The First Easter?

[Jim Eshelman]

Happy Easter, everyone.

Are the events recorded in the Christian Gospels historic? Much of the Western world thinks so. The scholarly evidence only outright disagrees with fundamentalists on the point that these documents were heavily edited over two or three centuries (for a mix of political and mythological reasons). Some people dispute that any of it is truly biographical: Others hold that it is (to use the phrase as first intended) the gospel truth.

My view is that matters of faith and of history can be discussed independent of each other. My own view is that there was indeed a historical figure named Jesus and that at least the broad story of the canonical Gospels is biographical. However, details were surely lost (none of these reports was written for decades) and (as mentioned) scholars have no doubt that they were all edited a bit after the fact.

Presuming some historicity, my purpose this morning is to revisit the political execution known best in history as The Crucifixion.

Two details exist in all four Gospel accounts that can't both be true at once: (1) The Last Supper was the Passover meal, held in the evening of the day of the first Full Moon after the vernal equinox. (2) Between noon and 3 PM on the day of the crucifixion the land was dark for three hours in what reads as a perfect description of a total solar eclipse. (This would require a New Moon.) If this was indeed a solar eclipse (new moon), then it did not occur a day or two or three after Passover eve (full moon)!

So... let us consider that, perhaps (presuming these are originally based on first-person reports of historic events) the Last Supper was in fact not Passover. Having these events overlap Passover is, of course, perfect symbolism that could have been edited in later. But the one consistent, dramatic astronomical phenomenon all four record during the crucifixion is that the land darkened from the sixth hour of the day until the ninth, i.e., from noon to mid-afternoon. Yet, if this was describing a solar eclipse, it would have been close to total, occurred over Jerusalem, and been centered (roughly) on noon to 3 PM, i.e., occurring around 1:30 PM.

There was, in fact, exactly such an eclipse in the spring of 33 CE: a total solar eclipse occurred March 19 at 1:24 PM LMT in Jerusalem, almost exactly splitting the noon-to-3 period! Passover was two weeks later, marked by a partial lunar eclipse about an hour before moonrise. [The eclipse had Saturn and Pluto both stationary. For Jerusalem, Saturn was on EP and Neptune setting, a suitable pair of planets.]

March 19 was probably the last day of the Jewish civil year (which would have been celebrated with a similar evening feast): I think sunset March 19 began 1 Nisan that year. It was a Thursday - and the Gospels, closely read, don't say that the next day was the Sabbath, but that sunset after the crucifixion began the day of preparation for the Sabbath, i.e., the traditional activities of each Friday.

Presuming that the events in the Gospels are historical, it seems likely the crucifixion began mid-morning March 19, 33 CE, and climaxed about six hours later when the solar eclipse faded, about 3 PM.

The first Easter (so to speak) - the date the Gospels record as the Resurrection - would have occurred at sunrise (6:05 AM LMT) March 22, 33 CE as the Sun broke the eastern horizon conjunct Venus. (Though Venus and Sun were closely conjunct ecliptically, Venus was already 6° above the horizon, probably visible briefly - and quite a sight.)

[Jim Eshelman]

To look at this as a broader historic event, how does it look in standard mundane astrology?

Whether this was an important mundane event depends, of course, not just on its historic accuracy but on what type of figure the historic Jesus was considered at the time. He was at least an important short-term celebrity, considering that vast crowds gathered around him: The "Jesus Christ Superstar" image is realistic, given the story. I think the significance was more, though.

I think he was the literal heir to the throne of Israel, the exact "crime" for which he was executed: Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews.

This, of course, would give the event enormous importance even at the time as the true ending of the historic Jewish monarchy.

Historically, Israel had consolidated the roles of high priest and king. This had been ended when the Romans installed the House of Herod as rulers. If the Gospels are taken as basic history, though, they didn't kill off the priesthood, which would have seriously compromised their ability to occupy the country. No, the old high priest was still alive: He was Jesus' uncle, Zacharias. We know this because he was fulfilling his duties in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement - and only the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.

So Zacharias was High Priest and, therefore, the hereditary ruler of Israel (were it not for the Romans replacing him with the Herods). Furthermore Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth were both old, she'd always been thought barren, and there was no heir to the throne. Leave the old priest in place: When he dies, the royal line dies.

Then Elisabeth got pregnant! And she gave birth to a son named John (known to history now as John the Baptist). This son drops out of the story completely until his adulthood. Most scholars think he was in hiding: Luke seems to say he was in the desert his whole life until adulthood. Some place him in desert communities of the Essenes before he reemerged as an adult. When we next see John, he walks out of the desert (in the 15th year of Tiberius, about 29 CE) and immediately begins baptizing at the river Jordan. What is usually missed about this is that the rite of baptism was the specific ritual historic kings of Israel used to swear an army!

I submit that John, the rightful hereditary king of Israel, had a plan to take back the country, was swearing an army, securing the loyalty of others in public service, and instructing all who would listen to right conduct. He also began attacking Herod and his house. And (long story short), he was arrested and executed.

When John was killed, where did the rulership pass? He had no siblings. The Jewish culture is matrilineal, and his mother, Elisabeth had one sister - a younger sister named Mary - whose eldest son was Jesus. He was the new heir to the throne. -- When Jesus heard of John's death, we read that he immediately fled the area, crossed the Sea of Galilea. Heading into the wilderness, from the highest mountain in the region, he looked out upon his native land and wrestled with the temptation, "All this could be yours." After 40 days (a new Ennead cycle? <g>) he descended the mountain, gathered his men, and began drawing larger and larger crowds - a passionate mob - as he marched on Jerusalem. The rest... is the Easter tale in full.

That (as briefly as I can tell it) is why I think he was indeed the hereditary monarch executed for exactly the reason given in the Gospels - not for claiming anything, but for actually being the rightful Jewish king.

If the masses knew this as much as those in power, then the event of the crucifixion was indeed a powerful local mundane event.

[Jim Eshelman]

If so: Does the date hold up? The charts are more than sufficient, so... a definite maybe <g>.

NOTE 4/6/23: Today I updated all of these to match TMSA, which is much more accurate for the solar ingresses than SF for distant dates. The lunars are about the same. The result charts are pretty spectacular!

Year: Capsolar {+3}
(Moon's alignment with the Jupiter-Pluto opposite is quite revealing, among other things. It's hard to imagine this could be better!)
Saturn on Z 1°38'
Neptune on IC 2°26'
-- Mercury-Jupiter sq 1°09' PVP
Moon-Pluto co 0°01' M
Moon-Jupiter op 1°18' M
Moon-Mercury co 1°55' M

NOTE: Half a day later, Sun entered Aries - a dormant Arisolar - but again with Moon closely aspecting Jupiter-Pluto in mundo.

Bridge {+2 or +3}
t Pluto sq Cansolar MC 12/12 to 6/21
t Pluto co CapQ Moon 2/27-4/16
Event window: Feb 27 to Apr 16

Month: Caplunar {+1 or +2}
Jupiter on Asc 0°07'
Mars on EP 1°55'
Mercury, Uranus, & Pluto more widely foreground
-- Mercury-Pluto sq 0°34' M
-- Mercury-Mars sq. 1°05'
-- Jupiter-Pluto op. 2°51'

Week: Arilunar (Silent.) Moon-Sun Moon-Venus.
(This occurred on the 19th at 1:55 PM, in the middle of the crucifixion but, it seems, irrelevant.)

Day: Capsolar Quotidian {+2 at least}
t Pluto co p Moon 0°19'
p MC sq s Neptune 0°01'

Day: Cansolar Quotidian & Transits {+2 at least}
p MC op t Pluto 0°18'
------------------------------
t Pluto sq s MC 0°02'

[Veronica]

Fascinating.
Thank you for this excellent breakdown and historical information.
Those eclipses are wonderful timekeepers.

That is an extremely poignant chart ironically, in that it clearly defines a time in which aspects show unclarity and ambiguity. It is easy to see why there is so much controversy and disbelief and secrecy, as well as deep pain and grief.

The world's culture is saturated with the mythos of the sacrifice of the Son king and his defeat of death (or wait...maybe it was a twin...maybe he just pretended...) which is a repeat of the bigger story of the Sun and its path.

You didn't make any mention of Eris, so I am assuming it wasn't a player or that it was not able to be attributed because of the lack of specific time?

I am also curious considering the totality of the mythos, that Christ will be born again....do you see any long term cycles with this event/eclipse?

I wasn't raised Christian so I don't know exactly what the story is.....but so many of the faith truly believe that another human being son of God will someday be born again and rise up against the ever present tyranny of the world......an event I see so many placidly sitting about waiting in great anticipation for...

For a mercurial/neptune kind of deception/lie/ fantasy like that to go on into history it would seem to be some sort of long term cycle or progression.

[Jim Eshelman]

You didn't make any mention of Eris, so I am assuming it wasn't a player or that it was not able to be attributed because of the lack of specific time?

I didn't mention Eris for a couple of reasons. One is that it's meaning is still under investigation and this entire thread is already in speculative territory. One doesn't want to try to substantiate one speculation about the unknown with another unknown.

But the bigger reason is that Eris is relatively new to us: I'm not sure that astronomers have perfected its orbital elements (or that they had when Solar Fire 8 was created). The positions might be wrong like an old Pluto ephemeris from te 1940s.

I am also curious considering the totality of the mythos, that Christ will be born again....do you see any long term cycles with this event/eclipse?

My view is that this is a metaphor for an internal unfolding each person may go through individually and that what is inwardly meant by Christos (anointing) has been born anew to people in every generation since and with increasing frequency as time goes on.

[Lance]

Very interesting.

It’s amazing what you can learn when you’re not trying to make every word of the text historical fact.

[Jim Eshelman]

I updated the ingress calculations for this event using the more accurate calculations of TMSA: Wow, what a set of charts!