The Mystery of The Star in the East

The Mystery of The Star of Bethlehem

The story of nativity, the birth Jesus birth in the manger is found only in Luke (Luke 1:26–27), while the Star in the East was recorded is only recorded in the Gospel of Mathew. Nowhere else except Luke and Mathew recorded the account of nativity.

  

The date December 25 arbitrarily given for the date of Jesus birth was chosen by the early Christians merely to compete with the Mithraist fiesta on that day to take advantage of the general joyousness at the time of the winter solstice.

Both Mathew and Luke place the birth of Jesus during the time of Herod, and that the monarch died in 4 BC.

The story of nativity related in the Gospel according to Mathew caused me to be very curious exactly what was that bright “star” the wise men (magi / astrologers) actually saw. The book of Matthew is only place this mysterious star was described.

Theories of Astronomers: 

For many decades many theories have been forwarded by astronomers to solve the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem over Judea.

 Astronomers have even used powerful computers to calculate back the dates of its appearance.

Most of the theories believed by astronomers are based on apparent planetary alignment of bright planets such as a triple conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and Mars.

In astronomy a conjunction occurs when any two or more astronomical objects such as planets, stars or any heavenly bodies appear to come close together in the sky, as seen from Earth. They are apparently optically-fused together as seen from line-of-sight.

Sometimes bright stars like Rigel in Orion may have conjunctions with bright planets like Venus and Jupiter as part of multiple conjunctions. We shall go into that later.

This has been theories that the Star of Bethlehem was actually the conjunction of various planets making them look unusually bright.  They even gave various dates of around the 3 B.C. to 4 B.C. when King Herod was around when triple conjunctions occurred.

Astronomers were able to demonstrate triple or multiple conjunctions by calculating backwards into time when Jesus was born, and even using planetariums projectors to play back the ancient skies of Babylonia when the "Star of Bethlehem" was seen by the magi described in the Gospel of Mathew.

Both Mathew and Luke place the birth of Jesus during the time of Herod, and history recorded the monarch died in 4 BC.

So It would seem then Jesus could not have been born later than 4 BC and so could not have been less than two years old.

The Star of Jesus:

Did the Star of Jesus depicted by the Star of Bethlehem  already been foretold even in the beginning in Genesis? 

Let's have a look at this verse.

Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be (Genesis 49: 9-10).

In astrology the wise men probably knew well  about the constellations of the Zodiac, one of which lies a Lion (Leo).

It would be easy for the astrologers to believe that Leo represents Judah and the House of David since David were descended from Judah, and Jesus was associated with both. My point in argument is, was the bright star Regulus or Rigel already signify the coming of Jesus who is going to symbolize the king (Regulus) even in the beginning (Genesis).

Since "a lawgiver from between his (lion) feet, until Shiloh come" in the constellation Leo has a brightest star called Regulus which is the Latin for "little king".  This seems to refer to Jesus as a very bright star. Not just that alone. He was sandwiched by two brightest planets which to my thinking represents His Father and the Holy Spirit (Trinity).

It so happens in 3 BC and in 2 BC there was a double conjunction between two brightest planets - Venus and Jupiter in the constellation Leo with Regulus sandwiched between with a separation of just 3 degrees on either side from Regulus. 

Furthermore it was seen in the eastern horizon over Judea.

How does that sound? More than impressive I think as a single light seen by the wise men in the East. Could that be the date Jesus was born as already foretold in Genesis 49: 9-10?

But both these two astronomical events took place in summer, far from the winter of 25 December.

However, according to Sinnott, there were no fewer than two hundred astronomical events when two brightest planets grouped together between 12 BC and AD 7, and during the same period there were twenty occasions when more than two planets came together,

If Sinnott was right, I don’t think the wise men would be deceived by such "usual events" because this  would average out with one bright planetary conjunction once a month according to Sinnott, and quoted by Isaac Assimov in his article "The Star in the East"

Then again two brightest planets Venus and Jupiter apparently (optically) came close together in the predawn skies over Judea on August 12, 3 BC, and they were separated by only twelve minutes of an arc which is only two-fifth the diameter of the Moon.

Planetary Conjunctions in The Reign of King Herod:  

 King Herod Magnus was born in July 3 BC, and died March or April, 4 BC in Jericho, Judaea. So the dates seemed very close to the birth of Christ during the reign of his reign.

Hence many astronomers would hypothesize that was about the time Jesus was born?

Another even more  "bright star" event occurred after sunset on June 17, 2 BC when Venus and Jupiter came even closer together, separated by only three minutes of an arc which is just 10 % of a full Moon.

At that angle of separation they would just appear as one very bright point of light. That was even more impressive to the magi I suppose? Maybe not as they were wise men as the Bible describes them.

Seen from Babylonia, both planets would rise from the East with their closest approach around 10 PM Babylonian time as they sank over the western horizon towards the direction of Judea and Bethlehem. Could that be the Star the wise men saw in the east?

Could that be the Star from the East they followed? My analysis and feeling is probably not, and I shall explain this.

In those days, over the plains of Judea, transportation was exceedingly slow by foot, camels or by ass. If the magi had seen the Star in the East and followed it across the vast desert regions of Judea towards the town of Bethlehem their journey could have taken days, if not weeks or months.

The rising and setting of all stars, planets, and even the Sun and Moon are not going follow, let alone wait for any person. 

Velocity of Earth's Rotation:

The Earth's speed of rotation is once every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.09053 seconds, called the sidereal period, over a circumference of 40,075 kilometers which is a speed of 460 meters per second over the equator.

This would be far too fast for the wise men to catch up on foot or on camels.

Of course the motions of the heavenly bodies, planets, Sun, Moon and the stars could rise again the next night in the East and sets again in the West about 12 hours later for them to follow every night.

But unfortunately this wasn't the case. My point of argument is quite different from other astronomers believe if only they read the verse below carefully once again.

It clearly states "the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was" (Matthew 2:9).

It looks like this particular star was quite different from all other stars, planets and other heavenly bodies that rise and set each day like tides that waits  for no one.

But this strange star clearly waited for them in front and leading them all the way and suddenly stopped where Jesus was and then disappeared without setting after they have arrived in Bethlehem?  

Of course if we walk or even speed in a jet plane towards a star in front, it will it will apparently be always ahead of us. But over a just a few hours it will sink towards the west, or it came from the east, it will soon be ahead of us, and overtake us and sets in the west. But this star did not behave that way.

Heavenly Bodies Waits for None: 

In fact it is extremely unusual since no heavenly body behave this way. It must be something else hovering just ahead in the Babylonian skies for many days or weeks. It did not rise or set so that  the wise men can continue to follow. It was finitely NOT any ordinary star or some bright planets in triple or multiple conjunctions.

It is also unclear exactly how long it took for the magi arrived after Jesus was born. Traditionally they were seen to arrive at most a few days after the birth of Jesus as the Gospel of Luke spoke about Jesus leaving for Jerusalem by the time he was forty days old from whence he went to Nazareth.

This left a fairly brief window of time for the magi to visit him in Jerusalem, especially considering they needed time to travel from the east via Jerusalem.

How Old was Jesus then?

In this verse Matthew refers to Jesus as a child rather than an infant, perhaps indicating that he was older. Today most scholars feel that Matthew probably meant that Jesus was several months old at the time the magi visited (4).

The timing of the arrival of the wise men was very crucial in determining the exact time of birth of Jesus. Even Herod inquired the exact time the wise men saw the star.

In short, all the theories put forwards by well-meaning and learned astronomers linking conjunctions of bright planets around the 3 BC and, 4 BC when King Herod was reigning do not support my own  current revised thinking.

At least this was their theories which influenced me too for many years.  But not now, this Christmas today (25 December, 2109)  when I think differently.

My Disagreement: 

I have to disagree with what astronomers have hypothesized for ages.

Let me once again emphasize the verse using my own independent analysis by carefully studying the biblical verses below:

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him (Matthew 2:1-2).

“Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said.  

Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also. When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was (Matthew 2:7-11).

In verse 7 it says, Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men and learned from them the exact time they first saw the star.

Studying carefully those verses, those wise men were astrologers who knew the stars and their positions well (the Bible did NOT say “3” wise men. It merely stated “wise me” without the word “three” there). 

They would already know when various stars and planets would appear and how long they would be seen in their respective positions. They were NOT ordinary people. They were magi, and astrologers. The Bible describes them as wise men, meaning people with knowledge and wisdom.

They would already know when various planets would slowly drift into one spot (conjunction) as a “bright star” 

Since Sinnott himself wrote in Sky and Telescope there were many, many bright planetary conjunctions at that time, do we think these wise men are fools to be deceived? Definitely not in my thinking.

But that night when Jesus was born, they saw something different. They saw some very unusual light in the sky. They were not idiots to see something different.

So what was that, and why was it very unusual in the sky over Judea?

In verse 7, it says Herod inquired from them what was time (”exact time”) they saw the star. Why exact time?

If it was a triple conjunction as modern astronomers believe, they would already be there over many days before they slowly come together.

It appears to me the unusual star appeared suddenly and precisely at an exact time which Herod wanted to know.

Unusual Astronomical Event:

This kind of phenomenon happening at a precise spot (in the East) and at an exact time is not what we know in astronomy. Almost all astronomical events are predictable long before they happen.

This gives me the impression it was neither any kind of sudden planetary alignment, neither a comet, nor even a supernova at that time.

There was also no record of any supernova during the time of King Herod. Even if there was, we would be able to see its nebulous remnants even today as in Crab Nebula.   So it must be something else.

Then in Mathew 2:9 it says:

“When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was”. It is very clear at least to me the star suddenly appeared again after King Herod consulted the wise men.

How can such an astronomical event be possible - a star appearing, disappeared, and appearing again?

Not that I know in my training in astronomy. which I have just passed before this Christmas. 

Neither do I know of any star or planet where it went before men, and suddenly stopped where a child was born? 

This is completely absurd to me. Neither stars nor planets, even though planets were once called “wandering stars” go before humans, and allow them to follow them, and then suddenly stop at one specific spot where a child (Jesus) was born.

This is completely bizarre to me. This occurrence can only be possible outside our understanding in astronomy.

An Unknown Object:

It has be completely something else, a divine occurrence or a miracle. This is the ONLY possibility

Furthermore, if it was a triple conjunction as most astronomers think, how could they remain apparently in one spot like a bright star for so long? Their constant motions around the Sun would have separated them within days.

I believe the magi must have followed the “star” for many, many days or weeks on foot or by camel over the plains of Judea towards Bethlehem were Jesus was.

Over those long periods of travel by foot or by camels, any double or triple conjunction of bright planets like Venus, Mars and Jupiter would have long separated by the time they arrive in Bethlehem.
 

Their separation would have been confused them as to which “star” to follow then.  But they did not. They kept following only that “star”

Furthermore, no planet as wandering stars would stay in one spot where any child was born. It has to be something else we do not know.

UFO? 

Some non-astronomers claimed it was a UFO, others claimed it was a space ship that brought Jesus to Earth?  This is non-science that we know.

As far as I am concerned, I do not know what it was except ONE thing which was very clear to me.

“the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was” (Matthew 2:9).

The Endurance of The Star:

That single verse tells me how patient that star was if as it was a signal or a message from God about the arrival of His only begotten Son on Planet Earth.

What strikes me most about this star was, it  so very, very patient as  to move very, very slowly to allow those wise men to keep pace with it while they traveled  on the ground by foot or by camels.

Not just that alone.  It says, it went ahead of them… to lead them slowly and patiently. This is truly the hallmark of God who is forever so patient with us all to give us time to think over His presence by leading us ahead so very  slowly, very gently, so brightly and forever so patiently with our slow thinking and belief.  Yet we don’t even realize His enduring patience with us.

Furthermore, if it was some kind of UFO or space (claimed by non - scientists) that came from another world to Earth, then such a space ship could easily cut across dimensions, time and space at the speed of light.

In such a horrendous speed,  it would have left those wise men travelling over the desert at snail speed. It would not have that patience to be with them at camel speed. But it didn’t.

It patiently led them probably over days, weeks or months with its bright light hovering in the sky… It went before them very, very slowly till they came to the spot where Jesus was humbly born in a manger,then it disappeared. Amazing! It is simply too amazing even to the most brilliant astronomical minds to understand.

That is how I feel, probably written with God-guildance which is quite the opposite of what other astronomers and scientists have hypothesized so far.

Isn’t that patience shown by that strange star was true, isn’t that message so beautiful?  Doesn’t that speak to us about patience and humility shown by God?  Isn’t that  the hallmark seal of an Eternal God?

The mystery of the Star of Bethlehem teaches me a lot. I have learnt tremendously by pondering over those verses and the event that happened over 2,000 years ago.

My thinking now is so unlike astronomers who insisted it was just a triple conjunction of bright planets which I fiercely object.

I have my own training and thoughts in astronomy which He has pre-planned this for me which I have not known.   

I did not know this earlier when I constantly prayed to Him for years for wisdom and knowledge to understand  on His wondrous works of art and engineering in the design of heavens and the beginning of the spark of life here on Earth.

My constant prayers over the years of nearly 40 to be given that knowledge of His Intelligent Design, then finally led me to His Promised Land of Learning at Cambridge early this year where  learn the Origin and Evolution of Life, and later this year till near Christmas at Oxford that taught me about the creation of the Universe.

His Promised Land:

It was at both places to the Promised Land He led me wandering for so long in childhood ignorance to understand His marvelous Intelligent Design and His message to all mankind.

The Star of Bethlehem is a divine revelation to me. It showed me how God led those magi with wisdom and knowledge to Jesus. I too want to be like them to be led by Him.

The account of nativity associated with a guiding star light above over the plains of Judea is truly so beautiful a story and an enlightenment for me - a Christmas gift for me when I penned this on Christmas Day even though Jesus came to this Earth sometime in July over 2,000 years ago.

May all my gentle readers be blessed!

References

1. Isaac Asimov. Star in the East. 1976. The Planet That Wasn't. All Sphere Book.

2. No record of any supernova   - Arthur C. Clark. The Star. November 1955. Infinity Science Fiction.

3. Roger W. Sinnott Sky and Telescope. Secember 1968.

4. Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.