The Star of Bethlehem, Part 1

Nativity Scene at old parish church, Kiefersfelden, Germany,
Photographer Renardo la Vulpo
(CC BY-SA 4.0 International).

“…and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was” (Matt. 2: 9).

Many biblical scholars, amateur and professional astronomers over the centuries have attempted to identify the Star of Bethlehem which the Bible tells us led the Magi to the Christ child.

Some have proposed comets or meteors.  Others have suggested supernovae or planets which the ancients termed “wandering stars”.

Based on Scripture, the lawyer and filmmaker Rick Larson identified 9 characteristics of the Bethlehem star [1][2]:

1. The star signified birth.
2. The star signified kingship.
3. The star was related to the Jewish nation.
4. The star rose in the East.
5. The star was not known to King Herod the Great.
6. The star appeared at a specific time.
7. The star existed for a period of time.
8. The star went before the Magi as they traveled south to Bethlehem from Jerusalem.
9. The star stopped over the city of Bethlehem.

Using those characteristics, the mathematics of Johannes Kepler governing planetary motion, and a computer program written by astronomer Craig Chester as a guide, Larson ruled out all contenders but a triple conjunction of the planet Jupiter with the star Regulus over Bethlehem on December 25, 2 BC [3]:

1. The first conjunction signified birth by its association with the constellation Virgo the Virgin “birthing” the new moon.  This may have coincided with Christ’s conception.
2. The apparent coronation of Regulus (the king star) by Jupiter (the king planet) signified kingship.  One could, also, argue that the unusual triple conjunction signaled a new king.
3. The triple conjunction began with the Jewish New Year and occurred within the constellation Leo the Lion, suggesting the Jewish tribe of Judah (and the prophecies of the Messiah).
4. The planet Jupiter does rise in the East.
5. The conjunctions appeared at precise times.
6. Herod was unaware of these things.  Since they were astronomical events, they had significance for him only when explained by experts.
7. The events occurred over a sufficient span of time for the Magi to see them both from the East and on their arrival in Jerusalem.
8. Jupiter went ahead of the Magi as they traveled south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
9. Jupiter did appear to stop by way of retrograde motion.

Whether this analysis is accurate or not, the God who set the stars in place and determined the paths of the planets was fully capable of orchestrating the motion of the spheres to announce the birth of His Son in the heavens.

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[1]  Wikipedia, “Rick Larson (filmmaker)”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Larson_(filmmaker).

[2]  Wikipedia, “The Star of Bethlehem (2007 film)”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star_of_Bethlehem_(2007_film).

[3]  The Star of Bethlehem, https://bethlehemstar.com.

Part 2 in this series will be posted next week.

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