And They Followed a Star
I’m writing this post late on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow, I will join with millions of other Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus, but this Christmas is special. It means even more to me after my recent trip to Israel. While I was there, I had the privilege of visiting Bethlehem, the city of His birth. I can’t begin to describe how it felt to be in that city, and now that I’m home, the feeling still lingers with me. His birth somehow became more real, more alive, more tangible. That is just one of the many reasons why I enjoyed my trip to Israel so very much.
The Bible is not just a series of interesting stories. It is real. No matter how hard people try to disprove it, the Bible still stands true. Being in Israel — walking in His steps — even further cemented that in my mind. The study of history and science also continues to prove the validity of the events depicted in the Bible. For example, you may recall that the book of Matthew chronicles the journey of wise men who came from the East to worship Jesus. They saw His star and followed it to find Him. Even though the star appeared over 2,000 years ago, a BBC astronomer and Discovery new contributor recently decided to do some research into this special star and what it could have been.
Mark Thompson scoured through historical records and computer simulations until he stumbled upon a significant astronomical event that might explain what caused the Star of Bethlehem. According to an article by Ian O’Neill on Discovery News:
Between Sept. 3 B.C. and May 2 B.C. there were three conjunctions (on Sept. 14, 3 B.C., Feb. 17, 2 B.C. and May 8, 2 B.C.) where Jupiter passed close to the star Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation Leo). This rare sequence of events would have looked very strange to those familiar with the night sky.
Thompson found that the gas giant passed Regulus in an easterly motion before appearing to reverse direction, passing the star again in a westerly direction. This change in direction is known as retrograde motion. Due to the near-circular orbits of Earth and Jupiter, as Earth has a faster orbital period than Jupiter, from our point of view we will appear to “overtake” the gas giant. The motion of Jupiter will therefore appear to change direction for several weeks before changing direction again continuing its easterly drift.
The Three Wise Men, thought by many to have been zoroastrianist priests (who were also renowned astrologers) might have noticed this strange motion and considered it to be a ‘sign.’
“By camel it would have taken about three months and interestingly this is roughly about the same time Jupiter was traveling in this westward direction.”
Interestingly, Indiana University researchers noted in 2003 that there was a spectacular conjunction between Jupiter and Venus a month after Thompson’s time line. Both planets are thought to have overlapped in the night sky making them indistinguishable to the naked eye on June 17, 2 B.C.
People have often speculated about the accuracy of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. I’ll admit that I’ve wondered how a single star led people to the city of Bethlehem, but research shows us that it was not only possible, it was probable. Jupiter could have led the wise men to the city after its odd change in direction, and a conjunction with Venus may have provided the grand finale in the night sky. I’ve seen a conjunction before, and it is a unique sight to behold (click here for an example). Maybe, just maybe, this is what caught the attention of those searching for Jesus.
I don’t need scientific proof to believe it, but my inner “Scully” thinks it’s pretty cool when the Bible, history, and science align to validate the truth of the story. So, the next time you read the second chapter of Matthew or you watch a Christmas play, you’ll know how they followed the star.
