DOCSLIB.ORG

Timeline 6 BC to 70 AD One Clue Often Repeated Is Christ’S Birth Could Not Have Been in the Winter, Near December First Century Revelation 25

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Timeline 6 BC to 70 AD One Clue Often Repeated Is Christ’S Birth Could Not Have Been in the Winter, Near December First Century Revelation 25 CODE 166 CODE 196 CODE 228 CODE 243 CODE 251 CODE 294 CODE 427 CODE 490 CODE 590 CODE 666 CODE 01010 COD E 1260 CODE 1447 CODE 1900 CODE 1975 CODE 2300 CODE 6000 CODE 144000 TIMELINE – 6 BCE to 70 CE by Floyd R. Cox (Revised 12-29-2018) Sources: HERE and HERE (Translation: Copy & paste into: https://www.freetranslation.com/) I did a Google search for “date of Herod’s death” and received 14,300 pages of hits. This is evidence there is lots of interest and considered to be importance. Why is it important? Christ born after Herod’s Death? http://code251.com/ If the generally accepted date for Herod’s death is correct (about March 30, 4 BC) then Jesus could not have been conceived in about December, 5 BC, and born 274 days later, on the Related Topics feast of Trumpets, the fall of 4 BC. In this view, Jesus was not born before Herod died. This suggests we should research earlier years and other clues for the conception and birth British Israelism in 5 or 6 BC. Revisited Born in the Winter? Timeline 6 BC to 70 AD One clue often repeated is Christ’s birth could not have been in the winter, near December First Century Revelation 25. Luke says the shepherds of Bethlehem were watching their sheep at night, and this would not likely be in the winter. However, I checked the weather for Bethlehem this year on and Restoring the First Century Context found the temperature in Bethlehem. It was 56 degrees on December 25, 59 degrees on December 26, and 54 on December 27. This link says some breeds of sheep stay in pastures all The Cornerstone Date year around and the bedouin ten their sheep outdoord all year around (as found HERE). -The One Rejected- Winters are sometimes mild. Snow falls only one day per year. This may imply that more research is needed to see if grass still grows on sunny days and to see if locally hired shepherds Sources Purposely Ignored watch sheep grazing in the fields on sunny days to save on their stored supplies. There are only about 2” of rain per December often with higher wind speeds. Introduction to Code 251 270 days From Hanukkah to Trumpets Ancient Riddle Solved Another clue is that important events often occur on new and full moons, lunar and solar Jewish Timeline: eclipses, and on feast days. For example, the second temple was founded on Kislev 24, 520 BC, Creation in 3761 BC and this date is repeated about four times in the book of Haggai. In the second century BC, Antiochus polluted the temple on Kislev 25 until it was cleansed and restored exactly three years Creation Date later, also on Kislev 25. December 25, 5 BC, Hanukkah was on Kislev 25. 19-Year Eclipse Cycle In the New Testament, the Chief Corner Stone may have been conceived on Hanukkah, Kislev 25, and born on Tishri 1, on the feast of Trumpets. There are always nine months, about Eleven Forms of Zionism 270 days, each year between the two just as there are about 270 days from conception to NASA Versus the childbirth. Hebrew Calendar Kislev and Tishri are lunar months. These both move together each year when compared with our solar calendar. Book Review: “The Christian Passover” John the Baptist was Six Months Older than Christ? the 14th or 15th Another clue is that Jesus was conceived six months after John the Baptist was conceived Utopia Unveiled just after John’s father finished his week of duty (as High Priest in the temple). He was on duty during the eighth course, and there were 24 courses. Can we prove when the 24 priestly courses Zionist, Catholic, were back to 6 BC? & Lutheran Profiles One approach is to begin with Christ beginning His mission in 27-28 AD at the age of Captured by Conjecture about 30. This defines the Birth as -3/-2, that is, 3 BC / 2 BC. Another approach is to count backwards from 70 AD. The first course, Jehoiarib, began in Book Review: When was 70 AD and continued for a week, from noon Saturday, Av 9, until noon on Saturday, Av 16. the Crucifixion? On Saturday, August 4, 70 AD, the temple burned after sundown and continued the next Context of Revelation day on Sunday, on August 5, that is, on Av 9 on the lunar calendar. Can we extrapolate when the 24 priestly courses were back to 6 BC? The following source Book Review: Mystery of the Shemitah HERE and HERE does just that. It traces the 24-week priestly cycle from Jehoiarib, Av 9, 70 AD (when the temple burned) backwards to 8 BC. 1 Beginning with Jehoiarib, the 24 priests serve for 48 weeks. Four more weeks would make 52 weeks. These extra four weeks become 24 extra weeks in six years (4 x 6 = 24). Since the Julian calendar adds a leap year every four years, there is needs to be another week missing in 28 years (4 years x 7 = 28 years). To merge these 28 years with the 19-year cycle, there needs to be 532 years (28 x 19 = 532). This insight leads us to discover that Herod conquered Jeerusalem 532 years times 7 after Hebrew calendar began in 3761 BC. This would also merge with the Julian calendar. In 1582, Pope Gregory discovered that the Julian calendar gained 10 days in 1280 years. By subtracting 10 days a n one day every 128 years, he created his Gregorian calendar still used today. The Four Weeks Lacking per Year Can we extrapolate when the 24 priestly courses were from 70 AD back to 6 BC? As said, we need to realize that all 24 priests served twice each year and 12 times in six years. In the sixth year, all 24 priests would serve a third time, the 13th time in six years. Next, another day is added every four years, seven days every 28 years (4 x 7 = 28), and another weeks week needs to be added. This brings the calendar year to 365.25 days, like the Julian calendar. A New View of the Details By counting backwards 72 years (6 yrs x 12) from 70 AD, we come to -2, which is 3 BC. This should repeat the cycle which began in 70 AD except another week needs to be added in 42 AD (70 – 28 = 42) and another in 14 AD (42 - 28 = 14). Another needs added in -14 (in 15 BC). The easiest way to proceed is to follow someone who has charted the details back to 6 BC as shown HERE and HERE. In the chart, 5 BC, begins with Jachin on Saturday, January 1 ending the week on January 8. If this is correct, then John was conceived near September 23, 6 BC, near the fall equinox, three months before December 25, 6 BC. If this is correct, then Christ’s conception would be six months later, near March 25, 5 BC, about 183 days (1/2 year) after John was conceived. If this is correct, then John was born near June 25, 5 BC, and Christ would have been born near November 4 (Heshvan 4) 5 BC, five months before Herod died near March 30, 4 BC (as in TABLE 2). 2 TABLE 1. Calendar for the Feasts and Priests (The following is from source found HERE and HERE) Weeks Weeks begin at noon on Sabbaths: Maaziah 24 Aug 7 6 BC Jehoiarib 1 14 Jedaiah 2 21 Harim 3 28 Seorim 4 Sep 4 Malchijah 5 11 Mijamin 6 18 Hakkoz 7 25 23 24 25 Equinox on the 23rd - 0 days Abijah 8 Tabernacles: Oct 2 27 28 29 30 Oct 1 2 3 4 - John conceived Jeshuah 9 9 Approximate date Shecaniah 10 16 Eliashib 11 23 Jakim 12 30 Huppah 13 Nov 6 Jeshebeab 14 13 Bilgah 15 20 Immer 16 27 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 - Hanukkah Hizir 17 Dec 4 Happizzez 18 11 Pethahiah 19 18 Dec 24, 6 BC - 91 days Jehezkel 20 25 Jan 1, 5 BC Jachin 21 Jan 1 Gamul 22 8 Delaiah 23 15 Maaziah 24 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Jehoiarib 1 Jan 29 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Jedaiah 2 Feb 5 Harim 3 12 Seorim 4 19 Malchijah 5 26 Mijamin 6 Mar 4 Adar II on March 10th Hakkoz 7 11 Approximate date Abijah 8 18 Mar 24, 5 BC – Jesus conceived - 183 days Jeshuah 9 25 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Shecaniah 10 Apr 1 Eliashib 11 8 Nisan 1 on April 8 Jakim 12 15 Huppah 3 22 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Jeshebeab 14 29 Passover on the 21st Bilgah 15 6 Immer 16 13 Hezir 17 20 Happizzez 18 27 Pethahiah 19 Jun 3 Jehezkel 20 10 Approximate date Jachin 21 17 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 - John born - 274 days Gamul 22 24 Delaiah 23 Jly 1 Maaziah 24 8 3 Jehoiarib 1 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Jedaiah 2 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Harim 3 29 Seorim 4 Aug 5 Malchijah 5 12 Mijamin 6 19 Hakkoz 7 26 Abijah 8 Sep 2 Jeshuah 9 9 Shecaniah 10 16 Eliashib 11 23 Sep 24 = 365 days Jakim 12 30 Trumpets on October 2, 5 BC Huppah 13 Oct 7 Jeshebeab 14 14 Bilgah 15 Tabernacles - 21 Immer 16 28 Approximate date Hezir 17 Nov 4 11/04/5 BC - Jesus born - Heshvan 4, 5 BC Happizzez 18 11 Pethahiah 19 18 Jehezkel 20 25 Jachin 21 Dec 2 Gamul 22 9 Delaiah 23 16 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 5 BC Maaziah 24 Hanuk- 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Dec 24 = 365 + 91 days kah on Dec 25th Jehoiarib 1 30 5 BC Jedaiah 2 Jan 6 4 BC Harim 3 13 Seorim 4 20 Malchijah 5 27 Mijamin 6 Feb 3 Hakkoz 7 10 Abijah 8 17 Jeshuah 9 24 Shecaniah 10 Mar 3 A lunar eclipse was on Mar 13, 1:30 a.m.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hugh Lindsay, Strabo and the Shape of His Historika Hypomnemata
    The Ancient History Bulletin VOLUME TWENTY-EIGHT: 2014 NUMBERS 1-2 Edited by: Edward Anson David Hollander Timothy Howe Joseph Roisman John Vanderspoel Pat Wheatley Sabine Müller ISSN 0835-3638 ANCIENT HISTORY BULLETIN Volume 28 (2014) Numbers 1-2 Edited by: Edward Anson, David Hollander, Sabine Müller, Joseph Roisman, John Vanderspoel, Pat Wheatley Senior Editor: Timothy Howe Editorial correspondents Elizabeth Baynham, Hugh Bowden, Franca Landucci Gattinoni, Alexander Meeus, Kurt Raaflaub, P.J. Rhodes, Robert Rollinger, Carol Thomas, Victor Alonso Troncoso Contents of volume twenty-eight Numbers 1-2 1 Hugh Lindsay, Strabo and the shape of his Historika Hypomnemata 20 Paul McKechnie, W.W. Tarn and the philosophers 37 Monica D’Agostini, The Shade of Andromache: Laodike of Sardis between Homer and Polybios 61 John Shannahan, Two Notes on the Battle of Cunaxa NOTES TO CONTRIBUTORS AND SUBSCRIBERS The Ancient History Bulletin was founded in 1987 by Waldemar Heckel, Brian Lavelle, and John Vanderspoel. The board of editorial correspondents consists of Elizabeth Baynham (University of Newcastle), Hugh Bowden (Kings College, London), Franca Landucci Gattinoni (Università Cattolica, Milan), Alexander Meeus (University of Leuven), Kurt Raaflaub (Brown University), P.J. Rhodes (Durham University), Robert Rollinger (Universität Innsbruck), Carol Thomas (University of Washington), Victor Alonso Troncoso (Universidade da Coruña) AHB is currently edited by: Timothy Howe (Senior Editor: [email protected]), Edward Anson, David Hollander, Sabine Müller, Joseph Roisman, John Vanderspoel and Pat Wheatley. AHB promotes scholarly discussion in Ancient History and ancillary fields (such as epigraphy, papyrology, and numismatics) by publishing articles and notes on any aspect of the ancient world from the Near East to Late Antiquity.
    [Show full text]
  • How Roman Culture Merged with Judean Culture 37 Bc
    HOW ROMAN CULTURE MERGED WITH JUDEAN CULTURE 37 BC The Political/Religious Situation of Judea: • Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian (26 yrs) (later to add the title “Augustus”) was in control of the western half of the Roman Republic. • Marcus Antonius (46 yrs) controlled the eastern half of the Roman Republic. • Cleopatra VII (31 yrs) (of Greek descent) was ruling over Egypt with an iron fist; she had great influence over Mark Anthony & she did not care for Herod. • Herod (36 yrs) had been declared “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate at the insistence of both Mark Anthony & Octavian. • Herod had recently appointed his 17-year old brother-in-law, Aristobulus, as High Priest, at the insistence of his mother-in-law, Princess Alexandra. • Alexandra’s father, the former High Priest & Ethnarch, Hyrcanus (74 yrs) (the great- grandnephew of the famous Judas Maccabee), was living a private life in Jerusalem. Herod had assigned an honor-guard/security detail to his mother-in-law, in part because he did not really trust her not to conspire against his kingship. Alexandra complained (in correspondence) to Cleopatra, who made arrangements for she & her son to be smuggled out of Judea to Egypt in a pair of coffins. The plan was revealed to Herod, who simply stopped it from being carried out. FEAST OF TABERNACLES The Jewish festival crowd responded so positively to the young High Priest that Herod became worried that they would prefer him as their king. SHORTLY AFTER THE FEAST Aristobulus (18 yrs) was “accidently” drowned during some swimming pool horse play with Herod’s servants at Jericho.
    [Show full text]
  • The Near East: 100 B.C. to 0∗
    Connexions module: m17969 1 The Near East: 100 B.C. to 0∗ Jack E. Maxeld This work is produced by The Connexions Project and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License y 1 THE NEAR EAST Back to The Near East: 200 to 101 B.C.1 1.1 ARABIA AND JORDAN During the Hellenistic era the Himyarites of southern Arabia had lost their chief source of prosperity when part of the Indian trade was diverted through Egypt, but in 24 B.C., they were still strong enough to defeat the Roman General Gallus, who had been sent to conquer them and the invaders were driven into the desert where many died from heat and thirst. The Nabataean kingdom, in present day southern Jordan, became powerful at this time, with a capital at Petra. Amman, in northern Jordan, was rst destroyed and conquered and then rebuilt by the Romans. (Ref. 1762) 1.2 MEDITERRANEAN COASTAL AREAS OF ISRAEL AND LEBANON By 78 B.C. in Judea the Hasmoneans had enlarged their realm so that their territory was as extensive as it had been under Solomon, but the rulers began to lose their religiosity and yielded to Hellenizing elements. Toynbee (Ref. 2213) says that the Jews' Canaanite culture was not a backward one and was probably equal to the Hellenic in achievement, but it was dierent in ethos and the Hellenic was the more potent and soon dominated. In 63 B.C., however, Judea was conquered by Pompey for Rome. As he laid siege to Jerusalem, the Jewish King Aristobulus took refuge in the walled precincts of the Temple and held out for three months.
    [Show full text]
  • The Empire Strikes: the Growth of Roman Infrastructural Minting Power, 60 B.C
    The Empire Strikes: The Growth of Roman Infrastructural Minting Power, 60 B.C. – A.D. 68 A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Classics of the College of Arts and Sciences by David Schwei M.A., University of Cincinnati, December 2012 B.A., Emory University, May 2009 Committee Chairs: Peter van Minnen, Ph.D Barbara Burrell, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Coins permeated the Roman Empire, and they offer a unique perspective into the ability of the Roman state to implement its decisions in Italy and the provinces. This dissertation examines how this ability changed and grew over time, between 60 B.C. and A.D. 68, as seen through coin production. Earlier scholars assumed that the mint at Rome always produced coinage for the entire empire, or they have focused on a sudden change under Augustus. Recent advances in catalogs, documentation of coin hoards, and metallurgical analyses allow a fuller picture to be painted. This dissertation integrates the previously overlooked coinages of Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt with the denarius of the Latin West. In order to measure the development of the Roman state’s infrastructural power, this dissertation combines the anthropological ideal types of hegemonic and territorial empires with the numismatic method of detecting coordinated activity at multiple mints. The Roman state exercised its power over various regions to different extents, and it used its power differently over time. During the Republic, the Roman state had low infrastructural minting capacity.
    [Show full text]
  • Consular Years and Sabbatical Years in the Life of Herod the Great
    Consular Years and Sabbatical Years in the Life of Herod the Great Andrew E. Steinmann River Forest, Illinois Rodger C. Young St. Louis, Missouri © 2020, Dallas Theological Seminary. This article was accepted for publication by Bibliotheca Sacra, https://www.dts.edu/resources/bibliotheca-sacra/, in September, 2019, and is tentatively scheduled for publication in the Sept.-Dec. 2020 issue. This pre-publication copy is being made available in keeping with Bibliotheca Sacra guidelines. Abstract Much of New Testament chronology, especially the dating of Jesus’s life, is dependent upon the dates for the reign of Herod the Great. In the late nineteenth century Schürer proposed dates for the reign of Herod: 40 (37) BC to 4 BC. These are suspect and are based on Josephus’s erroneous use of Roman consular years. Schürer also cites the sabbatical tables developed by Zuckermann, but this is not an independent source, since they are based on the same citation of consular years in Josephus. When Josephus’s error is recognized, the correct dates for Herod’s reign are demonstrated to be 39 (36) BC to 1 BC, placing the birth of Christ in late 3 BC or early 2 BC. Keywords Josephus, Herod the Great, NT chronology, birth of Christ, Schürer, Filmer, Maccabees, Sabbatical years, Jubilees After the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Roman world was embroiled in a civil war that was described extensively by the Roman historians Appian, Dio Cassius, and Livius. Plutarch’s biographies also provide historical background for the period. Writings from these Roman historians (except Livius, for whom the relevant portions have not survived) give important information regarding the civil war, and also regarding the Roman strife with the Parthians that took place during this unsettled time.
    [Show full text]
  • Cleopatra Was the Last Pharaoh of Egypt, and the Last of the Ptolemy Dynasty of Egyptian Rulers
    CLEOPATRA WAS THE LAST PHARAOH OF EGYPT, AND THE LAST OF THE PTOLEMY DYNASTY OF EGYPTIAN RULERS Cleopatra VII Background: The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Macedonian Greek royal family, which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC. They were the last dynasty of ancient Egypt. Ptolemy, one of the seven somatophylakes (bodyguards) who served as Alexander the Great's generals and deputies, was appointed governor of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BC. In 305 BC, he declared himself Ptolemy I. The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemy’s as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. Ptolemy's family ruled Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC. The most famous member of the line was the last queen, Cleopatra VII. The timeline of the life of Cleopatra VII: Cleopatra VII was born in early 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. The name Cleopatra symbolises ‘glory of the father’. She was one of the five children of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V of Egypt. There is no record of Cleopatra's mother after her birth, leaving her father to be her primary influence. Her sibling’s names included Berenike IV, Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV. In 58 BC, her father Ptolemy XII was expelled from Egypt and fled to Rome with Cleopatra VII. His other daughter Berenike IV seized the throne in his absence, but by 55 BC, Rome’s leaders reinstalled him, and executed Berenike IV, making Cleopatra VII the next in line for the throne.
    [Show full text]
  • 84 ©Inspired Educators, Inc. Cleopatra VII Was Born in 69 B.C. In
    Cleopatra VII was born in 69 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. The city had been founded by the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great and ruled since his death by his general, Ptolemy, and the line of pharaohs he established. Cleopatra’s father was Ptolemy XII. Based on her ancestry, it could be said that Cleopatra was not really Egyptian but Greek, though she would surely have disagreed. Cleopatra came to the throne upon her father’s death in 51 B.C. at the age of seventeen. She co-ruled with her 12-year-old brother, the pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, whom she married as was the Egyptian tradition for keeping the rule in the family. Highly intelligent, Cleopatra spoke nine languages and proved to be a skilled ruler. Her little brother stayed in the background for a time until he conspired with one of his advisors to force her from power. In 48 B.C. she was stripped of all power and forced into exile in Syria, but was determined to regain her position. Creative and willing to do whatever was necessary, Cleopatra was determined to regain the throne her brother had stolen from her. As Cleopatra was assembling an army to attack Alexandria, the Roman leader Julius Caesar was also on his way to the city. He arrived to a gift from the pharaoh, Ptolemy, intended to gain Caesar’s favor. The gift was the head of Caesar’s greatest political rival, Pompey! Instead of being pleased, though, Caesar was furious about the gruesome murder and the horrible gift! Recognizing an opportunity, Cleopatra dressed to the nines, had one of her attendants wrap her in a Persian rug, and arranged to be delivered to Caesar.
    [Show full text]
  • Star of Bethlehem
    STAR OF BETHLEHEM Biblical evidence Matthew II, 1–2: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the King behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” Matthew II, 9–10: “Then Herod, when he privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently when the star appeared.” [...] “When they had heard the King, they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” What can we say from this? • The wise men (Magi) were most likely priests and/or astrologers. They came presumably from Babylon, but possibly from Assyria or Chaldea. • At about the sixth century tradition changed the Magi into Kings and their number was fixed at three because of the threefold nature of their gifts gold, frankincense and myrrh (but six Kings in the eastern tradition). • The star was not very bright and obvious to everybody, but must have held astrological significance. Also it must have been a fairly long lasting phenomenon. • It was only in medieval times that the star got to be depicted as very bright and with a tail, suggesting a comet or a meteorite. • It remains possible that the story about the star is only fiction; part of a tale to amplify the significance of Jesus’s birth and/or to fulfill the Old Testamental prophecy.
    [Show full text]
  • Athens, Augustus, and the Settlement of 21 B.C
    Athens, Augustus, and the Settlement of 21 B.C. Schmalz, Geoffrey C R Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Winter 1996; 37, 4; ProQuest pg. 381 Athens, Augustus, and the Settlement of 21 B.C. Geoffrey C. R. Schmalz N RECENT YEARS much has been made of the 'bad blood' be­ tween Athens and Augustus, es ecially in the context of I the controversial imperial visit of 21 B.C. The Athenian so­ journ of Augustus, the second of three, is known from the rather full, if problematic, account in Cassius Dio (54.7.1-4). Over thirty years ago G. W. Bowersock adduced a supplemen­ tal source in Plutarch's Regum et Imperatorum Apophtheg­ mata (M or. 207E- F).l This passage purports to preserve a letter addressed to the Athenians by Augustus and is construed as evi­ dence for a winter stay on Aegina at the time. Thus taken to­ gether, these two sources are the basis for much of the present understanding of the early relationship between Augustus and his Athenian subjects.2 What follows here is a re-evaluation from several different per­ spectives of the imperial visit of 21 B.C. Through a closer reading of Dio and Plutarch, a review of the history of the period, and finally a consideration of the epigraphic evidence from Athens, several new conclusions will be drawn. First, it will become evident that Dio's account of the imperial visit cannot be placed in the winter of 21 B.C. but belongs rather to the following summer or perhaps even the fall.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-03825-7 - The Geography Of Strabo Duane W. Roller Excerpt More information Introduction 1. The life of Strabo All that is known about the life of Strabo is the information that he himself 1 provided in his Geography. Not even his full name is preserved, only 2 “Strabo” (actually “Strabon” in the Greek of the sources). Strabon/Strabo could be either a Roman cognomen or a Greek personal name, meaning, in 3 both languages, “Squinter.” Yet early citations of the Greek name are rare 4 and dubious, and do not predate the third century bc, when Roman names were already becoming known in the eastern Mediterranean. Although there is the remote possibility that “Strabo” was the geographer’s Greek birth name, this seems unlikely. It is more probable that he had a typical Anatolian Greek name, perhaps one of the seven other male names extant from his family (Dorylaos, Philetairos, Lagetas, Stratarchas, Moaphernes, Tibios, and Theophilos). The geographer’s known name was probably from the common Roman cognomen Strabo, first documented with M. Licinius Strabo, military 1 The bibliography on Strabo and his Geography is enormous, and only works relevant to the overall composition are cited in this Introduction. The modern editions of the text are discussed below (p. 29). See also Katherine Clarke, Between Geography and History: Hellenistic Constructions of the Roman World (Oxford, 1999), esp. 193–336; Johannes Engels, Augusteische Oikumene Geographie und Universal-Historie im Werk Strabons von Amaseia (Stuttgart, 1999); Strabo, Géographie (ed. Germaine Aujac, François Lasserre, and Raoul Baladié, Paris, 2003), 1: “Introduction générale”; Germaine Aujac, Strabon et la science de son temps (Paris, 1966), 221–309; Strabo, Geographica: Strabon von Amaseia 4 (ed.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 STAR of BETHLEHEM ABSTRACT for Over 400 Years Scholars And
    STAR OF BETHLEHEM RONALD E. MICKLE Denver, Colorado 80211 ©2003 Ronald E. Mickle ABSTRACT For over 400 years scholars and theologians have studied the possible origins of the Star of Bethlehem. In preparing for this essay, it was quickly discovered that the articles and publications regarding the origin of the Star of Bethlehem numbered in the hundreds. Due to limited space and time, this critical review of possible interpretations of the Star will focus on only three areas: (1) the accuracy of dates of the event, (2) the possible astronomical origins (stellar and non-stellar), and (3) popular misconceptions. I will draw upon three publications and give my opinion. 1. ACCURACY OF THE DATES OF THE EVENT To help identify the phenomena referred to as the Star of Bethlehem, we must first decide when Jesus was born. Many scientific scholars and theologians have studied the documents over the years and not one, that this writer found, can definitively say in what year the birth occurred. While evidence used by various scholars is, for the most part, factual, their conclusions can be very subjective. In researching documents, I found three occurrences which help fix the date of Christ’s birth. First is the final years of King Herod’s reign, including his death. Second is the Roman census which required Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, to return to their home of ancestry, and last, a series of celestial events. HEROD’S DEATH The reign and death of Herod the Great is documented in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and, for the most part, agreed upon by scholars[Carroll].
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomical and Historical Evaluation of Molnar's Solution
    This is the author's submitted version for what has been recently published as Chapter 4 in the book "The Star of Bethlehem and the Magi", 2015, edited by Peter Barthel and George van Kooten (published by Brill in Leiden). This book has contributions from the conference on the 'Star of Bethlehem', held in Groningen in October 2014. Copyright for the published chapter is owned by Brill, but they explicitly allow the right to deposit the author's version in a subject repository like arXiv, with due acknowledgement. ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVALUATION OF MOLNAR'S SOLUTION Bradley E. Schaefer Louisiana State University ABSTRACT Previously, the most prominent explanation for the Star of Bethlehem was to identify one of many astronomical events in the sky as being the inspiration for the trip of the Magi. However, all the astronomical answers have detailed refutations. For example, comets, eclipses, and meteors were universally seen as very bad or evil omens, so they cannot be the Star. Also, there were no reported nova or supernova in 5 or 4 BC, because the Chinese reports explicitly identify both objects as being comets. And the claim that the Star was an earlier eruption of the 'recurrent nova' DO Aquilae is certainly wrong because DO Aquilae is not a recurrent novae (so it did not erupt in 5 BC) and it could not possibly have gotten to be bright enough to be visible to the unaided eye. The astronomical answers also have the general refutation that the spectacular astronomical events claimed to be the Star were all of no interest to the Magi.
    [Show full text]