As the "rock-born," Mithras was called "Theos ek Petras," or the "God from the Rock." As Weigall says: "Indeed, it may be that the reason of the Vatican hill at Rome being regarded as sacred to Peter, the Christian 'Rock,' was that it was already sacred to Mithra, for Mithraic remains have been found there". Mithra was 'the rock,' or Peter, and was also 'double-faced,' like Janus the keyholder, likewise a prototype for the "apostle" Peter. Hence, when Jesus is made to say that the keys of the kingdom of heaven are given to "Peter" and that the Church is to be built upon "Peter," as a representative of Rome, he is usurping the authority of Mithraism, which was the official Roman cult at the time, precisely headquartered on what became Vatican Hill".

Mithra’s birth was witnessed by shepherds and by Magi (wisemen) who brought gifts to his sacred birth-cave of the Rock (Homer Smith, Man and His Gods, p. 129; S.H. Hooke, The Siege Perilous, p. 85; Franz Cumont, The Mysteries of Mithra, p. 131). Mithra performed the usual assortment of miracles: raising the dead, healing the sick, making the blind see and the lame walk, casting out devils. As a Peter (son of Petra) he carried keys to the kingdom of heaven (Homer Smith, Man and His Gods, p. 129). His triumph and ascension to heaven were celebrated at the Spring Equinox (Easter), when the sun rises toward its apogee.

Answer for yourself: Does this not parallel the resurrection of Jesus as the Spring Equinox and Passover? Could this "Jesus Story" be again nothing more than an allegory of the Celestial events that occur at the Spring Equinox?

The theme of the teaching god and "the Twelve" is found within Mithraism, as Mithra is depicted surrounded by the 12 zodiac signs on a number of monuments and in the writings of Porphyry, for one. Regarding the Twelve, Robertson says: "On Mithraic monuments we find representations of twelve episodes, probably corresponding to the twelve labors in the stories of Heracles, Samson and other Sun-heroes, and probably also connected with initiation". As they have been in the case of numerous sun gods, these signs could be called Mithra's 12 'companions' or 'disciples'. Furthermore, the motif of the 12 disciples or followers in a 'last supper' is recurrent in the Pagan world, including within Mithraism":

[Mark] gave Jesus a last supper with twelve followers, identical in every way with the last supper of the Persian god Mithra, down to the cannibalisation of the god's body in the form of bread and wine:

Mark 14:22-26 22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. (KJV)

Before returning to heaven, Mithra celebrated a Last Supper with his twelve disciples, who represented the twelve signs of the zodiac. In memory of this, his worshippers partook of a sacramental meal of bread marked with a cross (S.H. Hooke, The Siege Perilous, p. 89; Franz Cumont, The Mysteries of Mithra, p. 160). This was one of the seven Mithraic sacraments, the models for the Christians’ seven sacraments (E.O. James, The Ancient Gods, p. 250).

 Now we can better understand that the sin of the children of Israel in the wilderness which so aroused the anger of Moses when he descended from the mount of the Lord and found them falling down before the golden calf was that they had reverted to a past and obsolete religion (Taurus-centered) which they should have left behind (since the Sun was now passing from the sign of Taurus into the sign of Aries historically in Egypt's Pyramid Age and 18th dynasty. Looking at Moses and his legacy we now understand how the Jewish dispensation itself was governed by the sign of Aries, the Ram, through which the Sun was passing for the next 2,160 or so years. Then we should expect a "Ram/lamb" centered religion in Israel and we find it in the appearance of the scapegoat in Jewish history (Yom Kippur, sacrifices, lambs offered in sin offerings, etc.). But even before Moses we find that we have the Bible story of the ram caught in the thicket and all this was due to the influence of the passing of the Sun through the sign of the Bull and into the sign of the Ram, etc. The "Ram-lamb" images of the Old Testament refer to the changing of the Zodiac due to the precession of the equinoxes and this influenced religion since it was God's Heaven and He was moving it around (Kosmokrator...which is later personified in the form of Mithra).A lot of religion can be created in 2, 160 years.

Something apart from the findings of academic astrology, which even at present only touch a very few people, produced these natural reactions. Some influence, emanating from the sign of the Bull and the sign of the Ram produced the symbology which conditioned the religious life of the people of that era. This becomes still more apparent when the Sun moved out of one constellation into the next constellation, the sign of Pisces the Fishes. We should later expect when the Age of Pisces replaces the Age of Aries and do find at the appearance of "Jesus Christ" fish symbology which runs so characteristically through the entire Gospel story (miracles of the fishes, call of fishermen, fishers of men, etc.). His disciples were largely fishermen. He performed the miracles with fishes and sent his apostles out after his death under the leadership of St. Peter with the injunction to be fishers of men. It is for this reason that the mitre (hat) which the Pope wears is the mouth of the fish.

Now, according to astronomy we are transiting into the sign of Aquarius, the sign of the water-carrier, the sign of universality, for water is a universal symbol. It is recorded for us in the New Testament that prior to his death Christ sent his disciples out to find the water-carrier who led them to an upper room where the communion service was instituted. All this was indicative of the recognition by the Christ (personified as the Sun) of the coming new era which would succeed his dispensation and into which we are at this time entering. Leonardo da Vinci's great picture of the communion in the upper room is the great symbol of the Aquarian age, for we shall sit down together under the loving direction of Christ (the Revelation of God) when brotherhood will be established and men will be banded together in the bonds of divine relationship. The old barriers between man and man and nation and nation will, during the next 2,160 years slowly disappear. Ironically this picture was known by the Ancients to have astrological connections as it represented again the Sun and the Zodiac "personified". Take a close look at the picture and how it has been divided by modern scholarship who is aware of its astronomical symbolism.

Regardless of attempts to make Mithraism the plagiarist of Christianity, the fact will remain that Mithraism was first, well established decades before Christianity had any significant influence. If Christian apologists will not yield to the well-attested assertion that Christianity "borrowed" from Mithraism in specific, they simply cannot deny that both copied from Paganism in general, from one or more of the numerous religions, cults and mysteries of the pre-Christian world. Hence, the effect is the same: Christianity took its godman and tenets from Paganism.

Answer for yourself: So why again is this important to know? The Ancients understood that the Creator was responsible for His Heavens and the orbs within them and was equally responsible for their movements. In these movements they saw and heard the message and voice of God to them as He wrote upon the blackboard of the Sky. It is for us to understand this "message" today for it contains:

The necessity for a new birth

BET EMET MINISTRIES

Hebrew For "The House Of Truth"

Craig M. Lyons Ms.D., D.D., M.Div.

bennoah1@verizon.net

TRACING THE SUN THROUGH THE ZODIAC & GEMINI...COULD THIS BE THE ORIGIN FOR THE "JESUS STORY" #7

GEMINI & JESUS: MAY 21-JUNE 21

We ended the last article looking at the correlations between the "Jesus Story" in the New Testament and the path of the Sun through the Zodiac, in particular the constellation Taurus as it parallels the depiction of the "Jesus Story" taken chronologically throughout the New Testaments' depiction of Jesus Christ. We have traced the "Jesus Story" not only through the Heavens as it parallels the path of the Sun through the Zodiac when "personified" and "allegorized" but have seen the genius of the Creator to inscribe upon the Heavens above His will for mankind and their "Spiritual Evolution". We have traced the Sun through the previous Houses of the Zodiac and when "personified" and with the aid of "anthropomorphic" language we have seen how the "Evolution of the Soul in matter" has been told through the "myths" and "legends" of sungods. The irony of this whole thing is that the "Jesus Story" is the story of the birth, life, growth, and death of the Soul in this physical realm we call "life". This "Jesus Story" is a "plan-o-gram" for mankind to follow and emulate as were many of the prior "sungod" stories as well. We have seen beginning with Capricorn that man was born into this physical world with the necessity of a "2nd birth" which is symbolized as we move to the House of Aquarius where we find the symbolic immersion into a "watery womb" or a "watery tomb" in baptism where as Judaism teaches man receives the "Soul that comes down from Heaven" and is "born again". We saw that this imagery of being "born again in water" is accompanied with "repentance" as seen in the immersion of John the Baptist and his "baptism of repentance". We saw that the language of John is very important as he lays out the desired growth of man's Soul; for it must increase as the power of his flesh decreases. We immediately move from this even in our spiritual growth to a full-blown war with our soul as we must fight the "darkness" within seen in the allegory of "Jesus' Temptation" with the Devil. This is but a picture of the Sun and its eternal battle with "darkness" again symbolized in the "Jesus Story" in Jesus' temptation where the "spirit" and "flesh" battle continuously. The Soul is intended to increase in strength over our flesh as we live out our lives and continually reflect more of the light of God daily as does the Sun in it new ascending path in the Heavens. We saw as we moved to Pisces that as we grow "spiritually" we must feed ourselves "the bread that comes down from Heaven" before we can feed others and become "fishers of men". Thus the symbolism of Pisces which stresses again the need for this bread due to the "intersection" in Heaven of these "two fish" or "2 natures in man; spiritual and fleshly". As we live a life of repentance unto good works we accomplish such a goal when fed the true "manna" of God. We then followed God's Sun into the Constellation of Aries where we first met up with the idea of "sacrifice" in relationship to the Lamb of God. We learned from this that God was teaching us that we are to become "living sacrifices", holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service while at the same time we are not conformed to this world continue to be transformed by the renewing of our minds in order that we might prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1-2...KJV). We next found ourselves at the Spring Equinox were we learned that this is a special time with God and man which speaks God's Harmony and peace to all Creation. We also learned that this is the Harvest time when the Earth brings forth her fruit. We made note of the need for our fruit in our lives that comes through good works and obedience to the Commandments of God were according to Judaism we find and receive our atonement. As living sacrifices according to the Hebrew Scriptures we accomplish our own atonement. As we moved with the Sun into the Constellation of Taurus we saw the repeated emphasis upon "sacrifice" and continued fruitfulness on a large scale; a scale large enough to reach the world with this true message of maturation of man's Soul. We camped a little while here as we contrasted the Houses of Aries and Taurus for parallels between them and the unbelievable similarities between the "personified Sun" as "Mithra" and as "Jesus" in the New Testament. We move must move on with the Sun as it never sleeps and move with it into the House of Gemini and learn the next "Spiritual Lesson" that God has for us as we learn of the maturation of the Divine within matter; ie., our Souls.

Now we continue to go more deeply as we trace the Sun in its path through the Zodiac as it leaves Taurus and enters the constellation of Gemini. We by now are familiar with the astronomical concept that the Sun goes on a journey through the Zodiac during the 12 months of the year. We have been following this journey of the Sun and we have seen how uncannily the path of the Sun through the Zodiac matches up with the chronological depiction of "Jesus" and the journey that Jesus takes during his life and ministry as depicted by the writers of the New Testament. We have seen that according to the writers of the Synoptic Gospels that Jesus' ministry is said to last a year. We have also seen that the Sun completes its circuit of the Zodiac in a year. This is not a coincidence. We now look at the constellation Gemini to see the continuing struggle of the Sun against the darkness and note the parallels to the depiction of Jesus and his ministry as recorded in the New Testament.

The constellation of Gemini has been seen as twin figures by cultures throughout the world, back into prehistory. The 'Two Stars', referring to its very bright suns, which the Greeks recognized as Castor and Polydeuces, were named for the younger and elder forms of the god Horus by the Egyptians. To the Romans they were Hercules and Apollo. Often perceived as twin boys, the lore sustains that they were placed in the night sky by Jove to honor and exemplify the fidelity of their brotherly love. In other instances they were seen as a sister and brother or two angels, then within later Christian traditions, as Adam and Eve.

Stories of hero twins are also related throughout the world. For the Greeks their was Castor and Polydeuces, also known as the Dioscuri, or Heavenly Twins. They were the children of Zeus and Leda, queen of Sparta (yes...you may call them: 'sons of the swan.'), thus also the brothers to the infamous Helen, late of Troy. The exploits of these twins are many, and all heroic. In their youth they sailed with Jason to retrieve the Golden Fleece. To the Romans, who knew them as Castor and Pollux, the twins were invoked on the field of battle to assure victory. For centuries beyond they were held as guardians to sailors on extended or risky voyages.

LETS LEARN SOME ASTRONOMY BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE THEOLOGY

We have not up to this time spent a lot of time with the Summer Solstice but our time has come as we find the Sun struggling to rise to the zenith of its path across the Heavens where it will eventually reach the apex of its path which is the Summer Solstice. Let us not forget the Sun, since raised from the dead at the Winter solstice has been ascending in the Sky on its way to its zenith. Associated with this path of the Sun across the Sky is the constellation Gemini. The constellation Gemini is traditionally depicted as two men (the twins). The two brightest stars in Gemini, Castor and Pollux (north of the bright star Procyon in Canis Minor), are two of the brightest stars in the sky and were identified by the Greeks with two children, in most accounts the twin sons of Zeus and Leda. As indicated by the "twins of Gemini" this is a time of increasing or doubling as the Sun reaches onward to its zenith. This path of the Sun to its zenith in the Sky ends on the Summer solstice when days are the longest and nights the shortest. It is at this time that the Sun is at the peak of its strength. In the northern hemisphere the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year (near June 22) when the Sun is farthest north. The Summer solstice is the longest day of the year, respectively, in the sense that the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a maximum for the year. It is the time of the greatest light. The dates of maximum tilt of the Earth's equator correspond to the Summer solstice and Winter solstice, and the dates of zero tilt to the Vernal equinox and Autumnal equinox. People around the world have observed spiritual and religious seasonal days of celebration during the month of June. Most have been religious holy days which are linked in some way to the Summer solstice. On this day, typically Jun 21, the daytime hours are at a maximum in the Northern hemisphere, and night time is at a minimum. It is officially the first day of summer.

Let us not forget that the seasons of the year are caused by the 23.5º tilt of the earth's axis. Because the earth is rotating like a top or gyroscope, the North Pole points in a fixed direction continuously -- towards a point in space near the North Star. But the earth is also revolving around the Sun. During half of the year, the southern hemisphere is more exposed to the Sun than is the northern hemisphere. During the rest of the year, the reverse is true. At noontime in the Northern Hemisphere the Sun appears high in the sky during summertime, and low during winter. As mentioned above the time of the year when the Sun reaches its maximum elevation occurs on the Summer solstice -- the day with the greatest number of daylight hours. On the Summer Solstice, which occurs on June 21, the Sun is at its highest path through the sky and the day is the longest. Because the day is so long the Sun does not rise exactly in the east, but rises to the north of east and sets to the north of west allowing it to be in the sky for a longer period of time. After the Summer solstice the Sun follows a lower and lower path through the sky each day until it reaches the point where it is in the sky for exactly 12 hours again. This is the Fall or Autumn Equinox. Just like the Spring Equinox, the Sun will rise exactly east and set exactly west on this day and everyone in the world will experience a 12 hour day. After the Fall Equinox the Sun will continue to follow a lower and lower path through the sky and the days will grow shorter and shorter until it reaches its lowest path and then we are back at the Winter Solstice where we started.

The Summer solstice typically occurs on, or within a day or two of, Jun. 21 which is the first day of summer. The lowest elevation occurs about Dec. 21 and is the Winter solstice which is the first day of winter, when the night time hours reach their maximum. We get the word "Solstice", from the Latin for "Sun stands still", in astronomy, either of the two points on the ecliptic that lie midway between the equinoxes (separated from them by an angular distance of 90°). For several days before and after each solstice the Sun appears to stand still in the sky, i.e., its noontime elevation does not seem to change from day to day. At the solstices the sun's apparent position on the celestial sphere reaches its greatest distance above or below the celestial equator, about 23 1/2° of arc. At the time of Summer solstice, about June 22, the Sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer.

Now that the technical information is out of the way we now focus on the fact that in pre-historic times, Summer was a joyous time of the year for those Ancient people who lived in the northern latitudes. The snow had disappeared; the ground had thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were blooming; leaves had returned to the deciduous trees. Some herbs could be harvested, for medicinal and other uses. Food was easier to find. This is the time of the first harvest, which usually consisted of the herbs planted during the Vernal Equinox. Other crops had already been planted and would be harvested in the months to come. Although many months of warm/hot weather remained before the fall, they noticed that the days were beginning to shorten, so that the return of the cold season was inevitable. Midsummer has been one of the important solar events throughout the evolution of humankind. It was an indicator that the year was about to begin waning, thus winter would be again returning. Although not all the ancients were as precise in the calculations from an astronomical point, you can be sure that they were keenly aware of the Sun's progression, and did most assuredly know when Solstice was upon them, as the Sun appeared to stand still in its northern progression.

The ancients knew that life came from the Sun, it was life giving, life supporting, without it life would be lost. The Sun was viewed as the Ancient's "Savior" of sorts. The journey of the Sun impacted life at every level in the course of time, only relatively recently with the advances of electricity, greenhouses, transportation networks, has human reliance on the passage of the Sun been lessened. Even with this dependence lessening, in this technological age, necessity of the Sun and its path is crucial to our existence, however it is not as apparent today to many. Midsummer is the time when the Sun reaches the peak of its power, the earth is green and holds the promise of a bountiful harvest.

NOW SOME THEOLOGY

We say in the previous article that Jesus, in the form of the personified Sun, passed through Taurus and in so doing likewise passed across the Milky Way which is that starry band of millions of stars that lies like a lake across the sky. We saw that at this point in the "Jesus Story" Jesus crosses "the lake" and we as expected found the allegorical story of Jesus walking on water.

Answer for yourself: What happens as the Sun moves past Taurus and the Milky Way?

On the star map provided I want the reader to look to the bottom right and locate the "Hyades" which is part of the Constellation of Taurus. If you draw a diagonal line ascending from bottom right to upper left you come to another Constellation named Gemini. This path between the "Hyades" in Taurus and ascending to Gemini is called the "Ecliptic" and this is the path of the Sun as it moves through the Zodiac in the Heavens. In our study it is important to note as seen in the reference above Sun crossing the "water" or "milky way" in the Heavens which is later retold in the "personified Jesus Story" as Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee and walking on water. After the Sun crosses the Milky Way it moves into the constellation Gemini called "the twins" Castor and Pollox (the two bright stars in Gemini are named Castor and Pollux).

Answer for yourself: What do we find Jesus doing in the gospels right after crossing the lake? We find an account of Jesus healing the sick but how many? How many people is Jesus healing? He is only healing "two".

If our premise holds we should expect to find Jesus associated with "two" (Castor and Pollox) people and that is exactly what we find. In the "Jesus Story", after crossing the lake (which we saw was Jesus as the personified Sun crossing the Milky Way), Jesus heals two demon possessed men.

Matt 8:28-34 28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. (KJV)

Answer for yourself: Does the New Testament mention Castor and Pollux? It sure does

Answer for yourself: Is this just a coincidence that Jesus meets two men that need to be healed or is this again symbolic for the constellation Gemini as the Sun moves through the Zodiac?

Acts 28:11 11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. (KJV)

We made mention earlier of the connection of the Harvest with this time of the year around Summer when the Sun enters Gemini. This is a time of increase or doubling as the Sun continually rises in the Sky to its Zenith and its peak of strength. This is especially so noting the connection of Shavuot, or Pentecost, with the sign of Gemini. In Matt. 12:1 we find Jesus and his disciples going through the fields full of grain plucking the heads of grain to eat. As you can see the seasons are advancing.

Matt 12:1 1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. (KJV)

We find in the "Jesus Story" the masterful strength portrayed by Jesus in his teachings where he pronounces that like the Sun his strength is without limit and beyond contest:

Matt 12:8 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. (KJV)

No one can challenge Jesus and win or try to usurp his power for none can win for we find Jesus in all his glory and majesty in his ministry portrayed at this time which is keeping in symbolism of the Sun moving to its Zenith where its light is at its greatest. This great power of the "personified Sun" in the allegory of the "Jesus Story" is seen in Jesus ability to control the "darkness of the physical realm" as witnessed in the many accounts of the miracles of Jesus over "demons" in the New Testament. Let us not forget what we previously learned about the "Devil" being "personified darkness".

Matt 12:22 22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

Matt 12:23-24 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (KJV)

Answer for yourself: Is Jesus being challenged by these evil Pharisees accurate to Jewish theology and Jewish history? No not really as we show in other articles where Jesus was likewise supposedly challenged by the Pharisees for healing on the Sabbath and eating of the Sabbath. Jewish law allows for both healing on the Sabbath as well as plucking and eating grain on the Sabbath when one's life is endangered and we find Jesus in the text fleeing from Herod Antipas. This action would be perfectly permissible by Jewish Law but the writers of the New Testament had to show the opposition to Jesus and did so by misrepresenting the Pharisees. This dualism between light and darkness and it constant and eternal struggle is pictured in these false representations of the Pharisees.

We mentioned previously that at the Solstices, both the Winter and the Summer Solstices, the earth's tilt reaches it maximum and begins to retrograde and along with this it appear that the Earth has remained motionless or "dead" once again in 3 years. In keeping with the parallel of the personification of the Sun and the life and evolution of the life and ministry of Jesus in the New Testament we should expect to find at this particular time in the ministry of Jesus some reference to "death for 3 days".

Answer for yourself: Do we find such a reference in sequence to the events in the life of this Jesus as found in the Gospel account of a death for 3 days? We sure do!

Matt 12:38-40 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (KJV)

Here we find, in sequential order in the Gospels mind you, Jesus' reference to the Summer Solstice and the 3 days of death of Jonas where he is in the belly of the big fish. This teaching of Jesus occurs when the Sun is in Gemini which is the time of the Summer Soltice. This death of Jonas is likened by Jesus to his own coming death at the next Solstice which is 6 months away, the Winter Solstice, were like Jonas he will remain dead for 3 days like the Sun is dead for 3 days before being resurrected again.

Answer for yourself: Is this just a lucky coincidence that when the Sun remains "dead" in the Heavens and Sky for 3 days, at the Summer and Winter Solstice, we find Jonas dead for 3 days and later Jesus dead 3 days?

We find associated with this event the challenge of those bad Pharisees that seem to be constantly challenging Jesus in the "Jesus Story" just like the Sun is constantly challenged by the darkness continually in its rise to its zenith of strength at the Summer solstice in Gemini.

John 3:19-21 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (KJV)

BET EMET MINISTRIES

Hebrew For "The House Of Truth"

Craig M. Lyons Ms.D., D.D., M.Div.

bennoah1@verizon.net

TRACING THE SUN THROUGH THE ZODIAC & CANCER...COULD THIS BE THE ORIGIN FOR THE "JESUS STORY" #8

CANCER & JESUS: JUNE 22 - JULY 22

We ended the last article looking at the correlations between the "Jesus Story" in the New Testament and the path of the Sun through the Zodiac, in particular the constellation Gemini as it parallels the depiction of the "Jesus Story" taken chronologically throughout the New Testaments' depiction of Jesus Christ. Now we continue to go more deeply. The association of Cancer with water dates back to the shadowy dawn of astrology. The image of the crab is Babylonian in origin. In Egypt, this sign was represented by two turtles, and sometimes as an obscure water creature, known as Allul. The later placement of the crab within the zodiac is related to a minor chapter in Greek mythology, within the Twelve Labors of Herakles. The first labor of Herakles' (Hercules to the Romans), had been to kill the Lion of Nemea, (See Leo). Next in line was the fearsome, many-headed Hydra, a great sea monster, living in the marshes of Lerna. Hera, the goddess who sent Herekles to these tasks, often encouraged his failure. During his battle with Hydra, Hera commanded a nearby crab to attack Herekles and draw his attention away. Without question, the little creature took a claw-hold of a conspicuous toe. This act cost the crab its life, for Hercules abruptly crushed him. Impressed by its loyalty and courage, Hera placed the crab's image in the night sky. The Hydra had been a favorite to Hera, and was equally honored by the goddess. Not far from Cancer in the sky, lies the vast, chaotic constellation named for the great beast. Cancer itself, is not a brilliant constellation. However, at its heart is a lovely star cluster, sometimes known in astronomy as the Beehive. The name derives from the appearance of a swarm of stars in a dance of activity.

We saw in the previous article that in ancient times that the Ancient astronomers and Priests noticed that in the northern hemisphere the Sun reached its most northerly point in the sky as it rose each year through the constellation Gemini on its way to the constellation Cancer. We saw that the Sun reaches this point about June 21st, and this day is known as the summer Solstice. On the summer Solstice, the Sun appears overhead at latitude 23.5o north on Earth. This latitude is called the Tropic of Cancer. It retains this name today even though because of a wobble of the Earth called precession, the Sun now lies in the neighboring constellation of Gemini at the summer Solstice.

But after the Sun reaches its zenith in the Heavens there is only one place to go and that is backwards as its retraces it path toward the soon coming Winter Solstice as darkness beings to slowly overtake the Sun on a daily basis. The Sun has crossed a major divide; darkness starts to increase. In June the Sun passes through Cancer (June 21- July 22). The starting date is June 21, the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year when the Sun is at its highest ascension. After this day the Sun goes go backwards, beginning it's descent southward, as the days get shorter and shorter and darkness once again begins its assault upon the light of the Sun.

ASTRONOMY AND CANCER

Appropriately the Ancients assigned a "crab" for the symbol or sign of the constellation Cancer. The reason is obvious once we understand this backward movement of the Sun at this time of the year. Shore-inhabiting and various names all signifying Crab, Crayfish or Lobster have been used for the constellation Cancer. A tortoise, scarab, and crab all move with an awkward, scuttling motion. This application possibly derives from the fact that the Sun's northward motion slows and appears hesitant for 3 days around the time of the Summer Solstice - before it begins to move backwards with a crablike movement southward again. For quite a while the Sun seemed to hesitate at its Solstice height before descending again to its lower Autumn and Winter heights; this hesitation in the movement of the Sun was likened to "death" as we say earlier in the story of Jonah. This hesitancy (Solstice...the Sun remain still for 3 days) can be seen in the peculiar movements of the living crab. Anyone who has watched a crab on the beach must have noticed its peculiar sideways walk, its sudden forward movements, and its occasional circles - as though it cannot make up its mind where to go. A crab walk in a zigzag path, sideways and backwards at the same time in a kind of a backsliding movement thus mimicking exactly what the Ancients saw in the movement and path of the Sun following the Summer Solstice. The idea that this dimmest part of the zodiac represents a crab might have to do with the fact that the Sun turned southward in its path and movement when it reached that part of the heavens and when the Sun reached its zenith in the sky at the Summer Solstice. An ancient writer tells us that Chaldeans associated this region with a crab because these creatures walk sideways, then backwards, like the Sun appears to move as it reaches the Summer Solstice and turns southward. Possibly related to this, ancient Egyptians called this part of the sky the Scarab, in reference to their concept that an invisible celestial scarab beetle which was believed to push the Sun across the Heavens. Cancer has usually been seen as a hard-shelled animal. We don't know how long Cancer has been called a crab, but it seems to have been a tortoise in both Babylonia and in early Egypt around 4000 BC. Two thousand years later it is identified in Egyptian records as a scarab beetle, Scarabaeus, an emblem of immortality.

When the fixed stars of Cancer marked the position of the Sun at the June Summer Solstice, and according to Chaldaean, Platonist and Mesopotamians philosophy, this key position in the Sky marked the gateway for the descent of souls into incarnation, the "Gate of Men" through which souls descended from heaven into human bodies. [Richard Hinchley Allen, Starnames, Their Lore and Meaning, 1889, a reference book on the history of the stars and constellations for astronomers, Dover Publications 1963, p. 107). It was held that the souls of men, when released from corporeity, ascended to heaven through the stars of Capricorn, whence it was called the "Gate of the Gods"; their road of descent, in order to be reborn was through the "Gate of Cancer". It is also interesting to note that somehow Cancer, then marking the northern gate of the Sun, became known to Chaldean and Platonist philosophers as the "Gate of Men," through which, they said, souls of people came down from heaven to enter human bodies. To the Ancient Japanese, who regarded the grouping as a "lump of souls," the Beehive Cluster, in Cancer, was a truly terrifying sight.

The least bright constellation of the Zodiac, the constellation Cancer marked for the Ancients the beginning of the Solstice of Summer (and so the Capricorn was the beginning of the Solstice of Winter) during the times of the creation of the Bible and this explains why such symbolism is reflected in the stories of the Bible; in particular for our study the "Jesus Story"! The zodiacal sign of Cancer (which the Sun enters on midsummers day) was, at one time represented by the Ancients as two donkeys feeding at a manger.

CANCER AND THE "JESUS STORY"

In keeping with our study of the evolving life of Jesus as depicted chronologically in the New Testament in parallel with the path of the Sun though the Zodiac. The more we study the more we continue to see more interesting "parallels" concerning the life of Jesus as depicted chronologically in the New Testament as taken from the path of the Sun (personified as Jesus) through the Zodiac. We now follow the Sun through the Zodiac as it travels from Gemini to Cancer.

We left off with Matthew chapter twelve in our prior study of the Sun moving through Gemini and we noticed that the stories of Jesus and his disciples going through the grain fields plucking heads of grain to eat which is presented as a problem which really is not in Judaism as well as the opposition to healing on the Sabbath which again according to Judaism was never a problem. Hostility toward him has already been manifested (Matthew 8:10; 9:3, 10-13, 34), but here it becomes more intense but this is to be expected as the Sun moves to the Summer Solstice for right on the other side "darkness" awaits to overtake the Sun and his power. We mentioned that such unhistorical narratives were but literary ploys to create this increasing "tension" between the opposing Cosmic forces of "light" vs "darkness". We have at its best here the battles with personified darkness depicted in the healings of the man with a withered hand on the sabbath as well as the healing of the blind and mute man (Matt. 12:9-22). This opposition to light in the allegory of Pharisee opposition can be summed up:

Matt 12:14 14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. (KJV)

Astronomically and allegorically speaking "darkness" lies in wait to apprehend the Sun and take it to its ultimate death as the Winter Solstice. Again is must be said that if one studies Judaism he is hard pressed to see that these accounts were actual stories in a historical setting; rather, one comes to see these as but "literalizations" of the constant struggle between "light and darkness".

Following the text in chronological sequence we should come to some form of "division" or "separation" since the Sun in its path is now dividing the Sky in half. Following the New Testament narrative we find as we expected the Jesus speaking of "division" at this point in the text in keeping with the path of the Sun.

Answer for yourself: What could this reference to "division" mean?

Matt 12:25-37 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Answer for yourself: Jesus is talking about "dividing" a house. Did we not see in another article that Jesus had mentioned that in His Fathers's house is "many mansions" and that this referred to the 12 signs of the Zodiac?

As noted before, the year was divided into 12 equal parts, or months. And to each month was appointed a heavenly symbol or astrological "Sign." Each of the 12 monthly signs was called a "House" of the heavenly Zodiac.

John 14:2 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (KJV)

The signs of the zodiac have been called at times the "houses of the Sun," and also they are considered as the day or night "mansions" of the planets. Religiously minded astrologers, indeed, refer to the zodiacal signs as the "many mansions" in the Father's house, of which Jesus speaks in the Gospels.

Answer for yourself: Is it a coincidence that at this point in the path of the Sun, personified as Jesus, that we should expect to find something either in the sayings of Jesus or in his life having to do with "division" since the Sun just reached its apex of ascension and begins its southward trek back down the Sky? What we see is that at the Summer Solstice the increase of light and the victory over the foe of darkness has reached its maximum point and the Sun begins to travel backwards now as if dividing the Sky in half. Such is the division I speak. And this is exactly what we find.

The Summer Solstice falls at the precise moment when the Sun's power is at its zenith. It is the time of year when the noon Sun appears to be farthest north from the celestial equator. "Solstice" is Latin for "Sun stands still" (sol "Sun" and sistere "to stand"). Summer Solstice is so named because to the naked eye the Sun appears stationary in its northern and southern progression. The Sun is directly over the tropic of Cancer at the Summer Solstice. From the moment of Summer Solstice, the Sun immediately begins to wane. The journey into the harvest season has begun. Midsummer has been one of the important solar events throughout the evolution of humankind. It was an indicator that the year was about to begin waning, thus Winter would be again returning. Although not all the ancients were as precise in the calculations from an astronomical point, you can be sure that they were keenly aware of the sun's progression, and did most assuredly know when Solstice was upon them, as the Sun appeared to stand still in its northern progression.

But that is not all.

Answer for yourself: What should we expect to find at the Summer Solstice? The word Solstice comes from the Latin term "solstitium," which translates into English as "Sun standing still." As mentioned it is at the Summer Solstice that we should expect to see the Sun standing still for three days around Solstice, as the Sun rises and sets in nearly identical places before continuing its backward movement southward in the Sky on its way to the Winter Solstice and that is exactly what we see. We have seen in prior studies that the Ancients thought the Sun had died for 3 days at the Winter Solstice due to its cessation of movement in its path in the Heavens but now as well we see that in the teachings of Matthew we find the mention of this "3 day" period as well as connected to a teaching coming from Jesus.

Answer for yourself: Where do we find Jesus teachings this reference to this 3 days in the path of the Sun as correlated to the depiction of his life chronologically in the Gospels?

We find it in Matthew again in Jesus' teaching of Jonah being in the belly of the great fish for 3 days.

Matt 12:40 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (KJV)

Answer for yourself: Does this 3 day reference to Jonah at the Summer Solstice as mentioned by Jesus correspond astronomically to the 3 day reference to Jesus being in the tomb of earth for 3 days at the Winter Solstice? Yes.

Answer for yourself: What is the Astronomical link? There are periods of 3 days with both the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice when the Sun appears "to stand still" which was interpreted by the Ancients as "death" and this is applies both to Jonah, in the middle of the Gospel story as in the middle of the year, and to Jesus as well at the end of the Gospel or should I say at the end of the "Jesus Story" at the Winter Solstice. To any "thinking believer" it is hard to deny what we see here especially when we consider the unique timing in the gospels for these solar events to occur and the teachings the appear concerning Jesus as these times as well.

Answer for yourself? Why should we have expected to find Jesus teaching about Jonah (since he could not use his death for an example since he had not died yet)? Well you see Jonah appears to be dead for 3 days in the belly of the whale only to be presented alive after 3 days exactly as does the Sun at the Summer Solstice.

Answer for yourself: What do we see hidden in the story of Jonah in the belly of the fish for 3 days? We see that Jonah's message to the non-Jewish world was a message from God of "repentance" connected with "salvation".

http://jesusastrotheology.com/wintersoltice.htm

the rebirth of the sun from the dead...the winter solstice