Joshua
The Sun Stands Still. Joshua 12:14
The story of Joshua triumph over his enemies with the aid of the Lord (Tetragrammaton: YHVH) stilling the sun to extend the battle into daylight is a key story within Craft Masonry.
The Battle of Joshua ranks among history's most renowned conflicts and is distinguished for Joshua's remarkable entreaty to God for prolonged sunlight. Set near the Canaanite city of Gibeon, this battle witnessed Joshua leading a coalition comprising twelve tribes against a union of Amorite kings. Through fervent supplication, Joshua implored for extra hours of daylight, enabling him and his forces to seize a pivotal advantage over their opponents. His prayers were answered when God performed a miracle, causing the sun stand still until the battle was won. The story serves as a inspiring testament to unwavering faith and perseverance in the face of adversity.
- 12 On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.” 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
A similar story appears in South America from the Aztecs
Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl (1578-1650)
Chapter 11. Link to full chapter [1]
- 13. In the year 8 Tochtli, 9 which was 1,347 years after the second calamity and 4,779 years since the creation of the world, it is recorded in their history that the sun stood still one natural day without moving, and a myth evolved wherein a mosquito saw the sun suspended in the air in a pensive mood and said, "Lord of the world, why are you standing still and why are you in such deep thought? Why are you not doing the work you are supposed to do? Do you want to destroy the world as before?" And the mosquito said many other things to the sun, but the sun still did not move. The mosquito then stung the sun on the leg, and seeing that his leg had been stung, the sun began again to move along its course as before.
- 14. It had been 158 years since the great hurricane and 4,964 years since the creation of the world, when there occurred another destruction in this land. 10 The people who lived in this comer of the land, which they now call New Spain, were giants called Quinametzin. The destruction consisted of a great earthquake that swallowed up and killed the people when the high volcanic mountains erupted. All of the people were destroyed and no one escaped; or if anyone did escape, it was those who were in the internal parts of the land. Many Tultecas, along with the Chichimecas, who were their neighbors, were killed. This was in the year Tecpatl, and they called this time period Tlacchitonatiuh, which means sun of the earth.
It should be noted that Giants are also mentioned in the Bible.
There are three interconnected passages referencing the Nephilim (translated in the King James Bible as "giants").
The first occurrence is in Genesis 6:1–4, immediately before the account of Noah's Ark. Genesis 6:4 reads as follows:
- The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
The nature of the Nephilim is complicated by the ambiguity of Genesis 6:4, which leaves it unclear whether they are the "sons of God" or their offspring who are the "mighty men of old, men of renown."
The second reference is in Numbers 13:32–33 where ten of the Twelve Spies report that they have seen fearsome giants in Canaan:
- And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight
The non-canonical Book of Enoch develops the Nephilim further:
- And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: "Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children." And Semjaza (Shemyaza), who was their leader, said unto them: "I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin." And they all answered him and said: "Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing." Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it
"The Miracle of The Sun (1917)"
The Miracle of the Sun, also known as the Miracle of Fátima, comprises a series of occurrences documented on 13 October 1917 in Fátima, Portugal. Three children, Lúcia Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto had prophesied that the Virgin Mary ("Our Lady of Fátima") would manifest and perform miracles on that specific date. Newspapers published testimony by witnesses from the large crowd who said that they had seen the Sun appearing to "dance" or zig-zag in the heavens, appearing to approach the Earth, or emitting vibrant and multicoloured radiance. According to these testimonies, the event lasted approximately ten minutes.
- "And then, at high noon, something remarkable happened: The clouds broke, and the sun appeared in the sky. Unlike any other day, the sun began to revolve in the sky – an opaque, spinning disc. It cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the people and the surrounding clouds. Without warning, the sun began to careen across the sky, zigging and zagging toward the earth. Three times it approached, then receded. The panicked crowd erupted in screams; but there was no evading it. The end of the earth, some believed, was at hand." [2]
Hanuman Stops The Sun
A battle broke out between Ravana's demon army and Rama's animal army. Lakshman was so badly wounded in the battle it seemed that he would die before sun-rise. The monkeys and bears decided that Hanuman must leap to the Himalayas and bring back the healing herb from the Medicine Mountain to save Lakshman's life. So Hanuman leapt over the ocean, and across the whole of India to the Himalayas.
Arriving in the Himalayas, it took a long time to find the fabled Medicine Mountain. Hanuman found it at last -covered with herbs, but he didn't know which was the magic healing herb. So he wrapped his arms around the whole mountain, pulled it out of the ground and lifted it onto the palms of his hand. He then flew with the mountain back to Lanka. (Hanuman carrying the mountain is reproduced again and again in all forms of art.) On the way the sun began to rise. So Hanuman decided to capture the sun under his arm so that he could arrive back before sunrise in time to save Lakshman. The healing herb was picked and given to Lakshman. Lakshman was healed and filled with energy. Source: British Library [3]
Irish Mythology of Aengus
In this Irish version of the myth, the Dagda has an affair with Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. She lives at Brú na Bóinne with her husband Elcmar. The Dagda impregnates her after sending Elcmar away on a one-day errand. To hide the pregnancy from Elcmar, the Dagda casts a spell on him, making "the sun stand still" so he will not notice the passing of time. Meanwhile, Boann gives birth to Aengus. Source: Wikipedia [4]
When the Sun Goddess Hid in the Cave of Heaven
Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities of Shinto, she is portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts as the ruler (or one of the rulers) of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi. Along with her siblings, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm god Susanoo, she is considered to be one of the "Three Precious Children", the three most important offspring of the creator god Izanagi.
- "Amaterasu went into the cave, and using her magic, sealed the entrance with the Heavenly Rock behind her. With the life-giving sun gone, the Upper World and the Middle World fell into darkness. This caused the gods to voice their worries and resentments, and those voices in turn created a series of inauspicious events in the world.
- The gods decided to gather for an emergency meeting by the Heavenly River of Serenity to work out a way to bring Amaterasu out of her hiding. The wisest of them all, Omohikane -Think Gold- suggested a plan, which was unanimously agreed. Decisions were made and actions taken with utmost haste.
- First, all the cockerels, vassals of the sun goddess, were asked to crow altogether at once..."
More here: [5]
Solstice
In English, the word solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium, meaning "sun standing still". It seems to suggest a brief pause as the sun reaches its most extreme point (as experienced on Earth) before the direction of travel is reversed.
In the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs usually on the 21st of December (though it may fall on the 20th or the 23rd, depending on calendar adjustments). This winter solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.44 degrees. Basically, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.44 degrees away from the sun—its maximum tilt point. This is when the three stars ("the three Kings" or "the three sisters") in Orion’s belt line up with Sirius, which is the brightest star in the Eastern sky and indicates the following day’s sunrise. For around three days, the sun appears to stand still before starting its ascent upward and back to the heavens.
The Summer Solstice (midsummer) occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt towards the Sun. It happens twice a year, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky (for areas outside of the tropics) and is the day with the longest period of daylight. Within the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, there is continuous daylight during their respective summer solstices. On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt towards the Sun is 23.44°. Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44°.
For the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs between June 20th and June 22nd.
The Book of Jashar
The Book of Jasher (also spelled Jashar; Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), which means the Book of the Upright or the Book of the Just Man, is a book briefly referenced in the Hebrew Bible. The contents of this book are unknown and the various publications claiming to be the Book of Asher are all known forgeries. The Book of Asher is most commonly believed to have been a book of poetry and song.
Jewish scholar Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki. 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105) suggests this book is actually a reference to the Pentateuch - the first 5 books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
- "Divided as we may be by religion, we are united by charity." -Rashi
The translation "Book of the Just Man" is the traditional Greek and Latin translation, while the transliterated form "Jasher" is found in the King James Bible, 1611.
The book is mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible. A possible third reference exists with a variant spelling.
According to the Book of Joshua, while Joshua was winning a battle against Adonizedek (king of Jerusalem) and his allies, Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stand still.
Joshua 10:13 then states:
- And the Sun stood still, and the Moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves on their enemies.
- Is this not written in Sefer HaYashar?
The presence of this event in a book of poetry has been interpreted as a poetic description of the prolonged battle.
According to the medieval Jewish scholar Rashi, "Sefer HaYashar" in this verse refers to the Pentateuch: Jacob's prophecy regarding Joshua's ancestor Ephraim—"His seed will fill the nations"—was fulfilled when Joshua's victory gave him renown among the various nations who heard of the victory.
2 Samuel 1:18
According to the Book of Samuel, when David spoke his lament over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, he began as follows:
- To teach the sons of Judah [the use of] the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.
The King James Version of the English Bible includes the words "the use of" in italics, material which its translator(s) added in order to render the text into what they considered understandable and comfortable English. According to some other translations (such as the English Standard Version), David taught his Judeans "The Bow" (Hebrew: קָ֑שֶׁת, romanized: qāšeṯ), which they hypothesize was a poetic lament of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. According to this interpretation, this "Bow" was a lament or a tune contained in the Book of Jashar which that book also says was taught to the Israelites.
The Septuagint translation renders sefer hayashar in both cases as the 'book of the just'. It also misses the reference to the bow. It reads:
- "And he gave orders to teach it to the sons of Judah: behold, it is written in the book of the just." — 2 Samuel 1:18
The Septuagint translation (abbreviation LXX) is the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew. This translation is believed to have been made for the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was the common language throughout that region.
The name Septuagint is from the Latin septuaginta - “70” - and is derived from the legend that there were 72 translators, 6 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, who worked independently to translate the whole book to produce identical copies.
In Kings
A possible third reference appears in I Kings 8. In the Septuagint (though not in the Hebrew text or in most translations), verse 8:53 says that the preceding prayer of Solomon is written "in the book of song" (ἐν βιβλίῳ τῆς ᾠδῆς). The Hebrew version of "book of song" could be ספר השיר (sefer ha-shir), which is the same as "Sefer HaYashar" with two letters transposed. According to Alexander Rofeh, this suggests that the name of "Sefer HaYashar" could be related to its function as a book of song, and the second word of "Sefer HaYashar" might have originally been שיר (shir, "song") or ישיר (yashir, "he will sing").