|
|
|
Luke 10:1 1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. (KJV)
This is a unique incident reported in the Gospels. Luke is the only one who reports it. Jesus had sent His twelve disciples out two by two on a similar mission, had given them very similar instructions. But now here He sends out a group of seventy-two. Its a reminder that Jesus preaching program was a much larger and better organized project than we sometimes realize. We know that Jesus sometimes preached to huge crowds. But there were other times when His following shrank to be very few. At the end even the Twelve abandoned Him. But here in this incident He has enough devoted followers that He can send out 72 disciples (36 pairs) ahead of Him on this current journey He was on, to prepare the people in the upcoming villages for His coming.
It strikes me how meager the supplies are that Jesus tells His disciples to take along. If youre one of Jesus workers, he doesnt promise you many creature comforts. He tells them, "Do not take a purse or bag (he means like a knapsack) or sandals." Dont even take shoes along. That seems kind of drastic for a man who is in other places of the New Testament depicted as a man of compassion. It doesnt seem like Jesus is concerned for their well being. He isnt concerned about their protection. He says, "Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." This doesnt sound like the kind of boss Id be interested in working for. Hes not even concerned about His workers protection!
Answer for yourself: Does this not make you stop and think that this picture of Jesus is at best diametrically opposed to other depictions of him in the New Testament? All the more reason why this picture and the account of sending out these 72 disciples is suspect and possibly not historically accurate. Could this story of the "72" not be historically accurate but rather a Sun myth? Well let us investigate this for ourselves.
Answer for yourself: Are there other references in the Bible concerning "72"? Yes there are.
We saw in the previous article that the number "12" refers to the twelve houses or signs of the zodiac that are found on or very near to the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the path of the sun around the zodiac. The Zodiac is a circle of space surrounding the Earth. It may be imagined as a belt in the heavens about 15 degrees wide in which the planets travel. It is the Sun's apparent path, called the ecliptic. The zodiacal circle is divided into twelve parts, each part containing 30 degrees of space called the Signs of the Zodiac. Thus a sign is a one-twelfth division of the zodiacal circle and is defined as containing 30 degrees of celestial longitude: 12 signs each measuring 30 degrees constitute the circle of the zodiac or 360 degrees. In this circle the planets travel each in its own orbit, one outlying beyond the other. The zodiac, then, is a circle divided into twelve signs through which the planets travel or transit from west to east, going through one sign after another in their order from Aries to Pisces. Although the zodiac is generally referred to as a circle it is, in fact, elliptical. Each sign possesses a certain specific influence of its own. The motion of the Earth around the Sun once a year causes the Sun to appear to pass through one of the 12 signs each month.
There are more than twelve constellations there of course. And in fact if one counts all the constellations of great importance, there are 72, not counting the 12. Signs and constellations are not the same thing. The confusion occurs because there was a time long ago when they were named the same names. The signs describe the seasons or months of the year. The zodiacal constellations are found along the ecliptic or the path the planets track through the sky. The signs, or seasons of the year, are defined by the solstice and Equinox points. These points are moving through all the constellations precessing one degree every 72 years. Approximately every 26,000 years every sign will move through every constellation along the ecliptic. It is this movement of the signs, or seasons, through the constellations that is the mechanism of how myth and symbol change over time.
These extra-zodiacal constellations are called the paranatellons. Paranatellons are constellations that rise and set simultaneously with zodiacal constellations. These other constellations also pay homage to the passing sun.
Using mathematical fact, the number 72 represents the number of years in one degree of a zodiacal age. A Grand Cycle of 360 degrees would complete the circle. Each of the twelve signs of the zodiac now has 30 degrees allotted to it. Each one of these ages called a Month in the Great Zodiacal Year, and each of the thirty-days of such a month amounts to one day. This figure of 72 years is in full agreement with Kabbalistic practices representing the number of years of a man's life.
So it was written that Jesus had 12 official servants and 72 others that also carried the message. The symbol of the Arthurian Round Table is also a motif that is based on the round of the zodiac. Now these paranatellons are the leitmotif behind innumerable other Biblical and mythical stories. But because we are not conversant with these constellations and their esoteric relevance we do not notice when they turn up either in fiction or art, architecture or commercial.
Answer for yourself: What other symbolism using the number "72" exists with Biblical connotations as well as other places in our society?
Answer for yourself: Having seen the preponderance of evidence does it seem likely that the number of "72" as found in Jesus sending out his larger group of disciples is related to the Zodiac since having previously seen that the prior group of "12 disciples" definitely were?