With Christmas Eve upon us I thought I’d offer my annual post on the origins of the Christmas Star (per astronomy) and thus offering thoughts on when he was really born.
Most of us know that Christ was not really born in December or the year zero. A number of people have tried to look first to the Bible for clues about what the star did and when, then they went outside the Bible to find events fitting those clues (one of the best studies can be found here)
Looking to the text of the Bible we know a few things. We know Augustus was Emperor of Rome, we know Herod was King of Judeah and we know there was a census. Augustus was on the throne from at least 28BC until 14AD so there is a wide time frame. We know he ordered a census in 8 BC but the order was implemented in various provinces over a period of many years. So that gives us a range of about 8 BC to 1 BC.
We know Herod died in about 1BC and that the governor who oversaw the census was in power from 5 BC-1 BC so we now have a basic range.
So with this range we can start to look for events. The star could have been one of four things. It could have been a comet, it could have been a nova, it could have been a conjunction or it could have been a one time supernatural event.
From the Bible we know that 1) the star moved, 2) that it lasted a long time and 3) that Herod and his advisors had no idea of the star. Taking these things into account I agree with those who conclude the most logical choice is a series of conjunctions.
If it was something like a supernova or comet, Herod certainly would have noticed, as would Chinese astronomers of the time (who were very accurate) but no such events are recorded. Also a comet was and is a traditional omen of doom, not joy.
The same logic applies to any supernatural one time event, people would have seen it but they did not.
Conjunctions on the other hand would work because planets are the only ‘stars’ that move and they are the only events that take place over a long period of time.
Finally, the Magi, who saw the star were most probably astrologers. Indeed in that era being an astronomer and being an astrologer were virtually identical. So they would have placed great significance in conjunctions. Further, the one part of the region that did not follow astrology was Judeah, so Herod and his advisors were the only major nation who would not have seen conjunctions as symbolic or important.
In addition travel at the time was a maor event. You did not just hop on a plane and head out, it took months to plan a trip and months to take a trip. So we need an event that would take place over an extended period of time. This fits with a series of conjunctions.
So do we have record of such a series ? Yes we do.
Starting on June 12 in 3 B.C., the planet Venus was seen near the planet Saturn.Venus was considered to be the star of woman, a symbol of birth while Saturn was connected with prophecy. Then on August 12th Venus moved to the planet Jupiter in the constellation Leo, which was the constellation of the Jews.
So to the Magi this meant prophecy, birth, king, Jews. It was also a morning event, which fits both the Biblical story of a morning star and the connection of morning with birth and evening with death which fits into many astrological doctrines.
Then during 3BC and 2 BC there was a series of conjunctions where Jupiter passed by the star Regulus in Leo then seemed to stop, back up and pass Regulus a second time, then again stopped and reversed to pass Regulus a third time. This is thanks to retrograde motion, which occurs when the Earth moves faster around the sun than the outer planets. It looks to us like the planet is backing up.
All in the constellation of Leo
Jupiter is the King planet, Regulus the King star. So this would have meant KING KING KING to the Magi.
Then on June 17, 2BC there as a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter that was so close it would appear to be a single star in the sky, in the constellation of Leo. This would have screamed birth and king and Jews to the viewers.
Finally, if you did travel to Jerusalem in the summer/fall of 2BC and were to look for Jupiter (the king star) you would have found it high in the sky directly south, which just happened to be in the exact direction of Bethlehem.
Further this series of conjunctions is rare. While each individual event may occur with some regularity, the combination only occurs on the every thousand years time frame, and it happened right in the period that would fit the other stories in the Bible. An MSNBC video on the events is seen here.
So was Jesus really born in June of the year 2BC ? Is this really the year 2012 ? Are we 6 months late for Christmas ?
I don’t know but I do think the story is quite interesting from a historical standpoint.
And Merry Christmas !