The pentagram symbolizes many things to many people. It is an example of sacred geometry loved and used by many religions.
Penta means "five" and gram means "letter" or symbol.
Etymology: Pentagram: n., a five-pointed star. -- Gk πενταγραμμον, neuter of the adj. πενταγραμμος, 'formed with five lines', fr. πεντα- 'five', and γραμμη, 'line', which is related to γραμμα, 'that which is written, a written character. (Klein's Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language)
Some History:
The earliest known use of the pentagram dates back to around the Uruk period around 3500BC at Ur of the Chaldees in Ancient Mesopotamia where it was found on potsherds together with other signs of the period associated with the earliest known developments of written language.
Among the Hebrews, the five point symbol was somtimes ascribed to Truth and to the five books of the Pentateuch. In Ancient Greece, it was called the Pentalpha. Pythagoreans considered it an emblem of perfection or the symbol of the human being. The pentagram was also associated with the golden ratio (which it includes), and the dodecahedron, the fifth Platonic solid, which has twelve pentagonal faces and was considered by Plato to be a symbol of the heavens. Burkert says that the pentagram had a secret significance and power to the Pythagoreans, and was used as a password or symbol of recognition amongst themselves.
Solomonic texts of the mediaeval period gave great importance to the pentagram, under the name "Solomon's Seal." Gershom Scholem writes, "In Arabic magick, the 'seal of Solomon' was widely used, but at first its use in Jewish circles was restricted to relatively rare cases. Even then, the hexagram and pentagram were easily interchangeable and the name was applied to both figures." Latin versions of Solomonic texts used the word "pentaculum" to refer to all the various circular devices associated with Solomon's seal, even though most of them do not actually contain a pentagram.
The pentacle's use in the City Seal of Jerusalem has led to its confusion with the variously titled Seal, Shield, or Star of Solomon. Early Christians attributed the pentagram to the Five Stigmata of Christ or the doctrine of the Trinity plus that of the two natures of Christ. According to Biedermann, from then until mediaeval times, it was a lesser-used Christian symbol. Its form implied truth, religious mysticism and the work of Creator. Roman Emperor Constantine I, after his defeat of Maxentius and the issuance of the Edict of Milan in 312CE, ascribed his success to his conversion to Christianity and incorporated the pentagram, one point down, into his seal and amulet
Webber tells us that "...the five-pointed star signifies our Lord's Epiphany" and that it is a symbol of the "revelation of the Christ Child to the Gentile wisemen." He warns that "It must not be used as a Christmas symbol." He also defined it as the Star of Jesse, or of Jacob and assigns it the meaning of Heavenly Wisdom. He illustrates it with one point up but doesn't define the alignment in his text. Hume notes that "It was at one time used by the Greek Christians in lieu of the cross at the beginning of inscriptions...."
The Medieval Freemason considered it a symbol of deep wisdom. There are many examples of both the pentagram and five pointed star being used as stonemason's marks during the mediaeval cathedral building period. Although claims have been made for earlier usage, the greater number of examples date from the twelfth through sixteenth centuries. George Godwin claims that these marks were handed down from generation to generation and could still be found up until the nineteenth century.
While depictions of the five pointed star or pentagram equating it with Jesus are rare, it should be also noted that they are non-existent in any depiction of the Devil or Satan before Éliphas Lévi's nineteenth century Baphomet.
One notable early use of a pentalpha (Five A's) in Freemasonry is the mark of Sir Robert Moray, who used it when he signed the Minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh, Mary's Chapel sometime after his initiation on May 20, 1641. He is recorded as using it in his signature prior to this date so, although he referred to it as his mason's mark, it was not derived from Masonic teachings. Later it appears on the title page of a collection of Masonic lectures,
The Spirit of Masonry, published in 1775.
Some say the pentagram is mystical because
5 is mystical. It's a prime number, the sum of 2 and 3, as well as of 1 and 4.
Christ had five wounds, they say, if you don't count those inflicted by the crown of thorns;
and he distributed five loaves of bread to five thousand people.
Most importantly, we have five fingers, toes and senses.
Some Christian watchdogs apparently think the pentagram is the devil's hoof print. They are especially on the lookout for inverted pentagrams as proof of Satanism, but any pentagram will suit most of these caretakers of decent symbology in their never-ending quest to identify evil. Of course, it can be bad for business if rumors are spread that one's company uses the pentagram or any other symbol deemed to be diabolical.
Proctor and Gamble was once accused by
Amway competitors of being run by devil worshippers who flaunted their satanic religion with a diabolical logo. The logo consisted of an old man's bearded face in the crescent moon, facing thirteen stars, all set within a circle. Some saw 666, the number of the Beast in Revelation (usually identified with Satan by the Christian watchdogs), lurking in the old man's beard and in the arrangement of the stars. Others saw a goat, surely a sign of the devil.
To some modern pagans, the five points of the pentagram represent Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit. Wiccans usually put the symbol in a circle, which has traditionally represented the endless or eternity.
The ancient Chinese believed there were
five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water),
five planets,
five seasons,
five senses, as well as
five basic colors, sounds and tastes.
For some reason, the pentagram has become the symbol for a star, though no star in the sky looks like a pentagram, unless perhaps it is seen from inside the five corners of the earth when one is five sheets to the wind. Furthermore, some mystics claim that if one stares at a small pentangle long enough one will see that all triangles end in a circle with five sides. (From The Skeptic’s Dictionary)
I've seen these pentacles in many places in Europe.
There is one on the gate of the cemetery on Flores Island, Azores, where my great grandparents are buried, which is why I began researching the symbol.[/QUOTE
hi, apologies if this is not new but I'm giving a talk mid February at my local church and I want to be sure I'm accurate. I have a photo of a round window on a church with the Star of David and its probably in Castrojerz. I'm wondering why it's there? On the web there is mention of a massacre of Jews in 1035 so could that be linked? Thanks for any help.
