Planetary Conjunction
The next most popular theory is that the Star of Bethlehem was a somewhat rare planetary conjunction. What is a planetary conjunction? A conjunction is when any two or more objects in the sky appear to be very close together. A conjunction could be of asteroids, comets, stars of planets.
The reality is that in the first century not a great deal of distinction was made between stars and planets. They were all called “aster”. So for the astrologers of that day, “aster” was a rather all encompassing term applied to many different kings of lights in the sky because they had no means to understand what they were or how they might be different from one another.
When Matthew reports about the Star of Bethlehem, he in no way describes it as a divine miracle. Rather, what we must find (if possible) is some celestial circumstance that would have conformed to the detailed and powerful beliefs of the astrologers the magi followed, but it would not have been something we would have been tantalized by. If something specular would have happened in the sky, it would have caught the attention of people throughout Jerusalem and the Roman Empire. (Remember, everyone was looking for a king/Messiah to rise up and overpower the Romans.)
The omen of the birth of a king would have had to fit an already well established set of criteria in order for the magi to assign to it that very specific meaning.
Here is one more thing to ponder: what did the magi see which without a doubt would have indicated a new king of the Jews was born in Judea? And yet, the people in Judea did not notice it, nor did any one else in the Roman Empire see it?
Jews may not have practiced astrology, but that does not mean they did not pay attention to the movement of the stars, the sun and the moon. They used them to determine the months, years, seasons and even the beginning and ending of some of the festivals. They certainly would have noticed something spectacular or unusual in the sky. What this implies is that whatever the magi saw in the sky told them that a new king of the Jews had been born, it had to be subtle and not obvious. Or more likely, it would have been something the star gazers noticed, but it would not have been observed any any one else.
Matthew 2:9-10 After the had listened to the king, they went away, and the star which they had seen in the east went in front of them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
A plain reading of these two verses seems to say that this special star the magi saw moved and led them to where the child was. Then it stopped and hovered over the place where Joseph, Mary and Jesus were. This defies any natural explanation. However there is another view which must be considered because Matthew in no way implies that the star was miraculous or supernatural.
Various constellations of the Zodiac were thought by the magi to represent different regions of the known world. The constellation Aries, the Ram, was representative of the reign under Herod who ruled Judea. So Aries is where the astrologers would have looked for signs about Herod’s kingdom
When stars and planets appear within a section of the sky which represents a certain region on earth, it signaled what would happen in that region of the world. Of the many things these ancient Hellenistic astrologers were looking for, it was the sign of a king dying or being born. Kings were very powerful and greatly affected matters of importance.
Around 6 B.C., likely the year Jesus was born, there was a somewhat rare conjunction of planets. Both the moon and the planet Jupiter occurred within the Zodiac sign of Aries. Might this have been what the magi saw which alerted them to the birth of a new king of the Jews?
As we ponder this event, we also need to factor into our thinking that the birth star was not a sign God gave the Jews, but rather, it was a celestial event meant for pagan astrologers. As Luke chapter 2 explains, the sign God provided the Jews was that they were to look for a baby in a feeding trough in the town of Bethlehem.
Matthew 2:11 Upon entering the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they prostrated themselves and worshipped him. Then they opened their bags and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The magi worshipped the child as they would have any king. Remember the magi were not looking for a Savior or a god but rather for a new born king of Judea. Prostrating oneself before a king was usual and customary. Also presenting expensive gifts when visiting a king was usual and customary especially for first-time foreign visitors.
It has become Christian tradition that Mary gave birth to Jesus not in a house or at an inn but rather in something like a barn or cave. Verse 11 says the magi visited Mary and Jesus at a house. The tradition of a cave or barn comes from the mention of the child being laid in an animal feeding trough. But in that era (and still in some parts of the Middle East) animals are brought in at night to a courtyard which is part of the residence. The family will sleep nearby to the animals. The purpose was to protect these valuable animals from predators and from thieves. Naturally, there would have been a feeding trough inside the courtyard. The place where Jesus and his family stayed was lowly, and placing a child in a feeding trough as a bed was probably not customary. But, according to Matthew’s account, the place where Mary and Jesus were staying was a house.
How old was Jesus? The text implies Jesus was an infant, but he could have been a little bit older and been one year old. Wherever the magi came from, the usual pace for travel was 20 miles a day. The magi could have traveled 500 miles in less than a month.
After paying homage, the magi began the long journey back to their homeland. They are warned in a dream not to return to Herod.
In verse 13, the magi exit the story. But the issue of Herod’s murderous intent remains. We are told an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph to warn him to take his family and flee to Egypt.
Verse 14 explains that Joseph obeyed the angel in his dream.
Verse 15: It is quoting Hosea 11:1
No comments:
Post a Comment