STAR, Golden, in the Greek Church, is an instru- ment used by the Greeks in the liturgy, and is a star of precious metal surmoimted by a cross, wliich is placed on the paten to cover the host and support a veil from contact with the eucharist. It recalls the mystic star of the magi, and is called the Asteriscns. In the Latin Church it is a vessel for the exhibition of the host at the communion of the pope on Easter-day. One with twelve rays is used to cover the paten when carried by the cardinal -deacon to communicate the eucharist to the pope. — Walcott, Sac. Archmd. s v.
Starck, Johann August, a German Cryptocath- olic, was born in 1741, at S(!hwerin, where his father was preacher, and studied theology at (Jiittingen, at the same time entering zealously the order of Freemasons there. After a visit of several years at St. Petersburg, lie travelled, in 1765, over England, and finally went to Paris, but returned in 1768 to St. Petersburg. In 1769 he was appointed professor of Oriental languages at K(inigsberg, and for several years served as court- preacher, becoming professor and doctor of theology in 1776. He afterwards fell into disrepute as nnortliodox, in consequence of several publications (for which see Herzog, Real-Encyklop. s. v.), and after becoming suc- cessively professor of philosophy at Mifau (1777) and court-preacher at Darmstadt (1781), he tiiialiy adopted Roman Catholic associations, and died in IH16, with the apparatus for the celebration of the mass in his house.
Starck, Johann Friedrich, a (iorman theologi- an, was born Oct. 10, 1680, at Ilildcsheim, studied theol- ogy at Giessen, was appointed in 1715 as pastor of Frank- fort-on-the-Main. and died .July 17, 1756. He is widely known through his Tdgliches flandhiirh inguten und bijsen Tagen (Frankf. 1727 ; 48th ed. 1870) and Morgen- und A bendundachtenfrommer Ch risten mifalle Tage im Jah re IX,— K u R
(9th ed. 18C2). He also published other devotional books, aiul (Jommentariiis in Propketam Kzechielem (Frankf. 1731). See Theol. Unirersal-Lexiknn, ». \.; Zuchold, Bibl. Theol. ii, 1256 sq.; Filrst, Bibl.Jud. iii, 378; Winer, llandbuch der theol. lAteratur, i, 220; ii, 390, 393, 788; Koch, Gesch. d. deutsch. Kirchenliedes, iv, 543 sq. (B. P.)
Star-gazer (D-'S^'isn nTn,Isa.xlvii, 13), an astro- nomical observer, for which the Chalda;ans were famous. See AsTKONoMv. In Dan. ii, 27; iv, 7; v, 7, 11, the pro- fessed astrologers or calculators of nativities (Gazerin', Chald. "pITJ, " soothsayers") are named. (The term there rendered " astrologers," S^STi'S, oshshaphim', means conjeclurers only.) Diodorus Siculus (ii, 30, 31) says of the Chaldieans, " They assert that the greatest attention is given to the five stars called planets, whicli they name interpreters; so called because, while the other stars have a fixed path, they alone, by forming their own course, show what things will come to pass, thus interpreting to men the will of the gods; for to those who study them carefully they foretell events, partly by their rising, partly bj' their setting, and also by their color. Sometimes they show heavy winds, at others rains, at others excess of heat. The appearance of comets, eclipses of the sun, earthquakes, ami, in gen- eral, anything extraordinary, has, in their opinion, an injurious or beneficial effect, not only on nations and countries, but kings and even common individuals; and they consider that those stars contribute very much of good or of ill in relation to the births of men; and in consequence of the nature of these things, and of tlie study of the stars, they think they know accurately tiie events that befall mortals." Comets were, for the most part, considered heralds of evil tidings (.Josephus, War, vi, 5, 3). The Orientals of the present day hold astrology in honor (Niebuhr. Bed. p. 120), and stipendiary astrol- ogers form a part of their court (Kiimpfer, .4 mwn. p. 57, 82). See Astkologv.
Stark, Andrevr, LL.D., a Presbyterian divine, was born in the parish of Slamannan, County of Stirling, Scot- land, Aug. 3, 1791, of pious parents in easy circumstances. At a verj- early age Andrew manifested a love of study . he received his first instructions- in Latin in his own parish school, but was soon transferred to the grammar- school at Falkirk, and afterwards to a school at Denny Loanhead. In the beginning of 1805 he entered the Uni- versity of (ilasgow, which he attended for six successive winters, graduating in April, 1811, with the degree of A.M. After leaving the university he taught a i>ublic school near Falkirk with great success for upwards of two years. He pursued his theological studies at the seminary in Edinburgh, then under the superintendence of the Rev. Prof. Paxton. Upon leaving the seminary he went to London (Clielsea), where he engaged as a classical teacher in a boarding-school, under the Rev. Weeden Butler, a clergyman of the Church of England. Capt. Frederick Marryat, the distinguished novelist, was one of his pupils. Providential circumstances and care- ful refiection directed him to the ministry, and he was soon licensed by the Associate Presbytery of Edinlnirgh. His first sermon was preached Oct. 26, 1817, in the pul- pit of his cousin. Rev. Dr. Stark, of Denny Loanhead; and it was a singular coincidence that lie preached for the last time in his life in the same pulpit. His first settlement as pastor was over the congregation of South Shields, Sept. 16, 1818; but after a few months he re- signed, antl tiie Presl)ytery reluctantly dissolved the pastoral relation, .Tune 14, 1819. For a year he was em- ployed as a private tutor in the family of Sir Frederick Vane. In .Iiuio, 1H20. he proceeded once more to London, and near tlie end of August embarked for New York, where he arrived Oct. 6. He came to this country without any fixed purpose as to employment, willing to teach or preach as Providence might seem to direct. For a vear he preached occasionally, and superintended the studies of two or three boys, the sons of wealthy