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Reviews:BISMARCK TRIBUNE, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1995 Bethlehem Star Traced
New edition uses computer researchby KAREN HERZOG Astronomers and biblical scholars can now scan the ancient skies over Judea as they would have appeared 2,000 years ago.
Computers can track planetary and stellar motions over the past 5,000 years with an accuracy unknown a few decades ago, according to biblical researcher Dr. Ernest Martin.
Martin, of Portland, Ore., is the author of "The Star that Astonished the World," just released in a new edition. The updated version incorporates recent research into his study of the Star of Bethlehem, which biblical accounts say led the wise men to the child Jesus.
In his book, Martin has crafted his theory of the star's origin from a jigsaw of sketchy historical records, brief biblical accounts and new findings from the computer's astronomical calculations.
First published in 1991 by ASK Publications, the book attempts to "demonstrate what was the star that led the wise men to Bethlehem . . . making the story of the Nativity a much more reasonable and interesting account than most historical narratives have provided up to now," Martin says.
Martin has been writing about the physical events surrounding the birth of Christ since 1976, beginning with an article in "Christianity Today" and continuing with his first book, "The Birth of Christ Recalculated," published in 1978.
This latest work relies primarily on new research by David W. Beyer, a San Diego based researcher, for his theory of the likely chronology of events surrounding the Star of Bethlehem.
Weaving Beyer's calculations with the Bible and historical sources, Martin contends:
In the early evening of June 17, 2 B.C., cities around Babylon in Mesopotamia, witnessed the planet Venus moving eastward among the stars, apparently on a collision course with the planet Jupiter. It approached so closely that to the naked eye the planets appeared as a single "star" dominating the western twilight in the direction of Palestine.
This astronomical event would have been especially meaningful to Near East court astrologersrespected as Magi, or wise menwho had studied such events closely for centuries.
The Romans interpreted the spectacular celestial display as a favorable omen for three events: the 25th jubilee year of Caesar Augustus' reign, the 750th anniversary of the founding of Rome, and the granting of the prestigious title, "Father of the Country" to Augustus.
Festivities celebrating those Roman events required "the entire Roman people," including the conquered ends such as Palestine, to register their approval for Augustus' new title. Since the biblical account of the Nativity mentions "a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled" in the gospel of Luke, Martin concludes this was the enrollment that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. No regular taxation census occurred at this time, said astronomer Craig Chester, president of the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy, in a review of Martin's book.
As the joining of these two planets took place in the constellation Leo during a full moon, the night sky was lit brightly during the conjunction. In addition, Leo was the chief sign of the Zodiac to both secular and biblical astrologers and was known as the Royal constellation, dominated by the Sunthe "chief star" of the heavensand by the star Regulus, known as the King Star.
This conjunction may have led the Magi to Palestine, since there were serious beliefs even among the Romans that somewhere in this period a mighty ruler was destined to come out of the eastern parts of the empire.
Other, astronomical occurrences of unusual and significant nature also took place during the 18-month period surrounding the stars appearance. These unusual conjunctions and displays would have been extremely meaningful to astrologers interpreting the heavens as signaling the impending birth of a great king of Israel Chester contends.
During Jupiter's path across the sky, the laws of planetary motion would have caused it to appear to stop and then move backward before proceeding onward and hovering over Bethlehem, less than five miles south on-the main road from Jerusalem, Chester says. Interestingly enough, Chester adds, that loop was stationary on Dec. 25, during Hanukkah, which was the season for giving presents.
The accounts of King Herod's slaughter of all infants under the age of two upon hearing of a "new born king of the Jews" suggests that he, too, took these beliefs seriously enough to eliminate all possible competitors for his throne.
Chester also notes that ancient astrologers Magi understood the planetary motions quite well. Predictions of the spectacular conjunctions of 3 and 2 B.C. were made 400 years before the birth of Christ and were in error by only a few days.Copyright 1995 by Bismarck Tribune, posted with permission. --30-- To purchase The Star that Astonished the World by credit card, call 719-636-2000 or use the order form to fax or send your order in. |
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