As a scholar of early Christian literature writing a book on the three wise men, I argue that the upcoming planetary conjunction is likely not the fabled Star of Bethlehem. The biblical story of the star is intended to convey theological rather than historical or astronomical truths. The story of the star has long fascinated readers, both ancient and modern.
For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage. The astronomer Michael R. Molnar , for example, has argued that the Star of Bethlehem was an eclipse of Jupiter within the constellation Ares.
The first is that scholars are not certain exactly when Jesus was born. The traditional date of his birth may be off by as many as six years. The second is that measurable, predictable astronomical events occur with relative frequency. The quest to discover which event, if any, Matthew might have had in mind is therefore a complicated one.
The theory that the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn may be the Star of Bethlehem is not new. It may have been a year after they saw the star that they arrived in far off Jerusalem. This fits with Jesus being about one year old at the time. So the Savior they found and worshiped likely was not a baby in a manger any more, but a 1-year-old child. When the wise men came to worship the one born King of the Jews, they did not come to Bethlehem. They came to Jerusalem, the capital city.
That is where they would have expected to find a king. God sent a very special star to bring these men to Jesus. It appeared on the night Jesus was born. Somehow, God used it to reveal to them that the promised King of the Jews had been born. He had become one of the Magoi wise scholars of Babylon. His influence and teachings were probably passed down in the traditions of those scholars. He would have told about the Promised One, the Messiah, who would be born to the Jews.
Today, every year poorly informed news broadcasters and newspapers interview astronomers trying to look for some natural explanation for this star that appeared when Jesus was born. The natural explanations unbelievers read into the story do not fit the recorded facts. It was used to describe stars, planets, meteors, comets, or any bright object in the sky.
Notice that the Bible does not say that the star lead them there. They did not come to Bethlehem after they saw it. They went to Jerusalem.
The image of three kings following a star across the deserts is pure fiction. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. No actual star, meteor, comet, or conjunction of planets could behave that way.
It appeared while they were in the East. Then appeared again almost a year later to guide them south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
It pointed out the actual place where Jesus was living. No natural explanation could account for that. This was a special light sent from God unlike anything we have observed in nature. The star was seen by the wise men while they were back in the East on that night. It may or may not have been visible from Bethlehem or from Jerusalem on the night of his birth.
It was only after they left Jerusalem to go to Bethlehem that the same supernatural light in the sky guided them to the home where Jesus was then living. The first is that the Magi were making an astrological interpretation of the sky. The fact that they needed to ask Herod for directions when they arrived suggests they were not being led to their final destination by a single bright object. Astrology was widely used at the time, and with the Magi coming from Babylon, it's plausible that they were astrologers.
And due to a particular alignment of planets and stars, they may have read a hidden meaning among the stars, leading them to King Herod. For example, Jupiter's display could have been of great significance here, as astrology associated the planet Jupiter with royalty, so the moon passing it in the constellation of Aries on April 17, 6 B.
Related: Images: World's oldest astrologer's board. Astrology was a big deal back then. The explanation I have found that makes the most sense is that it was astrological. The other, more astronomical explanation is that there was indeed a bright object in the sky — a conjunction between planets and stars. A conjunction occurs when two or more celestial bodies appear to meet in the night sky from our location on Earth. These events can continue every night in a similar location for days or weeks.
If the wise men were to follow the moment of conjunction, it's possible they would have been led in a specific direction. Related: 'Great conjunction' of Jupiter and Saturn will form a 'Christmas Star' on the winter solstice. If the "star" was the result of a conjunction and this historical event did really happen , then there are a number of different alignments that could be the culprit. Perhaps the most promising, and the one favored by Mathews, is an alignment of Jupiter , Saturn , the moon and the sun in the constellation of Aries on April 17, 6 B.
This conjunction fits with the story for a few reasons.
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