The Star Of Bethlehem

The Star Of Bethlehem

They followed the star.

ANCIENT Persia had a priestly caste called Magi, who are mentioned by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 2:2, 4-5, 10). Astrology was very popular in the ancient Near East, and the magi were both astrologers and astronomers.

Early Jews also were interested in astrology. One of their messianic prophecies said, “A star will rise from Jacob” (Numbers 24:17). To them Jupiter was “the king’s planet” and Saturn was Israel’s “defender.” An old Jewish proverb said, “God created Saturn to shield Israel.”

Early astrologers observed that planets move in a belt in the heavens they termed the zodiac. They divided the zodiac into twelve equal blocks, or signs. According to Chaldean astrology, each sign represented a different nation. Pisces, the sign of the fish, represented Amurru, which included Syria and Palestine. To Jewish astrologers Pisces represented Judea. They predicted that the Messiah would appear when Saturn, their “defender,” met Jupiter, “the king’s planet” in Pisces. Since many of the Jews did not return from the Babylonian captivity and continued to live in Persia, the magi would have been familiar with Jewish astrological beliefs.

In 7 B.C. Jupiter and Saturn came together in Pisces for the first time in 853 years. Shortly before sunrise on April 12, 7 B.C., Jupiter and Saturn emerged together out of the dawn in Pisces. They began moving together until on May 29, 7 B.C., they were in conjunction, passing within less than one degree of each other. Then they began moving apart. The magi no doubt watched this with great interest, knowing of the Jewish expectation.

In early August the two planets stopped moving apart, and in late September and early October began moving toward each other even more quickly this time for a second conjunction in Pisces.

October passed, and the planets continued to separate. After just a month they began approaching one another a third time. Finally on December 4, 7 B.C., the third conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces occurred.

The magi would have tried to understand the significance of what they had seen. Something important was going to happen in Judea. Could it be the birth of the Jewish Messiah?

Then in February 6 B.C. something unexpected happened. Mars, which had been far away in the sky a few months earlier, now joined Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces. Again the attention of the astrologers was drawn to Judea. Mars was thought to represent war. Could this be indicating that the Messiah, the defender of Israel, was about to arise and defeat his enemy? This would be in line with the final prophecy of Balaam:

I see him, but not in the present time.

I perceive him, but far in the distant future.

A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. (Numbers 24:17)

One year later in February or early March 5 B.C., blazing across the sky from the east came a nova, a star that suddenly explodes, becoming ten thousand to one hundred thousand times brighter than it was before. The nova was heading toward Judea, and the magi decided to follow it. The nova was visible for more than ten weeks. If the magi left Persia shortly after it first appeared, they would have been able to reach Bethlehem while it was still visible.

When the magi reached Jerusalem, they apparently had lost sight of the star because they asked where the king of the Jews was to be born. This was no doubt caused by the fact that once a month the moon would hide the light of the nova.

When the nova reappeared, it would have been fifty degrees high due south of Jerusalem at dawn—directly over Bethlehem! When they saw the star, they were filled with joy and followed it to the house where Jesus and Mary were. There they fell down before Jesus and worshiped him (Matthew 2:1-11).

Reflection

How do you react to learning that astronomers have been able to figure out the signs in the heavens that apparently led the magi to worship Jesus? Does it surprise you? Will you join them in worshiping him?

Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11