Matthew 2:4-6
“When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel."
The Book of Micah was being quoted to Herod.
5) The star rose in the east (not all celestial objects do that)
Matthew 2:2: the wisemen give us another clue. They say, “We saw his star in the east and have come to worship Him."
When the wise men said "we saw his star in the east," they didn't mean "we saw his star while we were in the East."
The Greek text here says the Star was "en anatole," meaning they saw His star rising in the east.
That's what all but polar stars do, because of the rotation of the Earth. Stars rise in the east, but not all celestial objects do that. So, that's another qualification for the Star: 4) it must rise in the east like most other stars, but it couldn't be a polar star.
Matthew 2:8-9: “He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was.”
8) The star remained in the sky over a considerable period of time. For the Magi first saw it from Babylon (their home), traveled to Judea and it was still visible for all this time.
9) The Bethlehem star appeared ahead of the Magi as they trekked southwards from Babylon (which helps us gain a sky direction also).
10) The star stopped... Can stars do that? Yes, at least they can visually appear to stop.
So, what was the Bethlehem star?
Was it a comet? - No. There were no recorded comets in 3-2 BC. Besides, if it had been a comet, everyone - even the non-astronomers like Herod - would have noticed it without help.
Was it a meteor? - No. Meteors don't stay in the sky for very long. And they don't "rise in the east."
Was it a Nova? - No. There were no recorded Nova's in 3-2 BC.
What's left?
Well, Herod had to ask when the Star appeared.
Anyone can glance up and see planets and stars. That is the nature of things in the sky. But, apparently, one could look up at the Star without realizing it. Herod didn't know of it. It took Magi to explain it. But once the Star was pointed out, all Jerusalem went abuzz, and Herod went into action.
A reasonable hypothesis is that the Star must have been something in the normal night sky which was striking when explained.
Did anything interesting happen in the ordinary night skies over the Middle East in 3 or 2 BC?
Yes, something did - and it involved the planet Jupiter and the star called Regulus.
JUPITER was originally called Tsedek, which means “The King" Star and "YAH Our Righteousness”.
Jupiter is the largest planet of our solar system (a "gas giant“).
Jupiter is approximately eleven times the size of Earth and over 300 times more massive.
It circles the Sun far beyond Earth, in an orbit of about twelve years duration.
In ancient times, planets like Jupiter were considered "wandering stars."
So, what happened with Jupiter in 3-2 BC? Jupiter circled Regulus (the star located between the lion's paws in the constellation Leo) three times, in a crowning and rare triple conjunction. Notably, Jupiter is the planet which indicates the King. And Regulus is the star which means "the scepter" of the King. Both of these heavenly bodies indicate a King. And the movements of Jupiter around Regulus would have been nothing short of a heavenly coronation ceremony, to the trained eye of any astronomer, as were the wisemen.
Because Jupiter and Regulus were so close during the period of this heavenly coronation, it visually appeared as if a new, brighter star had been born (which we call the "Bethlehem star"). Using Starry Night Pro, we get the following picture to see the amazing sky event which the wisemen had long awaited. Here's what happened (as is well-presented in the DVD called The Bethlehem Star):
•Jupiter came into a close conjunction with the star, Regulus. In 3/2 BC, Jupiter's retrograde wandering would have called for the full attention of the Magi.
•Afterwards Jupiter continued on its path through the star field. Then it entered retrograde. It visually "changed its mind" and headed back to Regulus for a second conjunction. After this second pass it reversed course again for yet a third rendezvous with Regulus, completing the TRIPLE CONJUNCTION.
•A triple pass like this is more rare. Over a period of months, the Planet of Kings danced out a halo above the Star of Kings. A coronation.
But how do we know that this was the heavenly event which Daniel had told the wisemen would announce Yahshua's birth? Daniel, as a Biblical prophet, had access the parts of the Bible that were written before his time. One such was the Torah writings of Moses, which contained the Messianic, death-bed prophecy of Jacob foretelling this activity with the star between the lion's paws.
Regulus means "the scepter". So, in Jacob's prophecy from Genesis 49, we find the lion constellation described. The star between the lion's feet is Regulus - the scepter. And this star appeared to depart from between the lion's paws when Jupiter conjuncted with it. As Jupiter was in front of Regulus, the scepter star disappeared from view, exactly as Jacob foretold. This disappearance was the sign that "Shiloh" had come. And Shiloh is a Name for Christ - meaning Prince of "Peace". Not only did Regulus disappear from view, its light encircled and added to the light of Jupiter, making it visually seem that another star had suddenly appeared in the sky, being much brighter than Regulus had been (since the light of the two was now joining together to form a brighter star).
On December 28 of 2 BC as it entered retrograde, Jupiter (Tsedek) reached full stop in its travel through the fixed stars.
By this time, the Magi would have been viewing the star from Jerusalem. Remember the Magi had a long journey from Babylon. They finally arrived in Jerusalem when Yahshua was nearly two years old, which is why Herod ordered the massacre of all boys aged two years old and younger (Matthew 2:16). From Jerusalem, the direction of Regulus' starry dance with Jupiter is in the right part of the sky- the Magi would have seen Jupiter appear to be stopped in the sky above the little town of Bethlehem.
"Ancient Jewish historians record that the patriarch, Seth, gave a prophecy that in the period in which the Promised One would be born a bright star would appear in the heavens..."(Gospel in the Stars, p. 161)
Now, at that time, the lion (now called Leo) constellation was often viewed as being part of Virgo. This was because it was known that the lion (a title for Christ, who was the lion of the tribe of Judah) would be born of a virgin.
Naturally, if a starry event of any magnitude was going on, you would expect that astronomers of the day would have written something about it. And there are many astronomers who witnessed the "Bethlehem star" and wrote about it. They record it appearing in "Virgo", because, as I mentioned, the lion was considered to be a part of the woman, since He was to be born of her.
“A new and peculiar star made its appearance in… Virgo in the period… (immediately preceding Christ’s birth) It sparkled brilliantly above all stars.” (Ignatius)
•This star continued to remain in the sky for an extended time, which fulfills one of the Bethlehem star clues..
•Ancient Astronomer Hipparchus observed the star just prior to Christ’s birth – and recorded his observations - so it happened at the right time..
•Ancient Chinese records also mention this new bright star at the time corresponding to Christ’s birth.
