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Furthermore, the adoption (or, rather, creation) of Christianity was not much of a stretch for the Roman conspirators:

In the early Christian era, Roman emperors were routinely identifying themselves with the sun god and all his symbols: cross, eagle, fire, gold, lion, and so on. Constantine I, whom conventional history hails as the first Christian emperor, was actually a worshipper of the sun god, whose image he placed on his coins, dedicated to "the invincible sun, my guardian."33

In fact, a 100-lire coin issued by the Vatican depicts a woman, symbolizing the Church, holding a cup in her right hand, which represents the "pagan sunburst wafer god."34 This "wafer" or host used in Communion by the Catholic Church as a symbol for the body of Christ is actually a very ancient symbol for the sun. The Catholic "monstrance" or "ostentorium," the device used to serve the "Lord's host," is also a sunburst, as admitted by Catholic authorities.35 Christian art, like that of Buddhism and Hinduism, makes extensive use of the halo or sunburst behind its godman, mother of God, and saints. As Massey says, "The halo of light which is usually shown surrounding the face of Jesus and Christian saints, is another concept taken from the sun god."

The solar nature of Jesus Christ is thus reflected in art, explaining "nobody knew what he looked like" and why he was variously represented as a sun god, such as Apollo or Elias. As Biedermann says:

In Christian iconography the sun, rising over and over again in the East, symbolizes immortality and resurrection. There are fourth-century mosaics showing Christ as a Helios-figure in a solar chariot surrounded by sunbeams, or surrounded by a solar nimbus. Since Christ is also triumphant over time (chronocrator), he is frequently associated with the sun (which measures out the length of each day) in Romanesque art.30

The term "associated with" is a typical historicizing obfuscation, because Christ is the sun, which Christian artists have obviously known. The Apollo/ Helios/Jesus image is often very light of complexion, with short blond hair, reflective not of an actual person but of the light and color of the sun. Other solar depictions include men with red hair, representative of the setting and summer sun, and black images symbolizing the orb in the dark underworld of night, which is the reason for the black bambinos and crucifixes in churches around the globe, not only of Jesus but also Krishna and other solar heroes. As stated, these black crucifixes have led some to posit that Jesus was black, i.e., African; however, despite this compulsion to make Christ "all things to all people," these images depict the black or nighttime sun. In fact, they are part of the mythos, which holds that the solar orb and night sky are a dual-natured god, represented by "twins" battling for supremacy.

Let us now see further how the solar mythos was passed to us as the Christian myth. To do so, we will also be following the sun's annual movements through the heavenly zodiac:

• According to legend, Jesus was born in a stable between a horse and a goat, symbols of Sagittarius and Capricorn.

• He was baptized in Aquarius, the Water-Bearer.

• He chose his first disciples, fishermen, in Pisces, the sign of the fishes.

• He became the Good Shepherd and the Lamb in Aries, the Ram.

• Jesus told the parables of the sowing and tilling of the fields in Taurus, the Bull.

• In Cancer, "the celestial Sea of Galilee,"37 he calmed the storm and waters, spoke of backsliders (the Crab), and rode the ass and foal in triumph into the City of Peace, Jerusalem.

• Jesus was the Lion in Leo.

• In Libra, Christ was the true vine in the Garden of Gethsemane, the "wine press," as this is the time of the grape harvest.

• Jesus was betrayed by Judas, the "backbiter," or Scorpio.

• In Sagittarius, Jesus was wounded in the side by the Centaur, or centurion.

• He was crucified at the winter solstice between the "two thieves" of Sagittarius and Capricorn, who sapped his strength.

Roberts