Something Like a Star - Spring 1999 MIRA Quarterly Newsletter

Spring 1999

Something Like a Star
Tamara Homan

The story of the magi bringing gifts to the Christ Child, as in this beautiful gold relief from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, was the subject of Dr. Chester’s lecture in December. Dr. Chester presented historical and astronomical evidence pointing to a series of conjunctions around 3 B.C. as the actual "Christmas Star." (Photo by Bruce Weaver)

Have you ever imagined yourself trekking across field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star? Tradition tells us that the Magi did just that, using a star to guide them to Bethlehem to honor Jesus, whom they regarded as a king. We know that Jesus’ birth occurred two millennia ago, give or take, and changed the Western world forever. But what of the star the Magi followed? What did they see, so bright in the sky that they risked life and limb to follow it hundreds of miles?

In December, Dr. Craig Chester offered some fascinating possibilities to explain the Magis’ journey. The Magi said they saw a star rising in the East, but it may actually have been a comet or a series of rare conjunctions lighting up the heavens. In the year 7 B.C., Jupiter and Saturn appeared very close to one another several times, and Mars joined them in 6 B.C. Some astronomers speculate that a supernova may have accounted for the brilliance, but no logical candidates present themselves to our modern analysis.

Part of the mystery of the Bethlehem star causes astronomers to ask a basic question: When was Jesus actually born? Calendars have varied considerably over the ages, with changes often dictated by the whims of rulers and court astronomers (or astrologers) working with what was then state-of-the-art equipment, using only their abilities to analyze data collected over long, patient years. Even historical documents we now regard as acceptably accurate aren’t quite so reliable in the face of this "calendrical slippage."

Another question we must ask is how old Jesus was when the Magi found him. Both the chronology of events mentioned in sacred texts, and the words those texts use in their original language, point to Jesus being a toddler rather than a newborn when the Magi arrived.

Much of the historical evidence depends on accurately dating Herod’s death, since "The Slaughter of the Innocents" shown above (also from Notre Dame) must have occurred during Herod’s reign. (Photo by Bruce Weaver)

A likely possibility for "The Star" happened when Jupiter came into conjunction with Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, in September of 3 B.C. The Magi said they had seen "his star rising in the East," meaning the star in the royal constellation (Leo) signifying the birth of a king. In Hebrew, Jupiter is known as Sedeq or "Righteousness," a term also used for the long-awaited Messiah. Rising in the East is a translation of the term en anatole, or an acronical rising, when an object rises at sunset and remains visible all night long. This would have been astrologically significant enough to capture the Magis’ attention. They also understood planetary motions well, and could predict conjunctions well in advance. In addition, Jupiter would have appeared to stop right over Bethlehem when it reached its stationary point as it began its normal retrograde loop. Interestingly enough, Jupiter was stationary on December 25 in 2 B.C. From all the data, Dr. Chester’s best estimate for the birth of Christ is September 11 of 3 B.C. For those worried about the Y2K problem, it means that the new millenium started on September 12, 1998.

Imagine how bright these conjunctions must have looked in an age without the electric lights that now wash out the stars for much of the world’s population. But even with the technological wonders we now have to clutter up our schedules and draw our attention away from the skies, perhaps we can remember that about two millennia ago, three people looked up in wonder, and then followed, er . . . something like a star.