THE MOEN'ING STAR IX THE GOSPELS 



249 



end ot each night, giving at least an hour's notice of sunrise ; 

 but if we include the period wlien it is still visiljle but gives 

 shorter notice, the time of shining may be lengthened to about 

 nine lunar months. 



An eight years' cycle, containing live periods of the shining 

 of the morning star — useful for practical purposes — exists 

 between the apparent movements of the sun and Venus, correct 

 to within a trifle over two days. For instance, it will be noticed 

 that the morning star began to shine at about the Vernal 

 equinox, A.D. 25, and eight years afterwards, viz., in a.d. 33, it 

 again began its period of shining at the same season of the 

 year ; and so generally at all years, separated from each other by 

 eight years, the shintngs of the morning star were during the 

 same months. 



Hence the use of the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, opposite the 

 shinings of the morning star in the diagram, to draw attention 

 to those which occurred in the same months. 



Reference to the diagram informs us that nearly a year 

 elapses after the end of one period of shining of the morning 

 star imtil the beginning of the next period ; as time gees on, 

 further warning is ^iven bv the evenincr star, which crraduallv 

 attains to the maximum brilliancy of any of the orbs of heaven 

 (except the sun and moon), and thus claims universal attention 

 some six weeks or so before the return of the morning star : the 

 evening star then continues to shine with lessened light for 

 some two or three weeks, till it disappears in the brightness 

 of the sunset. This must have been useful information, and 

 was doubtless common knowledge to people who had to get up 

 early, and who consequently made all the use they could of the 

 indications of the morning star, as they were unprovided with 

 watches and clocks. 



Our diagram also gives the probable dates of various events 

 and utterances connected with the Baptist, when he is referred 

 to under the figure of the morniuLT star. The arrancjement 



vT O O 



enables us to see at a glance whether the planet was shining 

 at the end of the night on each of the times under 

 consideration. 



"We shall at present assume the ministry of the Lord to have 

 lasted between three and four years, and leave the consideration 

 of a shorter period to the end of this article. 



It is very generally admitted from the historical data avail- 

 able that the Crucitixion took place between the years 

 A.D. 28-33 ; the ministry must therefore have begun in one of 

 the years a.d. 24-29. 



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