The Nazarene Way of Essenic Studies ~ Lucifer: Satan or Goddess? ~ Nowhere in the Old or New Testament is Lucifer identified as another name for Satan
Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translated “Morning Star” as “Lucifer” two times, but in context, neither identified “Lucifer” as “Satan.”
LUCIFER: SATAN OR GODDESS?
By Gott
Revelation 22:16: “I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”
The Greek word for “star” is “aster.” The same root leads to Astarte.
Astarte was one of the most popular of the goddesses in the Greco-Roman pantheon in the first century. According to mythology, she came to earth in a ball of fire – a meteor, a black stone.
The Old Testament contains references to Astarte, but each time she was mentioned, the word was changed to Ashtoreth, a combination of Astarte and bo-sheth, a Hebrew word that means “shame.” As a result, nowhere in the Torah do the Hebrew letters for the goddess’s name, Astarte, or Ashtar, appear. But the similarity to El’s “consort,” Asheroth, is intriguing.
The Latin word for light is Luc; the Latin word for bearer is ferre. The planet Venus was known to the ancients as the “Light Bearer” because Venus appears in the sky each morning before the sun rises. In ancient Greco-Roman mythology Venus was the goddess of love, sexuality, and procreation. The goddess Venus, the “Light Bearer” was called Luc-ferre, or Lucifer in Latin.
Nowhere in the OT or the NT is Lucifer identified with, or as, “Satan.” This misconception originated with Jerome and his Latin Vulgate translation from the Hebrew and Greek. Jerome used the word, Lucifer, to translate “Morning Star” at 2 Peter 1:19 (Greek word was phosphoros), and At Isaiah 14:12 (Hebrew word was Helel). Read in context, neither identifies “Lucifer” as “Satan.” Jerome translated “morning star,” (Greek aster) at Revelation 22:16 as stella, not Lucifer.
Jerome’s inconsistency in his use of “Lucifer” as Latin for “the morning star” speaks volume. How could he have written, “I Jesus…am the root and the offspring of David, Lucifer”?
As with many words in scripture, the translators chose the word that supported their version of the texts. “Morning Star” or “Venus” was translated as “Lucifer” if the goal was to demonize, especially if the “demon” was the goddess of sexuality or the sect that identified itself as “Children of Light,” as did the Essenes and Nazarenes.
Revelation 22:17: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.”
“The Church” claimed “the Spirit” was Jesus and “the Bride” was “the Church” – two entities. Revelation 22:16 has been translated as: “I am the root AND the descendant of David, the Bright Morning Star” – a single entity; unless the conjunction “and” was shifted a couple of spaces in translation. It makes more sense – and is more consistent – if 22:16 is translated: “I Am the root, the descendant of David, AND the Bright Morning Star” – two entities.
“The Spirit is Jesus; The Bride is The Bright Morning Star – Astarte, Asheroth, Venus – take your pick. The Bride was the Goddess.
It is noteworthy that when this verse is modified and the key words compared to Moses’ conversation with The Gods on the Mountain, the answers agree: "‘I AM’ is YHVH and Asheroth – God and Goddess.” Jesus said: “'I AM’ is THE ROOT and THE STAR – God and Goddess.”
Both were attempting to bring the feminine principles - Compassion and Wisdom - back into their religion. They were also attempting to explain "Creation” in terms that coincide with modern science: It takes two cooperating forces to create matter. And that is the reason scripture must be interpreted allegorically. The Goddess must be resurrected if science and scripture are to ever be reconciled!
“Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.”
This nursery rhyme and the custom of making wishes on falling stars are, in effect, Prayers to the Goddess!
