Astronomy and the "Star of "

Geraid Larue

Each Decerr ber in planetaria and observatories across the halting in the heavens.' nation the pt.blic is invited to view simulations of"the heavens The pre-A.D. dating for the nativity is based upon an error at the time of Christ's birth." In most, if not all, presentations in calendaration that goes back to Dionysius Exiguus, a attempts are made to explain what the wise men (magoi) who Roman monk who in 533 attempted to determine the year of observed the star (aster) at its helical rising ("in the east") may ' birth. He made at least two mistakes. He omitted the have seen. Explanations include that postulated by Johannes year 0, so that in our calendar we move from 1 B.C. to A.D. 1, Kepler, the German astronomer who, in 1603, witnessed a and he miscalculated when Jesus was born. According to the triple conjunction, or crossing, or massing, of the planets and , Jesus was born during the reign of King thought that this may have been the aster of the magoi. Kepler Herod. In the first century A.D., the Jewish historian Josephus also suggested that they may have witnessed a supernova, recorded that Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse. One of which is the collapse a star resulting in the expulsion of much lunar eclipse took place on March 13, 4 B.C., and hence some of its mass in an extremely bright but short-lived light. would place Jesus' birth before 4 B.C. Another eclipse took Since Kepler's time, other explanations of what the wise place on January 10, in the year 1 B.C. and thus Jesus' birth men saw have been a large meteor, fireball, or a comet could be placed somewhere between the year 3 and 2 B.C. What perhaps Halley's. The meteor explanation is usually rejected is clear from this kind of evidence is that we have absolutely no because it does not fit the biblical description. Halley's comet, way of ascertaining the year of Jesus' birth from references to which appears approximately every seventy-six years, would King Herod. have been visible in 11 B.C., which is generally believed to be too Attempts to look to the and effect some early for Jesus' birth. There is no mention of a nova in writings sort of harmony with the Gospel of Matthew is almost of this period, although this argument from silence does not impossible. Luke draws upon a completely different tradition prove that such an event did not take place. Most planetaria and employs a different mode of reporting events at the time of settle for a conjunction of planets (usually Mars, Saturn, and Jesus' birth. He cites a taxation census, and at present there is ) and propose dates of May 29, September 29, or no satisfactory way of determining the birth date from the December 4 in 7 B.C., or perhaps February in the year 6, when Lukan narrative.4 the three planets were massed:1 or August 12 in 3 B.C. or June 17 Ultimately the planetaria must admit failure. The in 2 B.C., when Venus and Jupiter were in conjunction; or clustering of the stars and the apparent stopping of Jupiter in perhaps even December 25 in 2 B.C., when Jupiter began its no way fits the description provided in the second chapter of retrograde motion and may have given the appearance of the Gospel of Matthew. The observatories conclude their presentations with some sort of disclaimer, perhaps not unlike that written by Ronald A. Oriti and published in the Griffith Observer in 1975:

Gerald Larue, professor This explanation of the Christmas Star (triple conjunction) may emeritus of archaeology and satisfy most people, but those who believe in a literal translation biblical history at the Uni- of the Bible may choose to believe that the Star literally moved versity of Southern C ali- and stood over the young child. Such an interpretation must rule out any astronomical explanation and substitute instead a ,fornia. is chairman of the , or miraculous, event. Religion and Biblical Criti- In the final analysis, each of us must weigh the facts and cism Research Project. draw his or her own conclusion. But let us hope that the Star will continue to be thought of as symbolic of peace on earth and goodwill toward üll people.5

Winter 1982/83 25 Oriti admits that the astronomical explanation does not agree In diverse ways the divine could intrude into the world of with the New Testament and recognizes that the account as humans, including by angelic messengers, through inspired written implies a supernatural event, the divine intruding into persons, and on occasion by the . Indeed, although the world of the human and the natural. the heroes of Jewish scripture, like heroes in other folk One can have no quarrel with the obligation of literature, had unusual or even miraculous births, Jesus' birth astronomers to investigate any reference to the stars and their was made even more spectacular in the description given by one positions at any point of human history. Indeed, historians writer through divine-human fornication (cf. Luke 1: 35). The idea of divine beings having sexual relationships with humans "The whole account of the "" reeks was familiar to Jews from the story in Genesis 6:1-4, but it was of the esoteric and the unreal. As a fantasy story, a also a rather common theme in Greco-Roman literature (for example, Hercules, , and were said legend about a hero figure, it follows familiar to be children of the union of with a human, and patterns." , Pythagoras, Plato, and were products of 's sexual adventures with human women). studying the ancient Near East can only be grateful to ancient Nor was it out of the ordinary for events to be signaled by Babylonian astrologers who recorded the position of stars stars. Every first-century Jew would know Numbers 24:17 and when certain historical events occurred and to modern the messianic interpretation that was current: "A star shall astronomers who interpret their calculations and provide us come forth out of Jacob, a scepter shall arise from Israel." with fixed dates in what otherwise could only be relative Many would know the Testaments of Levi and Judah, written chronologies. On the other hand, one can raise questions about in the centuries immediately preceding the beginnings of the continuing annual emphasis on the "Christmas star" by Christianity, and in both writings (now found in the planetaria, because such interpretations feed the superstitions pseudepigrapha) messianic expectations were linked to a star of those who wish to document through science certain (Levi 18:3; Judah 24:1). The community of Jews who lived on supernaturalistic claims and who argue that life is under the shores of the Dead Sea, who were probably Essenes, made supernatural or celestial control. In fact, I would go so far as to the same connection (CD vii. 19 ff.; 4Q Test. 4, /QM xi. 6). suggest that in such presentations the astronomers move into Other Jewish literature contains further references. The close conjunction with astrologers and that for the moment Talmud notes: "When the Messiah is to be revealed, a star will they may appear to have merged. rise in the east, shining in great brightness, and seven other stars Oriti asknowledges that astronomical explanations do not round it will fight on every side"; and "A star will rise in the harmonize with the New Testament account. He recognizes east, which is the star of the Messiah and will remain in the east that the Matthean story is written to describe a supernatural 15 days" (Sohar). Midrash Rabba states that Pharaoh's event, the divine intruding into the realm of the human. Why astrologers informed him that the mother of the future then do capable astronomers ignore their scientific calling and redeemer of Israel was pregnant and that the redeemer was to dabble in the popular world of , the occult, and the suffer punishment through water; hence Pharaoh ordered all supernormal? the children drowned. Finally, there was a Jewish legend that What is important for our consideration here is to look at said that when Abraham was born a star appeared in the east the New Testament story (or stories) in the light of modern and seemed to run from one quarter of the heavens to another biblical scholarship and attempt to understand what is being and to devour four stars there, symbolizing, of course, said and why. It will become clear that the aster, the niagoi, and Abraham's greatness.' indeed the entire discussion do not belong in an astronomical In the Greco-Roman world, stars were also thought to setting. Let us look at the world-view of the New Testament herald events. in the 4th Eclogue celebrating the birth of writers, the intent of the writer of the story, and ask who were the savior of the world identified the advent ofa new star in the the magoi, what was the significance of the aster, and where peaceful reign of Augustus with the god Apollo. Cicero noted was Jesus born. that, on the birthday of Alexander the Great, prophesied on the basis of a brilliant constellation that the destroyer of The World-View of the New Testament Writers Asia was born (de Divination(' 1.47). Tacitus in discussing Nero's death commented that at the birth of great men a star Like others in the first century of the Christian era, the writers appeared and when that person died it disappeared (Annals of the New Testament accepted the idea of a relatively flat xiv: ch. 22). Seneca, in a letter of consolation to Marcia wrote: earth, with the heavens, the dwelling place of the , arched "You will see five planets pursuing their different courses and above and Hell or Hades, the locale of the devil, immediately sparkling down on the earth from opposite directions, on even below. There was no prevalent idea ofa spherical earth or of the the slightest motions of these hang the fortunes of nations, and planets' orbit about the sum these ideas were centuries away. the greatest and smallest happenings are shaped to accord with On the contrary, the sun made a journey across the heavens the progress of a kindly or unkindly star"(Ad Marcia 18: 5 f.). from east to west, traveled through the underworld by night to In other words, in the New Testament world the literature rise again the next day. Heaven, earth, and hell were in close of divine intervention into human affairs, of miraculous births, proximity, so close that it could be written that Jesus ascended and of star portents were common and familiar themes to both bodily to heaven—for heaven was a place. Jew and non-Jew. In discussing the birth of one who was, in

26 Christian eyes, the savior of the world, the Gospel writers used He creates clay birds that become alive, he transforms a cloth familiar literary forms and motifs to convey their beliefs. that has been in a black dye to one of many colors, he kills and revives a child, he stretches lumber that is cut too short, and so What Were the Gospel Writers Trying to Say? on.' In other words, as a child he betrayed his supernatural powers. The birth stories fall into a familiar category of literature Jewish heroes were commonly assigned wonder births. associated with folk heroes. Because the hero is not recognized Samson (Jud. 13), Samuel (1 Sam. I) and John the Baptizer until maturity, when deeds of fame become apparent, it is (Luke I: 8 ff.) have wonder births. Moses has a miraculous assumed that what the hero became must have been apparent in deliverance from enemies as an infant (Exod. 2) and his youth and in infancy. Hence birth stories and infancy and deliverance becomes a model for Jesus' escape from Herod youth narratives tend to read into the hero's background (Matt. 2: 13 ff.).K Indeed, the author of the Matthew gospel miraculous and outstanding feats. For example, in the clearly seeks to suggest that ,Jesus is the new Moses. Like literature about Jesus that developed after the first century Moses, .Jesus comes up out of Egypt; like Moses, his mission is there are numerous stories pertaining to his childhood. to deliver his people; and, like Moses, he speaks from a mountain delivering beatitudes to replace commandments. In other words, the stories about ,Jesus are not clear-cut histories. They may contain historical data and details but they were not written as historical texts. They represent literature designed with a purpose. The birth stories reveal that purpose, namely, to push back into infancy the New Testament claim that Jesus is the messiah and the son of God.

Who Were the "Magoi"?

According to Herodotus, the magoi were a Median tribe that lost political influence and ended up as a sacerdotal caste within the Persian empire (I. 101,111 61 ff., 1.32). They became identified with Zoroastrian religion (Plato: Alcibides I. 122; , de Leis & 46, 47, etc.). In other early sources they are associated with divination, soothsaying, dream interpretation, and astrology. The Gospel story does not indicate where they originated, and early church writers speculated that they came from Egypt, Arabia, Persia, or Chaldea. In Acts 8: 9, 11, reference is made to Simon Magus, who practiced magic (magos), and Elymas, or Barjesus, a magos (Acts 13: 6, 8); and neither reference is in a favorable light. One might wonder why the creator of the Matthean account would introduce magoi. Perhaps the answer is to be found in a tradition associated with Nero. According to some early Roman writers, in King Tiridates 1, a Parthian monarch, came to in A.D. 66 accompanied by magoi and worshipped Nero as the sun god and then returned home by a different route (Dio Cassius 63. 2 ff., Pliny Nat. Hist. 30 I. 6 (16); Suetonius: Lives of the Caesars: Nero 13 30. Clearly, the author of Matthew's gospel who wrote some time after A.D. 70, probably closer to 80, had a ready-made motif upon which he could draw, but whether or not he actually did so cannot be known. It should be noted that the magoi came to Jesus as to a king. Historically, there is absolutely no record of the visit of magoi to Palestine and no substantiation for the Matthean story. The magoi story continued to expand. Some early traditions said there were twelve or thirteen magoi, but ultimately they became three to account for their three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The negative connotation of sorcerers or magicians in the book of Acts was ignored and they became three kings and were given names: Melcior, Gaspar,

Winter 1982/83 27 and Balthasar although in other traditions other names were purposes. The baby is born in a cave ordinarily used as a stable. suggested including Appellius, Amerius, and Damascus, or Many scholars believe that Jesus was probably born and raised Magalath, Pangalath, and Saracen. Their gifts assumed in and that the Bethlehem birthplace is a later mythical meanings; for example, myrrh was associated with accretion to the Gospel story to fulfill Jewish expectations that mortality and gold with kingship. Then the gold was given the Messiah would come from David's town of Bethlehem. further symbolic significance and was identified with the coins The star that leads the magoi to Bethlehem is a messianic with which Abraham purchased the Machpeleh burial cave or harbinger. It is no ordinary star. It does not fulfill patterns that the 30 coins paid to Judas. The myrrh was administered to occur and reoccur as in astral conjunctions. It is a revealing and Jesus on the cross, and so on. revealed star and belongs only to the wise astrologers from afar. No one else sees it. No one else observes its movement and its halting above the town of Bethlehem. "For modern scholars the star is nothing more than a The whole account reeks of the esoteric and the unreal. As symbol and belongs in theological and mythological a fantasy story, a legend about a hero figure, it follows familiar discussion." patterns: the hero is born unknown and unrecognized except by the gifted few. He is threatened by destructive powers (in this case Herod) and barely escapes. He returns and grows up in In the Christian church's desperate search for relics, the obscurity to ultimately reveal himself as the deliverer. He leaves bodies or bones of the magoi became important. According to and promises to return to deliver his people. The motifs are so one tradition, they were discovered in the fourth century by familiar and extend from and Remus to the Lone Queen Helena (who also located the true cross, Mount Sinai, Ranger and Superman. How can modern astronomers lend and so on) and were placed in the Church of Santa Sophia in their talents and their authority to the giving of scientific Constantinople, from whence they were moved to Milan and credence to a hero tale as bizarre as the birth narratives about finally to Cologne. Jesus? They would be wiser to follow the lead of modern The magoi still occupy a significant role in popular biblical scholars who try to make clear distinctions between Roman Catholicism in Spain. During the period of epiphany legend and history and between folktales, no matter how (January 6), when the magoi were supposed to have visited the theologically laden, and reality. For modern scholars the star is infant Jesus, Spanish department stores have costumed magoi nothing more than a symbol and belongs in theological and to whom children go and express their wishes for gifts, just as mythological discussion. The first-century beliefs about the they do to department store Santa Clauses in this country. significance of stars and of the so-called Christmas star is akin Thus the unnumbered and unnamed magoi of Matthew's to the beliefs of present-day astrologers who study the gospel have been transformed into kings who promise gifts to movements of stars to interpret the life patterns for thousands little children. of naive followers. Christmas presentations in planetaria and observatories betray the scientific commitments of astronomers The Star (Aster) when they make annual presentations attempting to explain the supernormal. The suggestion that the Bethlehem star (aster) could be interpreted as signifying a conjunction of planets ignores the Notes literary statement that a single star (aster) is mentioned. If the author had wished to indicate that more than one star was I. "The Christmas Star." Alexander F. Morrison Planetarium. California involved he would have used the term asieres, and if he had Academy of Sciences. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. Calif.. Booklet No. 6. wanted to indicate a "wandering star" he would have used the p. 12: "The Star of Bethlehem." Adler Planetarium and Astronomical Museum. Chicago Park District. Chicago. III., p. lo. etc. words planes aster.y One either presupposes a high degree of incompetence or stupidity in the writer of the Gospel or one 2. Roger W. Sinnott. "Thoughts on the Star of Bethlehem." Sky and ii'leAcope. December 1968. assumes that he said what he meant. The astronomers force the 3. Russell Chandler. "Research Sheds New light on Date of Jesus' meaning of the text when they interpret the single star as a Birth." Los .4n,~ele. Tina ~, December 10. 1980. refers to a theory by Ernest constellation. Martin. Foundation for Biblical Research, Pasadena, Calif.. that includes this The star is, apparently, seen only by the magoi. Herod's date for magi visit. astrologers are ignorant of it. They know the messianic texts 4. For an extended discussion. see .lack Finegan. Handbook of Biblical suggesting that Bethlehem should be the birthplace, because (hronolo; r. Princeton University Press. 1964. pp. 215-58. that is where David came from, but they do not seem to be able 5. Ronald A. Oriti. "The Star of Bethlehem," Griffith O/.server. to discern the obvious the leading J or guiding star. It is December 1975. pp. 9-14. important to note that both Luke and Matthew go to 6. S. Baring-Gould. Legenel.c of the PatriarehA aml Prophets, .1ohn W. considerable effort to make sure Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Lowell. New York. p. 169. This example is medies al. 7. M. R. James. The .ipoerr/,hrtl Nov TeAntment, Clarendon Press. The Matthew account implies that Bethlehem is where Joseph Oxford. 1924 and subsequently. and Mary live. The magoi visit the baby in a house (Matt. 2: 8. Compare the miraculous deliserance of the infants Romulus and I l). Luke, on the other hand, indicates that Nazareth is where Remus in Roman literature. Joseph and Mary live and that they journey to Bethlehem to 9. Robert Rodman. "A linguistic Note on the Christmas Star." Griffith fulfill Roman governmental requirements for taxation Ohserrer. December 1976. pp. 8-9. •

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