Page 14 - 200912 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - December 2009

14 What Was the Star of Bethlehem? 14 What Was the Star of Bethlehem? Christmas in June? Step 2: Was it really a star? However, the 2 B.C. date is problematic Christmas in June? Stars say maybe Beyond the timing issue, there’s another for scholars who argue that Jesus' birth had to Stars say maybe take place before 4 B.C. That date marks the Best candidate for ‘Star of consideration: A comet or supernova big enough death of Herod the Great, the ruler who sent the Best candidate for ‘Star of Magi on their way to Bethlehem, according to to attract the wise men’s attention would have Wonder’ reached climax in 2 been widely noticed by royalty and commoners Matthew's gospel. The timing for Herod's death Wonder’ reached climax in 2 B.C. as well. But King Herod and his advisers is known with some certainty because it meshes B.C. seemed not to know or care about the star until with Josephus' historical account as well as the The Star of Bethlehem is one of the best- the astrologers from the east came to visit. dates for the reigns of contemporaneous Roman known parts of the Christmas story, celebrated However, if we suppose that the “star” leaders. in the gospels as well as a constellation of actually referred to the planets, the situation is holiday songs. Was it purely a divine sign, less problematic. The movements and DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE created miraculously to mark Jesus' birth? Can groupings of planets in the night sky were of Christmas Carol the phenomenon be linked to an actual exceeding interest to astrologers and were astronomical event? closely tracked around the world. Said the night wind to the little lamb: Astronomers can't answer the first Historical records and modern-day Do you see what I see? question. However, they can turn the clock back computer simulations indicate that there was a 'Way up in the sky, little lamb, on the night sky's appearance, to come up with rare series of planetary groupings, also known Do you see what I see? some astronomical events that might have been as conjunctions, during the years 3 B.C. and 2 A star, a star interpreted as a "Star of Wonder" by the B.C. Dancing in the night, ancients. |: With a tail as big as a kite. :| The most likely candidate for the Step 3: Retracing the conjunctions Christmas Star made its most dramatic Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy: appearance not on Dec. 25 in the year 1 A.D., The show started on the morning of June Do you hear what I hear? but on June 17 in the year 2 B.C. What's more, 12 in 3 B.C., when Venus could be sighted very Ringing thru the sky, shepherd boy, that event was not the appearance of a single close to Saturn in the eastern sky. Then there Do you hear what I hear? bright star, but a grand conjunction involving was a spectacular pairing of Venus and Jupiter A song, a song the brightest planets and one of the brightest on Aug. 12 in the constellation Leo, which High above the tree, stars in the sky. ancient astrologers associated with the destiny |: With a voice as big as the sea. :| The "Christmas in June" scenario has of the Jews. been a favorite for more than 20 years, but it got Between September of 3 B.C. and June Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king: an additional boost when Australian astronomer of 2 B.C., Jupiter passed by the star Regulus in Do you know what I know? Dave Reneke ran a sky-mapping software Leo, reversed itself and passed it again, then In your palace warm, mighty king, program back more than 2,000 years and turned back and passed the star a third time. Do you know what I know? confirmed the sequence of observation. This was another remarkable event, since A Child, a Child "We are not saying this was definitely astrologers considered Jupiter the kingly planet Shivers in the cold, the Christmas Star, but it is the strongest and regarded Regulus as the “king star.” |: Let us bring Him silver and gold. :| explanation for it of any I have seen so far," The crowning touch came on June 17, London's Telegraph newspaper quoted Reneke when Jupiter seemed to approach so close to Said the king to the people ev'rywhere: as saying on Tuesday. "There's no other Venus that, without binoculars, they would have Listen to what I say! explanation that so closely matches the facts we looked like a single star. Pray for peace, people ev'rywhere, have from the time." The whole sequence of events could Listen to what I say! Here's how the Griffith Observatory's have been enough for at least three astrologers The Child, the Child John Mosley laid out the evidence in his long- to go to Jerusalem and ask Herod: “Where is he Sleeping in the night. accepted analysis of the Christmas Star story: that is born King of the Jews, for we have seen |: He will bring us goodness and light. :| his star in the east and are come to worship Step 1: The time frame for Jesus' birth him.” The first thing is to determine the Step 4: Does it make sense? approximate date of Jesus’ birth. Then astronomers can look at the sky phenomena of This doesn’t mean that astrology works. that period and try to identify the star. It doesn’t We haven’t ruled out other possibilities for the work the other way around: Since virtually any Star of Bethlehem. And the mere existence of year can boast at least one reasonably interesting celestial events does nothing to interesting sky event, the astronomy must prove that the birth of Jesus was accompanied follow the history. by a star, that the Magi existed, or even that the Let’s assume, as many historians have, Nativity took place as described in the Bible. that the most likely time frame for the birth of Matching up the June 17 date with Jesus was in the years before A.D. 1. Let’s also biblical accounts produces a mixed verdict. assume that the Star of Bethlehem could be Biblical scholars can't rule out the observed by skywatchers elsewhere in the possibility that the Nativity occurred during the world, and not just by the Magi who followed middle of the year. In fact, there's no reference the star to Jesus' birthplace. The Magi, who are to December, let alone Dec. 25, in the gospels' known as “wise men” or “kings” in the stories of the Nativity. Christmas story, were actually priests who "December is an arbitrary date we have relied on astrology. accepted, but it doesn't really mean that is when These assumptions would rule out some it happened," said Reneke, who is news editor of the prime suspects in the mystery: comets, of Australia's Sky and Space magazine. brightening stars known as novae, and Luke's scriptural account about shepherds being exploding stars known as supernovae. The out in their fields would make much more sense Chinese, who did a particularly good job of if the birth occurred during the Middle East's cataloging astronomical phenomena, recorded milder months — say, the April-through- no such phenomena during the years in October time frame. question.