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The Five geocentric celestial wonders Fr. Dan Bă Bădulescu "for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare." (Psalm 75, 1)
“I will utter dark sayings of old. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.” (Psalm 78, 2-6)
2 Especially us Christians, have to do in the same manner, to tell the wonders of God, wonders which show His glory and power. Among these wonders are also those linked to the movements of celestial bodies, which we can call without error "celestial wonders". 1. The vernal equinox and the movement of planets and stars in the days 3 to 6 of creation.
The first wonder of this kind was described by Matthew Blastaris and it refers to the moment of the vernal equinox from the days 1-6 of creation, especially in 4-6 days. In the normal case of celestial movements, the equinox is determined by a certain position of the sun moving annual around the earth to zodiacal signs. It takes only one day, and already the day after times change, in our case of the vernal equinox, the day begins to increase, the sun move above the earth equator and go further in the zodiacal sign westward. Again, normally, the first fase of the moon is the new moon, position of the moon in conjunction with the sun, when the moon is on the same side as the sun (but not closely aligned with it and the earth, as it is at the eclipse of the sun), set almost in the same time with it and it is invisible at night. Then it begins to "grow" a.s.o, these optical phenomena being produced by the different speeds of moon’s and sun’s daily rotation around the earth, and during the different path through the zodiac circle. But at that time the situation was as follows:
“So when God made the world of nothingness into being, from the first the first day to seventh it was fully equinox, so that neither day nor night surpassed even as little as one another, because if the fourth day and enjoy the sight of creation of lights, however they were not allowed as nowadays to plane also on the opposite side of the universe, because the sun entering suddenly in the first equinoctial section of the zodiac went into the first grade of Aries, Aries, and the moon went immediately in the diametrically opposite side, passing into autumn equinox section, in the Balance, without any haste at all against the sun, as it does at least nowadays, nowadays, because otherwise it was not possible is strictly keep it ’s full light, showing us that God has done from the beginning nothing deficient, because the whole side of the moon being turned towards the sun shows us through the distinguished movement the various forms of the lights. Therefore, both lights were moving together in the same time or rather unchanged in the same time with the universe as they would expected the end of creation. And on the sixth day man is formed by God's hands, the equinox still blooming beautifully and the moon being almost as the sun in the fullness of brightness, for it was not proper neither that the first man, who for his great kinship with the light was called even by those by alienated from the religion, by justice as “ light”, to be created before the equinox, when everything was covered by darkness, nor that the lights of the world (to be created before that time), of that which should be subject to (the human), surrounding now for the first time as some satellites the one who should reign over creation, for otherwise still having time also to be create, and obviously had the day and night which were now present to start from the even, because it is more natural and before than uneven, in the way that possessions come fore losses, God God teaching us from that to the law of equality, in which resides the being of the virtues, before all oversize and mismatch, and then after the seventh day the ligts started to run as from open barriers and being made to move by different speed, anomaly was introduced.” (Matthew Blastaris On Holy Pascha) Pascha) See here an earlier patristic confirmation: 1
“Spring is so because we are in the xanticos month. During this time it’s the first moon at the Jews, in which falls Jewish Pascha, that foretolding, and now the celebration of the real Pascha. This is the time when the world was created, for then God said: "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
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The month xanticos begun at 24 or 25 th of March.
3 yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind" . And now, as you can see, any plant rises. And as when God made the sun and moon, them was given equinoctial paths, likewise not, not many days ago, was the vernal equinox.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem Catechesis) Catechesis) 2
The diagram is drawn from the celestial north (or south) point of view, zodiac signs being arranged circularly along the celestial equator. We see here the first celestial wonder: the seven heavens of the seven planets move th simultaneously with the 8 heaven of the stars (zodiac), for 3 days. da ys.
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Genesis 1:11.
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These phenomena are unique, unnatural, unrepeatable, so in a word, a wonder. Understood, at least for the orthodox Christians, that although the offspring reported by Matthew Blastaris are not explicitly in Genesis, they are by no means a hypothesis or theory of the Church writer, but they are part of Holy Tradition, and as such are worthy of all devotion.
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2. The stop of the sun and moon by Joshua Nun.
The second wonder was that of stopping the sun and moon by Jesus Nun described like this:
“Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the men of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand thou still at Gibeon, and thou Moon in the valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed , until the the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man…” (Joshua 10: 12-14). “The sun and moon stood still in still in their habitation at the light of thine arrows as the y sped, at the flash of thy glittering spear.” (Habakuk, 3:11). “Heard the Lord Jesus's prayer and ordered the sun to stay until he overcame his enemies.” (Akathist of The Protection of the of the Mother of God) “Let us see and another thing, more wonderful of these small ones. All creation remained astonished when Joshua Nun commanded the sun to stand still in the sky, until he overcomes his enemies; but the more strongly think that would be great when this Jesus would say to the sun not to stand still, but to come down from heaven to earth.” (St. Anthemios of Iviron Didachies Iviron Didachies)) “and if Your Reverence would read not only all their works but the commentaries of modern writers on Genesis, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Joshua, you would find that all agree in expounding literally [ad [ad literam] literam] that the sun is in the heavens and travels swiftly around the earth, while the earth is far from the heavens and remains motionless in the center of the world [ sta [ sta nel centro del mondo,
6 immobile]. immobile]. Now, if your Grace will read, not only parents but also modern reviewers of Genesis, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and Jesus wheel, you will discover that they all agree I am literally interpret the doctrine as the sun is in heaven and rotate around the earth with enormous speed and the ground is far from heaven, in the center of the universe and motionless.” motionless.” (Cardinal Bellarmino Letter Bellarmino Letter to to Foscarini) Foscarini) In that case the sun and moon simply stopped both movements, "stuck" in close places, the moon being also visible (this thing in itself is possible in some moments). This unique situation and, again, what has not been repeated, at least so far, is again a divine wonder made following the prayer of the righteous servant of God Joshua Nun. 3
Let’s take a look at the interpretation of this wonder given by b y the Holy Fathers:
Ambrose: Worthy surely was he to stand forth as a man who might stay the course of the river, and who might say: “Sun, stand still,” and delay the night and lengthen the day , as though to witness his victory. Why? a blessing denied to Moses, he alone was chosen to lead the people into the promised land. A man he was, great in the wonders he wrought by faith, great in his triumphs. The works of Moses were of a higher type, his brought greater success. Either of these then aided by divine grace rose above all human standing. The one ruled the sea, 4 the other heaven. Augustine : Who else save Joshua the son of Nun divided the stream of the Jordan for the 5 people to pass over, and by the utterance of a prayer to God bridled and stopped the revolving sun? “I desire to know the power and nature of time, by which we measure the motions of bodies, and say (for example) that this motion is twice as stay only of the sun upon the earth, according to which day is one thing, night another, but also its entire circuit from east even to east, according to which we say, “So many days have passed” (the nights being included when we say “so many days,” and their spaces not counted apart), since, then, the day is finished by the motion of the sun, and by his circuit from east to east, I ask, whether the motion itself is the day, or the period p eriod in which that motion is completed, or both? For if the first be the day, then would there be a day although the sun should finish that course in so small a space of time as an hour. If the second, then that would not be a day if from one sunrise to another there were but so short a period as an hour, but the sun must go round four-andtwenty times to complete a day. If both, neither could that be called a day if the sun should run his entire round in the space of an hour; nor that, if, while the sun stood still, so much time should pass as the sun is accustomed to accomplish his whole course in from morning to morning. I shall not therefore now ask, what that is which is called day, but what time is, by which we, measuring the circuit of the sun, should say that it was accomplished in half the space of time it was wont, if it had been completed in so small a space as twelve hours; and comparing both times, we should call that single, this double time, although the sun should run his course from east to east sometimes in that single, sometimes in that double time. Let no man then tell me that the motions of the heavenly bodies are times, because, when at the prayer of one the sun stood still in order that he might achieve his victorious battle, the sun stood still, but time went on. For in such space of time as was sufficient was that battle fought and
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After Robert A. Sungenis Galileo Was Wrong: The Church Was Right Vol. II, Chapter 13: Consensus of the Church Fathers, Catholic Apologetics Int. Publishing, Inc. 2008, pp. 89-98 4 Duties of the Clergy Clergy , Bk II, Ch XX, 99. 5 Tractates, Tractates , XCI, Ch XV, 24-25, 2.
7 ended. I see that time, then, is a certain extension. But do I see it, or do I seem to see it? Thou, O Light 6 and Truth, wilt show me.” Chrysostom : Consider of how great value is the righteous man. Joshua the son of Nun said, “Let the sun stand still at Gibeon, the moon at the valley of Elom,” and it was so. Let then the whole world come, or rather two or three, or four, or ten, or twenty worlds, and let them say and do this; yet shall they not be able. But the friend of God commanded the creatures of his Friend, or rather he besought his Friend, and the servants yielded, and he below gave command to those above. Seest Se est thou that these things are for service fulfilling their appointed course? This was greater than the [miracles] of Moses. Why (I ask)? Because it is not a like thing to command the sea and the heavenly [bodies]. For that indeed was also a great thing, yea very great, nevertheless it was not at all equal [to the other]. Why was this? The name of Joshua [Jesus], was a type. For this reason then, and because of the very name, the creation reverenced him. What then! Was no other person called Jesus? [Yes]; but this man was on this account so called in type; for he used to be called Hoshea. Therefore the name was changed: for it was a prediction and a prophecy. He brought in the people into the promised land, as 7 Jesus [does] into heaven; not the Law; since neither did Moses [bring them in], but remained without. Jerome: In Exodus we read that the battle was fought against Amalek while Moses prayed, and the whole people fasted until the evening. Joshua, the son of Nun, bade sun and moon stand still, and 8 the victorious army prolonged its fast for more than a day. Justin Martyr: The former, after he had been named Jesus (Joshua), and after he had received 9 strength from His Spirit, caused the sun to stand still. “And again, when the land was given up to you with so great a display of power, that you witnessed the sun stand still in the heavens by the order of that man whose name was Jesus (Joshua), and not go down for thirty-six hours, as well as all the other miracles which were wrought for you as time served; and of these it seems good to me now to speak of another, for it conduces to your hereby knowing Jesus, whom we also know to have been Christ the Son of God, who was crucified, and rose 10 again, and ascended to heaven, and will come again to judge all men, even up to Adam himself.” Tertullian : In Exodus, was not that position of Moses, battling against Amalek by prayers, maintained as it was perseveringly even till “sunset,” a “late Station?” Think we that Joshua the son of Nun, when warring down the Amorites, had breakfasted on that day on which he ordered the very elements to keep a Station? The sun “stood” in Gibeon, and the moon in Ajalon; the sun and the moon “stood in station until the People was avenged of his enemies, and the sun stood in the mid heaven.” When, moreover, (the sun) did draw toward his setting and the end of the one day, there was no such day beforetime and in the latest time (of course, (no day) so long), “that God,” says (the writer), “should hear a man” – (a man,) to be sure, the sun’s peer, so long persistent in his duty – a Station 11 longer even than late.
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Confessions, Confessions, Bk XI, Ch XXIII, 30. Homily on the the Epistle to the Hebrews Hebrews,, Homily VIII. 8 Against Jovinianus, Jovinianus, Bk 2. 9 Dialogue with with Trypho, Trypho, Ch CXIII. 10 Dialogue with with Trypho, Trypho, Ch CXXXII. 11 On Fasting, Ch X. 7
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3. Through the prayer of the prophet Isaiah the sun turns backwards.
The third wonder was related to healing of King Hezekiah
“And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah: "What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?"And Isaiah said: "This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go go back ten back ten degrees?" And Hezekiah answered: "It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the the shadow return backward ten degrees.” “And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which is had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.” (2 Kings 20: 9-11) Here we have a change of direction of movement of the sun, a real change and not apparent, the sun actually goes backwards, i.e from sunset to sunrise.
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The Holy Fathers : Augustine : What is there so arranged by the Author of the nature of heaven and earth as the exactly ordered course of the stars? What is there established by laws so sure and inflexible? And yet, when it pleased Him who with sovereignty and supreme power regulates all He has created, a star conspicuous among the rest by its size and splendor changed its color, size, form, and, most wonderful of all, the order and law of its course! Certainly that phenomenon disturbed the canons of the astronomers, if there were any then, by which they tabulate, as by unerring computation, the past and future movements of the stars, so as to take upon them to affirm that this which happened to the morning star (Venus) never happened before nor since. But we read in the divine books that even the sun itself stood still when a holy man, Joshua the son of Nun, had begged this from God until victory should finish the battle he had begun; and that it even went back, that the promise of fifteen years added to the life of king Hezekiah might be sealed by this additional prodigy. But these miracles, which were vouchsafed to the merits of holy men, even when our adversaries believe them, they attribute to magical arts; so Virgil, in the lines I quoted above, ascribes to magic the power to “Turn rivers backward to their source, And make the stars stars forget their course.” course.” 13 John Cassian: He was a man who, after the close of his life had been decreed and the day of his death determined by the Lord’s sentence, prevailed by a single prayer pra yer to extend the limits set to his life by fifteen years, the sun returning by ten steps, on which it had already shone in its course towards its setting, and by its return dispersing those lines which the shadow that followed its course had already marked, and by this giving two days in one to the whole world, by a stupendous miracle contrary to the fixed laws of nature. Yet after signs so great and so incredible, after such immense 14 proofs of his goodness, hear the Scripture tell how he was destroyed by his very successes. Chrysostom: And what took place at a later period were few and at intervals; for example, when the sun stood still in its course, and started back in the opposite direction. And this one may see 15 to have occurred in our case also. Therefore it was, that Joshua, the son of Nun, said, “Let the sun stand still in Gibeon, and the moon over against the valley of Ajalon.” And again the prophet Isaiah made the sun to retrace his steps, under the reign of Hezekiah; and Moses gave orders to the air, and the sea, the earth, and the rocks. Elisha changed the nature of the waters; the Three Children triumphed over the fire. Thou seest how God hath provided for us on either hand; leading us by the beauty of the elements to the knowledge of 16 His divinity; and, by their feebleness, not permitting us to lapse into the worship of them.” “
Cyril of Jerusalem : And he, who could not hope to live because of the prophetic sentence, had fifteen years added to his life, and for the sign the sun ran backward in his course. Well then, for Hezekias’ sake the sun turned back but for Christ the sun was eclipsed, not retracing his steps, but suffering eclipse, and therefore shewing the difference between them, I mean between Hezekias and 17 Jesus.
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After Robert A. Sungenis Galileo Was Wrong: The Church Was Right Vol. Right Vol. II, Chapter 13 City of God , Book XXI, Ch 8. 14 Twelve Books on the Institutes , Bk XI, Ch X. 15 Homilies on Matthew, Matthew, Homily IV. 16 Homily to Antioch, Antioch, Homily X. 17 Catechetical Lectures, Lectures , II, 15. 13
10 Hippolytus : When Hezekiah, king of Judah, was still sick and weeping, there came an angel, and said to him: “I have seen thy tears, and I have heard thy voice. Behold, I add unto thy time fifteen years. And this shall be a sign to thee from the Lord: Behold, I turn back the shadow of the degrees of the house of thy father, by which the sun has gone down, the ten degrees by which the shadow has gone down,” so that day be a day of thirty -two hours. For when the sun had run its course to the tenth hour, it returned again. And again, when Joshua the son of Nun was fighting against the Amorites, when the sun was now inclining to its setting, and the battle was being pressed closely, Joshua, being anxious lest the heathen host should escape on the descent of night, cried out, saying, “Sun, stand thou still in Gibeon; and thou moon, in the valley of Ajalon,” until I vanquish this people. And the sun stood still, and the moon, in their places, so that day was one of twentyfour hours. And in the time of Hezekiah the moon also turned back along with the sun, that there might be no collision between the two elemental bodies, by their bearing against each other in defiance of law. And Merodach the Chaldean, king of Babylon, being struck with amazement at that time, for he studied the science of astrology, and measured the courses of these bodies carefully – on learning the cause, sent a letter and gifts to 18 Hezekiah, just as also the wise men from the east did to Christ. Ch rist. “We find in the commentaries, written by our predecessors, that day had thirty-two hours. For when the sun had run its course, and reached the tenth hour, and the shadow had gone down by the ten degrees in the house of the temple, the sun turned back again by the ten degrees, according to the word of the Lord, and there were thus twenty hours. And again, the sun accomplished its own proper course, 19 according to the common law, and reached its setting. And thus there were thirty-two hours.”
After those "ten degrees", the sun's movement returns to normal. Again a divine wonder, performed as the result of the prayer of the prophet Isaiah, a wonder which confirms through a supernatural sign the wonder of the healing of the king, spent also because of a prayer. It may be objected that: 1) it was only the shadow which turned backwards;
because it is rotating, rotating, isn’t it?) 2) maybe the earth changed its course ( because 3) also here everything is a matter of relativity, depending on the reference point (observation). These objections are shattered by the replay of the story in to the book b ook of the prophet Isaiah:
“And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; “Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees , which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward”. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.” (Isaiah 38:7-8) Not only that, but here we have the fact that the moon also stopped in the sky!: “Sun, stand thou stil l at Gibeon, and thou Moon in the valley of Aijalon.” How is it possible to happen, and that the two bodies to be seen in the sky sk y at a distance not too great? If the earth rotates around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth means that the moon stopped too. The Moon has an undeniable movement, and the Scripture tells us in the same verse "stand", i.e. both the sun and moon. How can such an 18
Fragments, I, Discourse I, Discourse on Hezekiah Hezekiah.. Hippolytus’ reference to “twenty“twenty -four hours” refers to the second leg of the forty-eight hour period of that unique long day. 19 Fragments, III, Discourse III, Discourse on Hezekiah.
11 inconsistency be explained, the same verb for a static and one mobile body? Of course that is absurd, but is clearly apparent that both bodies are moving and they standed. See also for the matter Habakkuk 3:11: “The sun and moon stood still in their habitation” Matthew Blastaris: - “Therefore, both lights were moving together in the same time or rather unchanged in the same time with the universe as they would expected the end of creation and on the sixth day man is formed by God's hands, the equinox still blooming beautifully and the moon being almost as the sun in the fullness of brightness, … surrounding now no w for the first time as some satellites the one who should reign over creation… and then after the seventh day the ligts started to run as from open barriers and being made to move by different speed, anomaly was introduced.” As about "the physical problems" raised, they are exactly in the field of faith: the creation of the world, the earth, sun, moon, stars, sky, etc. are dogmas revealed by the Holy Spirit through the prophets, and are without any doubt articles of faith and salvation. Those who don’t believe don’t believe fully the words of Scripture and preach (even as a working hypothesis) something else, different, or, worse, averse are in a very big mistake. mistake. The Holy Fathers did nothing of this kind which have been received by the Church! We also confess God's omnipotence. But then, why the fixed geocentric position of Tradition can not be accepted? 4. The eclipse of the sun at the Crucifixion of the Lord.
Up to here, the three wonders happened in the Old Testament. But here they are crowned with a fourth wonder, this time in the New Testament: darkness (eclipse) of the sun during the Crucifixion of the Lord
“ Now from Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour .” (Matthew 27:45)
“And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” (Mark 15:33) “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour, and the sun the sun was darkened , and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.” (Luke 23:44-45). For how many miracles contains in itself the wonder of the supernatural vanishing of the sun which occurred at the Crucifixion of the Lord or better to say, the darkness of the sun.
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“Since when our Lord was crucified, it was noon in spring, ie twelve hours per day and twelve hours per night after The settlings of the Holy Apostles, and after the paschalion makers. And because the sun was not darkened by itself, as thought Origen, but the moon, and although it was full moon of fourteen days after the divine Scripture, coming under the sun and walking together has together has darkened it, as the Divine Dionysios the Areopagite had seen by his own that joined journey and darkness, being in Egypt's Heliopolis together with Apolophanes, and writes to it evident in the letter to Polycarpos. As I said before, those things being known, see how many wonders have followed and which natural laws have changed during this supernatural this supernatural vanishment. vanishment. - That by the laws of nature, while full moon, it is impossible that the sun travels together with the moon, because then both lights are after match, ie, when the midday sun is above the earth and at about the top middle sign of the sky which is called the zenith, the moon is right after the match in the middle under earth sky sign which is called the nadir. And otherwise. Also if the sun is at sunset, the moon lies to the east. But at the Lord's Crucifixion, these natural laws have changed and the sun and moon have been supernatural and glorified traveling together. - That, the moon stepped forward and it took one minute to fulfill twelve whole hours. That in that minute in which it was proper to be at the under earth sign of the nadir, it was above the earth to mark the zenith because running with unutterable and incomprehensible speed, underneath the middle of the hemisphere under the earth, until the other hemisphere above the earth, reached the sun in the
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midst of heaven, at the sixth hour of the day in which the Lord was crucified, and so it traveled with the sun... - ... And the noon of the great enlightened Good Friday turned into deep midnight. And therefore this darkness were over the whole world and all over the place... For that one she said aloud together all three evangelists. "There was darkness over the whole land" - That, the moon after covering the whole disk of the sun, followed by sunset with him, covering it three full hours until the ninth hour (at 15-3 p.m.) as saying the divine evangelists Matthew, 27:45, Mark 25:33 and Luke 23:44. Ie, not covering it a little bit less on it, or discovered it, as happened in the natural depriving, but just covering it all on him in full three hours - 12 -15. Which is supernatural and glorified. - That, after the moon covered the sun for three hours, again discovered it, but against the natural order. For when the common journey is made with natural sunlight and darkness, ie the first part of the sun that will be darkened, the same one on e first lights again. But then that part of the sun that was the first of darkened then brightened, and then again from the last part which was darkened got to light first. For this reason the divine Dionysios wrote to Polycarpos for this saying: "And ye same and not fall again and cleaning being done, but in the following match against." - That, after the moon followed by sunset with the sun, covering it on him three hours until the ninth 21 hour (3) of the day , did not follow more or sunset with him: But, leaving the sun there at the celestial place of the ninth hour, the moon turned back to the east. And until the sun to pass away the celestial distance of the three hours, which remained up to end the day and to set down, the moon hurried and those nine hours were passed in three hours, and so when the sun was on the edge of sunset, the moon was matched by the other side of dawn and sat down again so both lights and were shown in order of their most natural. For that also for this one Dionysios, the heaven’s bird, wrote to Polycarpos: "And again we see it (ie the moon) from the ninth hour (3) to match the evening sun standing with glorification”. Remind him (ie Apolophanes) also something else, because he knows that we saw this fall from the sunrises begun, and then coming until the edge of the sun, and then travelling back." So that have a picture of all things said before at the Crucifixion of the Lord, the moon: stepped ahead 15 hours, ie went forward of its normal road and place, 12 hours, ie, until it came down from the the mark of the midnight sky, and reached the sun in the noon sign of the same sky, and 3 (three) hours that followed the sun to sunsets, covering it on him, and nine hours this moon went back, returning back to the east. Ie six hours, which were taken from its natural set, until it came to the middle of the 20 21
12 a.m. 15 p.m.
14 hemisphere under the earth, and 24 (twenty four), stepping forward, as I said, and returning back again, and 12 (twelve) hours, ranging from sunrises to other set of it and fulfilling the length of the night, after its natural order and motion. Did you notice my brother, how many wonders include in itself one single wonder of the deprivation of the sun which occurred during the Crucifixion of the Lord? Glorify hence Christ who was crucified, who although with the body hunging on the Cross, but omnipotent in His deity and they performed wonders as those th ose ones, such as this Dionysios Dion ysios says, in epistle to Polycarpos: "So many ma ny are those supernatural of that time ond only to Christ the cause of all things possible, which make large and glorified whose number is countless.” This over wonderful wonder of deprivation of the sun, being researched in detail, was enough for Dionysios and Apolophanes, being Greeks, to know the deity of Jesus Christ. That the divine Dionysios seeing that before, guessed and said: "An unknown God suffer in body, for Whom everything was dark and shattered." (Michael the Singelos, in the words of praise to him). And Apolophanes who remained Greek, also guessed ahead himself, and said to the divine Dionysios: "These things, o good Dionysios, are changings of the divine things." Ie these are changes of the divine things, according to Pachimeros. That the deception will change into the truth, darkness into light, death into life, man will be God and all those alike. This deprivation is showed among Greeks by Phlegon that a writer years, in 13 of the chronographs. And from our ancients, African in 5 of the chronographs. And Eusebios Pamphylos. And from recent ones the divine Maximos Pachimeros, Genadios Scholarios, Nicephorus Teotoke and the Jesuit Corderius in recently books given to light in two volumes of St. Dionysios. But they didn’t say this as clear. And to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who by a miracle such as this made known His deity and entrusted it, be the glory and dominion for ever. Amen.” (St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Unseen Warfare)
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In the above figure the dawn (răsărit) was set to the left, and consequently the midday (zenit) is put up. The full moon goes from midnight (nadir) to midday, hour 6 (12) in a minute. Now we are dealing with a double eclipse, the sun and moon, that one becoming invisible, as the new moon. This is because in the case of a solar eclipse it is impossible to have simultaneously full moon, both lights being on the same side, or hemisphere, the th e moon being in the line with the sun. The situation continued until the hour 9 (15), and after that the sun continues its journey to the sunset (at the spring equinox hour 12, - 18 p.m.), and the moon turns into the opposite position, ie the East, again became a full moon. The "sensible" horizon (orizontul „simţit”) is the horizon that can be seen from the viewpoint of an observer somewhere on earth. The "intelectual" horizon (orizontul „gândit”) is identical with earthly and celestial equator, and separates the two earthly and heavenly hemispheres.
16 A confirmation in a few words we find in The Lifes of the Saints on October 3, Feast of St. Dionysios the Areopagite:
“But wanting to be perfect, he went to the Egypt in the city which is called Heliopolis, because there were from ancient times learned teachers and from them he learnd, together with his friend Apolophanes, the art of reading the stars. But it was a day when the sun couldn’t bear t o see the Lord Jesus Christ crucified on the Cross for our salvation, undarkened at noon to dark and hid it’s hid it’s light for three hours. And Dionysios, astonished said, "Either God, Creator of the world, suffers, or this visible world ends." These things he spoke by God's Spirit for Spirit for the passion of the Master and not by the wisdom of this time.” We have exposed extensively this wonder story that includes, as shown, several motions and supernatural celestial events, as they are described by St. Dionysios the Areopagite and Nicodemus the Hagiorite. And if they don’t believe those saints either, neither will they be persuaded, “t hough one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16: 31) 5. The r eplay eplay of this wonder in 6399 (891) during the Emperor Leo the Wise.
This wonder resume almost identical to the spiritual edification of believers and the strengthening of it through a repetition in 6399 during the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Wise, as we learn from synaxaire August 8:
“And the remembering the darkening of the sun, from the sixth hour until the ninth, when they saw the stars too, the year the year of building the world six thousand three hundred ninety-nine, the sun and the moon having fifteen cycles, cycles, indiction of Ninth, by the time of the reigning of the highly estimed and Christ loveing wise emperors Leo the Wise and Alex ander, his brother.” The fearful wonder occurred too because of the transgression and disorder that happened in that time in the Empire, as showmn in the Chronograph. These refers especially on the philosopher emperor Leon’s behavior towards women, behavior that reminds fully of that of the ancient king David:
“And the emperor was linvig in adultery with concubine, but secretly, and only the girl's parents knew about that... And then they had married her with the emperor aknowledge after a nobleman, namely Theodore, who has the tile of patrician and then they poisoned him at the emperor wish... And suspicious.” the Empress (St. Teophano) knew that and for this reason have not been more suspicious.” God is not slow to punish the crime:
“And the emperor if he heard this, sent his armies from the west on Angelos Dukas. And with the armies he sent a prince, namely Constantine… And if the armies arrived, Angelos Duca defeated Greeks and beat them completely, as only Constantine with few people escaped only. And he came defeated and in shame to the emperor. And then the sun was eclipsed, ie darkened, and the stars of heaven were seen in the south. And forge a strong wind with large towers were heard and large thunders were seen and fire fell from heaven. And seven people were struck at once before St. Constantine's church in the middle of the fair.”
17 It is true that we are not given fully astronomical details as they were relate above by St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite, but in any an y case, by those described, and that is included in synaxaire s ynaxaire Church, this cosmical event cannot be an ordinary solar eclipse, but we put it without a doubt among the wonders. And given the way in which occurred this eclipse "from the sixth hour until the ninth, when they saw the stars too”, we have every reason to believe that the heavenly mechanism of production of this wonder might have been the same as that from the Crucifixion of Jesus. All, but absolutely all of these wonders witness a geocentric model, the model of Scripture and of the Fathers, so the Church’s. Model over that, unfortunately, by ignorance and neglect, forgetting was layed upon the clergy and faithful. But there is nothing hidden that is not brought to light, and truth can not remain under a bushel, in spite of every effort should be done by b y the enemy enem y and his servants of the, the fell spirits and passionate people. Sooner or later all these delusions come to light, and our power lies in the scatter them, or keeping them on, if we stuck our heart and mind by them...
