How long was herod king

I have come to you placing my hope of safety on my unblemished character, and believing that you will wish to know not whose friend, but what sort of friend, I have been," Josephus wrote translation by English classicist G. Octavian was so impressed that he not only allowed Herod to remain king but gave him back territory that Antony had given to Cleopatra VII.

While a Jewish temple was built on the site in the late 6th century B. Historians today often call it the "Second Temple. Although much of the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in A. Other famous sites Herod constructed include Masada , a clifftop palace-fortress decorated with beautiful mosaics; and the Herodium, a complex located 7.

Herod also helped save the ancient Olympic Games. He donated "a large sum of money for the financial support of the quadrennial Olympic games, the survival of which was threatened by lack of funds. And because of Herod's financial assistance, "the organizers of the ancient games elected Herod perpetual Olympic president and recorded it in inscriptions. Historians generally believe that Herod died in 4 B.

The Gospel of Matthew claims that he tried to kill baby Jesus and succeeded in killing all the other babies in Bethlehem in an event that is sometimes called the "massacre of the innocents. Another story that mentions Herod, told in the Gospel of Luke, claims that Mary and Joseph the parents of Jesus had to be registered in a census at the time Jesus was born.

This is also believed by modern-day historians to be untrue, as there's no evidence of a census occuring during Herod's reign. As a friend of Rome, a rex socius or allied king, he was exempt from such interference," Vermes wrote, noting that no census occurred in Judea until A. The fact that the Bible claims that Jesus was born before Herod died creates a problem that scholars have long been debating.

Was Jesus actually born in 4 B. C, before Herod died? Or, did Herod live longer than the historical records suggest, and not die until closer to 1 B. Or, is the Bible's claim that Jesus was born before Herod died not true?

The answers to these questions have been debated by scholars for well over a century. Rebellion brewed near the end of Herod's life. Jeremiah When did King Herod the Great reign and die?

Herod Philip, tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, appears only in Luke References: 1. Is there secular evidence Herod killed babies under the age of two? Was Jesus born on December 25?

Like The Master Ministries P. Box Tucson, AZ A non-profit, c 3 corporation. Donations to this ministry are tax-deductible. When the wise men came they had been following a light for about 2 years. No mention how much time passed from when they met Heraold and when he realized they were not comming back, nor how long before he decided to kill the new born Seems to me after having spent years following a star to see God they would not be in a great rush to go home.

The ruler who demanded the wise men come to him and was able to sent troops to kill all 2 and yoinger was not a sick old man who had turned his control over to his sons, so not near death, as seems history of him says he was sickliy for a while before he died. At time of Herolds death the family was in egypt waiting for a messenger to tell them Herold had died. No mention of how long they had to wait in Egypt till this happened.

When I read other accounts seems everyting happens right now, which even today would be impossable. Back then never happen. SO Jesus was close to 4 years old when herold died actually seens He would have beem around 6.

So if Herold died 4bc, Jesus was born around 8 to 10BC. Just my poor logic based on english interpetations of some older texts I say it that way as when I put the greek from Codex Sinaiticus into googles translator i do not get the english translations i read -anywhere.

Tried 5 different greek to english translation where Jesus christ is given as the english translstion, none produce a word christ. Many superlative declarations but no christ, regular peopke did not have a second name till around AD.

I use this as I think much of the English I read is translated similarly. And there are no old scrips, no Aramaic documents, the lingua franca of the region, for a long time. And the common person did not speak or read greek then. Think if we ever find a document written 30 ot 50 years after Jesus reserected it will be in Arameic.

The word Christ was more of a title which means Messiah Jesus would have been known by his first name and the last would have been son of Joseph howbeit Step Son. Jesus ben Joseph.

Also Believe That Jesus was born around 6 or 7 BC He could not have been born after Herod the great died in 4BC The wise men told Herod that the star had appeared two years earlier thus the reason Herod killed all the male babies up to two years old. It is always best to consult the Bible first in matters relating to, well, the Bible. Lay the blame at the feet of Dionysius Exiguous, a Sythian monk in Rome, who, in AD according to his reckoning was preparing new tables for determining the date of Easter, and he decided to abandon the pagan calendar in use at the time, that was based on the first year of the reign of Emperor Diocletian 29 Aug.

Instead he began a calendar based on his calculated year of the birth of Jesus Christ. Among the biblical data Dionysius had to work with was the following: Luke — Jesus was baptized in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Luke says Jesus was about 30 years old at the start of his ministry, His baptism.

It can be demonstrated from the 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9 that the baptism of Jesus occurred in 27 A. Using this and other data available to him, he calculated the probable year of Jesus birth as occurring in the rd since the founding of the Roman empire Ab Urbe Condita , which he redesignated the year 1.

This method of dating the year was not generally accepted for hundreds of years, but has been nearly universally adopted today. Thus the confusion, thus the miscalculation, thus the need to study the Bible a bit closer. There was a conjunction between Jupiter and Venus on August 12, 3B. A month later September 11, 3 B. See the following article for a discussion of these conjunctions.

I am watching carefully this discussion. Many interesting ideas indeed. I am still standing behind everything I wrote in previous comments. King Herod departed around April 4, 4 B.

By the way, I expanded my commentaries into real essays, and everything is exposed at the link …. Well, if somebody is interested, be welcomed to enjoy all these stories in the more comfortable way. There is also more space for comments. In addition, one could be surprised with many new essays where all Biblical stories are deciphered.

Hope you will enjoy all these stories in new style and with many photos, graphics and natal charts … Stjepan Spanicek, Zagreb, Croatia. Sorry, made a mistake with the date of the Lunar Eclipse. It should be … March 21, 4 B. Midnight A. Death of Herod the Great, March A. Calendars in concert with A. Twelve Caesars: Aug. Mary by her knowledge of the holy books, [Micah Ch. This eclipse was chronicled by Josephus as being on a fast day.

Dec 29 1 BC was a Thursday. Patently, this eclipse was observed by the populace, for fasting was over at dusk when the first stars were sought, at the very time of the eclipse, [NASA], the reason that Josephus has chosen to chronicle this eclipse. Marcus Lollius was an experienced governor of the East. Quirinius was a former governor to the rank of proconsul of Cyrenaica.

During the first few days of January, after the formalization of the A. Gaius had returned to Rome and he consulted with Augustus who asked him about Archelaus who was there at the time seeking official approval from Augustus Caesar to rule, after the death of his father Herod the Great in March A.

Coins minted in Ceasarea Philippi through the authority of Rome that were struck in A. Official coinage issuance was controlled by Rome, thereby the first issue in A. This same Matthias was replaced for a single day by Joseph, son of Ellemus, on the Day of Atonement, and was later deprived of the high priesthood altogether at some point before Herod died prior to the Passover Joseph AJ Yoma 12b, Horayoth 12b; Joseph AJ However, Josephus never explicitly states that there was a fast on or near any lunar eclipse.

B Civ. Dio NA He began his siege of Jerusalem shortly thereafter, in the month of Shebat, as soon as the rigor of winter had passed Joseph AJ Despite any counting methods that may be employed by various authors, whether Nisan to Nisan, Tishri to Tishri, or even January to January, it holds true nonetheless that if the spring of 31 BCE is his seventh year, then the spring of 32 BCE is his sixth year, the spring of 33 BCE is his fifth year, and so on, making the spring of 37 BCE his first year.

His fourth year of this enumeration has to coincide with his first year from his conquest of Jerusalem, which we know deduces to the spring of 37 BCE.

By these facts, the starting points for his two lengths of reign are unquestionably and unambiguously 40 BCE and 37 BCE respectively, as is further corroborated by other datable events Joseph AJ In which case, a total reign of thirty-seven and thirty-four years from 40 BCE and 37 BCE, no matter how ingenuously one attempts to count it, simply cannot equate to 1 BCE by any stretch of the imagination.

Early 2 BCE is the closest that can be accomplished, though it requires using accession years and modern counting methods, which are both improper. Evidence of it is readily available in any Roman calendar still extant.

There are also examples of it in Acts , where Cornelius says four days had passed when it had been only three by modern, non-inclusive counting. This happened in large part because he willingly surrendered to the Roman forces and he was educated in biblical law and history. For him to have made an error between the fast of Passover and Yom Kippur the Holiest Day of the year would be impossible.

Regarding the eclipses referred to by Josephus the historian. I has been established that one eclipse took place in 4BC and two more took place in 1BC. The fact that only one is spoken of in the writings of Josephus should not be taken to mean only the total eclipse was noteworthy and he was therefore referring to the fast of Yom Kippur, and not the fast of Passover. The important event he is referring to is the fast of Passover and this made the eclipse noteworthy.

The priests noted events that began at that time which never happened before and continued, uninterrupted, for 40 years. These events began during Yom Kippur: According to Sefer Torah Torah Scrolls and Mishnah, the high priest selected two male goats and cast lots to see which one would be chosen Azazel scape goat of HaShem; the lot that came up in his right hand was the lot of HaShem Yoma 39a.

The high priest would then separate a scarlet sash into three cords and tie one to the entrance of the temple. The scapegoat would then be lead into the wilderness and brought to the edge of the cliff were he would afix a second cord near the cliffs edge. The third cord was tied to the neck of the scapegoat and the high priest would then push the scapegoat backwards off the cliff to its death.

If the red cord on the cliffs edge, and on the Temple entrance, turned white the people knew HaShem had accepted there offering and there sins were removed. The Four Special Events: The Talmud records that four events began taking place 40 years before the temple was destroyed Yoma 39a,b. It is thought that this light was the shamos servant which is used to light the other lights on the candelabra.

We know that you will end up destroyed. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has come down.

There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins. Therefore; if we subtract 40 from 70 we get This means Yeshua may have been born in 1 or 2 BC; allowing for the method of messing a year in Judaism.

This may will bring use back to the Passover spoken of by Josephus. July A. January A. The conterminous A.

When calibrated through Astronomy contingent with the Jewish Passover, the death on the cross of Jesus Christ is apodictically established at 3 pm on Friday April 3 A. John in order to dispel errant teachings of Christian sects that had developed, wrote a more full account, an explanatory for those who seek the factual records of events determining that Jesus Christ was born 30 years prior to January A.

D 31, because Jesus died on the cross during the Passover of A. First Scriptural Array : 1. Six months later follows the conception of Jesus Christ. After a gestation period of 38 weeks of days, Jesus Christ came into the world. Midnight Sunday, January 1, A. Celebrations for the birth of Jesus Christ are stipulated and calibrated to January 1 A. Syriac Christian recordings have A. If born January 1st then the Shepard story tending to their flocks was added by?

Because there is nothing for the sheep to eat — way too cold. The Three kings were not kings, but Babylonian magoi. A 6th century tale, called The Cave of Treasures, sought to reclaim the legend. It gave the kings middle eastern names and homes. Hormizd, Jazdegerd and Peroz are indeed existing names given to various kings.

A legend was discovered by the great 13th century explorer, Marco Polo. He found a trail of clues in a small Persian town of Saveh. He comes across in Saveh, this extraordinary building, which he does not understand, that has got three monuments in its square.

As far as jewish astrology is concerned. The Jews have a long history of star worship. And in many synagoges, mosaics have been found depicting the zodiac. I guess I need to be a little more careful with my scriptural references It should have been Luke ,2,21,23…….

This was confirmed by the Roman senator Julius Firmicus Maternus, an astrologer from the 4th century who wrote Matheseos libro octo. A seminar was organized by the Univ. How was it that only the astrologers saw the star? Why under the age 2? At Matthew ,11 Jesus is called a young child and not an infant then in verse 12 Joseph took Mary and Jesus into Egypt Interesting point………. Matthew , 2, 21, 23………. These dates can not be correct. God did not call them out of Egypt until after the Death of Herod.

Then as they get into Israel Joseph and Mary learn somehow that Archelaus reigns in his fathers place and Joseph is fearful and God turns them to Galilee…So this means your dates are incorrect and in error.

The 1st of Tishri, Feast of Trumpets, when all the angels and hosts in heaven sounded their voices. Trumpets, then 7 days later would be that Mary and Joseph to present him for circumcision according to Law, but also 33 days for Mary to remain unclean on the 34th day presenting 2 turtle doves for her offering. Book 17 Chap.

Herod the Great died aged 70 after this eclipse and further events that took place concerning his health and governing, shortly before Passover in A. Book 1 Chap. He died in the 37th year of his reign since he was declared King by the Romans when he had taken possession of the government in Jerusalem from Antigonus , being 3 years after obtaining the right to rule from Antony in Rome, 40 BC.

Book 14 Chapters 14,15, Coinage had to be of acceptable usage for different nations, hence in general the synergically read legends. The same day that Jesus Christ is recorded by Pontius Pilate as saying he was born; the day when Augustus Caesar gave peace to the Roman world.

Attaining an answer to the date of birth of Jesus Christ can be attained by sticking to the evidence. The day that Augustus Caesar gave peace to the Roman world can be placed to be a time when the Roman people enjoyed peace and security [pax et securitus] within the borders of the Roman Empire.

That day was celebrated by the ritual of the doors of the Temple of Janus being closed. At times of war they were kept open and rarely were they closed but on three occasions during the years of Augustus Caesar they were closed, of which he listed as a laudable achievement of his as Princeps — Res Gestae The first two occasions were 31 BC and 25 BC but with no record for the third closing of the doors of Janus that day can be exacted judiciously from subsidiary historical records.

The day then that the doors of Janus were closed for the third time can be determined to be the day that Jesus Christ was born. In Roman lore the deity of Janus is representative of the Roman God of beginnings, endings, transition and doors — the first of January was sacred as the bivalent setting aside of the hitherto past and in the setting course for the future. Solemn inaugurations of Roman consuls took place and new endeavours were begun and set on course — binding agreements [treaties] were instituted and festivities were celebrated on the calendrical New Years Day.

So times of peace and security of any empire are when treaties are signed and threats are nullified. The Parthian Empire was at the time more than capable of attacking the Roman Empire over the other peoples and tribes. Utilizing archers possessing outstanding horsemanship their repeated hit and retreat attacks were able to overcome the strength of the Roman Legions. And so by ensuring no war broke out with the Parthians, Roman Legions could be on hand to defend other parts of the empire such as near Germanica, therewith ensuring peace and safety for the people residing and engaging in commerce within the Roman Empire.

The Euphrates was then to remain the boundary in which the Parthian army were not to pass. Roman Imperial Coins [ref. These are blazon symbols of peace. The formalized inauguration of peace given by Augustus Caesar to the Roman world is shown to the second, to the minute, to the hour, to the day, to the month, to the year, in an augury manner through the simpulum and lituus implements, accompanied by the saltire symbol, a stamp depicting the twin faces of Janus viewing the year past and the year to come: midnight This coin is described as a victory coin but there are mistakes in that conclusion.

The coin is reclassified as a peace coin according to a concatenation of information pertaining to the coin and its events:. On entering Rome they meet bareheaded Augustus seated in his curule chair. Still wearing their paenulas, [travel dress] and standing with parazonia sheathed on the left they extend olive branches in their right hands for Augustus to accept. Tiberius Beneath the field of the coin is the exergue containing letters. IMP is written and read in a synergic manner. IMP is the abbreviation for Imperator.

I is also for first. Augustus was the first Imperator. Greek alphabet numbers of that era were used to date Roman coins for commerce usage in places such as Parthia. They are read in any order. The gamma is seen in the not fully formed P. I is read Imperator also.

Mu is number Gamma is number 3. For I the 1st day and 1st month of the 43rd year is also read. X is also written in the exergue. X is a stamp of Janus that happens at midnight on the first of January, that is one face looks backwards and one face looks forwards. The treaty between the Roman empire and the Parthian empire was set to start at midnight A.

Also this is seen of the symbol X. It could be read as Imperator for the tenth time placing the coins strike date to 15 BC. Reattributing the 2nd closure of the doors of Janus to the 3rd closure of the doors of Janus on January 1 in the 43rd year of the reign of Augustus Caesar. I am in agreement as well, due to this is the time of the year all the shepherds would have been in the fields with their flocks to fatten them up for the winter, Not Dec.

I should only wish to add here that the partial eclipse of March 13th 4 BCE was simply that of Purim, the full moon before Passover, As several folks have pointed out above, Josephus tells us Archaleus mourned his father Herod the Great for a week and shortly after that mourning period Passover came, on which occasion Archaelus killed about Temple worshippers. People in 1 BCE camp have really failed to offer any hard evidence for their views, even from respectable scholars like Dr.

They allege that Josephus was tampered with but never provide a scintilla of proof if its alteration from a 1 BCE original orientation. The so called astronomical events they identify in BCE as the Star of Bethlehem could not have been seen by the Magi on their route from Babylon to Jerusalem, and we even know the road they took because it was taken by Ezra four and half centuries earlier.

More than that, if the BCE celestial events super close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, crowing of Jupiter by the star Regulus, etc.

In my opinion, not enough consideration has been paid to the Purim timing in the zeal to defend a traditional church date that nearly every other scholar knows is off by at least 4 and probably 5 years. They also seem to have forgotten that the monk who did the Christian calendar—Dionyssus Exigius—himself wrongly concluded that Octavian and Augustus were separate rulers when in fact they are one and the same man, creating an error at least of 4 years.

In my view then, there is simply not enough evidence to overturn the the excellent and well reasoned arguments of Schurer and others. Joseph was warned in a dream to take the baby and Mary to Egypt until Herod died.

Jupiter has been in the stomach section of Virgo for the amount of time it takes a human to gestate, and exits about during the feast of trumpets.

Most likely it signifies the birth of the AntiChrist, because everything Jesus did, the AntiChrist also must do, in order to deceive many that he is the messiah.

Knowing the astrological events that also happened around that time seem important. What does it gain you?

His birth was prophesied to humanity by His Father Gen. Why the virgin birth? Eve could drop all the eggs Seed she wants but none would produce any offspring. The Blood of Jesus in the womb of Mary was prevented from coming in contact with her blood which was from Adam by the placenta. Likeness is Homoiomati. Apply that Divine Blood by faith. I whole heartedly agree with Andrew E. I have come to the same conclusion myself, without having seen confirmation of it anywhere else prior.

It seems to be intuitively obvious, if you just look at the extant data with a mind unclouded by any preconceived notions. Then he would have been two years old, on B. I got it down to, that the B. At the maximum, it is around 6 weeks, but 4 weeks fitting even better. No one ever looks out of their house for anything at all in all of Jerusalem, in the middle of the night of to B. With a Priesthood being present, who know all things Babylonian?

That is a modern and unrealistic perspective, and expectation, for the time. Have you any idea, how many times I have looked up at the moon, throughout the many nights of my life? Several times, almost every night. And the Priesthood, via their Babylonian experience, were well aware of the predictable eclipse Saurus cycles, both lunar, and solar.

Few eclipses were a surprise to the Babylonians and the Jerusalem Priesthoods, after centuries of careful observation, recording, and analysis of patterns. Signs, of the days and the years, they were taken to be. They would have known, within a day, that it had occurred, nonetheless. At least give them credit, for that knowledge. The ancients had all winter, every night, to talk and exercise their minds.

To assume that they were somehow duller than the mind-numbed digital media crowd, is, to me, counterintuitive. It is only 2, years ago — 50 generations, folks. If anything, with survival of the fittest out of the picture, now? Literacy, is not the hallmark of intelligence.

Literacy, is more the mark of a society with an infrastructure that includes widespread schooling, readily-available media, and quite a bit of leisure time, where you did not have to work all of the planting, growing, and harvest season from the time that you were very young, just so that you did not starve. But they did talk, and tell stories, in the dark of winter. And they looked up at the stars, and at the moon…. See Mat.

If Herod had died in B. C 4 Jesus was just being born. Jesus was born in the fall and John the Baptist was born in the spring of the same year. We know there are 6 months between them. Also we know that Jesus began his ministry when he was 30 years old, the age when a priest would begin his ministry. This is just my logical thinking. BC 1 is a more favorable date with all the facts above. This date was figured out using the Tzu Wei Chinese astrology. He was born the first day of Passover at about AM.

Wendell, no. The Flavium Testimonium is accepted by most scholars as partially genuine, but with some Christian glosses to bring it closer to their account. In order of primacy the records of Jesus are the writings of Paul, the Gospels, Josephus, and Tacitus. The most parsimonious explanation for the belief there was a rabbi from Nazareth in Galilee called Jesus, who was reputed to be a wonder worker and exorcist, is that there was a rabbi from Nazareth in Galilee called Jesus, who was reputed to be a wonder worker and exorcist.

They all believe that a Jewish rabbi from Nazareth in Galilee was the founder of Christianity. As for the rest of your argument. In the ancient world personal honour was a matter of concern, and one of the worst things a person could do was claim more than what they were entitled to. When the Pharisees came to John the Baptist asking if he claimed to be Elijah, they were trying to make him puff himself up in the eyes of the community, disqualifying himself in their eyes.

It was acknowledgement from others that mattered. Jeremiah died in Egypt so, by your criteria, not a prophet. Daniel died in Babylon so, not a prophet. Jesus spoke of Jerusalem itself as one who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her.

There is one thing stronger than all the armies of the World, and that is an idea whose time has come. Victor Hugo 19th Century Author. Along with my very deep appreciation to the BAR, to all readers of the BAR, and their followers and commentators, I would like to express my opinion regarding one very interesting topic. I am a passionate researcher of ancient history, kind of free researcher, and I am focused very much on all cultures before new era especially.

I have been following BAR for some time already, and now, after reading mentioned article, I am motivated very much to make my own contribution to the discussion on final days of King Herod the Great and the birth of Jesus.

Both these topics are extremely interesting from the point of view of Real History, and I am pretty sure some new elements, some new clues, will be very welcome. First about the death of the King Herod. Regarding this point I need to express my very firm opinion that he did die during 4 B. The story of lunar eclipse in 4 B. Because, it seems to me, this eclipse is very important, almost as key to decipher what really had happened with King Herod the Great, and because, according to my opinion, the death of King Herod is closely connected with the birth of Jesus, then we can probably solve both problems just with proper understanding the lunar eclipse in March 4 B.

This also means something, I think. At that ancient time eclipse was much more than time marker. With our brains fully focused on technology, and with such very superficial, so called fragmented and mechanistic brains, we cannot understand cultures which embodied some deeper spiritual values and very profound understanding of natural laws.

To be even more concrete, at that time astrology was not detached from astronomy, they both were one science, one comprehensive holistic science with very profound understanding of sophisticated natural laws which govern evolution in this vast Universe which surrounds us. So, let we try for the moment, just for the moment, to look on these things on a way they did. First of all, to go straight to the point, an eclipse was not a good omen.

Astrologer who did not warn a king or an emperor on a forthcoming eclipse, this astrologer was beheaded for sure. An eclipse is a special time when, according to deeper spiritual insights, natural laws are not functioning as they use to function in any other normal situation.

Eclipse is a very powerful mechanism of Evolution Force for not to be stacked, not to be interrupted on any way. Eclipse simply shakes everything, the things are not as usual, and along with this Evolution Force would find the way for next step to go on. So, from the point of Evolution, eclipses are very good thing actually. But, wise and knowledgeable individuals of ancient times noticed that eclipses would have tendency to bring some negative vibrations.

An eclipse was a bad omen for our ancients, and they were feared by them. And they were feared with reason, because, eclipses could be disastrous and dreadful.

They could provoke terrible events to happen. At that ancient time astrologers would suggest people not to look at any eclipse regardless of the fact how fantastic this phenomena, the show on the sky, could possibly be.

They would suggest people not to eat and drink during that time also. And all that irrelative to the fact weather eclipse is visible in own geographic area or not. Even if not being visible, affliction was there.

They claimed that afflicted field of life had started to be excited some six months before the eclipse already, depending of the strength of the eclipse itself, and the effect could last even six months after the very eclipse did happen. An eclipse time for them was not an excellent time for starting anything new; no new business to be started, no new relation to be entered, no any undertaking should be done about eclipse time.

That was a time for introverting, spiritual practices, not going out from the house. But, it was good to do some activities any way.

For them, eclipse period was good time for cleaning the house. It is very good time for braking relationship as well. If they wanted to destruct some things, eclipse was ideal time. Perfect time to destruct something or ruin something or someone. Because, as I already mentioned, they did understand natural laws are functioning different way during the eclipse time.

Many wars had started just about eclipse time. An Eclipse was even more important on mass level, because it influences masses very much. Very often history has shown that at that ancient time war between two kings, was actually war between two astrologers, and the king with more knowledgeable astrologer was winner, of course.

Certainly, an astrologer was not developing tactic for battle field, though he could take his part in this story as well, but he was telling the king when to do what. Good beginning, half job done! This is an old proverb, and it was used for both, construction and destruction, for good ideas … and for these not so god as well. Because, we should always have on mind that our ancients did understand very well the principle of dualistic nature of the life itself; that we actually live in dualistic world.

There are good guys around who think always evolutionary way … but there are also some other guys around, who could possibly have who knows what kind of wired ideas. These ideas of theirs were not always so evolutionary. So, that was just one small fragment how our ancients did look on these things.

No doubt, every eclipse was very important, as well as role of astrologer to predict it, and to offer some remedies. That was the time when astrologer was staying very high in social structure. Very often it happened that they were part of priesthood, because they needed a good knowledge of astronomy for their religious feasts and ceremonies.

So, priests and astrologers, they both were watching on stars and moving of planets very carefully, as well as searching for good and bad omens. I am not an expert, to be honest, but anyway, I think I have enough of knowledge to make some observations. By following BAR discussions about the death of King Herod and possible connection with some eclipse, an idea came to check something.

I made many contemporary natal charts, and some very interesting ancient, but this we can maybe discuss some other time. Now, we can forget all these spiritual aspects of astrology, because, I am sure many BAR readers would not wishing to go so far.

Because, somebody would say, it is not scientific. What is scientific and what is not, and who will decide what is scientific and what is not, all that can certainly be topic for some other discussion.

But now, let we for the moment forget all that, and let we use this tool, this software which, by the way, is very scientific, just as a time tool. Let we use it just as kind of time machine, which will bring us some years back in time.

My idea was to check that eclipse on 13th of March 4 B. First of all, I did find web site of NASA where all eclipses, solar and lunar, for last several thousand years are exposed, as well as all these forthcoming in next few millenniums.

They are all there on one place, and one can do research in detail. So, the year 4 B. Jagannatha Hora software uses ordinary year labeling, so 4 B. But, when I entered this date, March 13th 4 B. Figure 1 — Jyotish Chart for 13th of March 4 B.

There is no eclipse. Sun and Moon are not opposite to each other, and they are not associated with any Lunar Node. By such programs it is very easy to see lunar or solar eclipse time. For lunar eclipse Sun and Moon should be completely at the same degree but opposite to each other, in opposite signs of the zodiac, and they need to be closely connected with nodes, North or South Lunar Node. And it should be full Moon. This is because Sun and Moon are not moving on the same plane.

Their paths meet-cross only in two points, and this is being called North and South Lunar Node. So, when they are properly aligned with nodes, and that means, they are on the same plane, and as they are opposite to each other, the Earth is in-between, and that means that Moon is passing through the shadow of the Earth.

In Vedic astrology the penumbral eclipse is not being considered, only total and partial lunar eclipses are considered. For lunar eclipse there is a rule that Sun or Moon should be in the range of 11 degrees and 15 minutes of arc plus … minus to the nodes. If they are in one degree of arc plus-minus, that means, this lunar eclipse is total. So, the date March 13th 4 B. Then we can play little bit, and move the Moon by the Time Tool embedded into the program, to be completely opposite to the Sun.

That did happen on March 21st 4 B. When I checked how far the Moon from any lunar node is, I was shocked. It was only about 16 minutes of arc. It is not mistake! It is not 16 degrees of arc! Its 16 minutes of arc! Figure 2 — Jyotish Chart for 21st of March 4 B. It is shown Total Eclipse with only 16 arc-minutes of difference in position of Moon and South Lunar Node, while Moon and Sun are opposite to each other. So, here we have difference of about 8 days.

It seems that lunar eclipse did happen some 8 days after the mentioned day, and it was very strong. That was the Total Eclipse. It seems, it appeared at 8PM 20h22min20sec , what was ideal time to be observed and watched.