the star of Bethlehem

Originally posted on December 10, 2008 – by Andre Piet

Today (December 10, 2008) the following interesting report could be read on nu.nl.

‘Jesus was born on June 17’

AMSTERDAM – An Australian astronomer has calculated, using a computer model, the exact date on which the ‘Christmas star’ appeared in the sky, which is said to have appeared at the birth of Jesus.

Astronomer David Reneke simulated, with a powerful computer program, the starry sky as it must have appeared over Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago.

While studying those data, he came across a so-called conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. The planets were so close together that they probably briefly produced a bright beam of light, which appeared rather suddenly.

star

The researcher suspects that the three Wise Men from the East regarded that light as a star, which eventually led them to the birthplace of Jesus.

With the positions of the celestial bodies and data from the New Testament, Reneke even calculated an exact date for the remarkable light phenomenon: June 17 in the year 2 before Christ. The current calendar would therefore not be entirely correct.

planets

“With software you can calculate very precisely where planets were located in the sky at a certain moment,” Reneke explained to the British newspaper Daily Telegraph.

“Venus and Jupiter came very close together in the year 2 before Christ and they must have caused a bright light. That glow may be the explanation for the mythical Christmas star.”

supernova

Scientists had previously speculated that the light of the ‘Christmas star’ arose from a comet, or even a supernova (exploding star). According to Reneke, however, it has never before been reconstructed with a computer model what the sky looked like during the birth of Jesus.

“This research shows that there truly was a bright light visible in the sky around the stated time. It is therefore not an attempt to belittle the Christian faith; the data actually support the Christmas story.”

What this astronomer reports about the star of Bethlehem corresponds exactly with what has been brought forward on the goedbericht site for years already! See, among others, this study from two years ago. Incidentally, the discovery of David Reneke is in reality credited to Dr. Ernest L. Martin, who already published groundbreaking research in 1991 under the title ‘The Star That Astonished The World’.

A few remarks.

a whole series

June 17, 2 B.C. is the date on which the most spectacular conjunction took place between the two brightest ‘stars’ in the firmament: Jupiter and Venus. But do not be mistaken: throughout the entire year preceding that, a whole series of special events occurred around the planet Jupiter. From 3 B.C. no fewer than three conjunctions took place with the star Regulus. Regulus means: royal. It is the brightest star of the constellation Leo…

symbolism

What the magi observed on June 17, 2 B.C. was an extraordinarily rare phenomenon. The two brightest stars in the sky became one to the eye. And for those who have a feeling for symbolism (and the magi certainly did!): Venus speaks of fertility and Jupiter, as king of the planets, speaks of kingship… In Hebrew this planet is called ‘Tsedek’ (righteous), which is a Messianic title. Moreover, on June 17, 2 B.C. it was ‘coincidentally’ also full moon. From ancient times this too refers to fertility and birth. Add to this that the conjunction was seen near Leo – the constellation that for thousands of years had been the emblem of the people of Judah (“the lion of Judah”). Finally, consider that the magi were located in the East and observed the conjunction in the west, that is, above the region of Judea… The magi were certain of their case. The starry sky told them convincingly that the King of the Jews must have been born!

not the date of birth

As has been set forth, June 17, 2 B.C. is ‘merely’ one of the dates in a spectacular series related to Jupiter. That it would therefore be the date on which Jesus was born is jumping to conclusions. Elsewhere on this site I have (as I believe) made it plausible that Jesus was born, namely on the 10th of Aviv (Nisan), a few days before Passover. (Click HERE).

astronomical facts

For a very long time people have mocked the (supposedly) mythical story about ‘the wise men from the East’. But the tide is turning, and astronomers too cannot escape the fact that the starry sky shortly before our calendar era indeed displayed wondrous things.

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