This text is a transcript in English of a video illustration of the book The Number of the Beasts. When the Book of Revelation was Written, Part One, partially supplemented by images from the video. The two-part video illustration was edited and translated into English by Serge Belobaba based on original research by Russian scholars Anatoly T. Fomenko and Gleb V. Nosovsky.

Introduction

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian scientist-encyclopedist and honorary academician Nikolai Alexandrovich Morozov published his sensational book „Revelation in Thunder and Storm”. In this book, he proposed for the first time astronomical interpretation of the last book of the Bible, „The Book of Revelation” also known as „Apocalypse”.

Filled with grim predictions of the and of the world, the book of Apocalypse had a profound impact on people’s minds at the time. The famous „number of the beast” 666 was first mentioned in this book, which according to interpreters, supposedly concealed a deep prophetic meaning about the time of the coming Antichrist and the end of the world.

Speculations and conjectures on this topic were particularly abundant in the 17th century. In reality, it is much simplier. The dating of the book of Revelation turns out to be not the same as what we are accustomed to today but rather mediaevil. Therefore, the Revelation could not have been written by the evangelist John, a contemporary of Christ, as claimed by historians. The main motif of the Revelation precisely correspondes to the era in which it was written, the tense anticipation of the imminent end of the world.

The method of dating The Book of Revelation – Astronomical dating

The Book of Revelation, like some other ancient texts describing celestial phenomena and deeply filled with astronomical imagery, can be dated in the following way.

We will read the Apocalypse sequentially, line by line. Each time we encounter a passage that allows an astronomical interpretation, we will try to read it according to the known of laws of mediaevil astronomical symbolism. We will compare its text with corresponding medieval text that contain both astronomical symbolism and explanations in understandable astronomical terms.

This method of unbiased astronomical dating was first applied by Nikolai Morozov at the beginning of the 20^th century. Morozov was apparently the first scholar to suggest that the author of the biblical Book of Revelation did not intentionally encrypt anything but simply described, using the astronomical language of his time, what he actually saw in the night sky.

When was the Revelation written? General information

The Book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse of John, is the twenty-seventh and final book of the New Testament and therefore the final book of the entire modern canon of the Christian Bible. The Apocalypse itself does not contain any clear chronological indications of the era of its writing. No specific historical personalities who definitely lived during the period of the Apocalypse’s creation are mentioned. There are no absolute dates.

Some commentators note that the author of the Apocalypse is well acquainted with astronomy: the images he uses, such as dragons, beasts, horses, and so on, represent constellations depicted in a similar way on medieval star charts.

All these considerations were first expressed by Morozov at the beginning of the 20th century. Apparently, Morozov’s argument made a strong impression on many authors. They essentially repeated Morozov’s assertion without referencing him, which is a common practice among historians. They can confidently criticize the despised New Chronologists in one article and then use their result without citations in another, presenting them as their own. This was the case in Morozov’s time, and continues to this day. Let us finally turn to the Book of Revelation itself.

Its astronomical nature is indeed striking, especially when compared with ancient celestial maps that are literally filled with apocalyptic images. Aparrently, after some time following the writing of the Revelation, the initial astronomical meaning of its imagery was forgotten. Even if any professional astronomer noticed the similarities between the drawings on ancient maps and the description in the Revelation, they likely perceived it as mere coincidence and couldn’t separate themselves from the influence Scaligerian [Joseph Justus Scaliger, 1540 – 1609, Franco-Italian Calvinst religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to include Persian, Babylonian, Jewish and Ancient Egyptian history] conceptions imposed on them. Contemporary biblical studies do not recognise any astronomical motifs in biblical texts. This may be due to a subconscious fear of the possibility of astronomical dating. As we will see later and as historians themselves probably suspect, understanding the baselessness of the Scaligerian chronology, unbiased astronomical dating indeed yields dates that are completely different from Scaliger’s.

“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and FROM THE SEVEN SPIRITS WHICH ARE BEFORE HIS THRONE.” Revelation 1:4

The constellation Ursa Major [the Great Bear, constellation in the Northern Sky] is still sometimes called “the Chariot of Spirits” in France. Images of this constellation as the Chariot of Spirits can be found in medieval books. The Throne is a well-known constellation located just before Ursa Major.

“And out of the THRONE proceeded lightnings and thundering and voices: and there were SEVEN LAMPS of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. AND BEFORE THE THRONE THERE WAS A SEA OF GLASS LIKE UNTO CRYSTAL”. Revelation 4:5-6

So, seven lamps of fire are positioned before the Throne where God sits. The sea of glass, like crystal is likely sky observed by the author of the Revelation.

“I John… was in the isle that called Patmos.” Revelation 1:9

The place of observation is clearly indicated as the island of Patmos in Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, throughout the entire book, it is repeatedly emphasized that starry sky is the main stage for the described events.

“I looked… A THRONE WAS SET IN HEAVEN, and ONE SAT ON THE THRONE. And he that sat was to look upon like A JASPER AND A SARDINE STONE”. Revelation 4:1-3

The one sitting on the Throne can be seen on almost every medieval star chart. On all these maps, Cassiopeia is depicted sitting on the Throne.

The comparison of the constellation Cassiopeia with Christ, as the Revelation essentially suggests, was sometimes explicitly depicted on medieval star maps.

The Throne is shown with the crucified Cassiopeia on it. The back of the Throne serves as the cross,and the hands of Cassiopeia are tied to the transverse beam of the cross. But this is an obvious reference to the Christian crucifixion. In the Revelation, it appears that the constellation Cassiopeia is described, which in the Middle Ages was perceived as the stellar image of the King Christ on the throne.

“There was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald”. Revelation 4:3

Emerald is a bluish-green gemstone, and the rainbow around the Throne can be seen on any medieval and modern star chart. The constellation of the Throne with the one sitting on it is always surrounded by the curved glowing band of the Milky Way.

“And round about the throne were FOUR AND TWENTY seats: and upon the seats I saw FOUR AND TWENTY elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads CROWNS of gold.” Revelation 4:4

In any comprehensive astronomy textbook, you can read that in ancient times, the sky was divided into 24 sectors converging at the celestial poles.

These sectors are called one hour of right ascension. So, each elder in the Revelation is, apparently, an hour of right ascension in the equatorial coordinate system. The white raiments or garments of the elders likely refer to the white color of the stars in the sky. And what Crowns of gold? Here, it seems to describe the constellation Corona Borealis, located near the zenith, precisely above the heads of all 24 hour-sector elders.

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind”. Revelation 4:6

The description encompasses the starry sky surrounding the constellation of the Throne, and the star-studded sky, that is, eyes. The seemingly strange expression in the Revelation, in the midst of the Throne, becomes clear and refers to the stars that fill the Throne as a background. What are the “four beasts full of eyes”? The answer becomes clear at the first glance at a star map. Furthermore, in the next section of the Revelation, it is explicitly stated:

“And the first beast was like a LION, and the second like a CALF, and the third beast HAD A FACE AS A MAN, and the fourth beast was like A FLYING EAGLE.” Revelation 4:7

Leo is a well-known zodiacal constellation in which the Sun is located before the beginning of autumn. Calf is the Taurus, a well-known zodiacal constellation in which the Sun is located before the beginning of summer. The beast with a human face, the Centaur, represents the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius, where the Sun is located at the beginning of winter. The beast “like a flying eagle” is not the eagle, although such a constellation exists in the sky. Most likely, it refers to the famous Pegasus, a winged beast that completes the sequence of constellations mentioned in the Revelation. In the constellation of Pegasus, the Sun is positioned before the beginning of spring. Formally Pegasus is not zodiacal constellation. However, it is very close to the zodiacal belt and even intrudes into it, almost touching the ecliptic between the zodiacal constellations of Pisces and Aquarius. Therefore, the Revelation clearly listed four constellations along the ecliptic: the zodiacal constellations of Leo, Taurus, Sagittarius and the most zodiacal Pegasus. These four constellations, marking the seasons, form a square or a cross. Since there are exactly 24 one-hour sectors or wings originating from the pole, each of these animal constellations has exactly 6 wing sectors of right ascension, meaning they have 6 wings around them. It is remarkable that all of this is accurately described in the Revelation.

“And the four beast had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within.” Revelation 4:8

Here, the “eyes” are the stars. The beasts full of eyes within are constellations. After all, that is exactly how they are depicted on many medieval celestial map. In the northern mid-latitude zone of the Earth globe, the upper parts of the wing-sectors never set below the horizon. The lower knees of the elders-sectors either sink below the horizon or rise above it. Because of this, each one hour-sector appears to rise from its knees on the eastern side of the horizon and then falls to its knees on the western side. In doing so, they seem to worship the center of their rotation, the northern celestial pole and the constellation of the Throne near it. Again, all of this is accurately described in the Revelation. Indeed, the Book states:

“The four and twenty elders fall dawn before him that sat on the Throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the Throne.” Revelation 4:10

During the daily rotation at the latitude of the Mediterranean Sea, the constellation Corona Borealis rises to the zenith or descends to the northern part of the horizon. This refers the local zenith, at the latitude of the island of Patmos. We will not continue listing other constellations and stars mentioned in the Revelation, as the overall picture is already clear.

Symbolism – Planets as horses in medieval astronomy

And now, the most important aspect for dating. The ancient astronomers were particularly attentive to the swift motion of the planets. The movement of planets across the sky is highly irregular for an Earth observer. Planets occasionally trace loops on the ecliptic, such as the loops of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. When forming a loop, planets first appear to halt, then retreat, and subsequently seem to rush forward again. This behavior likely gave rise to their comparison with horses galloping across the vault of heaven in ancient times. It is not surprising that ancient astronomy employed this vivid image in its symbolic language.

Old Gallic coins depict planets as horses.

On the left coin, a horse with a rider in the form of the letter S leaps over the water jar of the Aquarius constellation. This constellation was often depicted as a water jar or as a person with a jar pouring water from it. The right coin portrays a planet-horse with the Cancer constellation on its back. The horse leaps over the Capricorn constellation. These ancient coin clearly indicate the tradition of medieval astronomers, at least some of them, to associate planets with horses.

The further development of this symbolism naturally led to the depiction of planets as horses harnessed to chariots.

For example, such an image of the Sun, which was previously included among the seven planets, was widely used in the Middle Ages. The concepts evolved and sometimes the horses carried entire constellations.

Here the horses carry the constellation Auriga [lat. charioteer, constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere].

The significance that astronomer attributed to the planetary leaps is evident from the fact that a special symbol was invented for the moment when planets paused between direct and retrograde motion, a stopped chariot. For instance, here are stopped chariots of all the planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Sometimes, instead of horses, fantastical creatures such as griffins, eagles, and other were harnessed to the chariott.

“And behold A WHITE HORSE, and HE THAT SAT ON HIM HAD A BOW; AND A CROWN WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM: AND HE WENT FORTH CONQUERING, AND TO CONQUER.” Revelation 6:2

Apparently, a bright planet-horse is described here, on which a rider-constellation with a bow is seated. Among the zodiac constellation, there is only one such constellation, which is Sagittarius. The horse is described as white. In combination with the characteristic conquering” and the fact this horse is the first mentioned, it likely refers to Jupiter. Therefore Jupiter is indicated in Sagittarius.

“And there went out another HORSE THAT WAS RED: AND POWER WAS GIVEN TO HIM THAT SAT THEREON TO TAKE PEACE FROM THE EARTH, A ND THAT THEY SHOULD KILL ONE ANOTHER, AND THERE WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM A GREAT SWORD.” Revelation 6:4

Here, a red planet-horse is described. There is only one planet of this kind, which is Mars. There is also only one constellation with a sword, which is Perseus. Thus, Perseus is describe in the Revelation as a rider on Mars. More likely, it refers to the zodiac constellations located beneath the feet of Perseus. These are Taurus or Gemini. Therefore, Mars is located in the zodiac sign of Gemini or Taurus, over which Perseus is positioned. It cannot be Aries since Perseus seems to stand on them, while in Aries, he would be laying on his back with his legs raised.

“And I beheld and lo A BLACK HORSE; AND HE THAT SAT ON HIM HAD A PAIR OF BALANCES IN HIS HAND. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:5-6

Mercury is referred to as the invisible planet. Being close to the Sun, Mercury is rarely visible as the sunlight usually drowns it out. Therefore, the position of Mercury was often inaccurately determined in ancient times. The entire verse 6 clearly speaks about trade. Moreover, prices for wheat and barley are even mentioned. However, Mercury was considered the patron of commerce, trade, and merchants. Therefore, Mercury is indicated in Libra.

“And behold A PALE HORSE: AND HIS NAME THAT SAT ON HIM WAS DEATH, AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH HIM. AND POWER WAS GIVEN UNTO THEM OVER THE FOURTH PART OF THE EARTH, TO KILL WITH SWORD, AND WITH HUNGER, AND WITH DEATH, AND WITH THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 6:8

Most likely, a sinister planet Saturn is described here. The rider “his name that sat on him was death”, is likely Scorpius. The presence of Saturn in Scorpius was considered an extremely ominous sign in the Middle Ages.

“And there appeared a great wonder IN HEAVEN; A WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN, AND THE MOON UNDER HER FEET, AND UPON HER HEAD A CROWN OF TWELVE STARS.” Revelation 12:1

Apparently, we have here a depiction of the starry sky in its typical medieval representation. The sun is declared to be in the constellation of Virgo. It is worth noting that Virgo is the only female constellation on the ecliptic. The Moon is at the feet of Virgo. Directly above the head of Virgo, towards the zenith, is the well-known constellation of Coma Berenices, a crown of twelve stars. Interestingly, on any star chart, you can see a well-known globular cluster in the constellation of Coma Berenices, forming a diadem or crown. The Revelation mentions “a crown of twelve stars”. Thus, the Sun was in Virgo, and the Moon was at the feet of Virgo.

“AND HE THAT OVERCOMETH … I WILL GIVE HIM THE MORNING STAR.” Revelation 2;26, 2:28

Venus was referred to as the morning star in the Middle Ages. Among the zodiac constellations, the one most victorious, that overcomes, is Leo. The fact that Leo is specifically mentioned as the one who overcomes, is directly indicated in the Revelation:

“Behold, the LION of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, HATH PREVAILED to open the book to loose the seven seals thereof.” Revelation 5:5

From the text of the Apocalypse, it is clear that this Lion is the one that overcomes, who ultimately has prevailed.

Astronomy – Astronomical dating of the Revelation

Therefore, the Revelation contains a description of the starry sky, from which the following horoscope can be unambiguously deduced: Jupiter is in Sagittarius, Saturn in Scorpius, Mercury in Libra, Sun in Virgo, Moon at the feet of Virgo, Venus in Leo, Mars in Gemini or Taurus.

For an approximate astronomical calculation, only three major planets are sufficient: Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn.

The Sun moves quickly, completing a full revolution along the celestial zodiac in a year. Therefore, its position is only relevant for determining the month. Mercury often disappears from view and is always in proximity to the Sun. Therefore, it is also not significant for rough dating with an accuracy of a year.

Morozov [in the picture] claimed the following: only three major planets, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn, are sufficient for dating the Book of Revelation no earlier than 4^th century AD. The mentioned horoscope occured in the real sky, only in the following years: 395 AD, 632 AD, 1249 AD, and 1486 AD.

Morozov believed that the best solution is the year 395 AD. He was satisfied with this answer, considering that the Book of Revelation could not have been written after 4^th century AD. However, in the 395 AD solution, Mars was in Aries, which is not ideal.

Now, after the research by Fomenko and Nosovskiy on the chronology of antiquity, it becomes clear that Morozov shouldn’t have limited himself to the first four centuries of the Common era when dating the Revelation. Going beyond these limits, two additional possible solutions need to be considered: 1249 and 1486. The 1249 solution is worse due to Mercury, which was in Virgo, closer to Leo.

The main conclusion is as follows: the solution of October 1, 1486 AD perfectly satisfies all the conditions stated in the Revelation. It is evident that all the planets are precisely in the constellation indicated in the Revelation. This astronomical result can be easily verified using any modern astronomical software that shows positions of the planets in the past.

The visibility conditions of the planets on the night of October 1^st to October 2^nd, 1486 AD, were checked for the eastern Mediterranean. The Bosporus Strait was taken as the observation point. It turns out that on October 1, 1486 AD, the Sun set on Bosporus at 5:30 PM local time, which is 3:30 PM GMT. The crescent of the young Moon was visible after sunset until 7:00 PM local time, after which the Moon descended below the local horizon. Saturn was visible until 8:00 PM local time. Jupiter was visible until 9:45 PM local time. Mars became visible later since it was still below the horizon. It rose at 9:05 PM local time and remained visible throughout the remaining night. Mercury was at its maximum distance from the Sun at that time, meaning it was almost in optimal visibility conditions. Indeed, Mercury was visible until 6:10 PM local time, after which it descended below the local horizon. Venus rose that night at 3:00 AM local time and was clearly visible until sunrise.

It is clear that the medieval observer correctly noted that Perseus was sitting on Mars.

“AND POWER WAS GIVEN TO HIM THAT SAT THEREON TO TAKE PEACE FROM THE EARTH, AND THAT THEY SHOULD KILL ONE ANOTHER: AND THERE WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM A GREAT SWORD.” Revelation 6:4

Mars indeed was precisely at the feet of Perseus at that time. The question arises: why did the observer indicate the non-zodiac constellation of Perseus for Mars, instead of the zodiac sign of Gemini? It is likely because the author of the Revelation was describing the impending end of the world, a highly dramatic event. Therefore, he chose images that correspond to the spirit of the terrifying picture he was painting. The first major planet, Jupiter, was in Sagittarius, a warlike constellation depicted with a bow and arrows. The second major planet, Saturn, was in Scorpius, a formidable and deadly constellation. However, the third major planet, Mars, was in Gemini, a relatively peaceful constellation. But, right above Mars at that moment was Perseus, a warrior constellation with a sword, holding the severed head of the dreadful Gorgon with her flowing hair, whose gaze turns everything living to stone. Furthermore, Mars itself is the god of war. It is clear that the author of the Revelation specifically chose Perseus as the constellation that perfectly suited the atmosphere of the end of the world.