Eclipsing superstition

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It turns out there’s a dark side to the solar eclipse.

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At least there was in the Assyrian Empire, which was based in what is now northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. Since the kingdom worshiped the sun god, the moon god and other celestial deities, a total eclipse of the sun held powerful spiritual and political significance.

Anything that happened in the sky was thought to be an omen from the gods, foreshadowing either good or bad. And because the total solar eclipse was so dramatic, Assyrian priests were convinced that some eclipses signalled the impending death of their king.

As far back as 1500 B.C., Babylonian-Assyrian scribes and scholars put together a star chart describing celestial alignments and the specific events they could trigger on earth. One tablet details how a spring eclipse will doom the king if it coincides with certain planetary positions.

Since Assyrian priests knew how to predict an eclipse, the empire was on edge in June of 763 B.C. as the event approached. So the royal court enacted a measure called šar pūḫ, as it had many times before. Here’s how it worked.

Just before the eclipse, the king would go into hiding and a replacement would take his place, anywhere from a few days to three months. The substitute received the best food and drink, lavish gifts, and — according to some accounts — a queen to serve as his consort.

All the while, the real king conducted royal business in an early version of working remotely.

Only members of the real king’s inner circle knew what was going on, and it was easy to carry off the ruse because most ordinary Assyrians didn’t know what the real monarch looked like. Historians say most of the substitute kings were prisoners of war, criminals, or a peasant.

Those were people nobody would miss, which was important because — on the appointed day — the replacement king was sacrificed to appease the gods, sometimes with a poisoned drink, and sometimes through more brutal means. Only then did the real king resurface.

According to historical records, the practice lasted until about 200 years before the birth of Jesus, long after Assyria fell to Babylon (ancient Iraq), which fell to Persia (ancient Iran).

What the ancients involved could never have foreseen is how their ancient star chart led to the first scientific record-keeping, ushering in antiquity’s first precise science: astronomy.

But you don’t have to be an astrophysicist or a theologian to see that the substitute king ritual is the direct opposite of what we see in the New Testament.

In Colossians 1, the apostle Paul tells us Jesus existed before creation, and that “through Him, God made everything in the heavenly realms and on earth… and He is supreme over all creation”.

But our sin eventually separated us from our Father. So Jesus, the sovereign King, came to this earth to die on the cross for our sins, taking the punishment we deserve and satisfying God’s need for justice. He was our substitute; our replacement.

And to those who will accept that gift, Paul says, “You were once far away from God. But now He has brought you back to himself through the death of Christ… and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” (vv. 15-22)

In the Assyrian situation, the substitute had no choice, no idea what was really going on, and no control over his death. But Jesus came to this earth voluntarily. “Though He was God, He didn’t think of equality with God

as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges, took the humble position of a human being, and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)

He did that, knowing in advance that most of us would ignore or trivialize His sacrifice. Though He could’ve stopped the crucifixion at any point, He chose not to exercise that power and control and endured the torture out of love for us.

He became our substitute, not to protect or honour Himself but to save us, so we might have a truly abundant life — not just for brief while, but for an eternity.

When describing the willingness of Jesus to do all that for us, Paul says, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (v. 5) And in that same chapter, he tells us what that looks like.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God. Hold firmly to the word of life, shining like bright lights.” (vv. 3,4, 14-16)

If we’ll do that, nothing will darken our faith.

Share your thoughts with Rick at info@followers.ca A former TV reporter and journalism prof, he pastors an independent, nondenominational church in Brantford, ON called Followers of Christ (www.followers.ca)