The “Star of David” is Pagan
What is the origin of the “Star
of David”? Was it really the ancient symbol on David’s shield? Did it
originate with king Solomon? What is the meaning of two interlaced
triangles, one pointed upward and one pointed down? Where did this ancient
symbol REALLY originate? Why does this symbol figure so prominently in the
modern nation of Israel, today? You may be totally shocked at the
explosive, provocative answers to these questions!
by William F. Dankenbring
A Jewish Orthodox internet website tells
us: “The Magen David (shield of David, or as it is more commonly known,
the Star of David) is the symbol most commonly associated with Judaism today,
but it isactually a relatively new Jewish symbol. It is supposed to represent
the shape of King David’s shield (or perhaps the emblem on it), but there is really
no support for that claim in any early rabbinic literature. In fact, the
symbol is so rare in early Jewish literature and artwork that art dealers
suspect forgery if they find the symbol in early works.
“Scholars such as Franz
Rosenzweig have attributed deep theological significance to the symbol. For
example, some note that the top triangle strives upward, toward G-d, while the
lower triangle strives downward, toward the real world. Some note that the
intertwining makes the triangles inseparable, like the Jewish people.
Some say that the three sides represent the three types of Jews: Kohanin,
Levites and Israel. Some note that there are actually 12 sides (3 exterior and
3 interior on each triangle), representing the 12 tribes. While these theories
are theologically interesting, they have little basis in historical fact.”
The site continues: “The
symbol of intertwined equilateral triangles is a common one in the Middle East
and North Africa, and is thought to bring good luck. It appears occasionally in
early Jewish artwork, but never as an exclusively Jewish symbol. The nearest
thing to an ‘official’ Jewish symbol at the time was the seven-branched
“menorah.”
In the 17th century, it became a
popular practice to put Magen Davids on the outside of Jewish synagogues
to identify them as Jewish houses of worship in much the same way that a cross
identified a Christian house of worship.
The so-called “Star of David”
gained popularity as a symbol of Judaism when it was adopted as the emblem of
the Zionist movement in 1897, but the symbol continued to be very controversial
for many years. When the modern state of Israel was founded in 1948, there was
much debate over whether this symbol should be used on the flag.
Today, of course, the “Star of
David” is a universally recognized symbol of Jewry. It appears on the flag of
the state of Israel. Its real origins, however, are not so pure.
