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Outlining the Solar Myth - Aquarius

So far we have:



Aquarius is depicted by a man pouring out a pitcher of water. At left we have the illustration of what Aquarius is supposed to look like on the western horizon, if you have a very good imagination. It takes quite an imagination to see this in the stars. The idea of a man pouring out water has more to do with what is happening at that time of year. (See The constellations don't look like what they're named).

The Sun enters Aquarius around Jan. 20. January is the rainy season. There is a lot of water everywhere. In January the days start to get longer and longer, as the Sun climbs higher and higher in the sky each day. The days also begin to get warmer and warmer, because the angle of the Sun's rays changes (see Cause of the Seasons [offsite]).

The longer warmer days cause any snow that has accumulated in the higher mountains to melt, adding to the inundation of water. Rivers rise and may flood. This is the first step in the harvest cycle. We look forward to the promise of a good harvest later on in the year.

4. The Sun visits Aquarius who immerses the land with water.
Jesus starts his one year ministry by visiting John the Baptist who baptises with water (Matthew 3).

Outlining the Solar Myth -
Theme of Temptation to be Lazy

Near the beginning of any long and difficult journey, such as the one the Sun has just embarked on, there is the temptation to be lazy. Why should the Sun embark on such a long and difficult journey? Why should the Sun bother to climb higher and higher in the sky each day, making the days longer and the dark nights shorter? We want the Sun to conquer the cold and darkness with longer warmer days. The Sun is tempted to be lazy. However, for our sake, the Sun will resist that temptation to give in to the forces of cold and darkness. The Sun has a mission to fulfill. The Sun must embark on its journey so that we may have a bountiful harvest and continue to live.

The temptation to be lazy is a common theme we find expressed near the beginning of a solar myth. The Sun is tempted, but the Sun spurns the temptation. The Sun will not allow cold and darkness to reign. The Sun will continue on it's journey.

5. The temptation to give in to the forces of darkness,
6. and the resistance to that temptation.
[Jesus, after starting his one year mission by visiting John the Baptist (Mat. 3), is tempted by the devil (Mat. 4:1-11)] but he rebukes the devil's offers (Mat. 4:4,7,10-11)]

Aquarius goes below the horizon

After a month has passed the Sun leaves Aquarius and Aquarius goes below the horizon. We might say Aquarius has entered the underworld, or hades, or hell, or has been handed over. Since Aquarius is depicted by a man, we might figuratively say our character has been put in prison, since we won't be seeing Aquarius again at Sunset for quite awhile.

7. The Sun leaves Aquarius. Aquarius is figuratively is put in prison.
After Jesus visits John the Baptist who baptizes him with water, John the Baptist is put "in prison" (Mat. 4:12).

[NOTE: The King James version reads, "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;" (Mat. 4:12 [King James Version]) Actually a more literal translation reads, "And Jesus having heard that John was delivered up, did withdraw to Galilee," (Mat. 4:12 [Young's Literal Translation]) The single word παραδιδωμι, which the KJV version translates as "was cast into prison" means "to deliver up one to custody". The word "prison" is not found anywhere in the Strong's definition. (See Strong's #3860.)

8. The Sun goes on it's way, leaving Aquarius behind.
Jesus goes on his way. (Mat. 4:13-17)

In the Jesus story after Jesus [the Sun], visits John the Baptist [Aquarius] the Bible says, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,....” (Mark 1:14; Matthew 4:12; Luke 3:20; John 3:24).
Suddenly John the Baptist is "put in prison", and Jesus just goes on his merry way! There is no further explanation in the Bible, which seems quite strange if John were a real person. We want to know why he was "put in prison." What crime was he accused of? Who threw him in prison? Was there a trial? Did Jesus attend the trial and speak on his behalf? No. Nothing more is said. Jesus just continues on his journey and appears unconcerned about John the Baptist.

This is all very strange and hard to understand if interpreted as a story of real life events, but it all makes perfect sense when understood as an astronomical allegory.

John the Baptist being put in prison is merely an allegory for the constellation Aquarius at sunset moving lower and lower until it is below the horizon at the end of the month and can no longer be seen. It is a natural phenomenon that requires no further explanation, and that is why there is no further explanation in the Bible.

So Jesus [the Sun], continues on his way into "Galilee". The word "Galilee" literally means "circuit". The original Greek word is γαλιλαις {gal-il-ah'-yah} (Strong's Greek #1056. Click here to see the verse in Greek), which is a word of Hebrew origin לילג {gaw-lee-law'} (Strong's Hebrew #01551). A "circuit" is a closed, usually circular path. The ecliptic is the circuit the Sun travels along during the year. The ecliptic is a great circle inscribed on the celestial sphere. Jesus, a personification of the Sun, continues on his way along the ecliptic, or "Galilee".

Pisces

After the Sun passes through Aquarius, the Sun enters Pisces, the two fish. There's a lot of water around, brought on by Aquarius, and there's no harvest yet, and not much good hunting, so this is a good time to go fishing. Hence the theme of fish and fishing.

9. The Sun visits Pisces, the two fish. Theme of fishing.

Reviewing the Jesus story vs. the solar mythology story, so far we have about the Sun:

1. The Sun is born, or re-born, on December 25th.

2. On the Winter Solstice the sun enters Capricorn. The Sun then passes through Capricorn, traveling 30 degrees in 30 days, to reach Aquarius at "age 30". Entering Aquarius is the first big event of the journey.

3.The Sun's annual journey takes one year.
4.The Sun visits Aquarius who immerses the land with water.
5.The temptation to give in to the forces of darkness,
the resistance to that temptation.
6.The Sun leaves Aquarius. Aquarius is figuratively is put in prison.
7.The Sun goes on it's way, leaving Aquarius behind.
8.The Sun visits Pisces, the two fish. Theme of fishing.

So far we have about Jesus:
1) Born on 25th of December, birthday of the sun.
2) Starts his mission at "age 30" (Luke 3:23)
3) Mission is said to take one year [Synoptic Gospels]
4) Starts his mission by visiting John the Baptist (Mat. 3)
5) Is then tempted by the devil (Mat. 4:1-11)
6) resists the devil's offers (Mat. 4:4,7,10-11)
7) John is put "in prison." (Mat. 4:12)
8) Jesus goes on his way, leaving John behind. (Mat. 4:13-17)
9) Jesus then visits Simon and Peter, two fishermen. (Mat. 4:18-22)

(Note how Aquarius is now below the horizon. We won't be seeing Aquarius for awhile.)

Aries

After passing through Pisces, the Sun enters Aries, the ram, sheep, or lamb. The traditional date for this is the Vernal Equinox (or Spring Equinox), March 21. This is an important date, because this is when day and night are of equal length, and after this day the days are longer than the nights. The battle of warmth and light against cold and darkness has finally been won.

Sin means a deviation from the way things ought to be. The sin of the Earth was that it was cold and dark during Autumn and Winter. We would prefer it to be warm and light. When the Sun reaches the lamb the sin of the earth is figuratively taken away, as that is when the warmth and light of Spring and Summer finally wins over the cold and darkness of Autumn and Winter. Thus figuratively the lamb is that which takes away the sin of the earth.

It's common for solar religions to associate their savior with the zodiac symbol the Sun is in at the Vernal Equinox. Jesus is known as the "lamb of God."

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

"When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36)

Jesus is often depicted with a lamb.



10. The Sun visits Aries, a ram, sheep, or lamb, on the Vernal Equinox, when darkness and cold, the figurative sins of the earth, are overpowered by light and warmth.
[Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the earth.]

11. Easter, when we celebrate Jesus as risen from the grave, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. It is a Spring time celebration of the rebirth of the Sun and the Sun overpowering the cold and darkness of Winter.

Pisces & the Christian Symbol of the Fish

Due to the earth's precession the Vernal Equinox gradually moved from Aries the ram to Pisces the fish sometime vaguely around 1 CE to 300 CE. (Since there are no well defined borders between the zodiac constellations there's no definitive date.) Hence the symbol of a fish, representing Pisces, became the symbol of Christianity, because the Sun was in Pisces, the fish, on the Vernal Equinox.

Sometimes the fish symbol has the Greek letters ΙΧΘΥΣ in it. This is just the Greek word for "fish" (see Strong's Greek #2486). Some people though have made use of the letters of the word as an acronym for a clever phrase.

The symbol of the fish is also found in the miter the Pope wears. (See the fish in the side view?)



As for Christ on the cross, the oldest artistic representations of the Christian cross depict a figure of a lamb (Aries).

The practice of symbolising the saviour by a lamb continued until the Council of Constantinople (692 CE) under the pontificate of Agathon and during the reign of Constantine Pogonat.

It was decreed that, instead of the ancient astrological symbol of Aries the lamb, all crosses depicted in art should be combined with the figure of Jesus.

The retiring of the Lamb as the main Christian symbol, translated from the Latin, is as follows:
In the Roman Sotteranea of Antonio Bosio, concerning the image of Christ under the figure of a lamb:
In certain representations of the images of the saints, a lamb is portrayed. We, therefore, accepting the old forms and shadows as signs of the truth and as traditional symbols of the church, prefer Grace and Truth, which we accept as the fulfilment of the Lamb. So, that which is perfect, let us place in pictures, even before the eyes of all. We have decreed that the Lamb, which taketh away the sins of the world, Christ our God, ought to be portrayed henceforth in human form in place of the Lamb.
(Higgins, Anacalypsis, Vol.2, pp.111-112)

At first, Jesus was represented fully robed, standing calmly before the cross with outstretched arms. The lamb continued to be shown, usually at the foot of the cross.

Later, the figure of Jesus was placed on the cross, undraped, bleeding and tortured by pain from wounds, as he is represented on crucifixes today. Pope Adrian I confirmed this point.

12. Due to earth's precession the Sun is now in Pisces the fish on the Vernal Equinox.
[A fish is now the symbol of Christianity.]

Spring Calms the Storm

Autumn and Winter are the seasons for stormy weather. Around Spring time the storm season ends and we start having nice weather again. So when the Sun enters the constellation of spring time the storms calm.

13. The Sun in Spring brings an end to stormy weather.
[Jesus does a lot of talking in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7. If you have one of those Bibles that print the words Jesus speaks in red you'll see we have several pages entirely red. Scholars of Comparative Religion say all of the ideas expressed here were already extant in previous religions, so there's really nothing new. In Matthew chapter 8 Jesus gets to moving again, and in Matthew 8:23-27 we have the story of how Jesus Calms the Storm.]

Taurus

Around roughly 4000 B.C.E. to 2000 B.C.E. the Sun was in Taurus the bull on the Vernal Equinox, and we find in ancient religions of this period that a bull was worshipped as the one who saves the world from the evils of winter.

Due to the earth's precession this later became Aries the lamb who saves the world, and later when the Sun was in Pisces the symbol of the lamb was abandoned and replaced with that of a fish.

There are no bulls in the Gospels, nor are there any crabs, lions, or scorpions. We do find a bull and lion in Revelations 4:7, "and the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face as of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle." This is a reference to the four seasons of the year. The lion is Leo, the calf is Taurus, the man is Aquarius, and the eagle is one of the three symbols for Scorpio (see Saint Matthew: a sermon by Robert Taylor - 1831)

Instead we need to look at what changes happen around this time of year and compare that to what happens in the Jesus story.

mativka evo ti odgovor

Aquarius Beheaded

Recall how Aquarius went below the horizon early on in our story. Aquarius is down there in the underworld, where the dead are, or is figuratively "put in prison". Some months later, if you wait a few hours after sunset, you'll see Aquarius poking its head up above the eastern horizon, rising from the underworld, and it appears as if Aquarius is being beheaded by the horizon. Aquarius figuratively "rises from the dead" and is beheaded by the night eastern horizon.

By mid-May you only need wait until 11:00 PM to see the beheading of Aquarius. By July it's too late for this story, as Aquarius is already above the eastern horizon by sunset.

14. The head of Aquarius rises from below the eastern horizon (rises from the dead)
15. and appears beheaded by the horizon.

Following the Jesus story we come to the beheading of John the Baptist. John the Baptist, who baptizes with water, is our personification of Aquarius the water bearer, who starts the harvest cycle by bringing on the rainy season. In Matthew 14:1-12 John rises from the dead: "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!" (Matthew 14:2) and then John is beheaded by Herod, a personification of night. (See The Birth of Jesus for more on how Herod is a personification of night and the evil cold and darkness that comes with it.)

16. There is some inference that John somehow survives this beheading and "rises from the dead" intact (Mark 6:16 "When Herod heard this, he said, 'John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead.'") And sure enough as the night progresses we see all of Aquarius rising intact from below the eastern horizon.

The Bible says Joseph took Jesus as a baby and fled to Egypt where they stayed until the death of Herod (Mat. 2:13-15). However, here we have king Herod apparently still alive and ruling 30 years later during Jesus' mission. And now we have a headless John running around still alive. This Jesus story is impossible to interpret literally, but quite easy to interpret using solar mythology. (We'll talk more about Herod in a later lesson.)

The Sun Walks on Water

Right after Taurus the Bull lies the Milky Way, that starry band that lies like a lake across the night sky. The sun crosses the Milky Way around May 20 to June 4.

17. The Sun “walks on the water”.
At this point in Jesus' travels we have the story of Jesus crossing the lake by walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). “Jesus went out to them, walking on the water.”

The Summer Solstice

Since the beginning of the year when our story began the sun has been climbing higher and higher in the sky each day. Each day the sun rises farther northward in the east, and sets farther northward in the west. The days are getting longer and brighter and warmer.

On June 21 we reach the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. On this day the sun rises farthest northward, the sun climbs to its highest point in the sky, and then sets farthest northward in the west. It is the beginning of Summer, a period of bright, sunny, warm, and wonderful weather.

It is at this point in the Jesus Story that we have the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus goes up a high mountain, the highest point Jesus reaches in the story, and shines brighter than ever, the brightest he shines in the whole story. "His face shone like the sun." (Matthew 17:1-13)

18. The sun reaches the Summer Solstice.
Jesus has his transfiguration.

Jesus brings with him Peter, James, and John, and at the mountain top they meet Moses and Elijah. For an interesting aside about Elijah and Moses on the Transfiguration see commentary by Bishop John Shelby Spong.

The Summer Solstice is a turning point in our story. Up to now everything has been getting better and better. But from this day forward the sun starts slipping southward again. The sun can not escape its ultimate fate. The sun will continue slipping southward, Autumn will come, and the sun will eventually die in the cold dark of the Winter Solstice on December 22, to be resurrected again three days later, on December 25—Christmas day. This turning point is the first time we may think about the eventual death of the sun—it's ultimate fate in winter.

Jesus first predicts his death just before the Transfiguration (Matthew 16:21-28). Peter says, "Never Lord! This shall never happen to you!" That is, everything is wonderful right now, let's just have it this way always and forever. But the sun can not remain at it's highest point forever. If it did there would be no seasons of the year and no harvest cycle. We rely on the harvest for our food, without which we would die.

And just as the sun can not escape it's fate, so too Jesus, a personification of the sun, can not escape his fate, as he begins to tell us at this point in the story.

But that is all a long way off. For now all is happy and wonderful. It's summer time, and thoughts of the sun's ultimate death in winter are easily dismissed. It's just too good a time right now. Even though Jesus is now on his way to Jerusalem, where he predicts he will die, it's still a happy story up to this point. Jesus hasn't encountered any problems yet. Indeed, the happiest point in his story is about to occur.

Summer Time

In the Babylonian zodiac the sign for the house of Cancer was the ass and foal.1 Two bright stars in the constellation of Cancer still bear the names "northern Ass" and "southern Ass", with the "southern ass" lying directly on the ecliptic.

"North and south of the nebula Praesepe are two stars, which Orientalists speak of by a name evidently of some antiquity. Asellus means an Ass, and one was called Asellus Borealis, the northern Ass; while the other, Asellus Australis, is the southern Ass. The sign [for Cancer] was afterwards known by the symbol Cancer, which stands for these two asses."2 This glyph for Cancer is still used today.

A quick check of any star map confirms this. The star γ (gamma) is named Asellus Borealis, or 'northern donkey', and the star δ (delta) is named Asellus Australis, or 'southern donkey'.3



"Asellus borealis and Asellus australis, the Northern and the Southern Ass Colt, were the ’Όνοι, or Asses, of Ptolemy and the Greeks; the Aselli, or Asini, of the Latins, distinguished by their position as here given, even to the present day, and now popularly known as the Donkeys. ... and the Arabians similarly knew them as Al Himārain, the Two Asses."4

Hence as the Sun travels through the constellation of Cancer, it figuratively rides two asses, or an ass and colt, into the middle of summer. Of course everyone is happy to greet the arrival of summer. It's the best time of year, and the harvest is just around the corner.

Comparing this with our Jesus story, a high point of the Jesus story is Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, awkwardly riding both an ass and colt. "They brought the ass and the colt and put their garments upon them, and he sat on them. (Matthew 21:7) We have here Jesus riding on both an ass and a colt. Quite a trick if interpreted literally, but in astronomical allegorical terms it's simply what happens.

19. The Sun figuratively rides an ass and foal into the middle of summer.
Jesus rides an ass and colt into Jerusalem.

Recap

Let's review the parallels we have so far between the cronological events in the Jesus story and the corresponding astronomical events in the annual journey of the Sun:



And looking ahead in the Jesus story, we know Jesus eventually dies and is resurrected three days later, just as the Sun dies on the Winter Solstice and is reborn three days later on Christmas day.

Harvest Time

On August 23rd the sun enters the house of Virgo the virgin. Virgo is the virgin that figuratively gives birth to the sun each year when the sun passes out of Virgo. Even though Virgo gives birth, she remains a virgin, just as Mary is the virgin who gives birth to Jesus and yet remains a virgin.



A star on the shoulder of the Virgin Mary was a traditional symbol in all art prior to the 1600's. The star is derived from the star 'Spica', which is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.1 'Spica' is Latin for "ear of wheat," which Virgo holds in her hand. The sun's ecliptic path passes very close to this bright star as it moves through Virgo. Hence when the sun reaches Spica, it's time to harvest the wheat. Virgo is also sometimes depicted as holding an ear of corn.

Food and drink are literally the elements which sustain life. Mother earth brings forth food which grows up out of the ground.

Because life springs forth from the earth, the earth is given the female role of mother, since it is from the female that life emerges.

And if earth is the mother, then the father must be the god above who pours down rain from the sky impregnating the earth.

This is why God above is a masculine "He" instead of a feminine "She" or a sexless "it."

The sun is born or re-born in four different ways:

1.Christmas Day (three days after the Winter Solstice).
2.By passing out of Virgo the virgin.
3.The dawn of every new day the sun arises born again.
4.Solar eclipse.

The following verses describe a solar eclipse:
Isaiah 13:10
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
Jeremiah 15:9
"Her sun will set while it is still day;"
Joel 2:31
"The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood"
The sun is "turned to darkness" during a solar eclipse. The moon becomes as blood during a lunar eclipse, when it is "full" and the earth's shadow falls upon it; it's deep copper colour, like that of dried blood, being due to the fact that the light, falling upon it, has passed through a great depth of the earth's atmosphere.2
Amos 8:9
"In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD,
"I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
Mark 13:24-35 (Matthew 29:29-51)
This is a description of a solar eclipse. "The sun will be darkened." is the solar eclipse. "The moon will not give it's light" because the moon is in front of the sun. "The stars will fall from the sky." During a total solar eclipse it's so dark that the stars become visible. "The day and hour unknown". Today we can predict solar eclipses years in advance down to the minute, and the newspapers always tell us when one is about to happen. Back then a solar eclipse could take a community by surprise. The text essentially says, "Don't panic. The sun will reappear and everything will be alright." The reappearance of the sun after a solar eclipse could be thought of as the sun's "second comming."

The Scales of Justice

After the harvest the sun moves from Virgo into Libra, the Scales. (September). These are the "Scales of Justice." The harvest has been gathered, it is now time to sell the harvest. Scales are used in buying and selling the harvest. At the end of harvest time, when there is nothing left to sell, the money changers pack up and leave. The Bible says, “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers.” (Mark 11:12-19; Matthew 21:12) Jesus, the sun, representing the passage of time, moves out of Libra, the Scales of Justice, and the money changers pack up and leave, because the season has passed and they are finished selling the harvest.

As we enter the season of Autumn the leaves fall from the trees and the trees appear to wither. It is at this point in the story that Jesus is said to curse the fig tree and make it wither, a story which makes no sense if Jesus were a real person, but it makes perfect sense when understood as an allegory. It is simply Autumn, and Jesus, the sun, who makes the seasons pass, causes the leaves to fall from the trees (Mark 11:20-25; Matthew 21:18-22)



In the Jesus story we then have the Last Supper, where Jesus and his twelve disciples, a reference to the twelve zodiac months of the year, recline and eat the harvest. (Mark 14:12-26; Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 22:7-38)

This is the natural time of year to have a huge feast. In America we celebrate Thanksgiving and have a huge feast of food.

We eat the flesh of the fruit—figuratively the flesh of Jesus, who personifies the sun which make the fruit grow; and we drink wine—the blood of the grapes, figuratively the blood of Jesus, who personifies the sun which made the grapes grow.
Without this food we would perish.

Note that food and drink are literally the elements which sustains life.

When we participate in the Communion ritual in church we eat bread, figuratively the body of Jesus, and drink wine (or grape juice), figuratively the blood of Jesus, because food and drink are literally the elements which sustains life.

It is the sun which makes plants grow so we can have food to eat and wine to drink. We personify the sun as Jesus and then give thanks to Jesus (the sun) for our food and drink. The harvest is our salvation.

Scorpio

In late October the sun enters Scorpio, the Scorpion. The name of this sign in Arabic and Syriac is Al Akrab, which means wounding him that cometh.

The brightest star in this sign bears the ancient Arabic name of Antares, which means the wounding.1

Thus, when the sun enters the house of Scorpio, the Scorpion figuratively stings the sun wounding it to make it slowly die.

By late October it becomes very noticeable that the days are getting shorter and colder as the sun rises lower and lower each day. The sun, which lived to give us the harvest of food so that we may live, is now weak and dying. Darkness and cold begin to reign. The sun spends more of it's time down below in the underworld then it does above. The sun has descended down into hell. Night is longer than day, and the days aren't very warm.

We've harvested the food. We've had our feast. Now the year tragically winds down and comes to an end as the days become short and cold. Similarly, after the last supper the Jesus story goes tragically downhill.

In the Jesus story Jesus is betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve.

Judas represents Scorpio the scorpion. Scorpio stings the sun condemning it to death, just as Judas kisses Jesus condemning him to death.

It is interesting to note that even though the chief priests want to arrest and kill Jesus, they can not identify which person is Jesus, and resort to bribing Judas to point him out for them.

It should be obvious by now which person Jesus is. Jesus has thousands of people following him. A huge crowd welcomed him as he entered Jerusalem, riding both an ass and a colt, quite a theatrical performance that would naturally draw a crowd. After entering Jerusalem Jesus continues to teach every day to the crowds assembled. Supposedly by now anyone could point him out, yet inexplicably the chief priests can not identify him, and resort to bribing Judas to point him out for them.

Judas is a personification of Scorpio. Pilate, whom Jesus sees next after being betrayed by Judas, is a personification of Sagittarius, the next sign in the zodiac following Scorpio.

Scorpio, the scorpion, stings the sun condemning it to death, just as Judas kisses Jesus condemning him to death. After the sun has it's fateful encounter with Scorpio it moves on to Sagittarius, leaving Scorpio below the horizon, a figurative death for Scorpio.

Similarly, after Jesus (the sun) is kissed by Judas (Scorpio), Jesus (the sun) moves to stand trial before Pilate (Sagittarius), and Judas (Scorpio) dies a tragic death.

There is a contradiction in the Bible regarding the death of Judas. Matthew 27:3-5 claims Judas returns the money and then hangs himself in an act of suicide. But in Acts 1:18 Judas is said to have used the money to buy a field in which "he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out," which sounds somewhat like an accident. Christian apologists try to come up with clever scenarios whereby both are true so there is no contradiction. I leave it to the reader and his imagination to try and reconcile these two conflicting passages. For our purposes we only care that Judas dies (Matthew 27:1-10), followed immediately by Jesus being handed over to Pilate (Matthew 27:11-26).

Sagittarius

Sagittarius is the last constellation the sun passes through before the Winter Solstice, when our story ends. Similarly, Pilate is the last person Jesus sees in his story before the story ends. Pontius Pilate is a personification of Sagittarius.

Sagittarius is a man on a horse with a bow and arrow. The theme is hunting. We're all done harvesting, so let's go hunting. It is a good time of the year to go hunting. The animals are full grown. And we've not much else to do, except it sure is getting dark and cold this time of year, isn't it? What's happening to our sun? It seems to be leaving us. Will it leave us forever?

After the death of Judas (after Scorpio goes below the horizon), Jesus (the sun) is handed over to Pontius Pilate (Sagittarius). Pilate is the last person Jesus encounters in the story before being put to death, only to be resurrected three days later; just as Sagittarius is the last zodiac month of the year the sun passes through before dying on the Winter Solstice, December 22, only to be resurrected three days later and begin anew its journey northward, on December 25, Christmas day.

"Pontius", ποντιος {pon'-tee-os} (Strong's Greek #4194), is literally "of the sea", a reference to the sea of stars above. (It's also of Latin origin, betraying it's late addition to the text.) [Click here to see the verse in Greek].

"Pilate", πειλατος {pil-at'-os} (Strong's Greek #4091), is literally "armed with a spear". Sagittarius, the archer, is armed with a bow and arrow, which serves the same purpose as a spear. The theme is hunting. We're all done harvesting, so let's go hunting.

Sagittarius also pierces the side of the sun with his arrow, just as Jesus has his side pierced while on the cross.1

But the days are getting shorter and shorter, and colder and colder, as the year comes to a close. The dark nights are getting longer. Things look dark and gloomy. What will happen to our savior, the sun, who makes the harvest grow providing us with life saving food? Will he disappear forever? Are we doomed? Is this the end? The good news of the Bible is, "No, this is not the end. It is the preface to a new beginning. The sun will arise again, the cycle will begin anew, and we will all be saved, again."

HEROD
Jesus is handed over to Herod (Luke 23:7-11) This makes it somewhat difficult for us to place these events in a historical context, because Herod died in 4 B.C., yet here we apparently have him alive again, at a time supposedly around A.D. 27. Christian apologists deal with this by claiming this is a different Herod, not the same Herod who tried to kill Jesus when Jesus was born. Christian apologists go even further to claim the Herod mentioned in Acts 23 is a third Herod. Well, why not? After all, the Bible doesn't explicitly say these are all the same Herod.

But of course using this logic we could claim multiple copies of any character whenever it was convenient for us. We could have two Judas characters, both who betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, one who returns the money and hangs himself (Matthew 27:3-5), and the other who uses the money to buy a field in which "he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out." (Acts 1:18). The Bible doesn't say there are two different people both named Judas, but then again the Bible doesn't explicitly say the Judas who tripped and fell is the same Judas who hanged himself, though such would be the natural conclusion, were it not for the fact that the two versions of the story contradict one another.

So the Bible does not explicitly say this is a different Herod, though it would be the norm for any writer to mention such a thing if it really were a different person who happens to have the same name. After all the Bible does distinguish between John the Baptist and John the brother of James and son of Zebedee, so there's no confusion between which John it is referring to. Yet for Herod the Bible makes no distinction, leading us to believe it is the same Herod mentioned earlier.

This of course leaves us desperate when trying to force this story into a historical context. However, there is no problem when we interpret the story as an allegory, with Jesus a personification of the sun and Herod a personification of the darkness and cold of night time and the dark and cold seasons of Autumn and Winter.

As an allegory Herod figuratively "dies" every morning with the rising of the sun (Jesus), and regains power every evening with the setting of the sun.

Herod also looses power when the bright warm seasons of Spring and Summer commence. Herod regains power in the dark and cold seasons of Autumn and Winter.

Herod is a personification of Night. Herod, or the darkness of Night, is taking over Jesus, the sun, as the days get shorter and shorter in Autumn and darkness begins to reign. (See Matthew Chapter 2—The Birth of Jesus for more on King Herod).

ANTI-SEMITISM
We also have clear anti-Semitism in the Bible here. The writer makes it very clear it is the Jews who are forever to blame for demanding Jesus be crucified. The Bible says, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25) Christians have used this passage ever since to justify persecution of the Jews. Yet the Jews don't have this as a part of their sacred scriptures. You don't find anywhere in the Old Testament a statement that the Jews should forever hence forth be persecuted. It is only in the Christian scriptures that we find this statement.

Imagine if the Koran had a statement that Muslims used to justify endless persecution of Christians. Christians would forever be persecuted by Muslims, because of a statement in the Koran, a book Christians don't believe is holy scripture and never read.

Persecution of Jews diminished after World War II when it was revealed that 6 million Jews had been exterminated during the war by the Nazis. It finally became unfashionable to persecute Jews.

THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
Jesus is crucified and placed in a cave. It is the end of the story. A sad ending. But have faith. Jesus, the sun, will arise again — a new year will begin. Three days after Jesus is placed in the cave he will arise again. This is the prophecy. This is the good news of the Bible.

On Christmas day, December 25, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. December 22 was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, when the sun was at its lowest. Three days later, on December 25, the sun rises 1/10 of it's width farther north — just barely detectable by carefully observing the shadows cast at sunrise. Our savior, the sun, has been reborn, to begin the cycle of the year and the cycle of life again.

Originally Jesus was said to have been born in a cave. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1910) article on "Bethlehem" says, “The tradition of the birth in a cave was widely accepted, as we see from Origen's words about a century later: — In Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the rumor is in those places and among foreigners of the Faith that indeed Jesus was born in this cave —. (Contra Celsum, I, li.) It is reproduced also in the apocryphal gospels (Pseudo-Matt., xiii, ap. Bonaccorsi, op. cit., 159-163; Protevang. of James, xvii sqq., Bonaccorsi, 155-159; Gospel of the Infancy, II-IV, Bonaccorsi, 163-164).”
[See Eusebius's Life of Constantine, lib. 3, chs xl, xli, and xlii.] [Also see Matthew Chapter 2—The Birth of Jesus]

[Also note that archaeological evidence indicates Bethlehem of Judea was uninhabited at the alleged time of Jesus' birth. "There is surprisingly no archaeological evidence that ties Bethlehem in Judea to the period in which Jesus would have been born." (The likelihood is there was no settlement at this site at that time.)— Where was Jesus really Born? Archaeology magazine’s article Volume 58 Number 6, November/December 2005]

Hence the story is circular, just as the years are circular. A new year begins after the old year ends.

Father Time Baby New Year On New Years Eve we personify Father Time and Baby New Year, but we know these two figures aren't real people, they are merely personifications of the passage of time and the beginning of a new year. The current year is old and finished with. A new year is about to begin. The moment the Old Year ends a New Year begins. The cycle of life is circular and never ending.

In the Gospel story of Jesus, after his resurrection the story ends. People have always asked what did he do after that? Why does the story end here? Why isn't the rest of his life chronicled? — The reason is, if you want to read the continuation of the story, turn back to page one. The story is circular. Three days after Jesus dies and is placed in the cave he is born again, and the story begins anew.

In church it is customary to begin reading through one of the Gospels at the beginning of the year. Each Sunday we take the next chunk of the story and read it and the pastor makes a sermon on it, never realizing that the story is an allegory for the passage of time, the seasons of the year, which we ourselves live and experience, as we live our lives, dependent on the sun for light and for food.

Conclusion

how Jesus' one year ministry and travels parallel that of the Sun passing through the Zodiac.

Solar Mythology and the Jesus Story

LINK

https://solarmythology.com/lessons/christ2002.htm

Addendum

Vertical and Horizontal thinking.

Some Christians acknowledge the Gospel story can be found in the starry night sky, but rather than diminish their faith it increases their faith.

Vertical vs. Horizontal Thinking
Some devout Christians in the past have acknowledged the connection between stories in the Bible we see acted out in the starry night sky above. In 1882 Joseph A. Seiss published the book The Gospel In The Stars in which he shows how elements of the Gospel story can be found in the constellations. But rather than conclude astronomy provides the origin of these stories, the author concludes the exact opposite. Seiss says, "Instead of proving Christianity a mere revival of old mythologies, they give powerful inpulse toward the conclusion that the constellations and their associated myths and traditions are themselves, in their original, from the very same prophetic Spirit whence the Sacred Scriptures have come."

Hence discovering the Gospel story spelled out in the stars does not diminish their faith in the literal truth of Christianity, but instead increases it. For the devout Christian everything emanates from God. Hence finding the sacred story written in the stars proves God put it there. Their vertical logic goes like this:



This is far different from the horizontal logic of the freethinker which goes like this:



Here is a more detailed description of the history of mankind according to the freethinker:

1. Ancient Man becomes aware of the cyclical seasons of the year. Man discovers he can tell what time of this yearly cycle it currently is by observing the position of the Sun against the celestial sphere. As the year progresses the Sun appears to journey through the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. At the end of the year the Sun completes its journey through the twelve constellations and ends up back where it started, ready to begin the journey anew.

2. From this scientific observation and knowledge Man learns he can settle down and farm the land, rather than spend all his time as a hunter/gatherer. However, the community needs to have faith that this farming technique will work, hence Religion is born. The stories which are allegories for celestial events become sacred religious stories.

3. Man makes up stories which are allegories for these celestial events. The stories are eventually written down so they may be passed to future generations.

4.It becomes politically advantageous for the high priests who know how to read the stars and understand the allegorical nature of the religious stories to keep their knowledge a secret so they alone can retain their religious power. This way they can rule over the people, telling them when to plant the crops and when to reap the harvest, without doing any of the hard labor themselves. The high priests are too special for that.

5.Later secret societies arise. These societies know the allegorical nature of the story, that is their secret, but they make new members swear never to reveal the secret, as it has become traditional to keep this a secret.

6.The allegorical nature of the stories is lost. The common people, unaware of the allegorical nature of the stories, accept them as literal truth history rather than allegories. They believe the events depicted actually happened here on earth. The allegorical nature of the stories is probably what the Gnostics were trying to tell the common people, except they have been sworn to secrecy.

7.The high priests who know how to read the stars keep the knowledge secret to themselves so they alone can retain their religious power.

8.The allegorical nature of the stories is forgotten.
9.The stories are misinterpreted as real history.

10.The stories, misinterpreted as real history, get written down.

11.Many religions evolve containing crucified saviors. Bacchus Dyonesius, Horus Osiris, Mithra.

12.Another offspring of the crucified savior theme emerges Jesus. The religion is quite similar to previous religions.

13.Christian appologists, the early christian founding fathers argue that Christianity is the true religion, and all the other religions which predate Christianity yet are so similar to Christianity are false and the work of the Devil or wicked demons.

14.Christianity becomes the state religion. All other religions are violently suppressed. All books of knowledge inconsistent with Christianity are burned. The library at alexander is burned. All knowledge is destroyed. All knowledgeable people are burned. We enter a millenia known as the Dark Ages.

15. The enlightenment.


The Bible we have now contains stories which are allegories. The allegorical nature of the stories has been lost. However, there appears to be strong evidence that we should look to the stars to find the origin and allegorical nature of these stories.

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Here now is the logic of conservatives like Joseph A. Seiss:

1.God who creates everything writes in the stars the story of his ultimate plan for mankind's salvation.

2.False religions containing crucified saviors are created by the Devil based on these stories and revelations.

3.The story of Jesus literally happens as God planned and fortold.

4.Christianity, which looks surprisingly similar to many other existing religions, is born.

5.God divinely inspires scribes to write down the story of what happened. The stories end up in the Bible.

6. Christian appologists, the early christian founding fathers argue that Christianity is the true religion, and all the other religions which predate Christianity yet are so similar to Christianity are false and the work of the Devil or wicked demons.

7.People argue about what texts should and should not be included in the canon. The Catholics have one Bible, the Protestants have a different Bible which omits many books they claim are apocryphal.

8.The Bible we have now contains the story of Jesus which actually happened.

Story in the stars --> Story literally happens --> Story Written Down

(After reading The Gospel In The Stars by Joseph A. Seiss I think he is the kind of person who would find the Gospel in a random ink blot. He completely misses the story of the Sun's annual journey through the Zodiac.)

THE CHRISTIAN CROSS

The cross Jesus is crucified on represents the division of the four seasons of the year: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn. The four posts of the Cross divide the year into the four seasons. The circle you often see in the center of the Cross, the symbol of Christianity, represents the ecliptic, the circular path of the Sun.

A planisphere is a map of the starry night sky. A planisphere also doubles as a time of year calendar. On the planisphere along with the stars is drawn the ecliptic — the apparent path the Sun takes through the stars during the year. On the planisphere the ecliptic is close to a circle. You can divide the planisphere into the four seasons of the year by drawing a cross on it. Thus you end up with a cross with a circle in the middle. The Cross on top of Goleta Presbyterian Church has the traditional circle in the middle of it.

The whole Bible is mostly astrological allegories. The reason the book of Revelation doesn't make any sense is because it's an astrological allegory. It makes sense when you start to interpret it in that manner. [See The Book of Revelation]. The Old Testament also originated as an astrological allegory.

The story of Adam and Eve is the story of Virgo and Bootes, the constellation next to Virgo.

The whole story of Moses is an astrological allegory. There is no evidence that any of it actually happened, and quite a lot of evidence that it didn't.

So is the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, the youngest and most favorite of twelve brothers. The number 12 again is a tip off that this is an astrological allegory of the 12 months of the year and the 12 signs of the Zodiac.

Not only that, solar mythology goes beyond the Bible and can be shown to be the basis of most of our oldest and most cherished folk tales and fables. Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stalk, Cinderella, Homer's Odyssey (Odysseus is the Sun who takes a long journey, yearning to return to his wife, Penelope, who represents Virgo. Odysseus then shoots an arrow through twelve axes, representing the twelve months of the year; a feat only the Sun can do) — they all trace their roots back to solar mythology as astrological allegories. They are creative personifications of natural phenomenon. (For more information see the rare book Fairy Tales: Their Origin and Meaning by John Thackray Bunce, 1878.)

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The story of Adam and Eve is the story of Virgo and Bootes, the constellation next to Virgo.



vidi ti ovo. Coma Berenices. this is my lucky day.