Contact: M Fiol, 612-868-1142

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Sept. 4, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- In a story published last week, a historical researcher claimed to have discovered a rare planetary representation of Jesus on the cross on the day He is believed to have died in 33 A.D.

Photo: Click here for high resolution image

Today the researcher, Miguel Antonio Fiol, took time to clarify some lingering questions about the discovery.

"Most people simply look at the image, which by itself is rather meaningless," he says.

For the formation to truly represent the crucifixion, Fiol points out, requires satisfying fundamental rules beyond the picture.

"It's not simply about connecting the planetary dots, each dot has specific rules. For instance, Saturn, because of the rings, has to be the 'head,'" Fiol adds.

A further requirement involves Uranus and Venus. "Those two planets are the only ones in our solar system that spin clockwise on their axis. For a true representation and not simply a 'picture,' the hands and feet must rotate in opposition…like real hands and feet."

The result is a very limited number of alignment possibilities. "It means you need at least five planets, in the proper formation (i.e., hands out, feet together, head centered) and proportion with Saturn as the head and Uranus and Venus each as one of the hands and feet," says Fiol, a history grad who discovered the alignment while researching a manuscript on symbolism in science. "A lot of pieces have to fit together for the correct puzzle to form."

Fiol also says that due to the greatly varying speeds each planet travels on its orbit around the sun, the window for the alignment to exist is extremely small.

"Once it happens, it doesn't last long. For example, Venus travels far faster than Uranus. That it happened over the month in 33 A.D. which basically covers Lent is intriguing," he concludes.

Moreover, the amateur historian found that after the year 33 A.D., the alignment does not appear again for another 600 years, confirming the rarity. "Between the years 0 and roughly 700 A.D., it happened…once…for a month, peaking around the beginning of April 33 A.D."

Still, Fiol says he is the first to concede that the Orrery model-based discovery is not 'scientific.' "It's a marriage of the image and the date, the requirements, velocity, time, the history and the rarity," he responds.

When asked when we might see the alignment going forward, Fiol notes that it will not satisfy the rules again until the twenty-ninth century.

"Is that not rare?" he says.