In science, a good problem takes us far beyond the results
of a single observation. The Christmas Star has been debated on many levels. The
International Planetarium Society website (ww.ips-planetarium.org)
lists over 100 citations to the Star of Bethlehem. Some of those articles and
letters were part of a multifaceted decades-long argument among at least five
astronomers and one editor. Writing in Archaeology
Vol. 51, No. 6 (Nov/Dec 1998), Anthony F. Aveni cited 250 “major scholarly
articles” about the Star of Bethlehem.
A Wondrous Problem
Timing any proposed astronomical event is the first challenge.
The book of Matthew records the birth Jesus as having been during the reign of
Herod. The book of Luke says that the birth of Jesus happened when Quirinius
was governor of Syria. Biblical accounts have to be reconciled with secular
histories by the Romans Lucius Cassius Dio and Josephus Flavius. Those
histories record the reign and death of Herod the Great, king of Judea, and a
client of Rome, who lived from 74 or 73 BCE to 4 BCE. Josephus also tells of
the appointment of Publius Sulpicius Quirinius as legate in Syria, to which
Judea was annexed for taxation. That is accepted as 6 CE. Any candidate must
fall within those dates.
Moreover, the evidence must belong to a class that is
supposedly interesting to astrologers. After all, the Magi traveled to
Bethlehem seeking the King of the Jews, “for we have seen His star in the
East.” Something is always happening in the sky, but what is significant—and
why?
Conjunction Junction
For about 1500 years, the story of the Star of Bethlehem was
accepted as historically accurate because it was divine truth. Miracles were
not questioned. (The Church did investigate such claims, and even appointed a
Devil’s Advocate to argue against them, but the outcome was seldom in
question.) With the Renaissance, a new way of looking at the world evolved.
 |
| About 50 AD coin of Antioch in Syria shows Jupiter to west of Aries. (EPI KOUDRATROU = “of Quadratus" the name of the Roman legate). Year is Rho Delta = 104 of Roman rule. Author’s collection. |
In 1604, he published
The New Star in the Foot of the Serpent (De
stella nova in pede serpentarii: et qui sub ejus exortum de novo iniit, trigono
igneo…). In that tract, he examined a triple conjunction, as well as a
nova, which he identified as the cause of the conjunction. He was not alone in that kind of a belief. Others expected
the conjunction to cause a comet. Reviewing the facts in 1614, Kepler said that
the Star of Bethlehem was a nova in 4 BCE caused by a triple conjunction in 7
BCE. (See “Common Errors in ‘Star of Bethlehem’ Planetarium Shows,” by
John Mosley, The Planetarian,
Third Quarter 1981.)
The triple conjunction of 7 BCE occurred in Pisces. Some
astrological lore identified that constellation with Judaea. Other traditions
give Pisces to the Libyans, among others. However, back in the 1960s, at the
Cleveland Museum of Natural History, planetarium director Dan Snow, told us of the
Pisces connection. So, for me, the Wise Men traveled to Judaea because of a
rare conjunction in Pisces.
“… the Star was Jupiter
or a series of conjunctions between Jupiter, Venus, and Regulus in 3 and 2 B.C.
… On August 1, 3 B.C., Jupiter became visible above the
predawn eastern horizon as the ‘morning star.’ Twelve days later, at about 4:00
a.m., a very close conjunction occurred between Jupiter and Venus, the space
between them narrowing to only 0.23 degrees. Five days later Mercury emerged
from the glare of the sun and came into conjunction with Venus on the morning
of September 1, their minimum separation being only 0.36 degrees.
“The fact that
Jupiter became stationary among the stars on December 25 (and, by the way,
directly midbodied to Virgo the Virgin) may well explain what Matthew meant in
his Gospel when he said that the star came to a halt over the village Bethlehem…”
(“The Star of Bethlehem Reconsidered: An Historical Approach,” John Mosley, IPS Planetarian Vol. 9 No. 2, Summer,
1980.)
 |
| About 51 AD coin of Antioch ad Orontem (eastern side of the metropolis). Year is Rho Epsilon or 105 of Roman rule. (“et” is the abbreviation for “etios” = “year”) Crescent Moon and Jupiter to the West of Aries. Author’s collection. |
Money Talks
In 1999, Rutgers Press published The Star of Bethlehem: the Legacy of the Magi by Dr. Michael R.
Molnar. In addition to his achievements as an astronomer, Molnar is a
numismatist. He was attracted to a series of coins from Antioch in the first
century of the present era. They show a star, a crescent moon, and a Ram, among
other symbols and legends.
Jupiter underwent
two occultations (“eclipses”) by the Moon in Aries in 6 BC. Jupiter was the
regal “star” that conferred kingships a power that was amplified when Jupiter
was in close conjunctions with the Moon. The second occultation on April 17
coincided precisely when Jupiter was “in the east,” a condition mentioned twice
in the biblical account about the Star of Bethlehem. In August of that year Jupiter
became stationary and then "went before" through Aries where it
became stationary again on December 19, 6 BC. This is when the regal planet “stood
over.” A secondary royal portent also described in the Bible. In particular,
there is confirmation from a Roman astrologer that the conditions of April 17,
6 BC were believed to herald the birth of a divine, immortal, and omnipotent
person born under the sign of the Jews, which we now know was Aries the Ram.
Furthermore, the coins of Antioch and ancient astrological documents show that
there was indeed a Star of Bethlehem as reported in the biblical account of
Matthew.”
http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/product/Star-of-Bethlehem,1998.aspx
and http://www.eclipse.net/~molnar/
It is important to note that Jesus
was not the only king, and his reign was not the only new age. Julius Caesar
was assassinated March 15, 44 BCE. In May through July, a comet appeared, a
singular event, not Halley’s or any other recurring comet. The people of Rome
accepted it as obvious fact that the soul of Julius Caesar had ascended to the
heavens. Julius Caesar was the first historical Roman deified by the Senate.
His adopted heir, Gaius Octavius, became at once Gaius Julius Caesar
Octavianus, and also Divi Filius.
Moreover, although he was
born 23 September and therefore a Libra, Octavian Augustus took Capricorn as
his personal symbol. Capricorn is the zodiacal sign of the winter solstice, of
course, and therefore the symbol of the new year – ultimately, a new age.
Molnar’s book offers images
of the Caesar Comet coin and Augustus’s Capricorn on a coin. The centerpieces,
however, are the coins of Antioch (the Roman mint closest to Judaea) and the
astronomical interpretation of them. It is important to understand that while
some were struck during the accepted lifetime of Jesus, the series is broader
than that. What was meant at the detail level to the people of the time must
remain at least somewhat conjectural.
Is There a Wise Man in the Planetarium Tonight?
The U.S. Supreme Court has
heard several cases involving so-called “creation science.” Those rulings
defined the limits of what is permissible for public funds and religion. In 1971, the Supreme Court created “The
Lemon Test” named for the plaintiff in Lemon
v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971).
Writing for the Court’s unanimous (8 to 0) opinion, Justice William J.
Brennan established a three-pronged test to determine whether or not government
action in religious matters was allowable.
- There must be no “excessive government entanglement” with religious affairs.
- No law or action can either advance or inhibit religious practice.
- Any government action must have a secular legislative purpose.
Agreed, it brings in viewers.
Allow me to suggest that Colorado is among several states that have liberalized
laws regarding marijuana. How would you react to a Colorado planetarium that
handed out marijuana cigarettes? It would surely bring in the crowds. They
definitely would enjoy the show. But would that be advancing science?
ALSO ON NECESSARY FACTS
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