Star of David. Meaning and history

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The hexagonal star of regular triangles superimposed on each other is best known as the "Star of David". The meaning of this symbol, however, changed several times before it appeared on the flag of the State of Israel. It is believed that the hexagram existed in a religious movement called "Tantrism", widespread at the beginning of our era in Nepal, India, Tibet. According to him, this element meant the harmony of the world of matter, which personified the upper triangle with the spiritual world (lower triangle). There was also an opinion about the interpretation of the sign as the unity of the male and female principles.

In the Middle East in ancient times there was also a "star of David". The meaning of the hexagram was associated here with the symbolism dedicated to the goddess Ishtar. The very first signs of this configuration were found in different parts of the world (from Britain to Mesopotamia) and they belonged to quite distant times. For example, on the Iberian Peninsula, ornaments with such inclusions areIron Age of the pre-Roman period. What they meant among the peoples living there, scientists could not establish. Most likely, hexagrams were used in the performance of some religious and mystical rites.

It's hard to find an advanced culture that doesn't use symbols that look like the Star of David. The meaning of this sign in Christianity in the Middle Ages is difficult to determine. It was simply used as an element of seals (by the French kings in the 9th-10th centuries), was an element of a pattern for decorating architectural monuments. For example, today the Star of David can be seen on the Valencia or Burgos cathedrals. Arabic books of the same period were decorated with intricate patterns with this element.

What is the interpretation of the Star of David in Jewish culture? The meaning of the symbol here is associated with the shape of the shields of the warriors who fought under King David. There is also a version that this element originated from temple lamps, under each of which there was a flower - a lily. When opened, its petals just form a regular hexagon.

Some historians correlate the formation of this sign with the times of the campaigns of David Alroy, who was going on a liberation campaign to the Promised Lands in the twelfth century. Somewhat later, in 1254, the first flag with a hexagram on a red background appeared, which Emperor Charles IV granted as a privilege to the Jewish community in Prague.

When did the star officially become the national symbol of the Jewish peopleDavid? Its significance for identification was determined in the 19th century by the most emancipated representatives of the communities. They considered the sign quite common, personifying the Jews, but not Judaism, which was important for the emerging secular Zionism. In 1897, at the Congress in Basel, the symbol was approved as the main sign of the Zionist movement.

Where is the star of David present in the state symbols? Photo, meaning, heraldic features can be viewed for the flags of some cities or countries. The most famous, of course, is the flag of Israel. But the same elements are on the coat of arms of the German city of Gerbstedt, the old flag of Nigeria, the unofficial flag of Northern Ireland and the coat of arms of Italian Somalia. Moreover, some characters on the fields, created in an incomprehensible way, have the form of a hexagram.