Four years ago, in December 2020, a great conjunction occurred in the evening sky.
From the perspective of observers on Earth, the planetary event looked like a close collision between the macroscopic “gas giants” Jupiter and Saturn. It had been almost four centuries since the two planets lined up very close together, and almost eight centuries since this happened at night.
Only a comet with a very specific orbit could have done everything the Christmas Star is said to have done, Nichol argues.
Because of its brightness, this conjunction was easily visible even in the evening sky, and because it occurred in December (the climax was on the 21st), it was affectionately known as the “Christmas Star.”
For centuries, many scholars have speculated about its nature. actual The Christmas Star mentioned in Matthew's Gospel – a star that the Magi (astrologers) believed to have royal significance.
When I was a child, I thought the Star of Bethlehem was a miraculous star. de novo A creation that served its purpose and then disappeared. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned about various other proposals. These include conjunctions, novae (stars that temporarily increase in brightness and then return to normal brightness), meteors, and comets. My great intellectual hero, Johannes Kepler, believed that the Magi saw a new star in a constellation that probably marked the birth of royalty.
Before we consider the two major theories about the nature of stars, let's look at the Biblical account of the Magi. Matthew 2:1-12 (Net):
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem during the reign of King Herod and said, “Where is He who was born King of the Jews? We have seen His star rise and have come to worship Him.'' When King Herod heard this, he sent all of Jerusalem to I was surprised that it was included. After gathering all the chief priests and experts of the law, he asked where Christ would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “the prophet has written:
“And you, Bethlehem, are in the land of Judah.
He is by no means inferior among the rulers of Judah,
For from among you will arise a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. ”Then Herod secretly called the wise men and determined from them when the star appeared. Jesus sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child, and when you find him, let me know so that I may also go and worship him.'' After hearing the king's words, they departed, and when they ascended again The star they saw guided them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they cried out with joy. When they entered the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, they fell down and worshiped him. They opened the treasure chest and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
What is this celestial body that rises in the east and appears to rest over the place where the Holy Family lives?
From the context of this passage, it appears that Herod was previously unaware of the new astronomical event. In a time when phenomena were not obscured by light pollution, anything worth noting would have been observed by the vast majority of people who lived under the glittering skies of antiquity. Moreover, Herod's court astronomers were sure to notice (and report) particularly unusual things that casual observers would not have noticed.
In The Great Christ Comet: Revealing the True Star of Bethlehem, Biblical scholar Colin Nichol convincingly argues that the object in the night sky that guided the wise men on their journey was a comet. I am.
Nichol describes with amazing accuracy how a comet led the wise men to Jerusalem, then to Bethlehem, and finally to the house where Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus were staying. When the star appeared to rest over the spot where the Christ Child was discovered, this was a comet “descending” toward the distant horizon. Only a comet with a very special orbit could have done everything the Christmas Star is said to have done, Nichol argues.
I read Nicol's book when it was first published, but I didn't have the necessary astronomical training to judge the veracity of the more technical aspects, so I didn't know the astronomer who published Nicol's book. I was excited to find a book review written by Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez. -Book “Privileged Planet”.
he I will write:
Input from astronomers is evident in the quality and depth of discussions on technical aspects of astronomy. Nicole carefully explains the basic movements of objects in the night sky, always paying attention to the details associated with ANE. [Ancient Near-Eastern] Observers. He also explains comet anatomy, orbital mechanics, brightness changes, and visual appearance very well. …No obvious errors were found in the astronomy content of this book.
Gonzalez concludes his review by saying that (despite minor issues such as discrepancies in dates regarding Herod's reign) it is tempting to say that Nicol has solved the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem.
Gonzalez points out that “even one short note of a comet appearing on a particular date and in a particular constellation that is consistent with Nicol's theory would be enough to confirm it.”
Another theory that I find very valuable is presented in The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi by Michael R. Molnar.
As part of his career, Molnar served as a professor of astronomy at Rutgers University. He was also a collector of ancient coins and enjoyed writing about the interesting astrological symbolism found on coins. he believed one of his acquisitionsBronze Age Roman coins featuring a leaping ram gazing at the stars were directly linked to the Biblical account.
This image symbolizes Jupiter moving through the constellation Aries (the Ram), a phenomenon known to have occurred in 6 BC. The bright planet passes through the constellation and then goes retrograde (retrograde). It entered motion, briefly passing through the constellation Aries, and then appeared to pause briefly before resuming its forward orbital motion. There were two lunar eclipses (the moon covered Jupiter). The first was on March 20th and the second on April 17th. According to ancient astrology, a lunar eclipse of Jupiter signaled the birth of a king.
Furthermore, Claudius Ptolemy, the famous pagan astronomer who devised the geocentric cosmology that ruled for many years based on Aristotelian principles, wrote in his Tetrabiblius that the land of Judea was ruled by the constellation Aries. I wrote that. Other astrological sources also support this claim of Ptolemy. Therefore, Molnar says, astrologers would have viewed this event as marking the birth of a great king in Judea.
In his book, Nicol criticizes Molnar's theory point by point. The first problem, he says, is that none of the lunar eclipses of 6 BC were observed in Babylon, where the Magi would have traveled.
Additionally, lunar eclipses of Jupiter in Aries were not incredibly rare. In another example following AD 54, Nicol gives several other reasons for thinking Molnar's theory is insufficient, some of which are more convincing than others. Still, the fact remains that there is currently no known record in ancient literature of a comet passing over the ancient Near East within a viable time frame.
In the end, we may never find a definitive solution to the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem, but this speculation is very interesting. Perhaps more clues will emerge as research continues.
This article is adapted from the following posts: originally appeared in Worldview News Substack.
