Duke Ching of Sung and Mars

Tao The Great Luminant. The response of Matter to the movement of the cosmic spirit. "The character of a man worthy to be King."

According to Shi Ji (the records of great historian) by Sima Qian, Duke Ching of Sung ruled from 516 - 452 BC. This event occured in 480 BC.

In the time of Duke Ching of Sung, the planet Mars was in the heart constellation, which so alarmed the Duke that he called the astronomer Tzu Wei for consultation on the portent, who reported that the appearance of Mars signified a judgement of Heaven, since the heart constellation (Antares in Scorpius) was the celestial art that governed the territory of Sung. Further the Prince would have to bear the impending calamity: nevertheless it would be possible to shift this on to the shoulders of the Prime minister.

But the Duke objected to this since he carried the work of government and it would be un fortuitous for him to die. "In that case," Tzu Wei said: "It could be shifted on to the people." Again the Duke objected on the plea that if the people were to die, he would have no one over whom to rule, and it would be preferable for him alone to die. "Let it then be transferred on to the Seasons," (Harvest season?) said Tzu Wei. Once more the Duke expressed his unwillingness to this proposal, since the livelihood of the people depended on the Seasons; for, should the people depend on the Seasons; for, should the people experience a famine, they would die.

"And were I," he continued, "to risk the life of the people to save my own, who would desire to have me as their King! My days are finished; so there is an end of it. Don't say anything more." Tzu Wei turned to the north, making his obeisance, said: "May I venture to congratulate your Majesty? Though Heaven is placed high, it yet hears those below. The Prince has given expression to the thought of a good man in his three objections. So Heaven will surely reward the Prince threefold.

To-night this planet (Mars) will move 21 li and the question of what assurance there was of this, Tzu Wei replied: "The Prince spoke three times the worth of a wise man and the star must remove the distance I indicated.

May I ask you to come outside and see? If it doesn't deviate the distance mentioned, you may take my life." The Duke assented. That evening the star did move away 21 li. (7 miles)

-- According to Xueshun Liu "the translation is a little bit liberal. For example, it might be better to translate Sui as 'harvest' than 'Seasons'. How could San Du, three degree, be 21 Li (seven miles)?." Mars has an apparent retrograde motion of 10° over 30 days as earth passes by. So Mars seems to reverse against a few nearby stars. 1 li is 705 yards, 21 li is seven miles. Perhaps this is just a regular observation of Mars' apparent retrograde motion.

However, when the sun moved 180° the planets must move 180° also, appearing to reverse against the night stars such as when King Wan observed Joshua's long day and observed Jupiter and Saturn move 180° from Taurus to Scorpius standing still in the West for 12 hours as earth rotated that evening. Moreover, in a reverse orbit the zodiac, the path of the sun, would progress in reverse and the stars likewise appearing 1° east each night instead of traveling west and out of sight through the seasons.

Moreover, the planets would move in reverse against these stars to appear at the same O'clock time at night as they would have in their seasons, however with totally different background stars for the duration of earth's reverse orbit.

Even more striking is the speed the outer planets must go to keep in sync with earth's reverse orbit and thus appear in their seasons as the emperor was reassured they would. Thus the alarm Mars was in Antares where it was not expected and rapidly moving through the stars. For Saturn to stand still from earth Saturn must move 200 million miles per hour. For Saturn to move significantly eastward Saturn would approach the speed of light.

For the sun to move around the earth Mars must move out of the way of the sun. For Mars to stand still from Earth, Mars must move 30 million miles per hour. For Mars to be moved out ot the way of the sun, Mars may be moved much faster than the sun, like 100 million miles per hour. Then as Mars passed by Earth, Mars would appear to move past 3° of stars in reverse against the stars presently.

This fits the observation fully. A planetarium program will show Mars was not in Antares the heart constellation in 480 BC. If the sun moved 180° at a particular time of 480 BC, for Mars to appear at the same O'Clock position in the night sky Mars may be in Antares at Autumn harvest.

Mars moves about 180° an earth year from earth in its orbit. In a reverse orbit Mars must appear 180° away from where Mars appears normally.

Then in September 480 BC Mars is in Leo, in March 479 BC Mars is in Virgo. Then Mars must move 2 signs a month in reverse in a reverse orbit.

Here you can see Mars would be in Leo in September of 480 BC. For Mars to appear in Scorpius in September of 480 BC. Mars must move almost 180°.

Then one month later in October 480 BC Mars could be in the heart constellation, Scorpius, the season of harvest. Mars must move at least 3° a night.

A planetarium program would show earth would have passed Mars and there be an apparent retrograde motion of Mars of 10° over 30 days around April 8 479 BC and Mars be near Antares - this was spring and not harvest, Chinese harvest was in Autumn, see Yao's Canon, and 479 BC and not 480 BC and the retrograde motion in one night .3 of a degree not 3°.

Zechariah prophesied from 510 BC to 470 BC (the second temple was completed the third of Adar, February 9, 504 BC) :

Zechariah 14:6 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one."

If the sun moved 180 degrees east to stand still over North America, Israel would be in twilight and 12 more hours of night in China.

In September 480 BC the battle for Greece was lost and evening came soon after the battle began. This could have been a sun miracle and a short day.

The History of Herodotus, this battle may have been 480 BC:

"A prodigy had caused him to bring his army home; for while he was offering sacrifice to know if he should march out against the Persian, the sun was suddenly darkened in mid sky."

The battle of Salamis could be the tiny partial solar eclipse of October 2, 480 BC. Nevertheless, the total solar eclipse of February 17, 478 BC would be far more profound.

Here you see a total solar eclipse at this exact location at exactly noon February 17, 478 BC (There is no zero BC thus 477 BC is really 478 BC). Then these dates and the chronology must be correct.

Marathon was fought in 480 BC by Darius and Salamis in 470 BC by Xerxes.

Here you can also see the moon just grazing the sun in Greece during the battle of Salamis September 12, 470 BC. Again this brings the whole chronology eight years more recent from 478 BC to 470 BC.

This was supposed to be September 29, 480 BC, but was in 470 BC. The solar eclipse on lunar day 29 was the new moon. Thus, this September 12, 470 BC was day 29 and the new moon and partial solar eclipse.

Here you see a partial solar eclipse the Spartans took as an omen to let the Persians go. The partial solar eclipse was barely visible in southern Greece. You can see the upper line beside Greece. There is a margin of error of 40 minutes. Therefore by staring at the sun they could see the moon slightly cover the sun, September 12, 470 BC, just like the moon slightly covering the sun April 21, 416 BC:

Solar eclipse records at the very edge of the solar eclipse, like this one September 12, 470 BC may be used to improve the accuracy of ancient eclipses.

Thus, because of prophesy by Zechariah and the months of the year, the movement of Mars and darkness may be a sun miracle and not a solar eclipse.

Confucius recorded a total eclipse in 481 BC which passed through his home town in China. This was for April 19 481 BC. Then if there was a reverse orbit then God would have to very carefully move the moon to produce the exact same eclipse path as would have naturally occurred.

There was a tsunami wave in the northern part of the Aegean Sea in 479 BC which could be an after affect of the sun moving 180° and earth shifting to keep in the same season.

"A 'sparking star' was seen in the east sometime during the month of 482 BC September 26 to October 24." Cometography: a catalog of comets By Gary W. Kronk, p.2. This "sparkling star" is most likely the glory of God, the dragon. Thus there may have been a sun miracle in September/October 481 BC.

Thus the sun must return in September 480 BC and the sun miracle then also. Another account of the same star at the same time:

"13th year of Duke Ai of Lu, in winter, the 11th month. There was a fuzzy star in the east."
East Asian Archaeology, p.111.

"Pliny the Elder wrote in year 77, 470 BC, that a comet of Cerastes type (like a crescent moon) appeared when the Greeks fought the final battle at Salamis."
Cometography: a catalog of comets By Gary W. Kronk, p.2.

Thus there may have been a sun miracle at the time of the jubile in 470 BC. The 50 year jubile to Jesus speaking from Isaiah 61 in Luke 4 September 9, 29 AD was in 471 BC. And this sun miracle may have been the day of "light and gladness" in Esther 8:16.

Esther 8:16 may describe a long day in August or September a month or two after Sivan when everyone would have got the message:

Esther 8:9a "Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof;"

This may indicate the date the sun moved back half an orbit later:

Esther 8:11a "Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life..
8:12 Upon one day in all the provinces of Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the same month, which is the month Adar."

Esther 8:16 "The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour."

That they had light possibly means the sun moved 180° to stand still in the sky giving 12 hours more light, either when the message was received or on the day of vengeance:

Esther 9:17 "On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness."

Perhaps the sun moved 180° August/September 470 BC and February/March 469 BC. Adar may be Adar II. Then this 14th of Adar may be 178 days after the day of Atonement, the Jubile.

Esther 9:18 "But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof; and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness."

They rested the 14th and 15th, perhaps March 469 BC, much like we do at the end of every week in the Christian world Satuday and Sunday. Esther may have been Amestris, a like Jewish name Estrin is believed to have come from this time.

The solar eclipse on September 12, 470 BC seen as the moon grazed the sun in Greece most assuradly was the omen to stop fighting in the battle of Salamis. This moves the battle of Salamis 10 years more recent to 470 BC, and thus the battle of Marathon 10 years more recent to 480 BC.

E-mail Andrew Bennett: sunnyokanagan@telus.net