We have seen it is recorded that, at the time of the birth of Jesus "there was a _great light_ in the cave, so that the eyes of Joseph and the midwife could not bear it." This feature is also represented in early Christian art. "Early Christian painters have represented the infant Jesus as welcoming three Kings of the East, _and shining as brilliantly as if covered with phosphuretted oil_."[157:1] In all pictures of the Nativity, the light is made to arise from the body of the infant, and the father and mother are often depicted with glories round their heads. This too was a part of the old mythos, as we shall now see. The moment _Crishna_ was born, his mother became beautiful, and her form brilliant. The whole cave was splendidly illuminated, being filled with a _heavenly light_, and the countenances of his father and his mother emitted rays of glory.[157:2] So likewise, it is recorded that, at the time of the birth of Buddha, "the Saviour of the World," which, according to one account, took place in an _inn_, "_a divine light diffused around his person_," so that "the Blessed One" was "heralded into the world by a supernatural light."[157:3] When _Bacchus_ was born, a _bright light_ shone round him,[157:4] so that, "_there was a brilliant light in the cave_." When _Apollo_ was born, _a halo of serene light encircled his cradle_, the nymphs of heaven attended, and bathed him in pure water, and girded a broad golden band around his form.[157:5] When the Saviour _Æsculapius_ was born, his countenance shone like the sun, and he was surrounded by a fiery ray.[157:6] In the life of _Zoroaster_ the common mythos is apparent. He was born in innocence of an immaculate conception of a Ray of the Divine Reason. As soon as he was born, _the glory arising from his body enlightened the whole room_, and he laughed at his mother.[157:7] It is stated in the legends of the Hebrew Patriarchs that, at the birth of _Moses_, a bright light appeared and shone around.[157:8] There is still another feature which we must notice in these narratives, that is, the contradictory statements concerning the _time_ when Jesus was born. As we shall treat of this subject more fully in the chapter on "The Birthday of Christ Jesus," we shall allude to it here simply as far as necessary. The _Matthew_ narrator informs us that Jesus was born _in the days of Herod the King_, and the _Luke_ narrator says he was born _when Cyrenius_ was _Governor of Syria_, or later. This is a very awkward and unfortunate statement, as Cyrenius was not Governor of Syria until some _ten years after the time of Herod_.[158:1]