Trilairian
Registered Senior Member
King Herod is an actual historical figure who lived about 73 BC - 4 BC. His death occurred at the beginning of a Passover that was some time preceded by a lunar eclipse that happened the night he executed Rabbis Judas and Matthias and their pupils who had smashed the golden bird symbol for Rome which he had placed on the temple he had restored. This is according to the historian, Joseph ben Matthias also known as Flavius Josephus (37/38 AD --around 100 AD).
Ernest Martin located a full eclipse on January 10, 1 BC which occurred 12 1/2 weeks prior to Passover, however Herod's successors Antipas, Philip, and Archelaus all appear to have taken their reigns in 4 BC and the chronology of datable events in the Roman Empire best fit with Josephus' description of the circumstances of Herod's death give a date of 4 BC. There was a 40% partial eclipse March 13, 4 BC which would have been difficult to see, but could have possibly been calculated in Josephus time and used by him to reference the death date.
Jupiter(the planet of royalty) and Saturn(protector of Israel) underwent three conjunctions in 7 BC in the constellation Pisces (associated by ancient Babylonian or Persian magi with the nation of Israel), not of which would have appeared as a bright star, but the astronomical events would have caught the eye of any attentive magi of the time and as their definition of a star would have differed from the scientific definition of today, they may have referred to the astronomical events as stars. The two planets were found again in the constellation Pisces as well as Mars on Feb 6, 6 BC.
Michael Molnar found that Jupiter underwent an occultation with the moon in the constellation Aries on April 17, 6 BC and again on December 19, 6 BC. Aries is a ram/lamb which would be associated with Israel due to their sacrifices or by Christians with Jesus. The April 17 occultation occurred near the sun during the day and wouldn't have been seen, but given greater attention due to the previous astronomical events any good magi following Jupiter and tracking the moon would have known that this would occur and that on April 17 when this would occur, it would be "in the east". August 23 Jupiter reversed its apparent motion and "went before" anyone following it until it "stood over" being stationary in the transition of its apparent motion right on the second occultation of December 19.
William's Comet Catalog of 1871 identifies a comet visible in 5 BC It was visible from Mar 10 to Apr 27. Such a comet would disappear and reappear as it moved behind the sun which does correspond to Matthew witch inferred that it did so.
Finally, Chinese astronomers recorded a new star, a nova, in the constellation Capricorn visible March to April of 5 BC, for over 70 days.
Herod was an evil warmongering king that had many of his own family killed including two of his sons Aristobulus in 7 BC and Antipater in 4 BC. The later may also have sought the life of any prophesied king of Israel accounting for Matthews's statement that those who had sought the life of Jesus had died.
However, the slaughter of the babies under two years old by Herod has no basis in history. It is utterly mythical and can be traced back to Krishna, another former Christ story.
There was also no great taxation of Israel wherein folks had to return to their birthplaces and the only census by Quirinius when he was the actual governor of Syria was conducted in (6 - 7)AD. On the other hand he did established a seat of government in Syria, including Palestine, from 10 BC to 7 BC in which he would have been responsible for the census of Romans, not Jews, that took place in 7 BC. The new testament gives two contradictory genealogies for Joseph. If they are fictitious and Joseph was a Roman then he could have taken part in the census, but such a census still would not have required the participants to return to their homeland and would have been finished prior to the (6-5)BC astronomical events. Apparently the nativity is also a fiction. It can be traced to the Egyptian mythology where Meh(Meri, Mary) whose consort was Seb (lord or god - Seb, Yo-Seb, Joseph) had a virgin birth of Horus in a cave or manger amongst the beasts under a star, were visited by three magi bearing gifts, and then fled from the serpent Herrut. It appears that someone drawing on the similarity between Herrut and Herod and given the astrological signs decided to fabricate a reason that such a Horus/Krishna/Christ type being would be born amongst beasts about that time. Recalling that there was a census conducted around that time and such were related to taxes, the Horus story was recreated in terms of an Israeli Messiah born in a manger due to no room during a tax. Here we find the birth of modern Christianity.
Ernest Martin located a full eclipse on January 10, 1 BC which occurred 12 1/2 weeks prior to Passover, however Herod's successors Antipas, Philip, and Archelaus all appear to have taken their reigns in 4 BC and the chronology of datable events in the Roman Empire best fit with Josephus' description of the circumstances of Herod's death give a date of 4 BC. There was a 40% partial eclipse March 13, 4 BC which would have been difficult to see, but could have possibly been calculated in Josephus time and used by him to reference the death date.
Jupiter(the planet of royalty) and Saturn(protector of Israel) underwent three conjunctions in 7 BC in the constellation Pisces (associated by ancient Babylonian or Persian magi with the nation of Israel), not of which would have appeared as a bright star, but the astronomical events would have caught the eye of any attentive magi of the time and as their definition of a star would have differed from the scientific definition of today, they may have referred to the astronomical events as stars. The two planets were found again in the constellation Pisces as well as Mars on Feb 6, 6 BC.
Michael Molnar found that Jupiter underwent an occultation with the moon in the constellation Aries on April 17, 6 BC and again on December 19, 6 BC. Aries is a ram/lamb which would be associated with Israel due to their sacrifices or by Christians with Jesus. The April 17 occultation occurred near the sun during the day and wouldn't have been seen, but given greater attention due to the previous astronomical events any good magi following Jupiter and tracking the moon would have known that this would occur and that on April 17 when this would occur, it would be "in the east". August 23 Jupiter reversed its apparent motion and "went before" anyone following it until it "stood over" being stationary in the transition of its apparent motion right on the second occultation of December 19.
William's Comet Catalog of 1871 identifies a comet visible in 5 BC It was visible from Mar 10 to Apr 27. Such a comet would disappear and reappear as it moved behind the sun which does correspond to Matthew witch inferred that it did so.
Finally, Chinese astronomers recorded a new star, a nova, in the constellation Capricorn visible March to April of 5 BC, for over 70 days.
Herod was an evil warmongering king that had many of his own family killed including two of his sons Aristobulus in 7 BC and Antipater in 4 BC. The later may also have sought the life of any prophesied king of Israel accounting for Matthews's statement that those who had sought the life of Jesus had died.
However, the slaughter of the babies under two years old by Herod has no basis in history. It is utterly mythical and can be traced back to Krishna, another former Christ story.
There was also no great taxation of Israel wherein folks had to return to their birthplaces and the only census by Quirinius when he was the actual governor of Syria was conducted in (6 - 7)AD. On the other hand he did established a seat of government in Syria, including Palestine, from 10 BC to 7 BC in which he would have been responsible for the census of Romans, not Jews, that took place in 7 BC. The new testament gives two contradictory genealogies for Joseph. If they are fictitious and Joseph was a Roman then he could have taken part in the census, but such a census still would not have required the participants to return to their homeland and would have been finished prior to the (6-5)BC astronomical events. Apparently the nativity is also a fiction. It can be traced to the Egyptian mythology where Meh(Meri, Mary) whose consort was Seb (lord or god - Seb, Yo-Seb, Joseph) had a virgin birth of Horus in a cave or manger amongst the beasts under a star, were visited by three magi bearing gifts, and then fled from the serpent Herrut. It appears that someone drawing on the similarity between Herrut and Herod and given the astrological signs decided to fabricate a reason that such a Horus/Krishna/Christ type being would be born amongst beasts about that time. Recalling that there was a census conducted around that time and such were related to taxes, the Horus story was recreated in terms of an Israeli Messiah born in a manger due to no room during a tax. Here we find the birth of modern Christianity.
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