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Dec 18, 2008 01:15 PM | 25
The star of Bethlehem, which Christian lore maintains led the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus, is one of the most enduring and well-known Christmas legends. Almost as enduring among sky-watchers is the question of whether an ordinary (that is, non-miraculous) astronomical event could have fit the biblical description of the star.
The star appears in the Book of Matthew, which chronicles its appearance as spurring the wise men to seek out King Herod in Jerusalem and then guiding them to Bethlehem. So some astronomers have taken the reign of Herod as a time parameter and scanned the ancient skies for likely candidates using software that reconstructs the locations of celestial objects thousands of years in the past or projects their locations thousands of years in the future.
One popular explanation is a conjunction of the two brightest planets, Jupiter and Venus, which appears to have occurred in June of the year 2 B.C. Those two planets, drawing close to one another, would have appeared as a single point of intense light in the night sky. But many estimates for the death of Herod peg the king as having perished by that time.
Another candidate for the legendary star is a nova, or brightly flaring star, that Chinese astronomers recorded in 5 B.C., a theory discussed in depth by Mark Kidger in his 1999 book The Star of Bethlehem: An Astronomer's View.
Nick Strobel, an astronomer who teaches at Bakersfield College, a community college in California, maintains an extensive Web page examining the various theories about the star of Bethlehem. Strobel acknowledges that there may be no literal, historical basis for the star's appearance as described in the Bible, but he believes that an earlier planetary conjunction, in 6 or 7 B.C., is a better fit, as is Jupiter in retrograde motion, during which it would have appeared frozen in the sky for a number of days.
Of course, any attempt to scientifically validate or invalidate pieces of scripture is sure to rankle some (read: many). And even if the star of Bethlehem really did exist, the tools of astronomy may never be sufficient to point out what it was. As Phil Plait, who writes the blog Bad Astronomy, put it, "The astronomical evidence is interesting, but interpreting it should be done with a pillar grain of salt."
Image credit: NASA/ESA
Tags:
christmas legends,
nativity,
christmas star,
three wise men,
christmas lore
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25 Comments
Add Commentwhat are they going to prove next? How Jesus walked on water? It's all myth man... let it go.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHave some respect, Haider.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDidn't mean to be disrespectful - all I'm saying is that science and faith do not have a lot of common ground. It sounds like an exercise in futility to prove anything from the scriptures (from any religion). The amount of propaganda that exists on how they found secret code in scriptures and predictions of future etc is evidence of what happens when you apply science to religion. In my opinion, if there is any validity in the scriptures, it was meant to be symbolic - not to be taken literally (like walking on water or raising dead people). On that note, did you see Religulous by Bill Maher? Good show.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI can only say this about myself that I'm a man of faith. And I'm a man of science. I've tried to reconcile the two but I've found them to be divergent phenomenon; mutually exclusive realms of knowledge. Which one is true? My mind continues to fight that battle. Just like you can't use a ruler to measure light intensity - I've found that in the same way you cant pit these two bodies of knowledge against each other; one is observation and experiment based (reality based), one is faith based (belief in the unknown and unseen).
Bleh - just ranting.
Perhaps the star was one of the stars of the Southern Cross before it precessed out of sight. see http://www.7gs.com/becrux/?p=651
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm a man of faith as well and an absolute believer in science. I haven't had a problem reconciling the two. I start with the base that G_d is a Being of Law. All the scientific laws governing the Uni/Multi-verse are His/Her/Its Laws. S/He/It adheres to them always. The Star of Bethlehem was likely some convergence because the heavenly bodies all had some portent by their place in the sky and with each other. Astronomical observation was fairly far along even back then. The plagues of Egypt have been explained in natural terms, but to have them all occur in quick succession is rather remarkable. If G_d put them in motion, omnipotently gaging the likelihood of events -- the same with the parting of the Reed (not Red) Sea. One of the biggest problems reconciling is we try to think in modern terms. You have to start with how things were back then: Turn the other cheek? If someone hits you on the right cheek, then they've given you the "back of their hand" the ultimate insult of smiter belittling you. If you then turn your left cheek to him, it is a defiant act demanding to be treated as an equal. Sure, many things are symbolic, but I also believe the Bible was meant to be read as a whole. Taking pieces from here and there can be twisted into anything -- but anyway when you start with "And G_d said all the equations and formulations to begin a fusion reaction in the shrinking ball of gas and it burst into the Sun and there was light and it was good." then everything else just falls into place.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat if the Bethlehem Star is one of the stars of the Southern Cross, most likely Acrux?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe Southern Cross is no longer visible in the sky above Jerusalem but it was 2000 years ago. It has slipped out of view since then due to precession. The stars of the Southern Cross might have provided a motive for the three Magi to travel to the high ground of Jerusalem in order to catch a better glimpse of a disappearing star.
Bethlehem is about 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem and if the aim was to see these stars from Jerusalem then Bethlehem would certainly have been a landmark over which the Crux stars would have passed. The star would have risen in the early hours of the morning to the east of Bethlehem, as seen by looking south from Jerusalem, risen into view and moving west would possibly have been over Bethlehem around the time of dawn. That is, you could say that the star STOPPED being visible directly over Bethlehem and only just above the horizon (as observed from Jerusalem). Bethlehem being only 10km from Jerusalem could have also been a destination for a touristy day trip.
There would have been nothing of note about these stars for people living in Jerusalem around this time as they would have been visible every year. Still, the view from a higher altitude might have made the journey worthwhile for the Magi from the east. They possibly didnt understand the meaning of Bethlehem (birthplace for a future Messiah) and stars (the Star Prophesy) to King Herod. As visiting tourists I imagine that they would have paid a tribute to King Herod and as Wise Men given some explanation of what they had seen in laymans speak. As soon as they realized their rational account of a simple observation of a star was taken in a mythological way they took off quick smart.
In retelling the story 80 or so years later the details may have been mixed up and the story embellished to make the visit of the Magi look as if it was related to the birth of Jesus.
At least this theory would include a motive to travel to Jerusalem. A one-off astrological event such as a conjunction of planets could be seen anywhere and an unexpected astronomical event such as a comet or supernova could not have motivated a long, time consuming and possibly dangerous trip. If the aim was to get a better view of a star (Acrux) that was known to be precessing out of sight then it would make sense that a group of astronomers would have planned to travel to higher ground to make an observation.
Astronomical software supports this view.
http://www.7gs.com/becrux/?p=651
You could also say this interpretation of the Bethlehem Star as a star from the Southern Cross has meaning to us now, if indeed it can be shown to fit the criteria for the Bethlehem Star in the Gospels. That the Bethlehem Star marking the birth of Jesus is from the Crux constellation before that constellation was known by that name is striking. You could even claim that this is still consistent with the Star Prophesy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOther point worth making is that the Crux constellation is used to mark out the southern pole in the night sky of the Southern hemisphere. It points to the stationary place in the southern sky around which the other stars appear to rotate. Identifying the Bethlehem Star as being one of the stars of the Southern Cross symbolically would mark a shift in emphasis from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern. It works symbolically in a way that was not evident when these events occurred and were first recorded, and it still provides meaning. In other words, it adds new layers of meaning to the story.
What if the star was a miraculous display that died out quickly - serving its purpose to draw knowlegable and learned me from persia to meet with Herod (historically documented by the persians). Perhaps it was a rapidly exploding white dwarf.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRespect? for what? next, we'll study Superman and Spiderman to decode their genome.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRespect? For a myth?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe legend says that wise men from the EAST, saw a star in the EAST which led them ... WEST! That is stupid.
Next we'll be examining the genomes of Superman and Spiderman for what they could tell us!
I would guess respect for what a person chooses to believe. Though you may disagree with it, respect that person's belief system as you would want someone to respect yours.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is a very interesting piece on the origins of the Bethlehem star, complete with animations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077385/
Seeing how Herod wasn't aware of the "star", popular opinion rules out a nova since it would be rather dramatic and be seen by all.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCheck this piece out. It's quite logical and makes a good argument for planetary conjunction.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077385/
This is a very interesting piece on the origins of the Bethlehem star, complete with animations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077385/
This is a very interesting piece on the origins of the Bethlehem star, complete with animations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077385/
This is a very interesting piece on the origins of the Bethlehem star, complete with animations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077385/
So OK - the Wise Men (actual word is Magi - Persian for magicians/astrologers, not kings) were approximately 160 miles away when the star appeared over the birthplace of Jesus. They then began their journey, by camel! That kinda' shoots the planet - nova theory down. Matthew 2:11 tells us that the Wise Men went into a house not a stable to see Jesus, the young child, not a baby. And finally, Herod had all the children in Bethlehem, 2 years old and younger (so he could be sure to not miss finding the child) killed, in order to protect his throne.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso, check out the texts in Matthew and Luke. The star appeared and then was gone, hence the visit to Herod, and then appeared again to show them the exact location of the house He was in.
I realize that faith is a requirement for accepting the Scriptures as true - we don't see the wind but we do see its results - but I would ask that people at least know what is exactly written before trying to debunk the Bible.
So - Have a Joyous CHRISTmas.
A glimpse of the Bethlehem Star was sought by the Magi and they traveled a long way from the east to see it. They presumably knew what they were looking for and were over the moon when they actually saw that star - when they recognized that it was what they had traveled all that way to see. The star doesn't seem to have attracted much attention or been that noteworthy for many of the other people of they time. It might have been a normal star.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf it was a normal star then you need to ask why would you have to travel to Jerusalem or Bethlehem from the east to see it (seeking out a higher vantage point perhaps), and how would the Magi have known about the star. Traveling to see a known star that had fallen below the horizon where the Magi lived - in the east where ever that was - due to precession would give a motive for such a journey. I imagine that in those days they would have had records of observations of stars over time. They would have known the night sky.
And you could also imagine a group of over-enthusiastic boffin types going on about seeing that star with their own eyes, and worrying the body politic in Jerusalem sick that perhaps seeing that star was an event with a political meaning beyond the obsessions of a quaint group of three astronomers. Even today you have people who will travel all over the world to view a particular eclipse or astronomical event, and such journeys mean a lot to the people who do this. One of the trips of Captain Cook to the Pacific had a similar kind of motive. It was probably unusual for people to travel on such non-commercial errands 2000 years ago, and the motive to see that star may have been interpreted in local political ways.
And it clearly was and that is how the story has been told...
Respect for what?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI will respect your views if you can justify them. But if you justify your views only by saying you have faith in them, I shall not respect them."- Richard Dawkins, world-renowned geneticist, biologist, scientist.
"We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in
the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory
that his wife is beautiful and his children smart."
[H.L. Mencken, Minority Report, 1956]
"There is, in fact, nothing about religious opinions that
entitles them to any more respect than other opinions get.
On the contrary, they tend to be noticeably silly."
[H.L. Mencken]
good start. science and faith need not be at loggerheads. now, when you try explain supernatural phenomena, like walking on water, bringing the dead back alive, are not we limiting the scope of the phenomena with the knowledge that we have at hand?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisis our fundamental science perfect? are our system of numbers, time, and dimensions correct? do they hold true at the higher dimensions in which the string theory is trying to be proved? we hav a lot of questions and a long way to go.
let science fascinate and show us the way and let faith be our inspiration and hope.
good start. science and faith need not be at loggerheads. now, when you try explain supernatural phenomena, like walking on water, bringing the dead back alive, are not we limiting the scope of the phenomena with the knowledge that we have at hand?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisis our fundamental science perfect? are our system of numbers, time, and dimensions correct? do they hold true at the higher dimensions in which the string theory is trying to be proved? we hav a lot of questions and a long way to go.
let science fascinate and show us the way and let faith be our inspiration and hope.
Take one look at the stars, planets, sun or any other system found in nature and there is only one conclusion. That much order and beauty could only be formed by wise creator - and that creator is GOD almighty, ruler of all. You can receive his gift of salvation by simply putting your trust in his son, Jesus, clearly spelled out in the Bible, read John 3:16 or Romans 10:9. The signs in the stars, etc, were predicted by the prophets, since God cannot lie, it DID come true. The Bible also says that if any man be in Christ he is a new CREATURE! Trust Him today, its is still not too late.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPercy, it's not stupid at all. As one example: the amazingly close conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pieces on May 22, 6BC would have been a very bright morning "star" that the wise men would have been able to see in the EAST from any location. If the Magi were Jewish and were aware of Jewish messianic prophesies (as would be the case if they were descended from the Exile and still living EAST in what used to be Babylon), they would know to go WEST to Jerusalem and then on to Bethlehem (the City of David) to follow-up on their messianic expectations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSorry for the typo ... that Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in 6BC occurred in Pisces, not "pieces".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA classic Freudian slip. I would imagine that Magi - that is people whose role in society is studying the night sky and knowing everything there is to know about it - would know the difference between stars and planets, the wanderers. Planets can be spotted along the ecliptic and there wouldn't be a need to travel a few 100km west to see such a conjunction. I doubt that Hebrew prophesies would have counted for much to people outside the particular communities at that time, except as fodder for travelers' tales. But that just my opinion...
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