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To: Iscool; thomaswest
That's quite a number of eyewitnesses...And it was enough to turn millions of people to Christianity...Besides, the odds are in the bible's favor...

Greek Mythology had many more wittiness. Hundreds saw Mercury on one fly by.

PARENTAGE OF HELIOS
"And Theia was subject in love to Hyperion and bare great Helios (Sun) and clear Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn) who shine upon all that are on earth and upon the deathless Gods who live in the wide heaven." - Hesiod, Theogony 371

"The lordly sun-god Helios Hyperionides (Son of Hyperion)." - Homer, Odyssey 12.168

"Glowing Helios (Sun) whom mild-eyed Euryphaessa (Wide Shining), the far-shining one, bare to [Hyperion] the son of Gaia (Earth) and starry Ouranos (Heaven). For Hyperion wedded glorious Euryphaessa, his own sister, who bare him lovely children, rosy-armed Eos (the Dawn) and rich-tressed Selene (the Moon) and tireless Helios (the Sun) who is like the deathless gods." - Homeric Hymn 31 to Helios
.

"The Titanes had children ... Hyperion and Theia had Eos (Dawn), Helios (Sun), and Selene (Moon)." - Apollodorus, The Library 1.8-9

"From Hyperion and Aethra [were born]: Sol [Helios], Luna [Selene], Aurora [Eos]." - Hyginus, Preface




T19.12 "The Procession of the Day"
Apulian Red Figure Krater C4th BC
Munich, Staatliche Antiksammulungen

Detail: Eosphoros the dawn-star leads the chariots of Eos the dawn and Helios the sun into the sky, bringing forth a new day
T17.3 "The Chariot of the Sun"
Athenian Red Figure Column Krater C5th BC
Agrigento, Museo Archeologico Regionale

Detail: Helios the sun drives a biga (two-horse chariot) drawn by winged steeds





PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF HELIOS
"[Helios the Sun] rides his chariot, he shines upon men and deathless gods, and piercingly he gazes with his eyes from his golden helmet. Bright rays beam dazzlingly from him, and his bright locks streaming from the temples of his head gracefully enclose his far-seen face: a rich, fine-spun garment glows upon his body and flutters in the wind: and stallions carry him. Then, when he has stayed his golden-yoked chariot and horses, he rests there upon the highest point of heaven, until he marvellously drives them down again through heaven to Okeanos." - Homeric Hymn 31 to Helios

"All the Children of Helios were easy to recognise, even from a distance, by their flashing eyes, which shot out rays of golden light [like their father's]." - Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.726

"He made his way direct into the presence [of Helios] and there stood afar, unable to approached the dazzling light. Enrobed in purple vestments Phoebus [Helios] sat, high on a throne of gleaming emeralds." - Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.20

"Sol [Helios the Sun] puts on his diadem of myriad rays and the corselet woven of twelve stars [the zodiac constellations] and bound by the belt which athwart the rain-clouds shows for men its many hued bow." - Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 4.90

"He [Helios] placed the golden helmet [of the Sun] on Phaethon’s head and crowned him with his own fire, winding the seven rays like strings upon his hair, and put the white kilt girdlewise round him over his loins; he clothed him in his own fiery robe and laced his foot into the purple boot, and gave his chariot to his son." - Nonnus, Dionysiaca 38.90





HELIOS & THE GENESIS OF ANIMALS
In the early days of the universe when Ouranos (Sky) and Gaea (Earth) had been driven apart by the Titanes, the sun-god Helios shone for the first time upon the earth. And from the warm, bubbling mud sprouted life - plants and animals sprung fully grown.

"Nondescript monsters, fitted with miscellaneous limbs, were once produced spontaneously by Ge (Earth) out of the primeval mud, when she had not yet solidified under a rainless sky and was deriving no moisture from blazing Helios (the Sun). But Khronos (Time), combining this with that, brought the animal creation into order." - Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.673

"Helios, the myth tells us ... caused the water which had overflowed it [the island of Rhodes] to disappear. But the true explanation is that while in the first forming of the world the island was still like mud and soft, the sun dried up the larger part of its wetness and filled the land with living creatures." - Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 5.56.3

"When [after the Great Deluge] Tellus (the Earth) deep-coated with the slime of the late deluge, glowed again beneath the warm caresses of shining Sol (the Sun), she brought forth countless species, some restored in ancient forms, some fashioned weird and new." - Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.434

"Khthon (the Earth), milling out from Helios (the Sun) the shine of his newmade brightness upon her all-mothering breast [at the first dawn]." - Nonnus, Dionysiaca 41.82

Diodorus Siculus also providess a good description of the sun-created bubbles of mud that birthed the very first animals (not currently quoted here).





HELIOS INVENTOR OF THE FOUR-HORSE CHARIOT
Helios was regarded as the inventor of the four-horse chariot, a natural association given the belief that the sun-god drove such a vehicle daily across the sky.

"Jupiter [Zeus] seeing that he [Erikhthonios] first among men yoked horses in four-horse chariots, admired the genius of a man who could rival the invention of Sol (the Sun), who first among the gods made use of the quadriga." - Hyginus, Astronomica 2.13





HELIOS & DEMETER'S SEARCH FOR PERSEPHONE
"Then she [Persephone] cried out shrilly with her voice, calling upon her father [Zeus] [when Haides seized her and carried her off to the underworld] ... No one, either of the deathless gods or mortal men, heard her voice, nor yet the olive-trees bearing rich fruit: only [Hekate] ... heard the girl from her cave, and the bright lord Helios Hyperionides (the Sun) ...
They [Demeter and Hekate in their search for the stolen Persephone] came to Helios, who is watchman of both gods and men, and stood in front of his horses: and the bright goddess enquired of him: 'Helios, do you at least regard me, goddess as I am, if ever by word or deed of mine I have cheered your heart and spirit. Through the fruitless air (aitheros) I heard the thrilling cry of my daughter whom I bare, sweet scion of my body and lovely in form, as of one seized violently; though with my eyes I saw nothing. But you - for with your beams you look down from the bright upper air (aitheros) over all the earth and sea - tell me truly of my dear child if you have seen her anywhere, what god or mortal man has violently seized her against her will and mine, and so made off.'
So said she. And Hyperionides [Helios] answered her: 'Queen Demeter, daughter of rich-haired Rheia, I will tell you the truth; for I greatly reverence and pity you in your grief for your trim-ankled daughter. None other of the deathless gods is to blame, but only cloud-gathering Zeus who gave her to Aides [Haides], her father's brother, to be called his buxom wife. And Aides seized her and took her loudly crying in his chariot down to his realm of mist and gloom. Yet, goddess, cease your loud lament and keep not vain anger aunrelentingly: Aidoneus, the Ruler of Many, is no unfitting husband among the deathless gods for your child, being your own brother and born of the same stock: also, for honour, he has that third share which he received when division was made at the first, and is appointed lord of those among whome he dwells.'
So he spake, and called to his horses: and at his chiding they quickly whirled the swift chariot along, like long-winged birds." - Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter 19

"She [Demeter] roams the heaven, too [in search of Persephone], and accosts the Stars free of limpid Oceanus near the chilly pole: ‘Parrhasian Stars (you can know everything, since you never sink beneath Oceanus’ stream), show this wretched parent her daughter, Persephone.’ She spoke. Helice replies this to her: ‘Night is guiltless. Consult Sol (the Sun) on the virgin’s rape. He gazes far and wide on the day’s deeds.’ Sol (the Sun) is approached. ‘Don’t waste time,’ he says, ‘You seek the bride of Jove’s brother [Haides], the third realm’s queen." - Ovid, Fasti 4.575
276 posted on 04/13/2006 7:58:24 PM PDT by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
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To: jec41
You sure that stuff is all mythology???

Act 19:35 And when the town clerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshiper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

Many people in that day apparently thought these things were real...

291 posted on 04/13/2006 8:30:33 PM PDT by Iscool (You mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park...)
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