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Astronomy and the "Star of Bethlehem"

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Astronomy and the Astronomy and the "Star of Bethlehem" 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 Jesus' 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 Gospel of Matthew, 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 Gospel of Luke 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 Jupiter) 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 supernatural, 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 Holy Spirit. 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 "star of Bethlehem" 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, Perseus, and Alexander the Great were said legend about a hero figure, it follows familiar to be children of the union of Zeus with a human, and patterns." Asclepius, Pythagoras, Plato, and Augustus were products of Apollo'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 astrology, 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. Virgil 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, magi 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).
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