THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

        The star of Bethlehem, as it has come to be known, is second to the cross as the most prominent symbol within Christianity.  At Christmas time it is almost ubiquitous.   It is found adorning the top of countless Christmas trees throughout the world.  It is seen hanging in windows, and as part of many manger scenes. You will see the Bethlehem star as a background for many a Christmas card and find it  the focus of various Christmas songs.

       In the song "We three kings of Orient Are," the lyrics speak of the Magi bearing gifts as they "traverse afar."  "Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. O star of wonder, star of light, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light."

       In the Christmas hymn The First Noel, three of the six verses of this hymn speak of the star of Bethlehem. Here are a few lyrics from theses verses.

       "They looked up and saw a star, shining in the east beyond them far.  And so it continued both day and night.  This star drew nigh to the north-west. Over Bethlehem it took its rest and there it did both stop and stay right over the place where Jesus lay."

       This star certainly has been a star of wonder to scholars, theologians and astronomers for the past two thousand years.  Many different ideas have been advanced to try and explain exactly what it was the Magi saw that prompted them to travel hundreds of miles to worship someone they concluded was born King of the Jews.   Why did these Magi react the way they did to something they saw in the heavens.

       We find the story of their travels to Bethlehem in Matthew 2:1-11: 

       "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod; Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "`But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh"  (NIV). 

       The word Magi is a translation of the Greek Magos which is derived from the Persian word Magus which is equivalent to the Hebrew word chakam which means someone having great intelligence, wisdom and prudence.  This wisdom included knowledge of the heavens and ability to extract meaning from the configurations of heavenly bodies.  Therefore, Magi were astronomers and astrologers.  There was no distinction back then between astronomy and astrology as there is today.  

        Some may question why astrologers would be involved in the birth event since several Old Testament scriptures appear to condemn astrology.  An investigation of these scriptures will reveal, however, that the viewing of heavenly bodies to determine the time for certain events to take place is not condemned but actually supported by scripture.

       Genesis 1:14: And God said ,"Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (KJV).

        While the Old Testament does speak against the occult arts, it does not speak specifically against astrology. The Hebrew word for astrologer appears in Daniel where we find Daniel being put in charge of all the wise men of Babylon, including astrologers.  

        When God answered Job, He asked: “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?  Do you know the laws of the heavens? (Job 38:31-33) {NIV}.

       The Pleiades are an open cluster of more than 300 stars in the constellation Taurus, six or seven of which are blue-white giants clearly visible to the naked eye.

        According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Jewish temple at Jerusalem had the twelve signs of the zodiac inlaid in its floor.

        The origins of the Magi are not entirely clear, but they are believed to have had their beginnings with the teachings of Zoroaster, sometime around 1000 BC. Zoroaster was a religious leader and teacher in the region of Persia where it is felt the Magi seeking the Christ child lived.  Zoroaster espoused monotheism, and taught that at sometime in the future, there would arise a king who would raise the dead and transform the world into a kingdom of peace and security. Interestingly enough, the Zoroastrian traditions associated with this prophesied king said that the king would come forth from the descendants of Abraham.

        The scriptures say nothing about the calendar date of the Nativity, but do show that King Herod was alive at the time of the birth of Jesus. Many historians believe Herod died in 4 BC.  Since BC means “before Christ” how could Herod die four years before Christ was born. The scriptures show him to be alive at the time Christ was born?   

       Our present chronology by which the years are numbered as AD or BC was conceived by a Catholic monk around 523 AD. It has since been found that this monk made several errors in his calculations which led him to be off by several years in his dating system.  Scholars have gone to using the designation BCE (before the Common Era) in an effort to remove the ambiguities presented by the designation BC and the dating methods it is based on.

        Since it is commonly believed Herod died in 4 BC and in view of Matthews’s report of Magi recognizing a star as signaling the birth of Christ, scholars look to the years just prior to Herod’s death for evidence of the birth of Christ. It is, therefore, during the period of 7 to 4 BC that scholars, theologians and particularly astronomers have looked to determine if anything unusual was going on in the heavens that would have prompted the Magi to do what they did. 

        Various theories have been advanced in an effort to explain what the Magi many have seen.  Some feel it may have been an unusually bright fireball meteor seen streaking toward the horizon. Meteors, however, flash across the sky in mere seconds and would not have been able to lead the Magi halfway across the Orient to the little town of Bethlehem. So we can confidently lay this concept to rest.

        Some feel it may have been a comet.  Comets can remain visible to the unaided eye for weeks either in the predawn sky or at dusk. It is not impossible to conceive that a comet with a bright star-like head and long tail could have drawn the Magi to Bethlehem. The famous Halley’s Comet, last seen in early 1986, also flared in the sky during August and September in the year 11 BC. This, however, would have been to early relative to the birth of Christ and no other comets of any significance are shown during this period of time.

        It should also be noted that comets were viewed as omens of evil, such as floods and famine as well as the death of kings and monarchs. The Romans, in marking the death of the Roman General Agrippa used the 11 BC appearance of Halley’s Comet as a signal of his death. Therefore it is unlikely that a comet would have signaled the birth of the Son of God.

        How about a nova or supernova?  Novas are dying stars that explode.  Most novas suddenly and unexpectedly flare into prominence literally overnight, attracting the instant attention of sky-conscious people. But after several days or weeks of such prominence, they gradually fade back to obscurity.

        Even more spectacular, but much more rare, are supernovae stars that suddenly blow themselves completely apart, briefly producing an incredible energy output equivalent to the combined light of an entire galaxy of stars. At the height of its outburst, a supernova can shine with such brilliance that it can be seen in broad daylight.  In our Milky Way galaxy, over the past thousand years, there have been four brilliant supernovae, in 1006, 1054, 1572 and 1604.

        Although a nova or supernova is the most satisfying explanation for the Bethlehem Star, there is a serious problem with it, in that there doesn’t seem to be any definitive record of a bright nova appearing in the sky during the time that biblical historians believe the Magi made their journey. One nova apparently did appear, bordering the constellations Capricorn and Aquarius during the spring of 5 BC., but Chinese records, which describe this object, imply that it was not very conspicuous at all and since the Chinese didn’t distinguish between a nova and a comet, we can’t be sure what they saw.

        While the explosion of a super nova would catch the attention of astrologers such as the Magi, Matthew writes that the star the Magi initially saw in the east, they saw again standing over Bethlehem.   Novas don’t move.  This fact pretty well explodes the exploding star idea as identifying the star of Bethlehem.

        Could the star the Magi saw have been a planet?  The Greek word translated star in Matthew can designate heavenly bodies other than stars.  The movements and groupings of planets in the night sky were of exceeding interest to ancient astronomers and were closely tracked around the world. Historical records and modern-day computer simulations indicate that there was a rare series of planetary groupings, also known as conjunctions, during the years 7 B.C. and 2 B.C. 

         In 7 BC there was a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. A conjunction of planets means that certain planets move closer to each other than is normally the case.  All three meetings of these two planets occurred in the constellation Pisces.  Constellations are groups of stars visible from earth that form a distinctive pattern and have a name linked to their shape.  This particular conjunction occurs once every approximately 900 years. it is interesting to note that the constellation Pisces has long been associated with the Hebrew nation.

        With the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC, the first conjunction occurred in late May, the second in September, and the third in early December. Although the two planets never came closer together than about two diameters of our moon, and therefore could hardly have been seen as a single star, these events would have had great significance to the trained astronomers of the time. Jupiter was known as the “planet of Kings” and Saturn as the “Protector of the Jews.” In February of 6 BC a massing of three planets occurred again in the constellation Pisces when Jupiter, Mars and Saturn came within 8 degrees of each other. This event occurs only once every 800 years, approximately, and again, would have had great significance to the astronomers of the time. 

        Also in 6 BC, there was a conjunction of Jupiter and the moon in the constellation Aries which a Roman astrologer believed heralded the birth of a divine, immortal, and omnipotent person.

         However, these astronomical events, exciting as they were, pale by comparison to the events of an 18 month period during 3-2 BC. This was one of the most remarkable periods in terms of celestial events in the last 3000 years.

        It all started on the morning of June 12 in 3 B.C., when Venus could be sighted very close to Saturn in the eastern sky. Then there was a spectacular pairing of Venus and Jupiter on August 12 in the constellation Leo.  Ancient astrologers associated Leo with the destiny of the Jews, and some associated it with the Lion of Judah (the tribe of Judah).  The constellation Leo was considered the “head” or “chief” sign of the Zodiac. It was thought to be ruled by the sun, the “chief” star of the heavens. It was considered the “Royal Constellation”, dominated by the star Regulus. Leo was considered the beginning Zodiacal sign for the astrological year and was thought to denote royalty and power for any of the planets found within it.  

        To the early Israelites, Leo was a constellation of great astrological significance and considered a sacred part of the sky. A very close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter would have been visible as a bright star in the eastern dawn sky of the Middle East from about 3:45 to 5:20 a.m. on Aug. 12, 3 BC.

        Venus ultimately vanished into the glare of the Sun, but Jupiter and Leo remained in the night sky during the next ten months. Between September of 3 B.C. and June of 2 B.C., Jupiter passed by the star Regulus in the constellation of Leo. Jupiter then reversed itself and passed Regulus again. Jupiter then turned back and passed the star a third time. This was a rather remarkable series of events, since astrologers considered Jupiter the kingly planet and regarded Regulus as the “king star.” Plus, this was all taking place in the Royal Constellation of Leo.  Also, the sun was in the constellation Virgo during this time.  Virgo is considered the Virgin constellation.

        So what we have here is the royal planet Jupiter in conjunction with the royal star Regulus in the royal constellation of Leo while the sun is in Virgin. 

        Then, during June of 2 BC, as Jupiter and the stars of Leo began to sink into the western evening twilight, Venus again returned to this same region of the sky for an even more spectacular encore. On the evening of June 17, 2 BC, Jupiter and Venus appeared even closer together than they did in the dawn skies of the previous August.  As the planets slowly descended toward the horizon they got closer and closer together. Viewing them from earth, they would have looked like one brilliant star. 

        Then Jupiter, due to retrograde motion (moving backwards), appeared to “stop” in the sky. Viewing Jupiter from Jerusalem, it would appear to be directly over Bethlehem.  Bethlehem is about six miles south of Jerusalem.  It came to its normal stationary position at dawn on December 25th, 2 BC. Not only that, but the planet came to a stop in the constellation Virgo, the Virgin. It remained there for nearly six days.

        So what do we have here?  We have the planet Jupiter appearing in conjunction with Venus in the constellation of Leo in the eastern sky in August of 3 BC.  We then see Jupiter, still in the constellation of Leo passing the star Regulus three times during the next ten months.  Remember, Jupiter was considered the kingly planet, the star Regulus the King Star and Leo the Royal Constellation.  Then in June of 2 BC, some ten months after the first conjunction of Jupiter and Venus which caused them to appear as one bright star on the eastern horizon, these two stars appear a second time in even closer conjunction, only this time brighter yet and now in the Western sky.  Then we find Jupiter appearing to stand still for a period of six days due to its retrograde action.

       Let's return to Matthew's account;

        Matthew 2:1-2:  "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod; Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.' "

        Matthew 2:9-10: "After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed."

        The scriptural account of this event tells us the Magi initially saw the star in the east. A more accurate translation of the Greek is, “we saw his star when it came up in the east.”  These Magi had already experienced the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC.  These meetings of the two planets occurred in the constellation Pisces which had long been associated with the Hebrew nation. In 6 BC they had seen the conjunction of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn in Pisces.  Also in 6 BC, they would have seen a conjunction of Jupiter and the moon which was believed by some to herald the birth of a divine, immortal, and omnipotent person.  Then in August of 3 BC they see the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the constellation Leo appearing on the eastern horizon.  This conjunction would have appeared as a single bright star. Then in June of 2 BC, some ten months after the first conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, these two stars appear a second time in even closer conjunction, only this time brighter yet, appearing as one bright star and now in the Western sky. 

        Since both Pisces and Leo were associated with the Jewish nation and Jupiter and Leo represented the birth of royalty, it is certainly conceivable that what they saw convinced them that the time was at hand for the promised king of the Jews to be born.  They would have been familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures and the writings of Daniel which pinpointed the coming of the Messiah to the time they were living in. 

        The conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the Western sky may have led them to Jerusalem.  When they arrived in Jerusalem they inquired where the child was.  When they were told it was Bethlehem, they headed toward Bethlehem and expressed joy at seeing the star.  The implication is that the star may have disappeared from view but now had reappeared.  This would harmonize well with the fact that Jupiter, due to retrograde motion, appeared to “stop” in the sky, over Bethlehem as viewed from Jerusalem, which is about six miles north of Bethlehem.

        So have we identified the star of Bethlehem?

        Associating all this extraordinary celestial activity with the birth of Christ is based on the belief that King Herod died sometime in one 1 BC.  Most scholars, however, believe Herod died in 4 BC. This belief is based on the writings of the first century historian Josephus who wrote that Herod died not long after an eclipse of the moon and before the Passover. There was an eclipse in March of 4 BC followed by the Passover 29 days later. Josephus indicates that all events associated with the burial of Herod were accomplished before the Passover.   Some historians, in looking at the scope of events that transpired before the Passover, have concluded that it would have been impossible for all this to have been accomplished in 29 days.  Therefore, they believe Josephus was referring to the eclipse that took place in January of 1 BC with the Passover occurring a little over three months later. The lunar eclipse of 4 BC was only a partial eclipse and barely visible while the eclipse of 1 BC was a total eclipse and would have been widely observed.

        Back in 1991, author Ernest Martin,  published a book entitled “The Star that Astonished the World.”  In his book, Martin provides strong evidence for a 1 BC death of Herod and concludes, based on the astronomical and astrological evidence, that the star the Magi saw and followed was the planet Jupiter.  This same conclusion has been reached by other scholars and astronomers.  Because of this, many planetariums around the world now construct their Christmas programs to reflect the celestial events that occurred during 3 and 2 BC where formally they centered their programs on celestial events of 7 and 4 BC. 

        Do we know for certain that the celestial events of 7 to 1 BC were what led the Magi to travel to Bethlehem to worship Jesus Christ?   No we do not.  What we do know is that Matthew reported that Magi came to present gifts to Jesus based on their seeing a star in the east and later seeing that same star in the west over Bethlehem.  We also know the celestial activity during the time Christ was born appears to coincide well with what the Magi did. 

        If indeed these celestial evens occurred to signal the birth of Christ, it simply adds to the tremendous significance of this event.  David said the heavens declare the glory of God.  While it is true that the very existence of the heavenly bodies give evidence to the greatness of God, it appears God used the heavens to declare an even greater glory, the glory of His only begotten son coming into the world to reconcile men back to Himself.

        So when you see the star of Bethlehem displayed at the top of a Christmas tree, on a Christmas card or at a planetarium show, hopefully it will have greater meaning for you as you reflect on those extraordinary celestial events which occurred at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE