Featured Teacher of Biblical Astronomy - Part 2

Joseph A. Seiss

The second Biblical Astronomy teacher whom I have found helpful to me in my studies of the heavens is Joseph A. Seiss (pictured below).

Joseph Augustus Seiss (March 18, 1823 – June 20, 1904) was an American theologian and Lutheran minister. 

As Wikipedia reports, Seiss:

"...was born in Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland, to an agricultural family; his interest in religious studies reportedly began in childhood. Seiss was confirmed at age 15 as a member of the Moravian Church, and determined to pursue the ministry. 

Beginning in 1839, Seiss enrolled at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania for a year or two of studies, but completed his theological courses by private study. He was licensed to preach in 1842 by the synod of Virginia, and ordained to a Lutheran ministry in 1844. 

Seiss held pastorates in Virginia and Maryland until 1858, when he accepted a position at St. John's English Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. In 1875, Seiss was elected pastor of the newly established Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in western Philadelphia." 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Seiss)

People who knew him described Elder Seiss as "an eloquent pulpit orator" and said his "style is clear, ornate, attractive, and forcible". ("Joseph Augustus Seiss", FamousAmericans.net, Retrieved 2011-01-10)

He spoke at New York's Steinway Hall and was first published at only 22 years old. A 1904 New York Times abstract describes Seiss as "one of the foremost men of the Church" and as "one of the founders of the General Council in 1867".

Over his life, Seiss published more than a hundred works. Perhaps his most well-known work is The Great Pyramid of Egypt, Miracle in Stone: Secrets and Advanced Knowledge (1877). 

Considering that Seiss's most well-known book is on the pyramids, you may be wondering if he is the source behind the pyramid information which I shared earlier in my blog. Actually, he isn't. Until researching Seiss's background for today's blog, I didn't know of this book's existence...  But I'll have to check it out... :-)

My personal awareness of Seiss has been (up to now) limited to his book The Gospel in the Stars (1882) (pictured below).

Just as Bullinger credited Frances Rolleston as being his Mazzaroth teacher, so did Seiss. (We'll get to Frances Rolleston in tomorrow's blog). Of Ms. Rolleston, Seiss wrote:

"A more valuable aid to the study of the subject as treated in this volume is Frances Rolleston’s Mazzaroth: Or, the Constellations—a book from an authoress of great linguistic and general literary attainments, whom Providence rarely favored for the collection of important facts and materials, particularly as respects the ancient stellar nomenclature . … And from her tables and references the writer of these Lectures was helped to some of his best information, without which this book could hardly have become what it is." 

(Seiss, The Gospel in the Stars, 1882, p. 6)

As Amazon.com explains in its synopsis of Seiss's book The Gospel in the Stars:

It was... the common and accepted doctrine of antiquity that the constellations were divine in origin and sacred in character. They are woven in with all the old ethnic religions. Much as heathenism has perverted them to false worship, it has ever held to the belief that they are from God... -from "Primeval Man" Did God arrange the stars in the sky to spell out his ultimate plans for the human race? Such is the conclusion of this curious book, first published in 1882 as an attempt to reconcile Christianity with the public fascination with astrology... a fascination that endures today... Building upon this language of the stars, (Seiss) demonstrates the truth of God's "one plan and purpose of Redemption for fallen man."

Notably, Seiss has been one of my many resources for my own studies into the heavens.

Funny story...  When I first sought my own personal copy of Seiss's book, The Gospel in the Stars, it was harder to find than it is today. I ended up traveling a couple of hours' drive to go to a huge bookstore, which takes up one whole city block in size and four stories tall. It was a place famous for having hard-to-find books. I was excited with the anticipation that this book store should have a copy of Seiss's book.

I searched the massive store. I went through the entire floor which covers natural science. I looked in the astronomy section. The Gospel in the Stars was not to be found. Undaunted, I headed for the floor which housed the Christian books. I searched all throughout it. No Seiss...  

Finally, thinking I was to be disappointed, I went to the help desk to let them know that it appeared their computers showed the store possessing a book which wasn't really available there after all. The man behind the desk pulled up my sought-after title, The Gospel in the Stars.

"But we do have it!" the man exclaimed.

Thinking there must be a computer error, which had precipitated my whole "fruitless" journey to this distant bookstore, I replied, "I've searched! I've been through your whole Christian section and your natural science and astronomy wing. I can't find it. Where is it, if its here?" 

With that the man called an attendant who led me to the astrology floor of the bookstore! There, to my shock, was poor Seiss's wrongly categorized book, The Gospel in the Stars. 

With my soon-to-be-purchased copy of the book in hand, I returned to the help desk.

"Thanks, for helping me find the book. I never would have found it where you have it! In fact, if the author could know that you guys have his book listed under 'astrology' he'd turn over in his grave, as they say."

"Really?" The man was listening. "How do you think we should classify that book?"

Well...  time would fail to tell all that I was blessed to share with that man that day. But suffice it to say I got a chance to share some of the Plan of Redemption in the stars. And the bookstore moved Seiss's book to the Christian wing.

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