-
- "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise Men from the East
came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of
the Jews? For we have long seen His star in the East, and have come to
worship Him."
-
- No matter how many times Matthew's story
is told, the question remains: What exactly was this star? There has been
no shortage of explanations. According to one count, 250 major scholarly
articles on the subject were published in the first three-quarters of this
century alone.
-
- Here is a short list of nominations:
-
- 1. It may simply have been a bright
star, a supernova (an old star which,
- in a gravitational death spasm, blazes
forth for a few months before
- gasping its last breath of nuclear energy),
- 2. Or, a recurrent supernova (the same,
except that several hundred years
- generally intervene between spasms).
- 3. Some believe it was a constellation,
more portentous than a single star.
- 4. A bright comet...Halley's has been
mentioned.
- 5. Others say the great luminary was
really two comets, a meteor shower,
- or a fireball (a colossal meteor visible
only in a small part of the
- world).
- 6. A few have nominated the aurora borealis
(northern lights).
- 7. There are those who contend the star
should have been called the Planet
- of Bethlehem--Venus hovering over the
horizon or transiting the surface of
- the sun. 8. Combinations of sky phenomena
have been suggested, including a
- conjunction of two or more planets, such
as the triple conjunction (three
- close visual passes in a row) of Saturn
and Jupiter in the constellation of
- Pisces in 7 B.C.
- 9. A planetary conjunction plus a comet.
- 10. Or eclipses of Saturn and Jupiter
by the moon.
- 11. The zodiacal light, a reflection
of sunlight off interplanetary
- particles in the plane of the planets'
orbits, has been cited.
- 12. UFOs.
-
- A second category of explanation avoids
the necessity of scientific accountability by positing a theophany, an
aura of light surrounding God, a supernatural radiance.
-
- A third category raises the possibility
that the star is neither chronological nor literal and that identifying
it either naturally or supernaturally serves no purpose, that it is "just
a story."
-
- Which of these explanations one opts
for depends on who is asking the question--astronomer, theologian, or historian--and
what constitutes meaning for each in the historical framework in which
he or she makes the inquiry.
-
- Dialogue With The Firmament
-
- An oft-missing element in comprehending
the story of the Star of Bethlehem is the vital role that astrology played
in ancient beliefs about the natural world. Even today, a 1997 poll found
that 37% of Americans believe in astrology--up from 17% in 1976. The doctrine
linking celestial events to earthly activities--"as above, so below"--influenced
all levels of society, from nobility to peasantry, and all forms of activity,
from politics and science to medicine and agriculture. Rome at the time
of nascent Christianity was no exception.
-
- _______________
-
- ANTHONY F. AVENI is the Russell B. Colgate
Professor of Anthropology and Astronomy at Colgate University.
-
- © 1998 by the Archaeological Institute
of America http://www.archaeology.org/9811/abstracts/star.html
|
