Remphan in the context of "Heaven worship"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Remphan in the context of "Heaven worship"

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Remphan

Remphan (also spelled Rephan; Koine Greek: Ῥαιφάν) is a term used by Stephen at the time of his martyrdom in the Book of Acts 7:43 in the New Testament, in reference to a specific object of idolatrous worship:

According to some Biblical scholars, the name refers to the Hebrew Kiyyun or Chiun (Hebrew: כִּיּוּן), mentioned in Amos 5:26. Since the words "Kiyyun" ("Chiun") and "Remphan" are each hapax legomena, there is debate whether they are meant as common or proper nouns. It is generally presumed that both remphan and chiun refer to the planet Saturn.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Remphan in the context of Heaven worship

The worship of heavenly bodies is the veneration of stars (individually or together as the night sky), the planets, or other astronomical objects as deities, or the association of deities with heavenly bodies. In anthropological literature these systems of practice may be referred to as astral cults.

The most notable instances of this are sun gods and moon gods in polytheistic systems worldwide. Also notable are the associations of the planets with deities in Sumerian religion, and hence in Babylonian, Greek and Roman religion, viz. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Gods, goddesses, and demons may also be considered personifications of astronomical phenomena such as lunar eclipses, planetary alignments, and apparent interactions of planetary bodies with stars. The Sabians of Harran, a poorly understood pagan religion that existed in Harran during the early Islamic period (7th–10th century), were known for their astral cult.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier