The Gospels that recount the infancy narratives are the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Luke’s Gospel speaks of the events leading up to Jesus’ birth, where Mary and Joseph found no room in the inn. We are also told that an angel appeared to shepherds tending their flock to bring them the joyous tidings of Jesus’ birth. The shepherds then proceed to find Jesus exactly as described by the angel and are filled with awe and the majesty of such a revelation (cf. Luke 2:1-20). In Matthew’s Gospel, we read of the mysterious visit of the magi, who in following the movements of a rising star, left their homelands to pay homage to the new king. As circumstances would have it, they make the supposed mistake of visiting Herod first, assuming that the sign which marked the dawn of a new kingdom, would be situated in the royal palaces, only to discover that they were in the wrong place. These magi ironically did not predict that their actions would set off a string of events that would cause Herod to massacre the innocent children, and forever change the course of history (cf. Matthew 2:1-18).

Was the massacre avoidable? Yet the ways of God are mysterious. The reporting of the magi to Herod, could be seen in human eyes as a mistake which led to the lost of countless innocent lives, yet this reportage to the existing royalty, and the subsequent killing of the potential contenders to the throne, marks the birth of Jesus as official, as real, and that Jesus was truly a king who would pose a threat to the stability of the throne in earthly terms.

The Star of Bethlehem has received much scholarly debate. Some scientists have argued that it was a supernova. A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of an existing star. The emitting light waves from this explosion is so bright that they can last several months and can be seen across the universe (NASA 2021). The idea of the Star of Bethlehem being a supernova gained popularity from the 17th century when it was first hinted at by astronomer Johannes Kepler who recorded the phenomena of planetary conjunctions where the planets align, and are visible as bright objects by the naked eye, and made the conjecture (incorrectly) that a planetary conjunction could lead to a supernova, and that it was likely that the Star of Bethlehem was likely a supernova that had been borne of such a planetary conjunction (Sachs and Walker 1984). Kepler’s calculations are however important, if we consider that a planetary conjunction could be the precurser or harbinger to the Star of Bethlehem. According to Kepler,

This star was not of the ordinary run of comets or new stars, but by a special miracle moved in the lower layer of the atmosphere… The Magi were of Chaldea, where was born astrology, of which this is a dictum: Great conjunctions of planets in cardinal points, especially in the equinoctial points of Aries and Libra, signify a universal change of affairs; and a cometary star appearing in the same time tells of a rise of a king… Granted, then, that as the new star of the Magi was first seen not only at the same time as Saturn and Jupiter were beheld each in the other’s vicinity, namely in June B.C. 7, but also in the same parts of the sky as the other planets… what else could the Chaldeans conclude from their, and the still existing, rules of their art [of astrology], but that some event of the greatest moment was imminent? … Nor do I doubt that God would have condescended to cater to the credulity of the Chaldeans. (Kepler and Frisch 2014: 347; Burke-Gaffney S. J. 1937)

Given the understanding that there are some discrepancies in the ancient dates plus, or minus five years, and that modern scholars agree that Jesus was not really born in year 0, but close to that time – according to the studies of Jesuit-Scientist Burke-Gaffney (1937), he observes that Johannes Kepler documented how the planet Jupiter had been in conjunction with the planet Saturn three times in the time that was 7 years before year 0 or 7 B.C. during the months June, August, and December, when they were in the constellation Pisces. Kepler then calculated that there was a conjunction of the planet Mars with Saturn 6 years before Christ or 6 B.C., and then of Mars with Jupiter also 6 years before Christ or in the year 6 B.C. According to Kepler, Kepler believed that Christ was born around this major conjunction of the planets and that the Magi arrived during the time that was 5 years before Year 0 or the year 5 B.C. around February, to see for themselves once again, the star that had first seen and tracked seven years before Year 0.

To establish the authenticity of the Star of Bethlehem, modern scholars have taken to studying the ancient records of the civilisations in and around the time of Jesus. Much of the Western World’s understanding of the ancient world around the time of the nativity may be attributed to the work of Strabo, a Greek historian who was born circa 64 or 65 B.C. and lived until around A.D. 21. (21 years after the birth of Jesus). Strabo’s seminal work was Geographica that was completed around the reign of Emperor Tiberius (Roller 2014). In Book 1, he records the presence of a group of people known as Magi – “And the priests of the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, and Magi, distinguished for their wisdom above those around them, obtained from our predecessors honour and authority” (Roller 2014: 1.2.15).

Intriguingly, in Book 16, Strabo (Roller 2014) records the life of a person named Moses:

An Egyptian priest named Moses, who possessed a portion of the country called the Lower [Egypt] * * * *, being dissatisfied with the established institutions there, left it and came to Judaea with a large body of people who worshipped the Divinity. He declared and taught that the Egyptians and Africans entertained erroneous sentiments, in representing the Divinity under the likeness of wild beasts and cattle of the field; that the Greeks also were in error in making images of their gods after the human form. For God [said he] may be this one thing which encompasses us all, land and sea, which we call heaven, or the universe, or the nature of things. Who then of any understanding would venture to form an image of this Deity, resembling anything with which we are conversant? on the contrary, we ought not to carve any images, but to set apart some sacred ground and a shrine worthy of the Deity, and to worship Him without any similitude. He taught that those who made fortunate dreams were to be permitted to sleep in the temple, where they might dream both for themselves and others; that those who practised temperance and justice, and none else, might expect good, or some gift or sign from the God, from time to time.

16.2.36 By such doctrine Moses persuaded a large body of right-minded persons to accompany him to the place where Jerusalem now stands. He easily obtained possession of it, as the spot was not such as to excite jealousy, nor for which there could be any fierce contention; for it is rocky, and, although well supplied with water, it is surrounded by a barren and waterless territory. The space within [the city] is 60 stadia [in circumference], with rock underneath the surface. Instead of arms, he taught that their defence was in their sacred things and the Divinity, for whom he was desirous of finding a settled place, promising to the people to deliver such a kind of worship and religion as should not burthen those who adopted it with great expense, nor molest them with [so-called] divine possessions, nor other absurd practices. Moses thus obtained their good opinion, and established no ordinary kind of government. All the nations around willingly united themselves to him, allured by his discourses and promises.

16.2.37His successors continued for some time to observe the same conduct, doing justly, and worshipping God with sincerity. Afterwards superstitious persons were appointed to the priesthood, and then tyrants. From superstition arose abstinence from flesh, from the eating of which it is now the custom to refrain, circumcision, cliterodectomy, and other practices which the people observe. The tyrannical government produced robbery; for the rebels plundered both their own and the neighboring countries. Those also who shared in the government seized upon the property of others, and ravaged a large part of Syria and of Phoenicia. Respect, however, was paid to the Acropolis [Zion, or the Temple Mount in Jerusalem]; it was not abhorred as the seat of tyranny, but honoured and venerated as a temple. . . .Such was Moses and his successors; their beginning was good, but they degenerated.

(Roller 2014: 16. 2.35-2.37)

The ancient civilisations that had an advanced understanding of astronomy and who were recording celestial phenomena at the time of Jesus comprised of the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, the Arabians or Persians, the Vedic People, the Hindus, and the Chinese (Katz and Imhausen 2007; Needham, Wang, and Needham 2005; Neugebauer 1991).

The Chinese astronomers kept careful documentation of celestial events (Loewe 1986), as these were seen as omens of the rise and fall of dynasties. According to Loewe’s (1986) research, the Chinese classified the comets as such: tailed comets were called sui-hsing or broom star, comets without tails were classified as po-hsing, and novas were called k’o-hsing (guest-star). Ho Peng-Yoke (1962) wrote a glossary translating the different types of nonmenclature used to classify stars in Chinese Astronomy. Interestingly, the celestial objects recorded from 20 B.C. to A.D. 10 were all termed as comets. The behaviour and characteristics of comets as described in these ancient records, correspond with the description in Matthew’s Gospel – “And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.” (Matthew 2:9).

Colin Humphreys (1992) postulates that:

The earliest possible date for the birth of Christ can be deduced from Luke 3:2 3, which states that he was ‘about 30’ when he started his ministry, which commenced with his baptism by John the Baptist. Luke 3:1-2 carefully states that the ministry of John the Baptist started in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar. Depending on whether Luke used the Julian calendar or the Roman regnal year calendar, the fifteenth year of Tiberius was Jan. 1-Dec. 31, AD 29 or autumn AD 28-29, respectively. The Lucan term ‘about 30’ is a broad term covering any actual age ranging from 26 to 34, thus the earliest possible year for the birth of Christ is obtained by subtracting 34 years from AD 28, giving 7 BC. Hence we can rule out as being too early for the star of Bethlehem the comet of 12 BC (Halley’s comet), although the 12 BC comet has recently been revived as the star of Bethlehem.

The latest possible year for the birth of Christ is given by the date of the death of king Herod the Great, since Matthew 2:1 states that Herod was king when the star was seen by the Magi. The generally accepted date for the death of Herod the Great is the spring of 4 BC although other dates have also been suggested (e.g. 5 BC, 1 BC and 1 AD). The evidence that Herod died in 4 BC is strong, and the accounts in Josephus of the reigns of his three sons, Archelaus, Antipas and Philip, all correlate perfectly with a 4 BC date . Josephus (Josephus and Josephus 2001:17:167) records that Herod died between an eclipse of the moon (usually taken to be that of 12/13 March 4 BC and the following Passover on 11 April 4 BC). Josephus also describes that following the death of Herod his funeral occurred, then a seven-day mourning period, then demonstrations against his son Archelaus and then the Passover. Thus the latest date for the death of Herod is the end of March 4 BC and hence the comet that appeared in April 4 BC is too late to be the Star of Bethlehem. In addition, the Chinese records give no details of the 4 BC comet (e.g. its duration) hence it was probably short-lived and insignificant.

Having effectively eliminated the comets of 12 BC and 4 BC as possible candidates for the star of Bethlehem, we note from Table 1 that the only possibility is the comet of 5 BC. The description of this in the Chinese Han shu, the official history of the former Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 9), on which Ho Peng-Yoke (1962) depends, is as follows:

‘Second year of the Chien-p’ing reign period, second month (5 BC, March 9-April 6), a suihsing appeared at Ch’ien-niu for over 70 days.’ (Humphreys 1992: 396-397)

Whatever the celestial object that was – an angel, a star, a comet, the conjunction of planets, what we do know in accordance to our finite human senses and to our earthly observations, the Star of Bethlehem in appearance and behaviour was likely a comet and that its presence signified that something extremely important was happening – the Incarnation of Jesus, that would forever change the course of History.

The Solemnity of Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of Jesus as Saviour and Messiah to the world. At the time of Jesus’ birth, God was revealed in a theophany to two specific groups of people – the very simple – shepherds who were tending their flocks, and the very learned – the magi – those who were attuned and invested in learning more, and in documenting the phenomena that had been revealed to them. The common thread between both groups of people, was the open-ness they had to follow the angel or the star, the faith that there was something to beheld at the end of their journey, and the eventual stepping out in boldness towards the direction of the star, that would eventually lead them to the greatest treasure – Jesus.

If we are today, to receive a Theophany, would we say, “Here I am Lord, lead me. I am here to serve”?

Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, at your right hand, treasures forevermore.”

By the Grace of God,

Brian Bartholomew Tan

 

References

Burke-Gaffney S. J., W. 1937. “Kepler and the Star of Bethlehem.” Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 31.

Ho Peng Yoke, and ) (Ho Ping-Yü. 1962. “Ancient and Mediaeval Observations of Comets and Novae in Chinese Sources.” Vistas in Astronomy 5:127–225. doi: 10.1016/0083-6656(62)90007-7.

Humphreys, Colin J. 1992. “The Star of Bethlehem, A Comet in 5 BC and the Date of Christ’s Birth.” Tyndale Bulletin 43(1). doi: 10.53751/001c.30475.

Katz, Victor J., and Annette Imhausen, eds. 2007. The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Islam: A Sourcebook. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Kepler, Johannes, and Christian Frisch. 2014. Joannis Kepleri Astronomi Opera Omnia, Volume 4 (Latin Edition). Vol. 4. Latin. Nabu Press.

Loewe, Michael. 1986. “The Cambridge History of China.” Pp. 649–725 in, edited by D. Twitchett and M. Loewe. Cambridge University Press.

NASA. 2021. “What Is a Supernova?” NASA Science Space Place. Retrieved January 1, 2025 (https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/supernova/en/).

Needham, Joseph, Ling Wang, and Joseph Needham. 2005. Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

Neugebauer, Otto. 1991. The Exact Sciences in Antiquity. Facsim. ed. New York: Dover.

Roller, Duane W., tran. 2014. The Geography of Strabo: An English Translation, with Introduction and Notes. 1st ed. Cambridge University Press.

Sachs, A. J., and C. B. F. Walker. 1984. “Kepler’s View of the Star of Bethlehem and the Babylonian Almanac for 7/6 B.C.” Iraq 46(1):43. doi: 10.2307/4200210.