Min's Historical Calendar Of Jesus - Chapter 4
Dr. Min
CHAPTER 4
JESUS WAS VISITED by the Magi on the eve of 16 Tammuz 3759[Mat
2:1-12], which was Tuesday evening, June 17, 2 BC; Jesus was
ten and a half months old at the time. This very near-perfect
Jupiter-Venus conjoining in Leo was theoretically 6 arcseconds
from concentricity! We can be sure it was very close, and on
the descendant proves irrefutably that this was not, I repeat
this was NOT the birthstar of Christ, but was clearly the Star
that guided the Magi to find baby Jesus. Note that when Venus
is sufficiently elongated from the Sun, and the sky is crystal-
clear, Venus can barely be seen with the naked eye in broad
daylight. This dazzling conjunction was significantly brighter
than Venus alone, thus was certainly visible in broad daylight
in a clear sky -- and we know that the sky was clear by the
Magi's own testimony. Also, extant historical & astronomical
evidences have demonstrated incontrovertibly that Herod I so-
called "the Great" died within three weeks after Josephus'
"blood red" total lunar eclipse Saturday, January 10, 1 BC.
The astronomical data with reference to the molad for the
Magi's visit to king Herod in the morning hours, then their
visit to Jesus in the evening hours, is calculated thusly:
_______________________________________________________________
(Old VSOP87 data left intact for comparison to the newer SWEPH)
Julian Day: 1720860
Julian calendar: Tuesday, June 17, 2 BC
Jewish calendar: 15/16 Tammuz 3759
Sunrise: 4:30:13 AM JST; JD 1720859.60432
Sunset: 6:38:24 PM JST; JD 1720860.19333
New Moon: Jun 2, 2 BC @ 5:06:01 PM JST
Julian date: 1720845.12918; Lunation: -23791
Moon's distance: 365584k(57.3 ER); Subtends: 0.5448 deg.
Right ascension: 04:27:36.87; Declination: 25:51:18
Azimuth: 109.326; Altitude: 18.806
Moonrise: 3:55:25 AM JST; JD 1720844.58015
Moonset: 6:46:25 PM JST; JD 1720845.19890
_______________________________________________________________
New (2003) Swiss Ephemeris:
The view from Babylon ~44E24 32N33 was nearly identical,
so it's no wonder the magoi (i.e. judicial astrologers)
understood this marriage as portending Messiah's advent.
They set out for Jerusalem arriving 10 1/2 months later
on June 17, 2 BC, with Jupiter & Venus drawing so close
together as to appear as one shimmering star in the sky,
a star so bright as to be visible in the broad daylight,
as the magoi journeyed some six miles to the south from
their meeting with Herod and arriving after sunset with
this perfect union of Venus superior & Jupiter inferior
setting hours after sunset in the western twilight with
the Full Moon rising to the east. Here's the chart 8 PM,
an hour after sunset looking west towards Venus-Jupiter:
Tue 17-Jun--1 35E10 31N42
Body Caelest. Lat.
/Rho Leo : 11Leo38 +0:03'
/Jupiter : 11Leo07 +1:02'
\Venus : 11Leo07 +1:02'
Mercury : 21Can27 +0:46'
/Mars : 11Can00 +1:08'
\Descendan: 10Can06 ______
Fortune : 9Can25 ______
Sun : 25Gem45 +0:00'
Aldebaran: 15Tau00 -5:36'
Moon : 26Sag26 -2:52'
Ascendant: 10Cap06 ______
Notably, the first conjunction before sunrise finds the
planets Venus & Jupiter rising above the Sphinx's right
paw star, Subra (Omikron Leo) on the date & time of his
birth at the grotto in east Bethlehemjudah. This second
conjunction marks the date and time of the Magi's visit
to then 10 1/2 month old baby Jesus, now to the western
part of Bethlehem with Venus and Jupiter together above
the sphinx's left paw star, Rho Leo. Remember, that the
fiducial star Regulus is the royal, ergo "bearded" star,
and marks the heart of the Lion which Sphinx represents.
Even the name of Jesus' birthplace "Bethlehem of Judah",
Heb. "Beyth Lechem Yaohuwdah", means "house of bread be
praised the LORD" (Ge 29:35). Judah is the strongest of
the tribes, hence Jesus is "Lion of the tribe of Judah",
"Root and Offspring of David", "Bright and Morning Star"
or a dozen other revelations which refer to the messiah:
"Then Herod secretly having called the magi carefully
ascertained beside them the time of the appearing star"
--Mat 2:7 WH-ITGS
The magi undoubtedly had prepared an astrological chart ahead
of time to show Herod at his request how they'd ascertained
the first conjunction from Babylon, how they'd calculated it's
present reappearance, and also how this first conjunction did
signify our Messiah's birth. The Jews were certainly familiar
with Babylonian astrology, just as the magi were doubtless
versed in the Hebrew Law, Prophets and Writings. After all,
their ancestors had spent a great deal of time together during
and after the Babylonian captivity, recalling also that The
God of the prophet Daniel had rescued many a magi's life
centuries before in Babylon by revealing to Daniel the
Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and its proper
interpretation [Dan 2]. The Old Testament, the story of the
Hebrew Nation from God's Creation was written in anticipation
of the LORD made flesh in Jesus Christ. The word "LORD"
appears 7025 times in 6011 verses in the Old Testament, and
711 times in 657 verses in the New Testament. When you hear
the phrase "Jesus is LORD" you understand that the Spirit of
LORD Jesus is the same Spirit of the LORD speaking, responded
to, and spoken of throughout the Old Testament. Jesus is
literally God's Word made flesh: the Son of God. The wise Magi
who visited Jesus understood this clearly. Imagine their
abject fear and humility upon seeing God's Son in the flesh:
"The(ones) but having heard of the king[Herod] went their
way, and look! the star which they saw in the east went ahead
of them, until having come it stood above where was the young
child. Having seen but the star they rejoiced joy great very
much. And having come into the house they saw the young child
with Mary the mother of it, and having fallen down they did
obeisance to it, and having opened the treasures of them they
presented to it gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh."
--Mat 2:9-11 WH-ITGS
Consider also this enlightening passage from the Psalms of
David, regarded by Messianic Rabbis[a.k.a. Christian Jews, in
secular Hebrew: Ma'aminei Jesh-a ha-Notsri; abbr. Min, hence
my name] as containing the once-secret Messianic-name Yin-non:
"The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents:
the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings
shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him."
--Psa 72:10-11 AV
And look at this passage:
"Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round
about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared."
--Psa 76:11 AV
Imagine how ecstatic the Magoi were upon viewing this royal
conjunction they'd forecast years prior from their studies
in Babylon. Were their calculations so mathematically precise
as to predict this near-perfect conjunction of Jupiter and
Venus? Apparently so. It is a well-known fact that Babylonian
astronomers were erudite. Interestingly enough, the slight
difference in baseline paralax angularity allowed Jupiter's
light to fully complement & coalesce with that of Venus' in
the eyes of those viewing it as a most brilliant conjunction.
On this prophesied day of June 17, 2 BC, sunset fell at 6:38
PM, and the breathtaking conjunction was seen just above Leo's
"right paw" in the modern constellation, which did not set
until 9:36 PM that evening, nearly two hours[30 arcdegrees]
after sunset, with Mercury and Mars setting an hour+ beneath
it, and the full moon rising at 6:43 PM that early evening.
Renowned astronomers like Sinnott and Federer[editor 'Sky and
Telescope' magazine], using planetary tables of Tuckerman
[1962], had resolutely concluded that this "...ten-month
interval from Aug 12, 3 BC to Jun 17, 2 BC as the magi's
long[600 mile] journey to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, since the
second conjunction was by far the brightest"[ref. S&T, Dec
'68]; and more recently, Mosley[1987], who'd calculated the
first conjunction closer at 4.3 arcminutes, with the second at
30 arcseconds, this, shortly before the VSOP87 then SWEPH/JPL
theory of ~10 arcminutes and ~6 arcseconds respectively was
demonstrated as an accurate calculation: the consensus being
that this second conjunction was the "star" which led the Magi
to Jesus, a conclusion made obvious and readily discerned by
anyone who's examined the astronomical data in light of the
Scriptures, and also to anyone who understands astrology and
planetary souljourns. On the following page, a primitive over-
head "orrery" of June 17, 2 BC highlights Venus' near-maximum
elongation from the Sun, so the Venus-Jupiter conjoin was
clearly visible in the afternoon sky, the Emperor & Empress
growing closer and brighter as the sunset drew near. The two
planets would've appeared as one brilliant shimmering "star" by
nightfall... and what an absolutely magnificent sight this must
have been to behold, then to meet the Son of God in the flesh!
The Magoi must've been totally enraptured:
Primitive Orrery of June 17, 2 BC
X(Jupiter)
\
\
\
\
\
\ X(Sun)
\
\
X(Venus)
\
\
X(Earth)
[hard page break]
Observations Upon The Death of King Herod
Now, regarding the death of Herod, after Jesus was born...
The Edomitic king Herod I "the Great" died after Josephus'
lunar eclipse "...red with the blood of the murdered rabbis"
Saturday, January 10, 1 BC, but not 4 BC, the traditionally
supposed year of Herod's death based primarily on a couple
of passages from the historian Josephus' writings and coins
antedating to 3 & 4 BC (ad unwarranted presumptions) which
"support" this inaccurate dating for Herod's death -- which
inaccuracy survives to this day among the secular orthodoxy.
But the facts of the matter prove that Herod I died in 1 BC.
Quoting from Luke: "It happened but in the days those went out
decree beside Caesar Augustus to be getting registered all the
inhabited[earth]; this registration [Gk. apografe {phi=f}]
first occurred being governor of the Syria Quirinius; and they
were going their way all to be getting registered, each(one)
into the of himself city..."[ref. Luke 2:1 WH-ITGS]. This
census and oath of allegiance was required of the whole of the
Roman empire and its provinces, which included the inhabited
regions of southern and western Europe, western Asia and north
Africa, i.e., literally, the inhabited [Roman] earth. On
February 5, 2 BC, Augustus was awarded the highest of all
Roman titles: Pater Patriae, which meant "Father of the
Country". This award ceremony happened amidst celebrations
commemorating the 25th year of Augustus Caesar's rule and the
750th anniversary of the (legendary) founding of Rome in 753
BC[AUC 1/752] which celebrations extended into August of 2 BC
in Augustus' honor. In the autograph account of his own life,
'Res Gestae' Augustus wrote: "While I was administering my
13th consulship the senate and the equestrrian order and the
entire Roman people gave me the title Father of My Country[the
only Roman title above Caesar Imperator and Pontifex Maximus]".
This empire-wide registration began in the late summer of 3 BC
[compare Jesus' birth date(!)]. The koi-ne' Greek word for tax
is apotimesiv[v=end sigma] but apografh is properly translated
as registration or enrollment, but not as a "tax", such as was
mistranslated in the King James, Webster's, and other popular
Bibles. Compare modern translations of this passage "In those
days a decree was issued by Emperor Augustus for a general
registration throughout the Roman world" [ref. New English
Bible]. An inscription from Paphlagonia in Asia Minor dating
from **3 BC** records the oath "taken by the inhabitants of
Paphlagonia and all the Roman businessmen dwelling among
them...[that]the same oath was sworn also by all the people
in the land at the altars of Augustus". This was the same
registration referenced in Luke 2:1, which was an empire-wide
Roman census. There was an actual Roman tax in 8 BC which was
recorded on the walls of the Monumentum Ancryanum at the
Temple Augusteum in Ankara, Turkey. Notably, Roman taxes were
levied only on citizens residing within the Empire proper and
its provinces. These taxes were collected by the publicans at
or near a citizen's place of residence. But king Herod's semi-
autonomous kingdom was outside the Empire proper until 6 AD,
when Judea and Samaria were annexed to the province of Syria
overseen by Roman appointment of imperial prefects, i.e. the
procurators. Any taxes levied before that time were ordered
and collected by Herod under his own rules and auspices, but
*not* those of the Roman Empire, since Herod had paid Caesar
through his own kingdom-wide taxation. Joseph and Mary abided
in Nazareth thus were not Roman citizens and as a result were
wholly exempt from (Roman)taxation. And even if they had been
Roman citizens, they wouldn't have been required to travel to
the place of their royal family's lineage in order to pay the
Roman taxes. Neither would Mary, who being "great with child"
[ref. Luke 2:5], have had to accompany Joseph wither he went
to pay said taxes. Yet Mary had journeyed a distance of about
seventy-two miles! south from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order
to get registered with Joseph and her first son Jesus, with
Caesar's "grandest" of award ceremonies not six months away.
The 5th century historian Orosius wrote: "[Augustus]ordered
that a census be taken of each province everywhere and that
all men be enrolled. So at that time, Christ was born and was
entered on the Roman census list as soon as he was born. This
is the earliest and most famous public acknowledgment which
marked Caesar as the first of all men and the Romans as lords
of the world...that first and greatest census was taken, since
in this one name of Caesar all the peoples of the great
nations took oath, and at the same time, through the
participation in the census, were made part of one society."
[ref. Orosius, Adv. Pag. VI22.7, VII2.16]. Ososius carefully
noted the year that this census was completed, which was 2
BC [Adv. Pag. VI22.1, VI22.5, VII2.14]. And Flavius Josephus
related "therefore the whole Jewish nation took an oath to be
faithful to Caesar and the interests of the king[Herod]..."
"Accordingly, when all the people of the Jews gave assurance
of their good-will to Caesar, and to the king's [i.e. Herod's]
government, these very men [Pharisees] did not swear, being
above six thousand" [Antiq. XVIIii4]. And so Josephus *did*
acknowledge that king Herod I the Great was ALIVE when this
empire-wide census of 3-2 BC was being conducted. Add to this,
Josephus had correctly reckoned Augustus' defeat of Antony in
31 BC as Herod's seventh year, and Gallus' expedition in 24 BC
he'd correctly determined was Herod's fourteenth year [Antiq.
XVv2; XVix1-3]. Thus in every case but one, Josephus counted
Herod's first year as *37 BC*, and so was correct in counting
king Herod's complete reign totalling 37 years upon his death.
However, instead of counting Herod's 37th year from the death
of the former king as he had had done in every other instance
cited(!), Josephus referenced two separate years for counting
Herod's reign. First is 37 BC, in which year Herod had seized
Jerusalem and had the former king murdered, so commencing his
reign; and secondly, counting *back* to 40 BC, when Herod was
merely named "king" by Rome[Antiq. XIVxiv5; XIVxvi4]. In this
instance, Josephus improperly counted Herod's 37th year from
40 BC instead of 37 BC, concluding incorrectly as a result of
his miscalculation that Herod had reigned but "34" years from
37 BC[Antiq. XIVxvi4; XVIIvi4,viii1,xiii2; XVIIIii1,iv6; Wars
IIvii3]. And yet all other evidences cited -- and the bulk of
Josephus' own meticulous research -- confirm that king Herod
did in fact reign for 37 years, but counting from 37 BC which
was Herod's first regnal year. Making 1 BC his 37th and final
year of reign, in which Herod died after the "blood red" full
lunar eclipse of January 10th. So poor king Herod's final year
wasn't much of a year at all, but was cut short by the end of
January 1 BC. Note that Herod's sons Archelaus, Antipas and
Philip reckoned their reigns from Antipater's co-regency with
Herod, beginning 4-3 BC, or after the death of the two royal
sons[Antiq XVIIi1; XVIIii4, Wars Ixxiii5]. So you see, Herod's
successors had ANTEDATED their reigns unbeknownst to Josephus,
which solves the mystery of why he was unable to reconcile the
correct length of Herod's reign with the year of his death,
even though the bulk of his own detailed research about the
late great Herod agree with the evidence that this is 1 BC.
Luke informs us that the empire-wide registration of 3-2 BC
occurred while Quirinius was the governor of Syria. Sentius
Saturninus governed Syria from 9 BC to 7 BC, and Quinctilius
Varus governed from 6 BC to 4 BC. Next, Publius Sulpicius
Quirinus [Gk. Kureniov, var. Quirinius, meaning "warrior"]
governed Syria from 4 BC until 1 BC, and again, after the
banishment of Archelaus, from 6 AD until 9 AD [ref. Lapis
Venetus CIL3.6687]. Thus Quirinius was in fact governor
[imperial legate/commissioner] of Syria twice, and at
the times that Luke so stated [ref. Act 5:37, & Jos. Antiq.
XVIIIi, in regard to Luke's "second" census and taxation].
Archelaus, a son of Herod by Malthace, was made governor of
Syria in 1 BC, but was deposed by Augustus in 6 AD. Renowned
historian W. M. Ramsay discovered an inscription at Antioch of
Pisidia establishing Quirinius in Syria 10-7 BC, while leading
a campaign against the Homanadenses(in the Taurus Mountains),
a fact confirmed by Tacitus. Another inscription, the Lapis
Tiburtinus which dates to 14 AD, was discovered in 1764 near
Tivoli(Tibur), which refers to an officer described as
"victorious in war" and "twice imperial legate of Syria"[ref.
CIL 14.3613]. Clearly, this reference was to Quirinus, but the
officer's name on the papyrus fragment was mutilated beyond
recognition, thus is subject to the usual "Porphyrian" cavil
[ref. Porphyry, 234-305 AD]. A papyrus from Egypt said this
concerning the empire-wide 3-2 BC enrollment referred by Luke
as the "first" registration: "Because of the approaching
census it is necessary that all those residing for any cause
away from their home should at once prepare to return to their
own governments in order that they may complete the family
registration of the enrollment". Also, dated 150 AD, Justin
Martyr wrote: "Jesus was born at Bethlehem, thirty stadia
distant from Jerusalem; as you may learn from the enrolments
that were held under Quirinus (Kyrenios) your first governor,
in Judea"..."Christ was born one hundred and fifty years ago,
under Quirinus (Kyrenios)" [ref. Apol. i.34,46]. Martyr's
testimony was addressed to the Roman Emperor himself, the
Senate and the people of Rome. Here, Martyr placed Christ's
birth c. 1 BC, a year and a half late, but Martyr confirmed
that Quirinus was governor in 1 BC, and confirmed Herod I the
Great was ALIVE in the year 1 BC, a fact further confirmed by
the astronomical evidences. Since Herod wasn't alive for very
long in 1 BC, and since we know that Jesus was born in 3 BC,
and also that Quirinus' first term as governor was from 4 BC
to 1 BC, then Martyr must've known that 1 BC was Herod's last
year, so he surmised that Herod had died sometime shortly, or
within that year, after Joseph had fled to Egypt with Mary and
Jesus, which is in near-agreement with the approximately 32
weeks after Jun 17, 2 BC to late January of 1 BC when Herod
actually died. At least Martyr knew Quirinus was governor in
1 BC and Jesus was born during "enrolments...under Quirinus".
A full lunar eclipse[Gk. ekleipsiv, abandonment] occurs when
the Moon orbits through the center of Earth's shadow, or
umbra, which shadow extends 900,000 miles outward away from
the Sun. Sunlight, particularly the redder bandwidths, is
refracted into the umbra's cone by the Earth's atmosphere,
briefly illuminating a fully-eclipsed Moon with a reddish-
brown, coppery glow which brightness and hues vary depending
primarily on terrestrial meteorological conditions and other
factors. A total, or full lunar eclipse lasts about an hour
and three-quarters, and only occurs while the Earth is in the
umbra i.e. the darkest portion of the Earth's shadow. Partial
lunar eclipses do not produce this deep reddish tint since the
penumbra passes the full spectrum of diffused sunlight onto
the Moon. The traditional total lunar eclipse that Josephus'
recorded as portending Herod's death, to wit, an eclipse that
"turned red with the blood of the murdered rabbis"[ref. Antiq.
XVIIvi4; most translators ignore this passage claiming "dubious
authenticity"] is claimed to have occurred 13 March 4 BC. This
was only a partial eclipse at 37%--not even close to the total
eclipse requisite for turning the Moon "blood red"! And "4 BC"
does not reconcile with the evidence, irregardless. The total
eclipse portending Herod's death started approaching midnight
10 January 1 BC w/syzygy at 1:30:09 AM EET +2:00 as calculated
using Astrolog 5.41G & precision [JPL-DE405/6]Swiss Ephemeris:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1 BC
Jerusalem, Israel 35:13E 31:46N
Sat Jan 10, -0 (1 BC proleptic Julian)
1:30:09 AM EET +2:00; JD 1721066.47927
Body Caelestial Latitude r Velocity
Aldebaran : 15Tau00'00" - 5:36'24" alTau
Antemidhea: 14Aqu39'59" __________ __________
*Sun : 20Cap45'50" - 0:00'00" - +1.0127511<==
*True Node : 20Cap16'41" + 0:00'00" - +0.0000708<==
Midheaven : 14Leo39'59" __________ __________
*Moon : 20Can45'50" - 0:02'42" R +14.677434<==
Lilith : 04Sag38'00" - 3:41'50" - +0.1114796
Mercury : 18Cap03'54" - 2:00'59" - +1.7340800
Venus : 13Sag02'01" + 1:28'39" - +1.2095935
Mars : 26Sco54'56" + 0:18'20" R +0.6960656
Jupiter : 12Vir47'17" + 1:31'37" F -0.0412451
Saturn : 28Tau51'59" - 1:35'42" - -0.0344624
Uranus : 25Pis34'44" - 0:42'24" - +0.0310292
Neptune : 20Sco47'04" + 1:43'26" - +0.0225043
Pluto : 27Vir55'07" +17:27'39" e -0.0060918
Fortune : 10Tau35'29" __________ - __________
Vertex : 02Can23'02" __________ - __________
East Point: 19Sco42'20" __________ - __________
Ascendant : 10Sco35'29" __________ __________
Descendant: 10Tau35'29" __________ __________
*********************************************************
Cf. Table of Eclipse Predictions, Fred Espenak NASA/GSFC:
GreatestEclipse(UT)|Type|PenMag|UmbMag|ParSD|
-0003 Mar 13 00:52 P 1.456 0.370 70m <=partial
0000 Jan 09 23:20 Tm 2.801 1.794 107m <=total
|TotSD|Saros|Gamma |GST0h|MoonRA|MoonDec
- 71 -0.796 11.2 11.38 3.2 <=partial
50m 63 -0.041 7.1 7.28 22.5 <=total
*********************************************************
Cf. complete data using the latest version of SkyMapPro9:
[begin quote of SkyMap eclipse data]
Total Eclipse of the Moon
Local Time: 02:20:00 10-Jan-0
UTC: 23:20:00 9-Jan-0
TDT-UT: +9847.6 sec
Julian Day: 1721066.4722
Sidereal Time: 08h 46m 24s
Site Information
Latitude: 31d 46' 48" N
Longitude: 35d 13' 11" E
Height above sea level: 20 metres
Time zone: 2h ahead of UT (EET)
The entire eclipse is visible from this location. <==Eclipse visible
from Jerusalem...
Circumstances of the Eclipse
Moon enters penumbra: 1BC Jan 09 22:22:51
Moon enters umbra: 1BC Jan 09 23:20:40
Start of totality: 1BC Jan 10 00:18:12
Maximum eclipse: 1BC Jan 10 01:07:55 (cf. geocentric)
End of totality: 1BC Jan 10 01:57:38
Moon leaves umbra: 1BC Jan 10 02:55:09
Moon leaves penumbra: 1BC Jan 10 03:53:04
Umbral magnitude: 1.786
Penumbral magnitude: 2.792
Duration of total phase: 1h 39m 25s
Duration of umbral phase: 3h 34m 29s
Duration of penumbral phase: 5h 30m 13s
Altitude of the Moon
- - - - - - From this observing location, the altitude of the Moon is as follows:
Moon enters penumbra: 69.6d
Moon enters umbra: 79.1d
Start of totality: 78.5d
Maximum eclipse: 70.1d
End of totality: 60.2d
Moon leaves umbra: 48.3d
Moon leaves penumbra: 36.4d
Position Angles
Position angles, measured from the north point of the Moon's disk:
First contact of penumbra: 101.6d
First contact of umbra: 100.8d
Last contact of umbra: 285.8d
Last contact of penumbra: 284.9d
Moon in the Zenith
The Moon is in the zenith at the following geographical positions:
Moon enters penumbra: 22d50'N 055d27'E
Moon enters umbra: 22d42'N 041d35'E
Start of totality: 22d35'N 027d47'E
Maximum eclipse: 22d28'N 015d51'E
End of totality: 22d21'N 003d56'E
Moon leaves umbra: 22d13'N 009d52'W
Moon leaves penumbra: 22d05'N 023d46'W
Information about Moon for 10 Jan 1 BC 1:19:59 AM
(Julian day number 1721066.47221)
Local Information
Apparent topocentric coordinates for the epoch of date:
Right ascension: 7h 15m 56.44s
Declination: +22d 15' 5.1"
Constellation: Cancer <=NOTE: Moon is in 20Can46
Altitude: 67d 46' 59" see Caelestial above
Azimuth: 250d 12' 32"
Rise: 17h 38m 29s
Set: 7h 0m 36s
Star atlas chart numbers:
Herald-Bobroff Astroatlas, Chart C-50
Millennium Star Atlas, Charts 711-712 (Vol II)
Sky Atlas 2000.0, Chart 13
Uranometria 2000 Chart 142, Vol 1
Geocentric Information
Apparent geocentric coordinates for the epoch of date:
Right ascension: 7h 17m 21.776s
Declination: +22d 26' 20.63"
True distance: 363806.4 Km
Horizontal parallax: 3616.35"
Physical Information
Magnitude: -12.7
Phase: 1.000
Phase angle: 0.1d
Elongation: 179.9d
Diameter: 2003.32"
Light time: 0h 0m 1.2s
[end quote of SkyMap eclipse data]
Josephus stated that Herod died shortly after this bloodred
eclipse, and that he was buried before the Passover of that
same year. The molad commencing the 19-year metonic cycle in
which that Passover of 1 BC fell was Monday March 21, 17 BC
@10:23:02 AM EET. The mean vernal equinox was the following
day March 22, 17 BC @9:15:59 PM EET. So 1 Nisan 3744 of the
liturgical "fall-to-fall" calendar reckoning began at sunset
March 21st. The year in which the Passover 1 BC occurred was
year 17 of that cycle and so was not intercalary since that
calendar year (in which the Passover following the blood-red
eclipse occurred) was calculated as year 17 of that 19-year
cycle. Recall from chapter 1 that any year after 3921 was/is
calculated as a leap year if its value divided by 19 leaves a
remainder of 0, 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, or 17; while any year before
3921 to circa 1471 was calculated as intercalary ONLY if its
value divided by 19 leaves a remainder of 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 16
or 18. And so the Passovers of 16 BC(2), 13 BC(5), 11 BC(7),
8 BC(10), 5(13) BC 2 BC(16) & 1 AD(18) of that 19-year cycle
were calculated in intercalary years thus delayed one month as
a function of intercalation to keep feast/holy days in season.
See chapters 1 & 5 "...because of the precessing equinox Abib
was/is never in any case calculated to begin more than 16 days
before the spring equinox of any year be it a leap-year or not;
neither was Pentecost allowed to ingress summer, which is why
our calendar has always been calculated years in advance" as
we've already learned. The Molad for Nisan 3760 was March 24,
1 BC @3:46:58 PM [JD 1721141.07428], placing 1 Nisan the next
day (or Wednesday evening to be more precise). Note also that
the Vernal Equinox was Monday, March 22, 1 BC 6:15:26 PM EET,
thus the Passover of 14 Nisan 3760 fell on Wednesday April 7
of 1 BC--which naturally commenced at sundown that preceeding
day, i.e. Tuesday evening April 6th proleptic Julian calendar.
In terribly-ill health, Herod was away at his winter palace in
Jericho when the rabbis were executed on the day preceding the
lunar eclipse. It is also established that Herod died five days
after Antipater was slain [Antiq. XVIIviii1], which was within
two to three weeks after the total lunar eclipse. So, starting
at February 1st (which is the latest date that reconciles with
Josephus' own testimony), then counting up to April 6th, i.e.
the evening of the Passover, that left 29 days for February
(recall that this Julian leap year was ignored to compensate
for previous leap-year errors but is counted in the proleptic
Julian calendar), plus the 31 days of March, plus 6 days for
April, which totals 29 + 31 + 6 = 66 days, or 91/2 weeks i.e.
sufficient time for Herod's 23-mile funeral procession, the
30-day "mourning" period, the funeral feast and 7(30?)-day
mourning period in honor of the patriots before Passover.
Note also that king Herod himself had set the precedent by
antedating his own reign. With inscriptions from his "3rd
year" dated 38 BC, i.e. fully one year before Antony had
arrested and beheaded the reigning Judean [hasmonaean]
king and high priest Antigonus at "king" Herod's behest.
Archelaus, Antipas and Philip had merely followed Herod's
lead, figuring Herod's death qualified as "year 3", or as
"year 4", of their reigns too, with the oldest coin dated
"year 5"[1 AD] antedated to 4 BC, from Antipater's co-
regency with Herod, as cited from Josephus' writings.
For reference, the precise calendar days leading up to Caesar
Augustus' award ceremony, the Magi's visit, and Herod's death
are charted below with reference to the molad for each month:
------- LITURGICAL/CIVIL CALENDAR YEAR 3759 -------
Tishri (Ethanim) 3759
molad: Mon, Sep 09, 3 BC @ 04:16:41 PM EET
(Julian date 1720579.09492)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16* 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30
*autumnal equinox, Sep 25 @ 07:17:58 PM EET
Cheshvan 3759
molad: Wed, Oct 09, 3 BC @ 09:06:28 AM EET
(Julian date 1720608.79616)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29
Kislev 3759
molad: Fri, Nov 08, 3 BC @ 03:05:09 AM EET
(Julian date 1720638.54524)
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Tebet 3759
molad: Sat, Dec 07, 3 BC @ 08:56:53 PM EET
(Julian date 1720668.28950)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29
Shebat 3759
molad: Mon, Jan 06, 2 BC @ 01:24:56 PM EET
(Julian date 1720697.97565)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
Adar 3759
molad: Wed, Feb 05, 2 BC @ 03:40:10 AM EET
(Julian date 1720727.56956)
S M T W T F S
1* 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
*Caesar Augustus awarded his title of
Pater Patriae: "Father of the Country"
V'Adar 3759
molad: Thu, Mar 06, 2 BC @ 03:32:04 PM EET
(Julian date 1720757.06394)
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17* 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29
*vernal equinox, March 23 @ 03:20:00 PM EET
Nisan (Abib) 3759
molad: Sat, Apr 05, 2 BC @ 01:18:58 AM EET
(Julian date 1720786.47150)
S M T W T F S
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14* 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
*Passover, April 18
Iyyar 3759
molad: Sun, May 04, 2 BC @ 09:35:21 AM EET
(Julian date 1720815.81622)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29
Sivan 3759
molad: Mon, Jun 02, 2 BC @ 05:06:01 PM EET
(Julian date 1720845.12918)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5
6 7+ 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15* 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30
+full day of Pentecost, Monday, June 9
*Magi visit Herod, then Jesus, June 17
(counted as 16 Sivan after sunset)
Tammuz 3759
molad: Wed, Jul 02, 2 BC @ 12:44:26 AM EET
(Julian date 1720874.44752)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29
Av 3759
molad: Thu, Jul 31, 2 BC @ 09:30:19 AM EET
(Julian date 1720903.81272)
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Elul 3759
molad: Fri, Aug 29, 2 BC @ 08:22:03 PM EET
(Julian date 1720933.26531)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27* 28
29
*autumnal equinox, Sep 26 @ 01:06:53 AM EET
------- LITURGICAL/CIVIL CALENDAR YEAR 3760 -------
Tishri (Ethanim) 3760
molad: Sun, Sep 28, 2 BC @ 10:01:16 AM EET
(Julian date 1720962.83421)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
Cheshvan 3760
molad: Tue, Oct 28, 2 BC @ 02:32:43 AM EET
(Julian date 1720992.52272)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29
Kislev 3760
molad: Wed, Nov 26, 2 BC @ 09:12:10 PM EET
(Julian date 1721022.30012)
S M T W T F S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30
Tebet 3760
molad: Fri, Dec 26, 2 BC @ 04:33:26 PM EET
(Julian date 1721052.10655)
S M T W T F S
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15*
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
*Josephus' "blood red" total lunar eclipse
Jan 10; king Herod died within three weeks."
End Historical Calendar of Jesus Chapter 4.
See Chapter 5 for Continuation...
Daniel Joseph Min
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