Posted 11-22-03
Luke 2:25-32 (KJV) says, "behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."
"Strange said he had little doubt the inscriptions were genuine. If fake, “then it was forged by someone who failed because nobody noticed (the inscriptions)".
The article said that there have been some historical references to a Byzantine belief that Simon, Zachariah (father of John the Baptist) and James (brother of Jesus) were buried in the same tomb. I wish the references were given. However, I saw somewhere else that there is a 4th century Christian tradition that says Zachariah, Simon and James were buried together in the Kidron Valley. MAYBE THE JAMES OSSUARY CAME FROM ABSALOM'S TOMB IN THE KIDRON VALLEY. First, they find the name Zachariah on it, then Simon. Maybe they will also find James. There is more inscription yet to be deciphered.
According to the article, "The Bible says James was hurled off the Jewish Temple, bludgeoned to death in the Kidron Valley below and buried nearby."
If that is in the Bible, I hope someone can tell me where to find it. I think that information came from other sources.
Mt. 13:55 says, "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" In Gal. 1:19, Paul said, "other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother."
Josephus said, "Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he (Ananus) assembled the sanhedrim of the judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others...and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned." (Ant. XX. IX.1).
In an article, "James, the Brother of Jesus Christ," I found some interesting information.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/7730/Christian_martyrs/James.html
"...James was martyred in AD 62. The story of his martyrdom can be found in Eusebius of Caesarea's work, Church History (AD 325), Book II, Chapter 23: The Martyrdom of James, who was called the Brother of the Lord:
"But after Paul, in consequence of his appeal to C'sar, had been sent to Rome by Festus, the Jews, being frustrated in their hope of entrapping him by the snares which they had laid for him, turned against James, the brother of the Lord, to whom the episcopal seat at Jerusalem had been entrusted by the apostles. The following daring measures were undertaken by them against him. Leading him into their midst they demanded of him that he should renounce faith in Christ in the presence of all the people. But, contrary to the opinion of all, with a clear voice, and with greater boldness than they had anticipated, he spoke out before the whole multitude and confessed that our Saviour and Lord Jesus is the Son of God. But they were unable to bear longer the testimony of the man who, on account of the excellence of ascetic virtue and of piety which he exhibited in his life, was esteemed by all as the most just of men, and consequently they slew him. Opportunity for this deed of violence was furnished by the prevailing anarchy, which was caused by the fact that Festus had died just at this time in Judea, and that the province was thus without a governor and head. The manner of James' death has been already indicated by the above-quoted words of Clement, who records that he was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple, and was beaten to death with a club. But Hegesippus, who lived immediately after the apostles, gives the most accurate account in the fifth book of his Memoirs.
"But as many as believed did so on account of James. Therefore when many even of the rulers believed, there was a commotion among the Jews and Scribes and Pharisees, who said that there was danger that the whole people would be looking for Jesus as the Christ. Coming therefore in a body to James they said, 'We entreat thee, restrain the people; for they are gone astray in regard to Jesus, as if he were the Christ. We entreat thee to persuade all that have come to the feast of the Passover concerning Jesus; for we all have confidence in thee. For we bear thee witness, as do all the people, that thou art just, and dost not respect persons. Do thou therefore persuade the multitude not to be led astray concerning Jesus. For the whole people, and all of us also, have confidence in thee. Stand therefore upon the pinnacle of the temple, that from that high position thou mayest be clearly seen, and that thy words may be readily heard by all the people. For all the tribes, with the Gentiles also, are come together on account of the Passover.'
"The aforesaid Scribes and Pharisees therefore placed James upon the pinnacle of the temple, and cried out to him and said: 'Thou just one, in whom we ought all to have confidence, forasmuch as the people are led, astray after Jesus, the crucified one, declare to us, what is the gate of Jesus.' And he answered with a loud voice, 'Why do ye ask me concerning Jesus, the Son of Man? He himself sitteth in heaven at the right hand of the great Power, and is about to come upon the clouds of heaven.' And when many were fully convinced and gloried in the testimony of James, and said, 'Hosanna to the Son of David,' these same Scribes and Pharisees said again to one another, 'We have done badly in supplying such testimony to Jesus. But let us go up and throw him down, in order that they may be afraid to believe him.' And they cried out, saying, 'Oh! oh! the just man is also in error.' And they fulfilled the Scripture written in Isaiah, 'Let us take away the just man, because he is troublesome to us: therefore they shall eat the fruit of their doings.' So they went up and threw down the just man, and said to each other, 'Let us stone James the Just.' And they began to stone him, for he was not killed by the fall; but he turned and knelt down and said, 'I entreat thee, Lord God our Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'
"And while they were thus stoning him one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, the son of the Rechabites, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet, cried out, saying, 'Cease, what do ye? The just one prayeth for you.'
"And one of them, who was a fuller, took the club with which he beat out clothes and struck the just man on the head. And thus he suffered martyrdom. And THEY BURIED HIM ON THE SPOT, BY THE TEMPLE, and his monument still remains by the temple. He became a true witness, both to Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ." (emphasis mine)
I found "A WEBLOG ON ANCIENT JUDAISM AND ITS CONTEXT,"
posted by Jim Davila
http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2003_07_13_paleojudaica_archive.html
"JOE ZIAS E-MAILS regarding the Zechariah (Absalom's Tomb) Inscription:
"One last item, vis a vis the inscriptions atop Absalom. While the inscriptions are 4th century they are based on earlier writings which suggest that ZACH. JAMES AND SIMON MAY BE BURIED THERE in the valley. We have just finished some more casting and preliminary results show that there are more inscriptions there. We will present these at the SBL meetings in Atlanta. What is of interest is that no one has challenged the finding, prob. because no dealers nor is Shanks involved, also Puech is one of those rare scholars who seldom 'gets it wrong. Secondly, as the insc. is 1.5 meters long one has to ask about literacy among the 'people of the book' it was def. meant to be seen from a distance. (emphasis mine)
"I'd like to hear more about these earlier writings.
"UPDATE (16 July): Joe Zias e-mails in reply:
"Basically I'm presently contemplating that that the (1st century AD?) "pillar" mentioned by Hegesippus in the 2nd (quoted by Eusebius) may be identical to the "Absalom" monument.
"...and they buried him [in the valley?] on the spot [where he was killed] and the [nearby but not same spot?] pillar [="Absalom"?] erected to his memory still [according to Hegesippus and/or Eusebius?] remains..."
"The quotation is from Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History 2.23."
How close to the Temple Mount is Absalom's Tomb? There is a map in my KJV Bible of "Jerusalem in New Testament times." The pinnacle of the Temple area is marked. The Kidron Valley is below, and the three special funerary monuments are nearby. They are across from the Temple Mount, and it seems reasonable to me for James to have been buried in Absalom's Tomb along with Zachariah and Simon. I wish it didn't take so long for them to decipher the inscriptions.
Molten rocks deep in the earths interior may be surprisingly wet, Japanese researchers say. From lab experiments, they have concluded there may be more H2O deep underground than in all oceans, lakes, and rivers combined.
"Beyn ha Arbayim," translated as "between the two evenings" in Green's Interlinear, determined when the Passover lamb was to be killed, and thus when Jesus would die. We have the fact that Jesus died at 3 PM to guide us in figuring out what "between the two evenings means.
Beyn is first used in Gen. 1: 4. The KJV says, "God DIVIDED ('badal,' separated, 'beyn,' between) the light from the darkness." Beyn can be translated as between, either...or..., among, or within. The two evenings, one of Nisan 13 and one of Nisan 14, are DIVIDED at 6 PM as the 14th starts. If "beyn" was translated "within," it could include more time. Within the two evenings doesn't have to mean just 6 PM. Since Jesus died at 3 PM, the evening of the 13th could run from 3-to 6 PM.
If the first evening was from 3 to 6 PM on Nisan 13, the second evening would run from 6 to 9 PM on Nisan 14. The evening of Nisan 13 is within "the PREPARATION OF THE PASSOVER" (John 19:14, KJV). The evening of Nisan 14 is within the Feast of Passover. The lambs were killed at 3 PM and following on Nisan 13. They were roasted and ready to eat near 6 PM (the beginning of Nisan 14) so they could be eaten before midnight. We must remember that Passover was a Sabbath of rest. Therefore, the lambs would be put in ovens over fire or be roasted over an open fire as soon as they could manage it.
I want to compare Green's Interlinear Hebrew Greek English Bible with the Stone Edition Tanach.to see if a 3 to 6 PM even of Preparation Day and a 6 to 9 PM even of the Passover agrees with Scripture. I wonder if the Jews had a space of 3 to 9 PM to complete those things that were to be done "between the two evenings," or within the two evenings. One can't prepare the lamb to roast in the time it takes to snap their fingers.
Remember that all Scripture is true. We just have to figure out how it can all fit together and be the whole truth. We really shouldn't say that John disagrees with the synoptic gospels. The statements made by both are true.
John 19:31 (Green) says, "Then the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they be taken away (so that the bodies might not stay on the cross on THE SABBATH (Passover, coming at 6 PM), because IT WAS THE TIME TO PREPARE THE PASSOVER (probably between 3 and 6 PM on Nisan 13, Preparation Day) --for that sabbath was an important day." The KJV has "an high day."
Mark 14:1,2 (Green) says, "after two days it was the Passover (Nisan 14) and the feast of unleavened bread (Nisan 15). And the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to seize Him by trickery and kill Him. But they said, NOT DURING THE FEAST (Passover, Nisan 14), for fear that there may be a riot among the people." The Crucifixion was not on Passover. It was BEFORE Passover started. Verse 12 says, "And on the first (prote, before, former, prior) day of unleavened bread, WHEN THEY KILLED THE PASSOVER LAMB (i.e., Nisan 13, Preparation Day), His disciples said to Him, Where do you desire for us to go to prepare so that You may eat the passover?" The Last Supper was as Nisan 13 began. Jesus was in the tomb as Nisan 14 arrived.
When Mark said that it was the first (or prior) day of unleavened bread, he quickly said that it was "when they killed the passover" so we would not misunderstand. He was talking about Thursday, Nisan 13. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord's instructions in Ex. 12:18 (KJV) were that "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even (the beginning of the day), ye shall eat unleavened bread." However, it was the Jewish custom to conduct the "Bediqath Hametz," search for leaven, in the afternoon of Nisan 12. This insured that on Nisan 13, Preparation Day, they could not use leaven in preparing food to be eaten on Passover (Nisan 14) or on the 7 days of Unleavened Bread, Nisan 15 - 21.
Mat 14:25 says, "in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." The 12 hours of the night were divided into 4 watches. The first watch was from 6 to 9 PM. The second was from 9 PM to midnight. The third was from midnight to 3 AM. The fourth was from 3 to 6 AM. Mark 13:35 says, "Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, AT EVEN (6 to 9 PM), or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing (3 AM), or in the morning (6 AM)."
Unger's Bible Handbook (p. 1099) says, "...in the New Testament we read of the third, sixth, the ninth hours of the day, which were the more marked divisions of the twelve. The night was divided into the same number of parts."
Therefore, I think the 12 hours of the day were also divided into 4 sections, from 6 to 9 AM, from 9 AM to noon, from noon to 3 PM, and from 3 to 6 PM, which was called even or evening.
That's why Mark 1:32 needed to qualify it when he said, "at even, when the sun did set." Luke 4:40 says, "Now when the sun was setting."
Gen. 1:5 says, "Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening (arbyim) and the morning were the first day." Here, the evening represents the 12 hours of night. The morning represents the 12 hours of day. It is an even split of the 24-hour day. It looks like there is an even split at 6 PM, between the evening, 3 to 6 PM, of Nisan 13 and the evening, 6 to 9 PM, of Nisan 14.
Josephus, a Pharisee priest, said, "So these high priests, upon the coming of their feast which is called the Passover, when THEY SLAY THEIR SACRIFICES, FROM THE NINTH HOUR TO THE ELEVENTH." (Wars. VI. IX. 3, emphasis mine).
Being a priest, Josephus should know. The priests could not slay all the lambs at one time. Therefore, they killed them between 3 and 5 PM on Preparation Day (Nisan 13). This way, the people could have everything prepared ready to put the lamb over the fire in a stone oven by 6 PM, as Nisan 14 began. That's when Jesus was put in a stone tomb over the fire that is in the center of the Earth.
What Josephus said agrees with the death of Jesus about the ninth hour of the 12-hour day, at 3 PM. His burial was about 6 PM too. Luke 23:54 says, "that day was the PREPARATION (Nisan 13, Thursday), and the sabbath (Feast of Passover, Nisan 14, Friday) drew on."
Luke 23:44-46 (KJV) says, "it was about the sixth hour (noon), and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour (3 PM). And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the Holy Place was torn in the middle. And crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, Father, "into Your hands I commit My spirit." And saying this, He breathed out the spirit." He died at 3 PM.
Ex. 12:6-12 (Green's Interlinear) is the first use of "between the two evenings" in the Bible. We can't think in terms of our days that start at midnight. We have to keep in mind that for each date in the Jewish calendar, there are first 12 hours of night, then 12 hours of day.
It says of the Passover lamb, "keep until (but not into?) the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it BETWEEN THE EVENINGS (3-6 PM on Preparation Day, Nisan 13?). And they shall take from the blood and put (it) on the two side doorposts and on the upper doorpost; on the houses (in) which they eat it. And they shall EAT THE FLESH IN THIS NIGHT (Nisan 14, 6 PM to 6 AM), roasted with fire, and unleavened bread with bitter (herbs), they shall eat it...And you shall not leave (any) from it until morning (Nisan 14, 6 AM); and that left from it until morning you shall burn with fire. And you shall eat it this way; (with) your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste, IT IS A PASSOVER to Jehovah. And I will pass through in the land of Egypt in this night (Nisan 14, 6 PM to 6 AM), and I will smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt." Verse 29 adds, "And it happened at midnight" (only the 6th hour of the 24 hours of Nisan 14).
The JFB Commentary says, "kill it in the evening--that is, the interval between the sun's beginning to decline, and sunset, corresponding to our three o'clock in the afternoon." That period would correspond to 3 to 6 PM on Nisan 13, the day that is "the preparation of the passover" (John 19:14).
We can see that there is no way that they could have killed the lamb in the latter half of Nisan 14 (noon to 6 PM), or on Nisan 15. That's out of the question. If they didn't have the blood on the door by midnight, 6 hours after Nisan 14 began, their firstborn would have died. They were to eat the lamb in the night, between 6 PM, when Nisan 13 ended and the 14th began, to midnight on Nisan 14. That's a 6-hour span.
Ex. 12:6-13 (Stone Edition Tanach), says, "It (the lamb) SHALL BE YOURS FOR EXAMINATION UNTIL (but not into?) THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THIS MONTH; the entire congregation of the assembly of Israel shall SLAUGHTER IT IN THE AFTERNOON (3-6 PM on Preparation Day, Nisan 13). They shall take some of its blood and place it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they will eat it. They shall eat the flesh on that night (after 6 PM on Nisan 14) -- roasted over the fire -- and matzos; with bitter herbs shall they eat it. "You shall not eat it partially roasted or cooked in water; only roasted over fire...You shall not leave any of it until morning (6 AM on Nisan 14); any of it that is left until morning you shall burn in the fire. "So shall you eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; you shall eat it in haste -- it is a pesach-offering to HASHEM (Heb. YHVH. LORD). I shall go through the land of Egypt on this night (6 PM to 6 AM on Nisan 14), and I shall strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I shall mete out punishment -- I am HASHEM. The blood shall be a sign for you upon the houses where you are; when I shall see the blood and I shall PASS OVER you..."
For sure, the lamb was totally gone around 6 AM on Nisan 14. None was left for the afternoon of Nisan 14. None was left for Nisan 15.
The same Hebrew words are used in Ex. 16:12. It is talking about the Israelites eating quail in the wilderness. Under the Hebrew, Green wrote, "And spoke Jehovah to Moses...go speak to them, saying, BETWEEN THE TWO EVENINGS [it could be translated 'within the two evenings'] you shall eat flesh, and in the morning [6 AM to noon] you shall be satisfied (with) bread". That bread was manna, which represented Christ (John 6:58). Verse 13 says, "in the evening came up the quail." Instead of this indicating just 6 PM, it makes sense that they had some more time to catch, prepare and roast the quail [probably from 3 PM on one day to 9 PM on the following day].
Ex. 16:12 (Stone) says, "IN THE AFTERNOON you shall eat meat and in the morning you shall be sated with bread." Thisclearly fits an evening from 3 to 6 PM.
Ex. 29:39 (Green) says, "You shall offer the one lamb in the morning; and the second lamb you shall offer BETWEEN THE EVENINGS."
Ex. 29:39,41 (Stone) says, "You shall offer the one sheep in the morning, and the second sheep shall you offer IN THE AFTERNOON."
Here "between the evenings" is the same as "in the afternoon."
On Nisan 13, both daily sacrifices of a lamb were during the 12 hours of day. The first was offered between 6 AM and noon. The 2nd was offered between noon and 6 PM in the afternoon of Nisan 13. That latter sacrifice could not be killed after 6 PM, because it was the daily sacrifice of Nisan 13, not of Nisan 14.
Jesus seems to have been put on the cross at the same time the first lamb was being offered, at 9 AM. I think he died as the second lamb was being offered, at 3 PM.
De. 16:4-6 (Green) says, "there shall be no leaven seen with you in all your borders seven days; nor shall any of the flesh, WHICH YOU SACRIFICED THE FIRST (ri'shown, first, before, former, of old time, past; i.e., the prior day) DAY AT EVENING (the afternoon of Nisan 13), remain all night until the morning (6 AM of Nisan 14)...you shall sacrifice the Passover offering AT EVENING, AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN." The Sun starts to go down past noon. It is apparent that the Sun is well on its way down between 3 and 6 PM.
De. 16:4-6 (Stone) says, "no leaven of yours shall be seen throughout your boundary for seven days, nor shall any of THE FLESH THAT YOU SLAUGHTER ON THE AFTERNOON
I think Jesus died as our Passover "ON THE AFTERNOON BEFORE THE FIRST DAY." That would be Thursday, Nisan 13, "the preparation of the passover," the Eve of Passover, Friday, Nisan 14, is the first day of the spring feasts.
Ex. 30:7,8 (Green) says, "Aaron shall burn on it (the altar of incense) incense of perfume every morning; he shall burn it as he dresses the lamps. And when Aaron sets up the lamps BETWEEN THE EVENINGS." That sounds like he could light the lamps sometime between 3 and 9 PM. Darkness would come at different hours through the seasons.
Christ is the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2). I think he died, went down into the heart of the Earth, at 3 PM, as the Sun was descending on "the preparation of the passover" (John 19:14).
Luke 23:54 says, "THAT DAY WAS THE PREPARATION (Nisan 13), and the sabbath (Nisan 14) drew on." The Passover was a Sabbath of rest, a "high day." John 19:31 says, "The Jews therefore, because IT WAS THE PREPARATION, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was AN HIGH DAY,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."
Ex. 30:7,8 (Stone) says, "Upon it shall Aaron bring the spice incense up in smoke, every morning, when he cleans the lamps he shall bring it up in smoke. And when Aaron kindles the lamps IN THE AFTERNOON he shall bring it up in smoke." That fits Jesus being crucified at 9 AM and dying at 3 PM too.
Lev. 23:4-6 (Green) says, "These (are) appointed seasons of Jehovah, holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons: In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month, BETWEEN THE EVENINGS (at 6 PM between the two evenings, because here the 14th is beginning), (is) the Passover to Jehovah; and on the fifteenth day of this month (is) the feast of unleavened things to Jehovah; you shall eat unleavened things seven days (Nisan 15-21); on the first (rishon, aforetime, before, beforetime. former, past, i.e., prior) day (Nisan 14, Passover) you shall have a holy convocation, you shall do no laboring work". It is a Sabbath, a "high day."
Jesus is our Passover, so he died as the evening of Nisan 13 began.. We are told that he died at about the 9th hour. That would be about 3 PM on "the preparation of the passover" (Nisan 13). At the going down of the Sun pictured Jesus, as the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2) going down to the heart of the Earth about 3 PM.
Numbers 9:3,5 (Green) speaks of the Passover. It says, "in the fourteenth day of this month, BETWEEN THE EVENINGS (i.e., within the last 3 hours of Nisan 13 and the first 3 hours of Nisan 14) you shall prepare it in its appointed season....and they prepared the Passover in the first (month) on the fourteenth day of the month, BETWEEN THE EVENINGS." It sounds like they had it ready by 6 PM, when Nisan 14 started. If it meant 6 PM exactly, it wouldn't have been necessary to say "between the evenings." At the beginning of the 14th would do.
Concerning the 2nd Passover, Nu. 9:10-12 (Green) says, "he shall keep the Passover to Jehovah; in the second month, on the fourteenth day AT DUSK (the beginning of the day), they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; they shall leave none of it to the morning (6 AM on Nisan 14), nor break a bone of it; ACCORDING TO ALL THE STATUTES OF THE PASSOVER, they shall keep it." The 2nd Passover is kept just like the 1st Passover.
Nu. 28:3,4 (Green) says, "This (is) the fire offering which you shall offer to Jehovah, two yearling lambs without blemish, day by day, as a continual; burnt offering. You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb BETWEEN THE TWO EVENINGS." That could be 3 to 6 PM every day. Nu. 28:3,4 (Stone) says, "you shall say to them: This is the fire-offering that you are to offer to HASHEM: male lambs in their first year, unblemished, two a day, as a continual burnt-offering. The one lamb shall you make in the morning and the second lamb shall you make IN THE AFTERNOON." This aligns just fine with Jesus being put on the cross at 9 AM and dying at 3 PM. That's why two lambs were offered.
Research with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft has revealed the process that may implement the reversal in the direction of the Sun's magnetic field that is known to occur every 11 years. This newly recognized factor in the Sun's magnetic flipping is the cumulative effect of more than a thousand huge eruptions called Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
The CMEs blast billions of tons of electrified gas into space, carrying away the Sun's old magnetic field and allowing a new one with a flipped orientation to form.
This sequence from the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) instrument on SOHO shows a magnetic structure called a streamer emanating from the Sun. It is a twisted magnetic loop rising from the south pole of the Sun that has trapped hot, electrified gas within, which is glowing brightly. Four days later, a coronal mass ejection erupts from the same region (white and red area near the bottom of second image). After the CME is gone, the streamer has disappeared as well (bottom image). Credit: NASA and the European Space Agency (for the images). (images omitted here)
Reversal of the solar magnetic field is a major event in the Sun's 11-year cycle of stormy activity, when the Sun goes from quiet to active and back again, and the study is the first evidence linking the reversal to CMEs....
"The Sun is like a snake that sheds its skin," comments Dr. Nat Gopalswamy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., lead author of the new report, which appears in the Astrophysical Journal. "In this case, it's a magnetic skin. The process is long, drawn-out and it's pretty violent. More than a thousand coronal mass ejections, each carrying billions of tons of gas from the polar regions, are needed to clear the old magnetism away. But when it's all over the Sun's magnetic stripes are running in the opposite direction."...
Apparently random CMEs turn out to be signs of the Sun's diligent housekeeping. It keeps sweeping away, out into space, untidy magnetic fields created by sunspots and other contortions in its atmosphere. The climax comes in a busy period of "spring cleaning" after the count of sunspots has peaked, every 11 years. It leaves the Sun with its main magnetic field completely overturned, and its north and south magnetic poles swapped around......
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