Astronomy and the Birth of Jesus Christ

Figure 1. We can see here that Mercury (Me) is completely covering Regulus, the King and brightest star in Leo. After Mercury, follows the King planet Jupiter (Ju) approaching Leo (the King constellation). After this, Mercury goes into retrograde motion to meet Venus (Ve) for the first time in Mercury’s first and wider retrograde motion. Dates are given by the software at the right side in the bottom. There is a word in the Greek Septuagint translation of the porphecy of Jacob in Genesis 49:10 which has astronomical significance. It is εκλειψει (Strong's #1587). This word ekleipsei is translated to English as "depart" in KJV, "taken" in BBE, "taken away" in Wyclffe and in Douay-Rheims, or "turneth"" aside" in YLT. Ekleipsei means "to eclipse", "to disappear", "to surpass", "to outvie", & Thayer’s: 1a) "to leave out", "omit", "pass by", and 2b) "of the failing or eclipse of the light" (of Regulus, in this case). Three times Regulus was eclipsed: by Mercury, by Jupiter, and by the Moon, thus establishing the fulfillment of the prophecy. In these astronomical simulations the celestial bodies travel from Right to Left.

Figure 2. Conjunction of Venus (Ve) and Jupiter (Ju) seen as one. The Sun, the transparent circle running on the ecliptic, is in Leo in August, and also you can see Mercury (Me) in the distance (smaller size) in its first of two retrograde motions near Leo. Mercury's second retrograde motion occurred one year later.

Figure 3. Conjunction of Venus with Mercury. Mercury is coming from its first retrograde motion near Leo. Mercury here is represented with a bigger (closer) size compared with Figure 2. The Sun now is in Virgo. Mercury appears below Venus. Jupiter is still approaching Regulus.

Figure 4. This picture shows that Mercury and Venus were actually running together for at least nine days. On the ninth day Venus is below Mercury and both were in a second conjunction. Jupiter is closer to Regulus.

Figure 5. First conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus in the constellation Leo. Jupiter eclipsed (ekleipsei, see Figure 1) Regulus. At the upper left we can see the name of a constellation related to Virgo, now called Coma Berenices, but that in old times was called “Comah” in Hebrew, “The desired of the nations”, which was represented as a mother with a child in her lap. Here, the child’s name represents Jesus Christ. At the bottom right we can see the name of a constellation called Hydra, which represents Satan as the old serpent, which has its head smashed by the feet of Leo.Figure 6. The full moon (phase 1) is here represented by the transparent circle slightly over the ecliptic, and is covering (ekleipsei, Figure 1) Regulus. Jupiter is seen ascending in retrograde motion, to be in conjunction with Regulus for the second time (of three).

Figure 7. Second conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus in Leo. Jupiter is at the midst of its retrograde motion.
Figure 8. Third conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus. The retrograde motion has been completed and now Jupiter is going to continue its path. The decreasing moon can be seen below Regulus.

Figure 9. Second conjunction of Jupiter with Venus in Leo, after the triple conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus in Jupiter’s retrograde motion.

Figure 10. The meeting of planets in Leo: Jupiter, Mars (Ma), Mercury (which is the last one at the right), and Venus (at the bottom). The Sun is also in Leo in August, as in the Figure 2. The Sun is the transparent circle on the ecliptic. Mercury is coming from its second retrograde motion in Leo, having had three conjunctions with Regulus, as Jupiter had before. Venus, as seen here at the bottom, is also in the midst of its retrograde motion (as "to meet" with the other planets).

Figure 11. Planetary meeting in Leo. See the detail of the conjunction of Jupiter with Mars (Ma), both seen as one, and both in conjunction with Mercury and Venus. As noticed in Figure 10, Venus also experienced a retrograde motion, as to meet with them. Mercury is ready to lead and the Sun can be seen in Virgo. Give glory to GOD with all your heart, read the Bible constantly, be saved and be thankful and joyful for your living Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, because he is our sufficiency.

Figure 12. The stationary point of Jupiter (Ju) in Virgo that had been seen over Bethlehem since the 24 of December 2 BC, when the Magoi from Persia went to visit and to give gifts to Jesus Christ, who then was one year, three months and about thirteen days old (that stationary point of Jupiter in Virgo lasted from about the 24th of December 2 BC to the 1st of January of 1 BC. After his resurrection from the dead, Christ Jesus brought the age of Grace on the day of Pentecost, when he freely poured out holy spirit over every one who confessed with his mouth that Jesus Christ is the Lord and whosoever who believed that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, as Romans 10:9-10 says).

Figure 13. The constellation of Virgo with the Sun clothing “her” and the moon at “her” feet, with its brightest star Tsemach (in Hebrew), Al Zimach (in Arab) or Spica (in Latin) on the horizon at the moment of Jesus Christ’s birth, as has been revealed in the book of Revelation 12:1. That day was the day of 1 Tishri, the beginning of a new year for the Hebrews (Rosh-Hashanah), a day of trumpets.

Figure 14. About 30 years after the previous sign, we have this astronomical event in the constellation of the Lamb: the planet Mercury is over the Sun (which is in the midst of Aries at the Passover), an event that almost lasted the whole day. It seems that the messenger of God is pointing out the closeness of Jesus Christ's sacrifice. The Bible tells us that when Jesus Christ offered his life for us, there was darkness upon the earth (between 12:00 and 3:00 P.M.), there was also an earthquake, and the thick veil of the jewish temple was rent (no more separation, once Jesus paid the price, the access to God is direct). Aries' foot is smashing the head of “Cetus”. "Cetus" is another representation of the enemy of God. The sacrificial lamb should have been one year old. We need to understand oriental customs pertaining to the adult age for human males, the legal recording of the first year of age included the time inside the mother’s womb, and the biblical revelation that Jesus Christ had his Bar-Mitzvah at the age of 12 years old (Luke 2:42). Even being he the Son of God, but not being the son of Joseph, strictly and legally for Joseph (who accepted him as "his adopted son") and for the Sanhedrin (John 8:41), Jesus was considered an illegitimate son (a legitimate son does the Bar-Mitzvah at his 13 years old). All of these considerations require a deeper study, but when all of things are put together, we will be able to see that the ministry of Jesus Christ lasted for about a year (and not three years as an ever mistaken tradition holds), because he, as a pure lamb of the flock, did fulfilled also the law as prophecy, as the sacrificial lamb age should have been of one year. References to study: From the U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department: Passover dates 26-34 A.D. From the Cortright Fellowship: A Lamb of the First Year , and: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Crucifixion. From The Christian Jew Foundation: Chronology of the Crucifixion Week, by Wayne Carver. From The CenturyOne Foundation: The Chronology of Christ's Crucifixion & Resurrection. From the Worldwide Church of God: The Resurrection was Not on Sunday, H. W. Armstrong, Pasadena: WCG, 1952, 10-11, and: The Crucifixion and Resurrection, D. A. Schneider.

Links:

The birth of Jesus Christ.

A Hero For The Ages

September 11, 3 B.C. - The great sign in heaven.


Quirinius and Luke 2:2. (to be removed on October 26, 2009 with all other Geocities links)


"Star of Wonder, Star of Night" An Astronomer Looks at the Star of Bethlehem. By Craig Chester. Minnesota Christian Chronicle Dec.23,1993.


https://www.hillsdale.edu/hctools/ImprimisTool/archives/1996_12_Imprimis.pdf


The Star of Bethlehem, by the Griffith Observatory, presented on the MSNBC Mysteries of the Universe series. By ASK (Associates for Scriptural Knowledge), plus the book: "The Star that Astonished the World", by Ernest L. Martin.


Bullinger, E. W. “The Companion Bible”, 1922, appendix 12 “The Stars Also” (Gen. 1:16).


Bullinger, E. W. “The Witness of the Stars”, 1981, Kregel, 204 p.


The Constellations and Their Intelligent Design


In Spanish: "Aspectos Astronómicos Relacionados con el Nacimiento de Jesucristo", Fernando Castro Chávez. Related YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnCaEqUr1m0


In Spanish (Word Doc): "Algunos Datos Sobre El Nacimiento De Jesucristo", Dr. R. Cruz Mireles.


In Spanish (Word Doc): "El Nacimiento del Señor Jesucristo", Ps. Lourdes Rosillo Ricardo.

Kitab suwar al-kawakib or "Book of the constellations of the fixed stars" [translation from Greek into Arabic of Ptolemy's "Almagest" (a work on the 48 constellations )], by al-Sufi (‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Umar al-Sufi), 964 A.D. [Examples of drawings representing Jesus Christ: Ophiuchus, pags. 121-122; Aries, pags. 165-166; Leo, pags. 203-204.]

Software used:
smp9eval.exe
http://www.gco.org.au/skylive/skymapper.htm
Plus its Service pack 1:
http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/cits2/sw_frames/sw_utilities.html
smp10eval.exe
http://www.maa.mhn.de/Tools/tools.html
(SMP11.exe
http://www.skymap.com/smp_eval.htm)
smp8eval.exe
http://www.rvasclub.org/rvas-news/nl_archive/2001/nov2001.pdf