(Mat 2:9 NKJ) When they heard the king, they
departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before
them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
An Anglican canon lawyer who blogs as Anglican
Curmudgeon uses astronomy and knowledge of the astrology of the magi to explain
the very precise accuracy of this verse.
(Part of his argument is that the accepted year
of Herod's death is wrong.)
(There are other good arguments for a birth date
in late December.)
Long post with embedded videos of scientifically
reconstructed night skies.
He explains the whole history of the star, but a
key section is:
You are looking southwest of Jerusalem, tracking
Jupiter in the night sky, in the constellation of Virgo, the virgin. Each time
the frame of the movie refreshes, one day has elapsed. The movie shows the
course followed by Jupiter, marking the date intervals every few days. Notice
that Jupiter heads steadily lower, toward the horizon, but then comes to a
stop, and eventually reverses course. And note the date when it begins to come
to a stop -- December 24! For the entire twelve days from December 25, 2 B.C.
to January 6, 1 B.C., Jupiter stood still in the night sky, hovering over a
point southwest of Jerusalem, as the earth overtook it in its orbit around the
sun.
Bethlehem is just five
miles southwest of Jerusalem, on the main road. To the magi, it would indeed
appear as though the King planet had guided them there. And they would have
arrived during the Jewish festival of Hannukah, during which Jews gave each
other gifts.
I2C 131222a Mat 2v9 Science of stationary star /
I2C / 131222 1652 / Matt. 2:9 Science of stationary star
