The recent conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in a close visible proximity not seen from Earth in almost 800 years was referred to by many people on social media as “The Star of Bethlehem.” But what do we really know about the star referenced in Matthew’s nativity story?
Matthew’s Gospel is the only book in the New Testament that references a star heralding Jesus’s birth, and modern scholars, both believers and skeptics, have sought an explanation for that cosmic phenomenon.
While there is no way to know for certain what was seen, many explanations have been offered, including meteors, comets and even an exploding star known as a supernova.
But ancient astronomers kept reliable records of these kinds of events, so the most plausible physical explanation may actually be the kind of planetary conjunction we witnessed this week.
Part of the problem in knowing what it might have been stems from the unknown date of Jesus’s birth. Scholars have guessed in a range of dates from 8 B.C. to 1 B.C., with evidence in support of many theories, but none of them conclusive.
However, two possible conjunctions of Jupiter and Venus — two of the brightest planets in the sky — in September of 3 B.C. and again in June of 2 B.C. may have been the celestial object that drew the Magi to seek the new king who had been born.
The Magi are another interesting part of the Christmas story. Although the carol “We Three Kings” is well-known, we don’t know how many men actually visited King Herod in search of the newborn king. The number comes from the named gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
They probably weren’t kings, either, but rather astrologers, whose purpose was to search the skies for omens and portents that helped them advise their rulers about the likelihood of future events.
One thing is almost certain: they did not appear in Bethlehem on the night of Christ’s birth. In all likelihood, they arrived several weeks later. So if you’re interested in a historically accurate nativity scene, put the Wise Men on the other side of the room from the manger.
We may never be able to determine with any certainty the historical foundation for these accounts, but for the billions of faithful believers, Christmas is always at time of joy and celebration.
Mark Sanders is a contributing writer for the Daily American Republic.