Vesica Pisces, Jesus & the Zodiac

Christ in Mandorala, and the "Four Evangelists"

In a May 2010 post ('Why Is the Year Divided Into 12 Months?') I wrote about the connection between the Vesica Pisces and the Zodiac. In the above medieval Christian iconography one can see the connection between the Vesica Pisces, the Zodiac and Christianity. Jesus is shown encompassed by a Vesica Pisces shaped 'almond' (mandorla), and surrounded by the creatures of the four fixed signs of the Zodiac – Lion (Leo), Bull (Taurus), Man (Aquarius) and Eagle (Scorpio). These figures are called the 'Four Evangelists' (thought of as the authors of the four gospels Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) whose connection to the zodiac is not widely recognized.

The four fixed signs of the Zodiac show up clearly in Revelations (4:7) as well as in Ezekiel (1:10 and 10:14). And the fish iconography of Christ and Christianity is a not so subtle reference to the 12th sign of the zodiac - Pisces, the fish. I was introduced to this link by Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet, but I have seen it presented elsewhere as well, such as in the Zeitgeist movie and website. I overlapped a Vesica Pisces on the Christian fish on Adobe Photoshop to give readers a visual of the connection between the Christian fish, the Vesica Pisces:

Here's a 8th Century CE depiction of the 'Four Evangelists' with the fixed sign symbols of the Zodiac:

Christ in Majesty from the Codex Amiatinus

Additional Notes: The fixed signs of Zodiac are also found in the Rig Veda, see: RV, I.154, translation by Sri Aurobindo). I included this Rig Veda verse in Addendum: Vishnu in the Mother’s Symbol and in Sri Aurobindo’s 'The Secret of the Veda'.

Below to the left is an image of Vishnu's in his 4th incarnation as a Lion-Man or Narasimha. The Eagle-Lion-Man to the right of Narasimha is known as Sarabha, an avatar of Shiva. Without cosmological/zodiacal knowledge these images/mythologies make little sense. Note the halo that the four evangelists, Vishnu (on the eagle to the right), and Narasimha and Sarabha below, have in common.

Painting of Narasimha, Pahari/Kangra School, ca. 18th century,
with image also of Shiva as Sarabha. [1]

Related Post:
* Caste, Culture & Cosmos by PNB
* 'The Zodiacal Basis of Religion and Myth'
Related Links:
* The Hidden Manna being the Revelation called Apocalypse of John the Divine with complete text and commentaries (Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet)
* 'The Zodiac and Cosmology in the Gospel of Judas'

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