Page 45 - Attractive Deception - The False Hope of the Hebrew Roots Movement

But above all in importance, they (the Chaldeans) say, in the study of the influence of the five stars
known as planets, the one named Cronus by the Greeks (i.e., Saturn) is the most conspicuous.

Also affirming the elevated position of Saturn in the pantheon of the gods, we find that in the
Sanskrit language Saturn is named Grahanayakah. This name is a compound of “graha(h)” (planet),
and “nayakah” (chief or leader). Thus, Saturn was accorded the title of “Chief Planet” by those who
spoke the ancient language of Sanskrit which flourished from approximately 2,000 B.C. until 600
B.C.. Sanskrist is the religious language of the Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains.

In Sanskrit another name attributed to Saturn is Shani. In this language the seventh day of the week
is called Shanivar which translates as Saturn's day. In Cambodia the seventh day is named in honor
of Prah Sau, which again corresponds to the planet Saturn. In Japanese, the seventh day is Do Youbi,
and is associated with Dosei (Saturn). In the solar calendar of Thailand, the name of the day is
derived from a Pali word for Saturn (Pali now being an extinct language).

Throughout the world we find that the seventh day which was declared holy by Yahweh, has been
supplanted by idolatrous religions that worshiped Saturn. If we follow the trail leading back to the
worship of Saturn, we find additional correspondence with the celebration of Hanukkah. One of the
chief sources on the Roman celebration of Saturnalia is the book titled Saturnalia written by
Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius. The date of this encyclopedic writing is around 400 A.D.. In this
work it is stated that Saturn was considered by the Romans to be “the foremost of the gods” and that
the Romans “celebrate Saturn with the greatest honor, among all the other (gods).”

In Macrobius’ Saturnalia, a character is discoursing on the origin of the festival and its various rites
and symbols. He explains how the worship of Saturn became associated with the kindling of lights.
The story goes that Saturn was formerly worshiped with human sacrifice. The heads of men who had
been slain were required to appease the god. This changed when Hercules persuaded the people to
substitute the offering of men for that of burning lights. It is explained that the Latin word “phota”
means both “man” and “lights.” Thus the custom of exchanging candles during the Saturnalia began.
(Source: Macrobius’ Saturnalia, edited and translated by Robert A. Kaster, page 81).

If one accepts this explanation of the lighting of the candles being a substitute for human sacrifice,
it is a serious matter for those who light the Hanukiah. As each light is set ablaze it is offered up as
a substitute for human sacrifice. In other words, the lives of mankind are being symbolically offered
up to Saturn/Satan.

A second significance of the lighting of candles relates to the association between light and
knowledge. Macrobius writes:

Others think that candles are exchanged precisely because it was under Saturn’s guidance that we
passed out from a dark and uncultured way of life to the light cast by the knowledge of beneficial
skills.
[Ibid, page 83]

Whether a person is symbolically offering human sacrifice to Satan, or honoring him as the giver of