Today is an odd day indeed! I woke up and said to myself: I am taking a day off from the blog; I am not even going to post anything. So, I set myself to watching TV. One of the first things that interested me was this Palindrome (something that could be read forwards or backward) found at Pompeii. I have known for years of the persecution and suffering of Christians in the first century and their use of the fish symbol to proclaim their faith secretly. What has bothered me for a long time is that is so simple that the Romans could spot it readily and eradicate the followers of The Christ with little effort. They didn't, so why not? Could the Sator-rotas palindrome (written in Latin) may be the answer? So, instead of writing the blog, I thought I would investigate this puzzle. To my surprise, there are huge amounts of information on the Internet about it; many with varying solutions. After several hours (phew) of research, I finally found one that seemed the best to me. Here it is...
Taken from …. http://windsorsheepdog.blogspot.com/2012/02/sheepdogs-round-up.html
The Sator Square
What is it? A Sator square and a Rotas square are actually Latin Palindromes, which are Latin word puzzles in the shape of a square. The words are the same whether they are read top to bottom, or left to right, or right to left, or bottom to top. There are five words, and each word has five letters making a total of twenty-five letters. The difference between a Sator square and a Rotas square is simply that the first word in a Sator square is SATOR and a Rotas square is ROTAS. A few of these ancient squares have survived history. They've been found carved into stone or clay, and appear to be linked to Christianity, although many people rebuke this claim. Here is what I found on these mysterious squares when I did a bit of internet research. *I also had some personal revelations of the squares' hidden depths:
The words mirror each other:
SATOR = ROTAS
AREPO = OPERA
TENET = TENET
OPERA = AREPO
ROTAS = SATOR
Read them up and down
SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
* * * * *
Ancient History: The earliest examples of these squares can be found in Pompeii. After being buried in the ashes of Vesuvius in 79A.D., two of these squares survived. One of the squares, a Rotus Square, can be found on the wall of a Pompeii bakery once owned by P. Paquius Proculus, who may have been a retired Roman soldier, although at his death in 79A.D. he was a bakery owner and a prominent citizen of Pompeii. There are later examples of Sator Squares located in France and in England, as well as in Syria and Portugal. One found in Manchester, England, dates to the 2nd century, and another, found in Cirencester, England is a Rotas square. All seem to be located in areas that were once occupied by Roman soldiers.
Unlocking the five words – Latin into English (I double checked these translations; the interpretations are mostly from the internet)1. (verb) Sator – sower; planter; founder; progenitor (usually Divine); creator2. (verb) Arepo – (from Arrepo) move; creep stealthily towards; feel one’s way3. (verb) Tenet – he holds; he keeps; comprehends; *possesses; preserves4. (noun) Opera – works; *the word an effort; cares; aid; effort/trouble5. (noun) Rotas – wheel; rotation; *a circle?
*indicates my interpretation or understanding
Below are three interpretations I found on different websites. The first two have used Arepo as if it were a man’s name, although it doesn’t seem to be a name ever used. I prefer to think that it is the word arrepo with one of the r's dropped - to make the word fit.
1. The sower, Arepo, leads with is hand (work) the plough (wheels.2. The Sower, Arepo, holds the wheels with effort.3. God (the Father) says, “I move stealthily in an effort to preserve my creations.” This translation is from Neil Steede. Steede also sees a possible connection to Mayan iconology: the four letter T’s of the intersecting Pater Noster form what is called a quincunx, “which in Myan iconography is used to depict the Law of Centre, which states that the universe was created for the perfection of man.” – Neil Steede
I am going to stick to a sole Christian message.
* * * * *
Unlocking The Sator Square’s Christian Message: My interpretation of the five words – Latin into English: Whenever I read the five words of the Sator square, they make me think of The Parable of the Sower, which is found in the New Testament.
1. Sator = The Sower (God) says, “I sow seed (the word) into man.” 2. Arepo = It grows stealthily inside him. (like a vine)3. Tenet = He (the man) keeps it (the word), possesses it, and comprehends it.4. Opera = The word of God (His work)5. Rotas = As a wheel is a continuous circle, so seed sown into good soil is ever fruitful.
*God is the original sower because the word is God, but a believer sows the word (seed) into him/herself every time they read scripture and meditate on it.
Like seed is sown in to good, fertile soil, the word is sown into man, but man is also like seed in that he himself might not be "good, fertile soil". Jesus explained it to his disciples below.
The Parable of the Sower: in Mark 4:14-20 Jesus explains, “14.The farmer sows the word. 15.Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16.Others, like seed sown on rocky places hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17.But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18.Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19.but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke out the word, making it unfruitful. 20.Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was sown.”
The Sator Square Read Backwards: Because the Sator Square has at times been written in reverse (Rotas Square), let’s try it in reverse and see if it still makes any sense to the reader:
- Rotas + Sator = As a wheel is a continuous circle, so seed sown into good soil is ever fruitful. The Sower (God) says, “I sow the word into man.
- Tenet = He keeps it (the word), possesses it, and comprehends it.
- Opera + Arepo = The word grows stealthily in him. (like a vine)
* * * * *
Connecting the A and O to Jesus – New Covenant: In Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, Jesus speaks to the apostle John:
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:17 “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.”
Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
* * * * *
Unlocking the Our Father: If you take all the twenty-five letters of the square (using the N twice), they spell out Pater Noster, which is Latin for the first words of the Lord’s Prayer – Our Father. The letters form a cross, or a plus sign. There are four letters left over: two A’s and two O’s. Instead of Latin, could it be that they are Greek? In the Greek Alphabet the letter A is Alpha, which translates as “the first”, or “the beginning”, and the letter O is Omega, which translates as “the last”, or “the end”. In other words, the left over A’s and O’s might mean: the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. If so, then we can connect the words Pater Noster to Christianity, because as you have just read in Revelation, Jesus identified himself as being just that.
Take all the 25 letters and they spell:
P
A
T
A E O (Omega)
R
T
A E O (Omega)
R
PATERNOSTER
O
O S A (Alpha)
T
E
R
The English translation of the Latin words pater noster is Our Father. Notice the words form a cross, and there are 25 letters - all letters in the Sator square are used.
There is a second cross within Pater Noster. There are the four T's, and the letter T is in itself representative of the cross. See below:
P
A
T
E
R
PATERNOSTER
O
S
T
E
R
A Third Cross: Look at the Sator square again. The two words TENET intersect.
SATOR This is a third cross, and the meaning of tenet in English
AREPO is: he/she/it holds, possesses, keeps etc.
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
Put the words together from two of the crosses and you get "Our Father holds, keeps, possesses".
Jesus at the Centre and on the Cross: I did check the Hebrew myself. Whether you look at the tablet of the Sator square or the interesting Pater Nosters, you will find that there is only one letter N and it is always dead centre. It sits there like a hub or an anchor.
The fish symbol is associated with Jesus, and Christians are well aware of this. The "en" sound of the letter N is representative of the Hebrew word Nun when pronounced, which means fish. How perfect the Latin of Paster Noster is, in that Jesus is in the centre AND that he is on the cross. The fish symbol became widely used (in secrecy) where Christianity spread in the first century. It sounds convenient, but relating the N to the Hebrew word for fish adds more points in its favour that the Sator square is a secret puzzle/book for Christians. If so, the fact that the N (fish) is central is very important – it puts Jesus, and the New covenant of Grace he brought, at the dead centre of the puzzle, which makes the puzzle Christian and new covenant. Why? Because Jesus brought us the New Covenant, meaning the first covenant, the laws (Ten Commandments) given to Moses, are no longer valid. Grace is in and Law is out.
The fish symbol is associated with Jesus, and Christians are well aware of this. The "en" sound of the letter N is representative of the Hebrew word Nun when pronounced, which means fish. How perfect the Latin of Paster Noster is, in that Jesus is in the centre AND that he is on the cross. The fish symbol became widely used (in secrecy) where Christianity spread in the first century. It sounds convenient, but relating the N to the Hebrew word for fish adds more points in its favour that the Sator square is a secret puzzle/book for Christians. If so, the fact that the N (fish) is central is very important – it puts Jesus, and the New covenant of Grace he brought, at the dead centre of the puzzle, which makes the puzzle Christian and new covenant. Why? Because Jesus brought us the New Covenant, meaning the first covenant, the laws (Ten Commandments) given to Moses, are no longer valid. Grace is in and Law is out.
The Old Covenant, the Laws, are represented:
SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
Torot is a Hebrew word and is a plural for Torah. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible and is known as the Books of Law, or the Laws. God gave these laws, or instructions, to Moses to write down for the people of Israel. Seeing the Old Covenant represented in the Sator square, but not by being central but by being on the outside corners, shows (to me) how it has been replaced.
Another hidden word is ORO: Look at the word TOROT and you see ORO, which is a Latin word that means speaks, orates, says. I am going to apply it twice to the hidden meanings of the Sator square, so bear with me. So, take the word TOROT and see the letters oro in it. Then go back and look at the intersecting words TENET, which means holds, keeps, possesses, and don't forget "Our Father". String them into a sentence and one can get "Our Father proclaims (says) he holds or he keeps the Laws" or Our Father proclaims, "I hold," or "I keep the laws." Is the message here that God is keeping the Laws, taking them back? If you understand why the Messiah (Jesus) came, then this makes sense because Jesus has something better to offer us, and that is eternal life - the kingdom of heaven. Next I will show you how to find eternity represented in the Sator square.
The Circle = Eternity (Everlasting Life): We have to go back to the Sator square tablet and read just the outside words. Imagine them as a circle and not a square. There are only two of them: SATOR and ROTAS.
SATOR
A O
T T
O A
ROTAS
They continually join into each other: they have no beginning and no end (sound familiar?) You can read them forwards or backwards. Both are the first and the last (familiar?).
SATOROTASATOROTASATOROTAS
They go on together forever, eternally. They very easily represent Eternity, or Eternal Life: ROTAS means "a wheel", but I see a wheel as a circle. SATOR means "sower", or as I prefer, God (who is the original sower of all). So, "The sower (God) and the circle are one = Eternity.
Now bring back the intersecting words TENET.
SATOR
A E O
TENET
O E A
O E A
ROTAS
We have God the Father (PATER NOSTER), and we have Jesus (N = fish) who is central, and we have a circle that never ends = Eternity or Eternal Life (Everlasting Life/Kingdom of Heaven), and we have the cross created by the words TENET (holds, keeps, possesses) and we have the Latin word ORO (speaks, says, proclaims), and there is a reference to the Law (TOROT). What message do I see in all this?
"God, Our Father, keeps the law (Old Covenant), and Jesus, our Saviour, brings us (is the way) to eternal life (the New Convenant)." As well, there is a reminder of the parable of the Sower, which is about how a good believer will follow the path of righteousness (the seed grows and bears fruit), but a poor believer, for various reasons mentioned by Jesus, will stray from that path and will wither and die.
If one has any doubts about God and Jesus being represented - remember the O and the A? In Greek they mean Alpha and Omega = the first and the last, the beginning and the end, and remember what Jesus said in Revelation? - that he is all these things.
I know that the non-believer will be scoffing at all this. It's what can be expected. Fair enough. However, take away all the Christian ideas and what do you have left? What is the purpose of this palindrome? Then, how would the anagram Pater Noster relate to anyone who spoke and read Latin, except to refer to the family's father and that 'he' keeps his family together? It then would just boil down to a coincidence that the only letters remaining after finding Pater Noster are the letter O and the letter A, and that they could be interpreted as the Greek alpha and omega, and that the meanings of the five Latin words have something to do with a sower and his wheel. Is it all just a coincidence?
Somebody went to a lot of trouble to find those five particular words that can be read up and down and backwards and forwards, and they even dropped a letter out of AREPO to make it fit (arrepo). Why go to all that trouble for something that has very little meaning?
* * * * *
Can the Sator Square be a book? Imagine yourself back in the first century when, after Jesus' death at the cross, Christianity was preached about in secret; Stephen had been stoned to death. The Bible didn't exist then as it does today. The New Testament had not been written and put together as a book like we have today, so converts to Christianity, especially new converts, would have had nothing as a reminder of what Jesus' message was. I think someone put a lot of thought into the Sator Square, in that there are a few truths from the one God that one can find and be ever reminded about.
The twenty-five letters, or five words, are both the front cover and the back cover. Try to imagine it in your head - it can be done as a form of meditation. After the cover, the first page perhaps contains the basic meaning of the five words and the reminder of the parable of The Sower; the next page may contain Pater Noster (Our Father), with Jesus central (N), and the message that Jesus and God are the Alpha and Omega; the next page perhaps contains the intersecting Tenet, with Jesus (N) on the cross, central again. Then there is the message which is that the Law is no more and there is now a New Covenant between God and his people, and that the way to Everlasting Life is through Jesus; then you close the book and meditate on the back cover, and work backwards to the front.
Closing Thoughts:
If I had been living in those first years/decades after Jesus' death, and I had been a prisoner living in a foul jail cell for years, and if I had heard about Jesus, from say a convert, or even the Apostle Paul himself, who spent years imprisoned, but during that time converted some of his guards, a Sator Square scratched into the cell's stone wall would have been a lifeline to me. These are my personal thoughts. If you disagree, that's fine; you might want to seek other meanings that the square might represent.
WEB: Revelation of John Chapter 2
[8] “To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write:
“The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life says these things:
[9] “I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. [10] Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life. [11] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes won’t be harmed by the second death.
If you were in danger of being killed for your beliefs, wouldn't you do something to protect yourself? I think its entirely POSSIBLE that early Christians MAY have used this, but I can't prove it. When I thought about this, Smyrna came to mind and the parallel is obvious. The application is as obvious as the parallel: Do what you need to do, but be careful!!!! We are already seeing persecution of Christians throughout the world and the beginnings of it here in the good old USA, so, should the future bring danger, remember both Smyrna and this palindrome and have faith in God that you will be able to endure the end. God will give us the strength to endure anything..... believe it!!!!!
ps I know this a long post, but I think its worth reading... you be the judge!!!