-1648) and in the decades before it that led to this war, even the work of scholars was affected by religious conflicts and the depreciation of specific Christian subgroups (traditional Catholics versus Lutherian Protestants versus Calvinists etc.). Astronomers and cartographers in that time had the same idea of one humanity "under one sky" as the IAU has been doing in the 20th and 21st centuries, but there were also attempts to project the figures that were common in all of the Christian churches into the sky and consciously reinterpret the sky with characters known to everybody in Europe.

Note that the authors of this lexicon refrain from promoting any religion; we just document a historical movement.

Name Lists

Solar System Names

Original term	English	Commentary
Jesus Christ	Sun
Mary	Moon
Elijah	Mercury
St. John the Baptist	Venus
Joshua	Mars
Moses	Jupiter
Adam	Saturn

The title page of Schiller's Coelum Stellatum Christianum (1627).

The title page of Schiller's Coelum Stellatum Christianum (1627).

Julius Schiller quotes the mnemonic verses of Jacob Bartsch to memorise the new identifications of the planets (translation by Doris Vickers):

Vet. STELLÆ VII. SPHÆRARUM ERRATICÆ. Nov. Chorus Planetarum VII. Sacer. Est Saturnus Adam, primus Pater atq[ue] Colonus. Iuppiter est Moses, Legum dator ille Iehovæ. Belliger Israël populi Dux Iosua Mavors. Est Sol Iustitiæ Christus Mediator Iesus. Præcursor Christi Ioannes Lucifer almus. Mercurius dubius cælo venturus Elias. Luna Dei Genetrix est Virgo beata Maria.

Old: The Seven Wandering Stars of the Spheres. New: The Holy Choir of the Seven Planets. Saturn is Adam, the first father and tiller of the soil. Jupiter is Moses, that giver of the laws of Jehovah. Mars is Joshua, the warlike leader of the people of Israel. The Sun is Christ Jesus the Mediator, the Sun of Justice. Venus is John [the Baptist], the nourishing Morning Star and precursor of Christ. Mercury is the uncertain Elias [Elijah], who is to come from heaven. The Moon is the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

Other Names

Original term	English	Commentary
Viae Beatorum omnium	The Milky Way

Here is an overview on all Christianized constellation names

short description	original description	English	constellation	Our notes
Aaron	Aaron Summus Sacerdos	Aaron, High Priest	Grus
Abel	Abel Iustus	Abel the Just	Dorado
Abraham et Isaac	Sancti Patriarchi Abraham et Isaac	The Holy Patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac	Centaurus
Agnus Paschalis	Agnus Paschalis	The Paschal Lamb	Canis Minor
Altare Thymiamatis	Altare Thymiamatis	The Altar of Incense	Ara
Andrea	Sanctus Andrea Apostolus	St Andrew, Apostle	Taurus
Arca Foederis	Sancta Arca Foederis sive Testimonium Divinum	The Ark of the Covenant or The Divine Testimoium	Crater
Arca Noachi	Arca Patriarchae Noachi	The Ark of the Patriarch Noah	Argo Navis
Bartholomaeus	Sanctus Bartholomaeus Apostolus	St Bartholomew, Apostle	Scorpius
Benedictus	Santus Pater Benedictus inter spinas	St Benedict Amongst the Thorns	Ophiuchus
Camelus Rebeccae		Camel of Rebecca	Camelopardalis
Catharina	Sancta Catharina Virgo et Martyr	St Catherine, Virgin and Martyr	Aquila
Clavum Lanceaque Christi	Sanctissimi Clavi et Lancea Christi Domini Crucifixi	The Most Holy Nails and Lance of the Crucified Christ the Lord	Sagitta
Columba Noachi	Columba Noachi	The Dove of Noah	Columba
Corona Christi Spinea	Tremenda et Spinea Christi Regis Regum Corona	The Crown of Thorns of Christ, King of Kings	Corona Borealis
Crux	Salutifera et Termagna Crux Christi, Cum Augusta Eius Inventrice Sancta Helena	The Health-Giving Third Cross of Christ with Its Discoverer, Empress St Helena	Cygnus
David	Sanctus Rex et Propheta David	St David, King and Prophet	Canis Major
Diademata Salomonis	Diademata regis Salomonis	The Crown of King Solomon	Corona Australis
Eva	Eva Mater Cunctorum Viventium	Eve, the Mother of all Living Things		Apis
Flagellum Christi	Sacratissimum Flagellum Christi Salvatoris	The Most Sacred Scourge of Christ the Saviour	Coma Berenices (πλόκαμος)
Frondis Rosa	Rosa Mystica sive Frondis Rosa	The Mystic Rose or The Rose Branch	Equuleus
Gabriel	Sanctus Gabriel Archangelus	St Gabriel, Archangel	Pegasus
Gallus	Gallus	The cockerel	now part of Puppis
Hieronymus	Sanctus Hieronymus Ecclesiae Doctor	St Jerome, Doctor of the Church	Auriga
Hydria Chananea	Hydria Chananea Aquae in Vinum Versa	The Jars of Water Turned to Wine in Cana	Delphinus
Hydria Serapthanae	Hydria Farina Sarepthanae Viduae	The Grain Jar of the Widow of Zarephath	Piscis Austrinus
Iacobus	Sanctus Iacobus Maior Apostolus	St James the Greater, Apostle	Gemini
Iacobus Minor	Sanctus Iacobus Minor Apostolus	St James the Lesser, Apostle	Virgo
Innocentii	Sancti Innocentii Pueri	The Holy Innocent Children	Draco
Ioachim et Anna	Santi Ioachim et Anna Parentes Deiparae	Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Holy Mother	Cetus
Ioannes	Sanctus Ioannes Apostolus et Evangelista	St John, Apostle and Evangelist	Cancer
Iob	Servus Dei Iob	Job, Servant of God	Indus
Iordanus	Iordanus Fluvius	The Jordan River	Hydra
Ioseph	Sanctus Ioseph Vir Mariae	St Joseph, Husband of Mary	Orion
Maria Magdalena	Sancta Maria Magdalena	St Mary Magdalene	Cassiopeia
Matthaeus	Sanctus Matthaeus Apostolus et Evangelista	St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist	Sagittarius
Matthias	Sanctus Matthias Apostolus	St Matthew, Apostle	Pisces
Michael	Sanctus Michael Archangelus Princeps Militae Coelestis Exercitus	St Michael, Archangel, Military Leader	Ursa Minor
Mitra	Mitra Pontificalis S. Petri	The Pontifical Mitre of St Peter	Triangulum
Monoceros				see Monoceros
Navicula S. Petri	Navicula Sancti Petri Apostoli	The Boat of St Peter, Apostle	Ursa Major
Paulus	Sanctus Paulus Apostolus, Gentiumque Doctor	St Paul, Apostle, Teacher of the People	Perseus
Petrus	Santus Petrus Princeps Apostolorum	St Peter, First Apostle	Aries
Philippus	Sanctus Philippus Apostolus	St Philip, Apostle	Libra
Praesepium Christi	Ter venerandum Praesepium Salvatoris Christi	Thrice Venerated Manger of Christ the Saviour	Lyra
Raphael	Sanctus Raphaelus Archangelus	St Raphael, Archangel	Hydrus
Sanctus Israelis	Sanctus Israelis sive Iacobus Patriarcha	The Holy One of Israel or The Patriarch Jacob	Lupus
Sepulchrus Christi	Sepulchrus Triumphatoris Christi	The Tomb of Christ, Triumphant	Andromeda
Signum Tau	Signum Mystici Tau	The Sign of the Mystical Tau	Triangulum Australe
Silvester	Sanctus Silvester Pontifex Maximus	Pope St Sylvester	Bootes
Simon	Sanctus Simon Zelotus Apostolus	St Simon the Zealot, Apostle	Capricornus
Stephanus	Sanctus Stephanus Protomartyrus	St Stephen, the First Martyr	Cepheus
Thadaeus	Sanctus Iudas Thadaeus Apostolus	St Jude Thaddeus, Apostle	Aquarius
Thomas	Sanctus Thomas Apostolus	St Thomas, Apostle	Leo
Transitus Israel	Transitus Israel nempe per mare rubrum	Israel Crossing the Red Sea	Eridanus
Trium Reges	Sancti Trium Reges	The Three Kings	Hercules
Vellera Gedeonis	Vellera Gedeonis	The Fleece of Gideon	Lepus