Asunción de María

In the 600 ^th year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on this day, all the fountains of the great deep broke open and the windows of the heaven were opened… And the waters of the Flood were upon the earth… En el cuarto ^año 600 la vida de Noé, en el decimoséptimo día del segundo mes a la fecha, todas las fuentes del gran abismo se abrió y las ventanas de los cielos se abrieron ... Y las aguas del diluvio vinieron sobre la tierra ...

In the 601 ^st year… on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth dried. En el año 601 ^ª ... en el vigésimo séptimo día del segundo mes, la tierra seca.

Genesis 7:10-11; ibid. Génesis 7:10-11; ibid. 8:13-14 8:13-14

The discrepancy between these two dates] represents the eleven days which the solar year is greater than the lunar year; hence the Flood lasted a complete year. La discrepancia entre estas dos fechas] representa a los once días que el año solar es mayor que el año lunar, por lo que el diluvio duró un año completo.

Rashi, on Genesis 8:13. Rashi, en Génesis 8:13.

You've designated the weekend for some quality time with your family when the phone rings; naturally, it's an emergency at the office which requires your immediate involvement. Usted ha designado el fin de semana desde hace algún tiempo de calidad con su familia cuando suena el teléfono, por supuesto, que es una emergencia en la oficina que haga necesaria su intervención inmediata. You've set aside the evening for volunteer work in your community; instead, you spend it with your neighborhood mechanic attending to another eruption of car trouble. Se han reservado la tarde para el trabajo voluntario en su comunidad, sino que lo pasa con su mecánico de barrio de asistir a otra erupción de problemas con el coche.

Few of us, fortunately, have faced a “real” flood in which torrents of water threaten to engulf one's home. Pocos de nosotros, afortunadamente, se han enfrentado a una "verdadera" inundación en la que torrentes de agua amenazan con engullir su casa propia. But we're all familiar with the experience of being flooded with the cares of material life, of being swamped with all sorts of matters demanding our attention just when we were finally getting down to the things which are truly important and precious to us. Pero todos estamos familiarizados con la experiencia de ser inundado con las preocupaciones de la vida material, de ser inundado con todo tipo de asuntos que exigen nuestra atención justo cuando estábamos por fin ponerse a las cosas que son verdaderamente importante y valioso para nosotros.

The Chassidic masters explain that this is the contemporary significance of the great Flood which the Torah describes in the seventh and eighth chapters of Genesis. Los maestros jasídicos explican que este es el significado contemporáneo de la gran inundación que la Torá describe en los capítulos séptimo y octavo del libro del Génesis. A basic tenet of Chassidic teaching is that everything in the Torah is eternal, its “historical” events ever-present realities in our lives. Un principio básico de la enseñanza jasídica es que todo en la Torá es eterna, la realidad de sus "históricos" los acontecimientos cada vez más presentes en nuestras vidas. Noah's Flood is the prototype for a challenge which we all face: the flood of material concerns which threatens to smother the flame of spiritual striving we harbor in our souls. [1] Diluvio de Noé es el prototipo de un desafío que todos enfrentamos. La inundación de las preocupaciones materiales que amenaza con sofocar la llama de la lucha espiritual albergamos en nuestra alma [1]

Indeed, our sages tell us that Noah's Flood began as an ordinary rainfall, which the misdeeds of man caused to escalate into the Flood. En efecto, nuestros sabios nos dicen que el diluvio de Noé comenzó como una lluvia normal, que las fechorías del hombre causadas con derivar en la inundación. In other words, in their proper proportion and context as a regulated means to a higher end, the metaphorical waters of materiality are a beneficial, life-nurturing rain; but when allowed to overstep their bounds, they become a destructive deluge. En otras palabras, en su debida proporción y el contexto como una forma regulada a un fin superior, las aguas metafóricas de la materialidad es un beneficio, la vida, la crianza de lluvia, pero cuando se les permite traspasar sus límites, se convierten en un diluvio destructivo.

The deeper significance of Noah's Flood is also reflected in the fact that it began and ended in the second month of the Jewish year, the month of Cheshvan. El significado más profundo del Diluvio de Noé también se refleja en el hecho de que comenzó y terminó en el segundo mes del año judío, el mes de Jeshvan.

The first month of the year, the festival-rich month of Tishrei, is wholly devoted to spiritual pursuits: the renewal of our commitment to the Divine Sovereignty on Rosh HaShanah; repenting our failings on Yom Kippur; celebrating our unity as a people and Gd's providence of our lives on Sukkot; rejoicing in our bond with the Torah on Simchat Torah. El primer mes del año, el mes del festival rico de Tishrei, está totalmente dedicado a la búsqueda espiritual: la renovación de nuestro compromiso con la soberanía de Dios en Rosh Hashaná, arrepintiéndose nuestros fracasos en Iom Kipur, la celebración de nuestra unidad como pueblo y los de Di-s la providencia de nuestras vidas en Sucot, regocijándose en nuestro vínculo con la Torá en Simjat Torá. The following month, Cheshvan, marks our return to the “daily grind” of material life. Al mes siguiente, Jeshvan, marca el regreso a la "rutina diaria" de la vida material. On Cheshvan, rain begins to fall in the Holy Land and the Israelite farmer plows and sows his fields, signifying the return to a life that derives its nourishment from the earth. En Jeshvan, la lluvia comienza a caer en la Tierra Santa y los arados de los agricultores de Israel y la siembra de sus campos, lo que significa el retorno a una vida que se deriva su alimento de la tierra. It is no coincidence that Cheshvan (also called Mar-Cheshvan— mar meaning both “bitter” and “water”) is the most ordinary of months —the only month of the year without a single festival or special occasion. [2] No es casualidad que Jeshvan (también llamado Mar-Jeshvan-mar que significa tanto "amargo" y "agua") es el más ordinario de los meses, el único mes del año sin una sola fiesta o una ocasión especial. [2]

Noah's Flood commenced on the 17 ^th of Cheshvan in the year 1656 from creation, and ended on Cheshvan 27 of the following year. Diluvio de Noé comenzó ^el 17 de Jeshvan en el año 1656 desde la creación, y terminó el 27 de Jeshvan del año siguiente.

The biblical commentaries explain that the Flood lasted exactly one year, and that the 11-day discrepancy in the dates represents the 11-day difference between the solar and lunar years. Los comentarios bíblicos explican que el diluvio duró exactamente un año, y que la discrepancia de 11 días en las fechas representa la diferencia de 11 días entre los años solares y lunares.

This reflects the fact that different components of the calendar are based on a variety of natural cycles which do not easily lend themselves to synchronization. Esto refleja el hecho de que diferentes componentes del calendario se basan en una variedad de ciclos naturales que no se prestan fácilmente a la sincronización. The month derives from the moon's 29.5 day orbit of the earth; the year, from the 365-day solar cycle. El mes se deriva de 29,5 días órbita de la luna de la tierra, el año, desde el ciclo solar de 365 días. The problem is that 12 lunar months add up to 354 days—eleven days short of the solar year. El problema es que 12 meses lunares suman 354 días, once días menos que el año solar.

Most calendars deal with this discrepancy by simply ignoring one or the other celestial timekeepers. La mayoría de los calendarios de hacer frente a esta discrepancia, simplemente haciendo caso omiso de uno o los relojes celestes. For example, the Gregorian Calendar (which has attained near-universal status) is completely solar based. Por ejemplo, el calendario gregoriano (que ha alcanzado casi universal de estado) es completamente solar con base. Its 365 days are divided into 12 segments of 30 or 31 days, but these “months” have lost all connection with their original association with the moon. Sus 365 días se divide en 12 segmentos de 30 o 31 días, pero estos "meses" han perdido toda relación con su asociación original con la luna. There are also calendars (such as the Moslem Calendar) which are exclusively lunar-based, with months that are faithfully attuned to the phases of the moon. También hay calendarios (como el calendario musulmán) que son exclusivamente de base lunar, con meses de que se cumplan fielmente en sintonía con las fases de la luna. Twelve such months are regarded as a year, but these “years” bear no relation to the solar cycle (a given date in such a calendar will, in certain years, fall in the midst of summer and, in other years, in the dead of winter). Doce meses son considerados como tales un año, pero estos "años" no guardan relación con el ciclo solar (de una fecha determinada, de tal calendario, en algunos años, caer en medio del verano y, en otros años, en los muertos de invierno).

The Jewish calendar is unique in that it reconciles the solar and lunar time-streams. El calendario judío es único en que concilia el tiempo de las corrientes solar y lunar. By employing a complex 19-year cycle in which months alternate between 29 and 30 days and years alternate between 12 and 13 months, the Jewish calendar sets its months by the moon, and its years by the sun, combining lunar time and solar time into a single system while preserving the integrity of each. Mediante el empleo de un complejo de 19 años del ciclo en el que se alternan meses entre 29 y 30 días y los años se alternan entre 12 y 13 meses, el calendario judío establece sus meses por la luna, y sus años por el sol, la combinación de tiempo lunar y el tiempo solar en un solo sistema, manteniendo la integridad de cada uno.

For the sun and the moon represent the two sides of a dichotomy which bisects virtually every aspect of our existence—a dichotomy whose differences we must respect and preserve even as we incorporate them in a cohesive approach to life. Para el sol y la luna representan las dos caras de una dicotomía que divide prácticamente todos los aspectos de nuestra existencia-una dicotomía cuyas diferencias debemos respetar y preservar así como que las incorporan en un enfoque coherente a la vida.

In previous essays, we have explored various aspects of the solar/lunar polarity: the contrast between the surety and consistency of tradition on the one hand, and the yen for flux, innovation and creativity on the other [3] ; the male/female dynamic, which imbues us with the passion to give and bestow on the one hand, and the capacity to accept and receive on the other. [4] On this occasion, we shall dwell on another aspect of this cosmic duality: the twinship of spirit and matter. En ensayos anteriores, se han explorado diversos aspectos de la polaridad solar / lunar: el contraste entre la certeza y la consistencia de la tradición, por un lado, y el yen para el flujo, la innovación y la creatividad, por otro [3] , el hombre / mujer dinámica, que nos impregna con la pasión de dar y conceder, por un lado, y la capacidad de aceptar y recibir en el otro. [4] En esta ocasión, nos detendremos en otro aspecto de esta dualidad cósmica: el hermanamiento de espíritu y la materia.

The spiritual and the material are often equated with light and darkness. Lo espiritual y lo material a menudo se equipara con la luz y la oscuridad. Indeed, a number of religions and moral-systems regard the spiritual as enlightened, virtuous and desirable, and the physical-material side of life as belonging to the “forces of darkness.” The Torah, however, has a different conception of spirituality and materiality—a conception embodied by the solar/lunar model. De hecho, una serie de religiones y los sistemas de moral, de considerar lo espiritual como ilustrado, virtuoso y deseable, y el aspecto físico-material de la vida como perteneciente a las "fuerzas de la oscuridad." La Torá, sin embargo, tiene una concepción diferente de la espiritualidad y materialidad-una concepción encarnada en el modelo solar / lunar.

The sun is a luminous body while the moon is a dark lump of matter.Yet both are luminaries. [5] Both serve us as sources of light, the difference being that the sun's light is self-generated, while the moon illuminates by receiving and reflecting the light of the sun. El sol es un cuerpo luminoso, mientras que la luna es un bulto oscuro de matter.Yet ambos son luminarias. [5] Los dos nos sirven como fuentes de luz, con la diferencia que la luz del sol es auto-generada, mientras que la luna ilumina al recibir y reflejando la luz del sol.

Spirituality is a direct effusion of divine light. La espiritualidad es un derrame directo de la luz divina. When studying Torah, praying, or performing a mitzvah, we are in direct contact with Gd; we are manifestly revealing His truth in the world. Al estudiar la Torá, la oración, o la realización de una mitzvá, estamos en contacto directo con Dios, estamos claramente que revele su verdad en el mundo. But not every thought of man relates directly to the Divine Wisdom; not every word we utter is a prayer; not every deed we perform is a mitzvah. Pero no todos los pensamientos del hombre se relaciona directamente con la Sabiduría Divina, no cada palabra que pronunciamos es una oración, no toda acción que realizamos es una mitzvá. Gd created us as material creatures, compelled to devote a considerable part of our time and energies to satisfy a multitude of material needs. Di-s nos creó como criaturas materiales, obligados a dedicar una parte considerable de nuestro tiempo y energías para satisfacer a una multitud de necesidades materiales. By necessity and design, much of our life is “lunar,” comprised of the “dark matter” of non-holy pursuits. Por necesidad y el diseño, gran parte de nuestra vida es "lunar", compuesto por la "materia oscura" de la no-santos actividades.

Dark matter, however, need not mean an absence of light. La materia oscura, sin embargo, no significa necesariamente la ausencia de luz. It can be a moon—dark matter serving as a conduit of light. Puede ser una cuestión de luna oscura actúa como un conducto de luz. It's all a matter of positioning. Es todo una cuestión de posicionamiento. The moon is dark matter positioned in such a way as to convey the light of the sun to places to which it cannot flow directly from its source. La luna es la materia oscura posicionado de tal manera como para transmitir la luz del sol a los lugares en los que no puede fluir directamente en su fuente. Placed in the proper context, the material involvements of life can serve as facilitators of divine truth to places which, in and of themselves, are not in the “direct line” of spirituality and holiness. Situado en el contexto adecuado, las implicaciones materiales de la vida puede servir como facilitadores de la verdad divina a los lugares que, en sí mismos, no están en la "línea directa" de la espiritualidad y la santidad. The proceeds of unavoidable overtime at the workplace can be translated into additional resources for charity; the unplanned trip to the mechanic can be the start of a new friendship and a positive influence on a fellow man. El producto de las horas extraordinarias inevitables en el lugar de trabajo puede traducirse en recursos adicionales para obras de caridad, el viaje no planeado a la mecánica puede ser el comienzo de una nueva amistad y una influencia positiva en el prójimo.

Our lives include both a solar and a lunar track—a course of spiritual achievement as well as a path of material endeavor. Nuestras vidas deben incluir tanto la solar y lunar-una pista de un curso de realización espiritual, así como un camino de esfuerzo material. These orbits do not run in tandem—at times they clash, giving rise to dissonance and conflict. Estas órbitas no se ejecutan en paralelo-a veces chocan, dando lugar a la disonancia y conflicto. The simple solution would be to follow a single route, choosing an exclusively solar or exclusively lunar path through life. La solución más sencilla sería la de seguir una ruta única, la elección de un camino exclusivamente solar o lunar exclusivamente a través de la vida. But the Jewish calendar does not avail itself of the simple solution. Sin embargo, el calendario judío no recurrir a la solución simple.

Our calendar insists that we incorporate both systems in our time-trajectory: that we cultivate a solar self—thoughts and feelings, deeds and endeavors, moments and occasions of consummate holiness and spirituality; and at the same time develop a lunar personality—a material life which reflects and projects our other, spiritual self. Nuestro calendario insiste en que se incorporan ambos sistemas en nuestro tiempo-trayectoria: que cultivemos un solar auto-pensamientos y sentimientos, acciones y esfuerzos, momentos y ocasiones de la santidad consumada y la espiritualidad, y al mismo tiempo, desarrollar una personalidad, un lunar de materiales la vida que refleja y proyecta nuestro otro yo, espiritual.

This is also the lesson implicit in the 365-day duration of Noah's Flood. Esta es también la lección implícita en la duración de 365 días del Diluvio de Noé. The deluge of material concerns which threaten to overwhelm our lives can be mastered and sublimated. El diluvio de preocupaciones materiales que amenazan con abrumar a nuestras vidas puede ser dominada y sublimada. The Flood can be reconciled with the solar calendar and made part of a “complete year” in which lunar and solar time converge and the moon receives and conveys the light of the sun. La inundación puede conciliarse con el calendario solar y forman parte de un "año completo" en el que el tiempo lunar y solar y la luna convergen recibe y transmite la luz del sol.

   An interesting aspect of the teachings of the Magi comes from their founder, Zoroaster whose writings in the Zend Avesta, uphold much of the depth of meaning we found in Numbers 24:17. The Magi may have also applied this prophecy to the return of the older Zoroaster. The ancient roots of the Zoroastrianism lie in the ancient Persian traditions, and share many common elements with Judaism and Christianity. The tenets of the Christian Faith were preserved by God and handed down to other faithful men via the oral traditions, even as the truths of the Biblical Patriarchs were. The historical record bears this out, relating to the important point of how the Babylonian zodiac of 12 signs each of 30 degrees was transmitted to ancient Greece. Many scholars are not certain, as to the process by which this occurred, thus its an engaging point of history that both the ancient Greeks and Babylonians came under the rule of the Persian empire initiated by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. It was during the rule of Darius I "the Mede" that the Prophet Daniel presided over his Court Astronomers and Chaldeans. Drawing on the rich astronomical traditions of the Biblical Patriarchs not to mention, the famous astronomical expertise of the Persian Magi, Daniel's potent influence convinced Darius to adopt some salient principles of Biblical Astronomy in the period around 522 BC. Certain important aspects of Zoroastrianism agreed with the Biblical standard practiced by the Hebrews, carried on by Daniel. The Magi would certainly have been familiar with Daniel's prophecy concerning the 70 weeks judged on Jerusalem relating to the coming Messiah, [Dan. 9:2, 24-27]. Daniel's influence had the added effect of preserving the astronomical truths of the promised seed, contained in the form of the zodiacal narrative, which God put in the most capable hands of the time. To illustrate this point more robustly, let's look at the practice of the Intercalation of months in the Hebrew Lunar Calendar, an important part of this practice of the Israelites in preserving their astronomical heritage.

   We know the Hebrew practice of Intercalation of months dates back at least to the time of Moses, who instituted the sacred observances of the Old Testament Law during Israel's wanderings in the wilderness in the mid-second millennium BC. This preceded Meton of Athens who is given credit for discovering the saros in 432 BC, by at least a thousand years. The roots of the word "saros," and its practices however are much older. The Calendar of Israel is governed by the 354-355 day lunar year with twelve months of 29 or 30 days. The named months of the Israelite year coincide with the Babylonian months, including Adar Sheni, the extra 13th month which was added to keep the solar year aligned with the seasons. The practice of Intercalation of months kept the holidays of Passover, Pentecost and Rosh Hashanah, just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles in the month of Tishri, in their proper seasons of early Spring, the beginning of summer and at summer's end. The "11-day gap between the solar & lunar years expands to a period of seven months over this 19-year lunar cycle. In the Calendar of Israel a total of seven years (3rd 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th) during this 19-year lunar cycle, would normally contain an extra month of Adar Sheni."¹
   With every 19 solar years plus two hours, the Sun and Moon return to meet each other at the same appointed time and place in the sky. The saros, however, consists of 19 eclipse years, which is only 18 solar years plus eleven days. An eclipse year thus consists of 346.62 solar days, which is equal to 11.738 lunations. When we divide the saros by 11.738, we get 1.618, (or phi),² accurate to 4 digits! Since the Sun intersects a lunar Node two times every 346.62-day eclipse year, we find the cycle of the celestial rendezvous of the Sun and Moon also governed by the phi ratio. The Hebrew calendar also unifies these luni-solar cycles according to phi, in concert with Israel's sacred fifty-year cycle of Jubilees. This is evident because there are 618 lunations in any given 50-year Jubilee cycle. Thus, as the Hebrew calendar shows the perfect correlation of the sacred and secular celestial cycles, governing the rhythms of a myriad terrestrial and cosmic cycles, we find more evidence of the signature of God the Creator and His rulership of light reflected in the heavens, the Source behind all kingdoms of earthly life. This exhibits the perfect relation between the civil [lunar], and sacred [solar] years of the Calendar of Israel, in the larger context of precession. These related standards of the sacred and secular are also unified in the promised seed, Jesus Christ as the Priest--King of Israel, and light of the world presiding over all circadian rhythms and other aspects of the kingdoms of terrestrial life.
   As we briefly mentioned earlier, the roots of the word for saros are much older than Meton's application of the term. In fact it goes back at least as far as ancient Sumeria, because the Sumerian name for the great lunar eclipse cycle was also called the saros. This word traces through to the basic Babylonian unit of measure, also called a "sar," showing ancient elements of the sacred celestial rule of measure. This period of lunation consisting of 18 years & 11, (10.96) days, was utilized by the Chadean priests to predict eclipses. Wallis Budge supported this notion when he stated; "the Babylonians were a nation of stargazers observing the appearances of the moon, eclipses, & planets etc." This was the culture that produced the Magi, and speaks volumes on not only their astronomical expertise, but also their focus while watching the heavens for the celestial signs revealing the birth of the promised seed. The Chaldeans also had a period of 3600 (60 x 60) years that they called a saros. Here again we see the Sexegesimal pattern behind the organization of the heavens, including the cycle of the Moon joining Saturn and Jupiter every 60 years in their celestial dance. Jupiter-Saturn Conjunctions exhibit the essence of this "base 60" numerical system as part of its function as a cornerstone of Biblical cosmology, providing the context of the Celestial Prelude marking the birth of Christ. Additionally, it gives us a window on the "celestial mechanism" that frames all Creation, the precession of the equinoxes. This will be fully explained in the Specific signs of the Celestial Prelude. Both of these planets frame the ancient solar system as its two outer-most naked-eye planets, while opening a window on precession. It also shows a unity of Saturn's 29.5-year orbit with the 29.5-day lunar cycle on a year-day basis. This is half the Sexegesimal order of the solar system, formatted in the orbits of these two gas giants, the other half being Jupiter's near 12-year cycle spending a year in each zodiacal sign, even as the Sun spends a month in each of the 12 signs. The solar half of the order is based on a division of 60, by twelve: (12 x 5), and the lunar half by 30 [30 x 2], both multiples of sixty. This is part of the numerical order of the solar system as it was patterned by the Creator according to the phi ratio.
   The Babylonian "Sar" is doubtlessly related to the Hebrew word [*H8269] of the same spelling, meaning; "prince, captain, chief, ruler, leader, head." The word has retained this meaning even in modern usage, as in the Tsar of all the Russias. As a testimony to what may have been based on the first human language, "Aesar" is a word for "God" in both, Icelandic and Irish, "Osar" in Egypt like "Osiris" was the prince. The English word "sir" and the Roman "Ceasars" are also traceable to this root. It is used in Daniel 10:13 & 20, referring the archangel Michael who dispatched the fallen angel (Daimon) who opposed the messenger angel that God sent to answer Daniel's prayer. In Isaiah 9:6, one of the great prophecies of the promised seed, it is used of the Messiah as Sar-Shalom; the Prince of Peace, the one who brings peace to all Creation [Eph. 2:11-18]. It is additionally used of Prince Moses in Exodus 2:16.

   According to Hislop, The Chaldean version of this word; "Zer," meaning "to encompass" gives us not only the English basis for: "Zero signified by a circle among the Chaldeans," but also Zero; "the seed." Further, it relates to the Hebrew word zera [*H2233] used in reference to the promised seed in Genesis 3:15. To this end the Chaldean word for the "woman's promised seed" was "Zero-ashta," that also formed the basis of the name Zoroaster. We should note that in the writings of Zoroastrianism in the Zend-Avesta, the predicted return of Zoroaster as a savior who would renew all existence in preparation for the Last Judgment, was prophesied. These references to the woman's promised seed point directly to the general sign of the Celestial Prelude. Hislop also notes:

"In almost all nations, not only was a great god known under the name of Zero or Zer; the seed, and a great goddess under the name of Ashta or Ishta; the woman, but the great god Zero is frequently characterized by some epithet which implies that he is The only One." ³

   This evidence provides a strong basis for a direct correlation to the decan Coma, the seed who was the desired of the nations, especially when we view the supernova in this child's head [pictured below from the Dendera zodiac] who was the promised seed, during the general sign of the Celestial Prelude. The implication that the promised seed of the woman would be the only one, speaks to the truth that Christ is the Alpha and Omega, or the first and last way God made available for the redemption of Mankind. Hislop goes on to say: "As he who by the Chaldeans was regarded as the great Seed was looked upon as the Sun incarnate, and as the emblem of the Sun was a circle, the hieroglyphic relation between zero; "the circle," and zero; "the seed" was easily established."⁴

   The Biblical references to Christ associated with the Sun as the "light of the world," the "Sun of Righteousness" [Mal. 4:2] and in Psalm 19:4-6, are only a few of many such references. Thus, in the case of the promised seed, Zero-ashta, the religion of the Magi served as a vessel for many principles and astronomical precepts, that led Mankind to the realization of the promised seed.

   Ignatius, one of the Church Fathers and the Bishop of Antioch, in about 69 AD, records that, "At the appearance of the Lord a star shone forth brighter than all other stars." If we are careful not to confuse this reference with the planet Jupiter, we can deduce that this supernova was still visible almost 200 years after it was first seen as the celestial marker of the general timeframe of Jesus' birth. Seiss has some viable historical references on this point:

   "Hipparchus about one hundred twenty-five years before Christ, observed it [Coma supernova] as a new star, and was led by it to draw up his catalogue of stars. Ptolemy, about one hundred and fifty years after Christ, refers to it as having been observed by Hipparchus, but as having become so faint as hardly to be any longer discernible."⁵ (parenthesis and emphasis mine)

   A point of interest here regarding Hipparchus is that he is generally credited with the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes, by modern science in about 134 BC. He reportedly came upon this discovery while studying the star Spica, on a celestial map produced by his predecessor, Timocharis. He noticed that Spica was about 2 degrees away from its location on the star map, and decided that it was moving an average of 1 degree every 75 years: [close to the actual 72 years]. This is a key to remember in our study of Dendera's zodiac related to Spica, and this general sign later in this study. Also during this same period referred to by Ptolemy above, shekels from Judea struck during the period of the second revolt, [132 AD.] bear the design of a bright star over the Jerusalem Temple, called Bar Kaukab, or Son of the Star. This would have also been a logical reference to the supernova that appeared in the head of the woman's son in Coma's lap, the desired of the nations, perhaps even a providential reference to Jesus as the true temple. The decan of Coma is pictured below as the three bright stars forming the inverted "L" shape, which significantly contains the North Galactic Pole, located 5 degrees west of Beta Coma. This is interesting in light of the original star picture associated with this decan, as seen in the Denderah zodiac, of a mother holding her Son in her lap, known as "the Desired of the Nations," [pictured above]. The close proximity of the Northern Galatic Pole, recalls the imagery of Cepheus "the crowned king" who regally sits astride the Celestial Pole star polaris, picturing Christ seated in the heavenlies at the right hand of the Heavenly Father [Eph. 1:20-23].    

   The Magi would have witnessed both this new star shining brightly in Coma, a decan of Virgo, while Jupiter was in retrograde, standing still on the Meridian in Virgo, in December of 2 BC. The general sign of our Celestial Prelude thus harmonizes with the specific signs, as the Magi headed south from Jerusalem, their visit with Herod just concluded, towards Bethlehem in search of the promised seed. This also explains why the Magi were the only group to recognize these specific celestial signs of the Messiah's birth, because the general sign was a fixture in Coma for about 200 years prior to this period. The typical person wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary in the heavens, because it would not stand out unless coupled with the knowledge of the specific signs, which brought the Magi to Israel in the first place. This is another reason why the Magi were so joyful when they saw "his star," Jupiter over Bethlehem. This scenario of what the Magi beheld in the skies over Bethlehem in December of 2 BC, is depicted in the banner of this article above. In Numbers 24:17, when Jacob is referred to in Balaam's prophecy, it bears reference not only for the seed of Jacob, but also in the land promised to him as an inheritance, in his covenant with God [Gen. 15:18]. Rolleston has an interesting remark regarding this:

      "The forewarned that the star must appear over Jacob, over his inheritance, would see that star in Coma passed over the center of that inheritance: but as it would also appear to pass vertically over every part of it that was nearly in the of Jerusalem, they could not at once fix on the spot of the Messiah's birth, therefore they went to inquire; the , as it were, being given by the star, the by the prophecy.MagiLatitudeLatitudelongitude"⁶

   Here we see the witness of the stars, and the Scriptures, working together to bring the to the toddler Jesus, because their alert observation of "his star" brought them to Jerusalem and the scribes declaration from Micah 5:2, when Herod questioned them, sent the to Bethlehem. While en route they witnessed the heavens come alive with the proof that their historic journey was not in vain, because they saw both the Coma , and Jupiter in Virgo in the same skies over Bethlehem. 
   
   In summary then, the key points regarding the general sign of the celestial prelude are first, that this in Coma, set the timeframe in which the were to expect the specific signs surrounding the birth of Christ. Secondly, that when this general sign is separated from the set of specific signs of Jupiter-Saturn triple conjunctions, the confusion clouding the "Star of Bethlehem," for the most part dissolves.MagiMagisupernovasupernovaMagi

FOOTNOTES:

1 Symbols of Judaism M.A. Ouaknin p.12.

2 Sun, Moon and Earth.  Robin Heath, p.28

3 The Two Babylons  Hislop, p. 59

4 The Two Babylons  Hislop, p. 18

5 Gospel in the Stars, Joseph Seiss. P.161.

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Mazzaroth; The Star of Bethlehem, Rolleston,
*Strong's Concordance word definition for H8269, H2233, etc.

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The Stars of Noah's Ark