On June 17, in the year 2 B.C., there was a conjunction of the planet Venus with the planet Jupiter. As seen from Babylonia the merging of these 2 planets would have appeared as a very bright, single, new star – that would seem to set in the direction of Palestine. Was this the event that inspired the Magi to set off on their Biblical journey? Was this the Star of Bethlehem?
A fellow named Fred Schaff wrote an article suggesting just that. He had vetted his idea with several astronomical experts: Robert Victor of Michigan State & Abrams Planetarium, Carl Wenning of Illinois State University, and Sherman Kanagy of Purdue University. All agreed that the idea was plausible, and probably the best “natural” explanation for the star described in Matthew 2. Some may object that 2 B.C. is about 2 years too early. It’s not. The date of Christ’s birth was miscalculated in 525 A.D. by the Roman monk, Dionysius Exiguus. Dionysius made a few mathematical errors. So, although we still use his date to start our calendar reckoning most scholars have now settled on 2 B.C. as the actual first year of anno Domini.
There were 4 conjunctions around that time. The first was on August 12, in 3 B.C. This one wasn’t quite complete, however, and the conjunction was too near the Sun to be visible. Nevertheless, Schaff speculates that the Magi would have predicted the event because of their well-known expertise in astronomical movements. He speculated further that the full conjunction of the following June sent them on their way. The 3rd conjunction, of August 20, 2 A.D. would have occurred during their visit to King Herod, in Jerusalem. To quote Schaff, “ The 4th conjunction would be the climax. In the few hours it took the Magi to travel the 5 miles between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, they would note the Venus-Jupiter pair moving from the east toward the south (the direction of Bethlehem) due to the rotation of the earth, thus ‘going before them’. The ancient Jerusalem-Bethlehem road would lead the travelers to Bethlehem from roughly southeast – the planet pair would appear to be standing over the town”.
Schaff ended his article with the information that this very rare conjunction was about to be repeated in mid-October/’91, just a few weeks away.
I took the article over to show to my Mom. I thought she would be as interested in it as I was.
I spent a lot of time with Mom in those days.
After my Father’s death in 1990 I was the only family that still lived nearby. Years before, my brother, Rick, had moved to Houston, and my sister, Rhonda, had moved to Atlanta. That left me to take their place – and Dad’s, too. That was a tall order. More than I could live up to. But I did what I could, and I was grateful for the opportunity. I was pretty much A.W.O.L. during much of the preceding 25-some years, and I had a lot to make up for.
So, I took Mom shopping. I took her to her doctor appointments. I took her to lunch.
I took her to the movies. I took her wherever and whenever she needed to go, and I tried to be good company for her, as well.
If that sounds like more duty than fun, then I’ve given the wrong impression. Being with her so often gave me a chance to appreciate her in a way I hadn’t before: as a person. I had always known that she was extremely intelligent, but I hadn’t realized the extent of her intellectual curiosity. Mom was curious about topics I did not expect her to be curious about. We talked about a lot of things, and I often brought her books, and articles – like this one, about the Star of Bethlehem – as more fuel for our discussions.
She thought the Venus-Jupiter theory was fascinating, and she wanted to see the upcoming conjunction.
The best time for viewing was 3:30 A.M. to 4:30 A.M., but that wasn’t much of a problem. Mom didn’t sleep much at night, and I didn’t (don’t) either. Just in case though, I called to wake her before I left my house. It wasn’t necessary. She was wide awake and already getting bundled up to go outside.
On the drive over, I could see the two planets moving ever closer in the Eastern sky.
It was a cold, clear night, perfect for stargazing.
I got to Mom’s house a little before the exact conjunction, so we had time for a cup of coffee before we went out. Even with the coffee, and her heaviest coat on, she was still cold, but game. I helped her down the steps and we stood there in the front yard and watched – as Venus and Jupiter moved together to become a single, amazing star.
We expected it to be spectacular, and it was. It looked just like the Christmas Star pictured on Christmas cards, with long, radiating beams of light streaking outward from a central cross of supernatural brilliance. It was the brightest thing, outside of the sun, I have ever seen in the sky. Even with the preparation of reading the article, it was more than anticipated.
We watched in silence for many minutes.
Mom was shivering. I suggested it was time to go inside, and Mom agreed, a little reluctantly. Once back in the house,
I helped her into bed, kissed her forehead, and left. The star was visible most of the way home.
Was it really the Star of Bethlehem? I don’t know, but even if it wasn’t, it was sure worth seeing.
Mom thought so, too.
Me & Mom - 1943