Christianized (All Terms)

The culture of Christianization of the sky was an early modern attempt to unite German thinkers across the boundaries of a multitude of Christian confessions.

Name Lists

Solar System Names

Traditional Terms	English	commentary
	Sun
	Moon
	Mercury
	Venus
	Mars
	Jupiter
	Saturn

Here is an overview on all Christianized constellation names

native letters	Christianised term	Author	Identification	Our notes
1	Archangel Michael	Julius Schiller	Ursa Minor
2	Ship of Saint Peter	Julius Schiller	Ursa Major
3	Innocent Children	Julius Schiller	Draco
4	Saint Stephanus	Julius Schiller	Cepheus
5	Pope Sylvester I	Julius Schiller	Bootes
6	The flagellum of Christ	Julius Schiller	Coma Berenices
7	The crown of thorns	Julius Schiller	Corona Borealis
8	The three Wise Men	Julius Schiller	Hercules
9	The Christmas crib	Julius Schiller	Lyra
10	Saint Helena	Julius Schiller	Cygnus
11	Mary Magdalene	Julius Schiller	Cassiopeia
12	Saint Paul	Julius Schiller	Perseus
13	Saint Jerome	Julius Schiller	Auriga
14	Saint Benedict	Julius Schiller	Ophiuchus
15	The burning bush	Julius Schiller	Serpens
16	Saint Catherine	Julius Schiller	Aquila
17	The Holy Lance	Julius Schiller	Sagitta
18	Watercup of the wedding at Cana	Julius Schiller	Delphinus
19	Rosa mystica	Julius Schiller	Equuleus
20	Archangel Gabriel	Julius Schiller	Pegasus
21	The Holy Grave	Julius Schiller	Andromeda
22	The Tiara Petri	Julius Schiller	Triangulum
23	Saint Anna and Saint Joachim	Julius Schiller	Cetus
24	Saint Joseph	Julius Schiller	Orion
25	Simon Petrus	Julius Schiller	Aries
26	Andrew the Apostle	Julius Schiller	Taurus
27	James the Apostle	Julius Schiller	Gemini
28	John the Apostle	Julius Schiller	Cancer
29	Thomas the Apostle	Julius Schiller	Leo
30	James, son of Alphaus	Julius Schiller	Virgo
31	Philip	Julius Schiller	Libra
32	Bartholomew	Julius Schiller	Scorpio
33	Matthew	Julius Schiller	Sagittarius
34	Simon the Zealot	Julius Schiller	Capricorn
35	Judas Thaddaeus	Julius Schiller	Aquarius
36	Matthias	Julius Schiller	Pisces
37	The Red Sea	Julius Schiller	Eridanus
38	Gideon	Julius Schiller	Lepus
39	The dove of Noah	Julius Schiller	Columba
40	King David	Julius Schiller	Canis Major
41	The Lamb of God	Julius Schiller	Canis Minor
42	Noah's Ark	Julius Schiller	Argo
43	The River Jordan	Julius Schiller	Hydra
44	The Ark of the Covenant	Julius Schiller	Crater and Corvus
45	Abraham and Isaac	Julius Schiller	Centaurus
46	Jacob	Julius Schiller	Lupus
47	Showbread table	Julius Schiller	Ara
48	The crown of Salomo	Julius Schiller	Corona Australis
49		Julius Schiller	Piscis Austrinus
50	Highpriest Aaron	Julius Schiller	Grus and Phoenix
51	Job	Julius Schiller	Pavo and Indus
52	Eve	Julius Schiller	Musca
53	The tau cross	Julius Schiller	Triangulum Australe
54	Abel	Julius Schiller	Piscis Volans and Dorado
55	Archangel Raphael	Julius Schiller	Tucan and Hydrus

Authors

Julius Schiller († 1627 in Augsburg) was a German astronomer and Augustinian monk, as well as a contemporary of Johann Bayer, who also lived in Augsburg.

With Bayer’s assistance, Schiller published the star atlas Coelum Stellatum Christianum in 1627, the year of his death. The work was an attempt to create a "Christian" star catalogue, in which the common constellations were renamed and depicted with figures from Christian tradition. In general, figures and symbols from the New Testament appear north of the ecliptic, and those from the Old Testament to the south, while the zodiac constellations of the twelve signs were replaced with the twelve apostles.

The star catalogue is considered a curiosity and, unlike Bayer’s Uranometria, never achieved great significance. Unlike Bayer, Schiller depicted the starry sky reversed, that is, from God’s perspective of the firmament looking down toward the Earth. This representation followed the tradition of celestial globes, whereas for individual celestial sections in historical maps and atlases the "correct" orientation was more common. Schiller’s constellations were taken up in only one later work: the artistic atlas Harmonia Macrocosmica by Andreas Cellarius in 1661. The lunar crater Schiller is named after him.