The Planets: “Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age,” Part 6 (of 10)

Outfitted with beautiful rings of ice and dust, Saturn stands as one of the most iconic planets in our solar system. Along with Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, this celestial ornament works as a shield between Earth and too much bombardment by comets and asteroids.

The four gas giants of our solar system function as a team. As Hugh Ross explains in a Today’s New Reason to Believe article:

In order to adequately protect Earth from collision events without being gravitationally disturbed, the protection must come from not just one gas giant planet, but rather several.

In mythology, however, Saturn’s namesake was not the ideal team player.

As the Roman god of agriculture and harvest, Saturn (equivalent to the Greek Cronus) was part of a system of primordial deities who appeared in ancient cosmologies and functioned as ancestors to what the Greeks called the Olympians. At the request of his mother, Saturn usurped his father, but feared a prophecy that said he in turn would be supplanted by his own children. Consequently, Saturn ate each of his offspring as they were born. Not exactly father-of-the-year material. Despite his precautions, Saturn was over thrown by Jupiter, his sixth child, and fled to Rome where according to the story he reigned over the Golden Age, an era defined by universal harmony and pleasurable activity.

Romans celebrated Saturn’s sovereignty and abundant harvest with the annual Festival of Saturnalia held around the time of the Winter Solstice, usually December 17 – 23. The festival was marked by merry-making, food and drink, suspension of war and punishments and work, and gift-giving. Sound familiar?

Most of the Christmas traditions that we partake of today were derived from various pagan celebrations, such as Saturnalia (see here). It is because of this secular influence that Christmas has been a source of controversy in church history and in some cases today. Fortunately, the central point of Christmas remains the same regardless of how people choose to celebrate it.

When Christ came into the world, the angels proclaimed:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)

Though Saturn was honored as the ruler of paradise on Earth, as a mythological figure he can do nothing to bring peace to the world. The credit for paving the way for reconciliation between humans and God belongs solely to Jesus Christ, who also created the solar system’s ringed gem for his glory and our benefit.

Listen to “Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age” here.