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Life©
Cross Correlating Recorded
History
Surrounding the New Testament
Time Period
with Exactly Dated
Astronomical Events
A listing of 18± celestial
events, dated from 49 BCE thru 66 CE, matched to historical records tied to the
reigns of various Roman Emperors and other dated historical events
Abstract:
Below is a table of ten (10) comets, five (5) solar eclipses, and three
(3) lunar eclipses that have been matched to key historical events from 49 BCE
through 66 CE. Based upon these matches, plus a large number of matches based
upon the New Moons of the biblical calendar as referenced in the New Testament
and by Josephus, I cannot avoid concluding that…
It is time for a paradigm shift re the dating of
historical events surrounding the beginning of the Christian era!
In order to arrive at a more correct and reliable chronology of history
many dates presently considered well known and well established by conventional
historians - though without matches to celestial events described in historical
records - must be shifted back in time between five and fifteen years relative
to the dates usually provided within conventional historical works. This
applies to all the events in the New Testament as well as to the regnal periods of the Roman Emperors.
Josephus and Suetonius constitute two apparently independent witnesses
agreeing with one another perfectly in most instances, while also being more or
less concurrent in time with the events here described.
Josephus is describing a number of exactly dated events which presently
seem to have been nailed down fairly solidly upon the cross of exact
astronomical tables of solar and lunar eclipses and phases of the moon.
Josephus is referencing one important lunar eclipse (9 BCE) and one comet
(55/56 CE) within the period of time here considered.
One historical fingerprint
with many particulars is the period of time surrounding Herod the Great’s reign.
I gratefully acknowledge the tremendous work done by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
in identifying most or all of the within correlations between historical and
celestial events. One part of the within work consists merely in consolidating
the astronomical events already identified by Ronald L. Conte Jr., and in
further establishing and revising the exact dates based [primarily] upon
Josephus’ works and the available quotes from
Suetonius.
Another most important part of the within work is based [primarily] upon
the oldest known manuscripts of the New Testament, the Textus
Receptus, and the references to time as there
specified.
For additional detail
of the below table please
click here!.
For a listing of dated New
Testament events and the supporting calculations and references click
here.
For a listing of the starting
and ending dates of the twelve Roman Emperors from Julius Caesar through Domitian, and the supporting calculations and
references, click
here.
For an outline of the events
of the War and the Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, and the
supporting calculations and references, click
here.
In contrast to data presented in the table below, please notice the
glaring absence of any significant correlations between exactly dated
celestial events and conventional Roman and New Testament chronologies.
NOTICE: To see the movies you
may need to download the
free Quicktime 6.0 or later software. Or else go get your one week free trial of
the Starry Night Backyard
software and make your own studies of the starry skies as I did mine.
|
# |
What: |
When: |
References and Quotes: |
|
1 |
A comet |
49 BCE,
April 14 – May 12 |
Pliny quoting Augustus: “
‘On the very days of my Games a
comet was visible for seven days in the northern part of the sky. It was [in
“the eleventh hour of the day”], and was a bright star visible from all
lands.’ ” (Pliny, Natural History, 2.23.) Cometary data are from Gary W. Kronk, Cometography, A Catalog
of Comets,
(Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1999) |
|
2 |
Solar eclipse |
49 BCE, August 9, at |
Pliny: “Portentous and protracted eclipses of
the sun occur, such as the one after the murder of Caesar the dictator….”
Pliny, Natural History, 2.30. Julius Caesar is obviously the one
referred to as the dictator who was murdered. The circumstances of his death,
described by Suetonius, Josephus, and others make
it clear Julius Caesar was murdered. And he was long thought of, and referred
to, in ancient |
|
3 |
A comet |
32 BCE, in the lunar month
beginning on February 6 |
Dio: “…and for many days a flaming torch was seen to rise over
the sea in the direction of |
|
4 |
A comet |
15/16 BCE, most likely sometime
between March and December |
Associated historical events: 1. After Agrippa died. 2. Yeshua’s birth
/ Quirinius – at the time of the census / Augustus.
“…connected with Agrippa’s death.” Dio, Roman
History, Volume VI, Loeb Classical Library, 54.30.1. |
|
5 |
A total lunar eclipse |
9 BCE, “Nov 28
18:41 t” - UT |
Josephus: “But Herod deprived this Matthias
of the high priesthood, and burnt the other Matthias, who had raised the
sedition, with his companions, alive. And that
very night there was an eclipse of the moon.” Josephus,
Antiquties, XVII:6:4. |
|
6 |
A total solar eclipse, though only visible as partial over the |
10 CE, June 30 at |
Dio Cassius describes a solar
eclipse as one of the portents occurring before the death of Caesar Augustus.
Dio, Roman History, Volume VII, Loeb
Classical Library, 56.29.3. |
|
7 |
A solar eclipse |
26 CE, Aug
1 |
A solar eclipse was predicted on Claudius’ birthday. Dio: “some other portents had already occurred.” Dio, Roman History, Volume
VII, Loeb Classical Library, 60.26.1. |
|
8 |
A solar eclipse |
29 CE, Nov 24 late AM Photo
of total eclipse as viewed from W Turkey 12
min (real eclipse time) movie of total eclipse as viewed from W Turkey |
Origen, "Contra Celsus": "And with regard to the eclipse in the time of Tiberius Caesar,
in whose reign Jesus appears to have been crucified, and the great
earthquakes which then took place, Phlegon too, I
think, has written in the thirteenth or fourteenth book of his
Chronicles;" "And Phlegon also who compiled
the Olympiads writes about the same things in his 13th book in the following
words: 'In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, and eclipse of the
Sun took place greater than any previously known, and night came on
at the sixth hour of the day, so that stars actually appeared in the sky; and
a great earthquake took place in Bithynia and overthrew the
greater part of Niceaea;" |
|
9 |
A comet |
39 CE March
13 to April 30 |
“main omens of Claudius’ death included the rise of a
long-haired star, known as a comet….” Suetonius,
The Twelve Caesars, Penguin Books, 5.46.
“a long-haired star, known as a comet.” Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Penguin Books,
5.46. “seen for a very long time….” Dio, Roman History, Volume VIII, Loeb Classical
Library, 61.35.1. “Pliny the Elder lists four comets which were seen (during the
reigns of various emperors) “in the western
sky,” including the comet seen “about the time of the
poisoning” of Claudius Caesar. [Pliny, Natural History,
2.23.]” Conte Jr., Ronald L., Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and
Mary. “Seneca gives a different description of this comet: “The Claudius comet rose from the north into the zenith and
moved east, always growing dimmer.” [Lucius
Annaeus Seneca, Natural Questions II, ed. E.
H. Warmington, trans. Thomas H. Corcoran, Loeb
Classical Library, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press,
1972), “Comets,” 7.21.3.] Later, he
reiterates that the comet was seen in the north, then rose straight up until
it disappeared. [Kronk, Cometography,
p. 28.]“ Conte Jr., Ronald L., Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and
Mary. “A comet sighting was recorded by the ancient Chinese astronomers in
A.D. 39, from March 13 to April 30. This comet had a conspicuous tail, with
rays as long as 30 degrees. [Kronk, Cometography, p. 27. ]” Conte Jr., Ronald L., Important
Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary. |
|
10 & 11 |
2 comets |
46 CE & 49 CE |
Tacitus: “A brilliant comet now appeared.” Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial “omens of impending misfortune.” Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial “The general belief is that a comet means a change
of emperor. So people speculated on Nero’s successor as though Nero were
already dethroned.” Tacitus, The Annals of
Imperial “Tacitus describes a second comet a few
years later, at the end of the year of the burning of “Tacitus tells us that this comet was “atoned for by Nero, as usual, by aristocratic blood….” Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial “Tacitus tells us that the fire that
destroyed Pliny: “Nero again followed the advice he received at the time of the previous
comet. Pliny also describes a comet during Nero’s reign…” Conte Jr.,
Ronald L., Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary. “Pliny also states that this comet was seen “during
Nero’s principate shining almost continuously and
with a terrible glare.” [Pliny, Natural History,
2.23.]“ Conte Jr., Ronald L., Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and
Mary. Seneca: “The poet Seneca describes a comet during the reign of Nero, when Paterculus and Vopiscus were
consuls, … This comet began in the north, passed through the west, and ended
in the southern sky. [Kronk, Cometography,
p. 31.]” Conte Jr., Ronald L., Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and
Mary. Suetonius: “Suetonius mentions a comet observation
before he describes the burning of Conte: “Nero was so concerned about each of these two comet sightings…,
supposing it to be an omen of the end of his reign, that he massacred the
Roman nobility in an attempt to divert this result. …There is no record of a
comet in A.D. 49, my revised year for the burning of |
|
12 & 13 |
A pairing of a solar and a lunar eclipse within 15 days |
|
Pliny: “For the eclipse of both sun and moon
within 15 days of each other has occurred even in our time, in the year of the third consulship of the elder Emperor Vespasian and the second consulship of the younger.” Pliny, Natural History,
2.10. Photo Close
up photo Movie Close
up movie Photo
of the eclipse as viewed from north Germany Close
up of the same |
|
14 |
A comet (preceding two apparent lunar eclipses within 3 days…) |
54 CE, seen between June 9 and July 9 |
Dio: “While he was
behaving in this way, evil omens occurred. A comet was seen, and the moon,
contrary to precedent, appeared to suffer two eclipses, being obscured on the
fourth and on the seventh day.” Dio, Roman
History, Volume VIII, Loeb
Classical Library,
64.8.1. |
|
15 |
2 lunar eclipses? |
54 CE, August 7 |
Dio: “While he was
behaving in this way, evil omens occurred. A comet was seen, and the moon,
contrary to precedent, appeared to suffer two eclipses, being obscured on the
fourth and on the seventh day.” Dio, Roman
History, Volume VIII, Loeb
Classical Library,
64.8.1. |
|
16 |
A comet - The length of the observation was fairly long, 113 days. |
55/56 CE, Dec. of A.D. 55 to March of A.D. 56. |
Josephus: “Thus there was a
star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that
continued for a whole year.” Josephus, The Wars of the Jews,
VI:5:3. “the signs that were so evident and did so plainly
foretell their future desolation.” Josephus, The Wars of
the Jews, VI:5:3. “…the
Conflagration of the Holy House….the Signs that Preceded this Destruction.” Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, VI:5:heading. |
|
17 |
A comet |
60 CE, in August |
Pliny mentions a comet associated with Titus, but seen before he
became emperor. “ ‘Javelin-stars’ quiver like a dart;
these are a very terrible portent. To this class belongs the comet about
which Titus Imperator Caesar in his 5th consulship wrote an account in his
famous poem, that being its latest appearance down to the present day.” Pliny, Natural
History, 2.22. |
|
18 |
A comet |
65/66 CE - Jan.-April of A.D. 66 & July-Sept. A.D. 65 |
Dio tells us about Vespasian: “To those who
said anything to him about the comet he said: ‘This is an omen, not for me,
but for the Parthian king; for he has long hair, whereas I am bald.’ ”
Dio, Roman History, Volume VIII, Loeb
Classical Library, 66.17.3. Dio adds that the comet “was visible for a long time.” Dio, Roman History, Volume VIII, Loeb Classical
Library, 66.17.2. |
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