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The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 53, December 30, 2001, Article 3

STAR OF BETHLEHEM RESEARCH UPDATE

  The December 1st issue of New Scientist has an
  update on Michael Molnar's research into the nature of
  the Star of Bethlehem, initially inspired by numismatic
  evidence.

 "After studying the symbolism on Roman coins, he concluded
  that the "star" was in fact a double eclipse of Jupiter in a rare
  astrological conjunction that occurred in Aries on 20 March,
  6 BC, and again on 17 April, 6 BC (New Scientist magazine,
  23 December 1995).  Molnar believed that Roman astrologers
  would have interpreted such an event as signifying the birth
  of a divine king in Judea. But he lacked proof.  Now he says
  he has found it, in the Mathesis, a book written by Maternus
  in AD 334. Maternus described an astrological event involving
  an eclipse of Jupiter by the Moon in Aries, and said that it
  signified the birth of a divine king.

  "Maternus did not mention Jesus's name," says Molnar. "But
  Roman astrology was a popular craze at the time and everyone
  reading the book would have known the reference was to
  Jesus and that the astrological event was the star of Bethlehem."

  So why did Maternus not mention Jesus by name? According to
  Molnar, early Christians hated pagan beliefs and did not want
  to justify the Biblical story with astrological mumbo-jumbo. The
  idea that the stars govern our fate flew in the face of belief in a
  Christian God as the controlling force in the Universe.

  "Being a pagan who had converted to Christianity during his
  lifetime, Firmicus was torn," says Molnar. "Hence his use of
  astrology to support the Christian story, but in a veiled way."
  According to Molnar, it was essential to early Christians that
  the true nature of the star be hidden, otherwise theologians
  would be mired in debate about celestial influences that were
  not part of Christianity. So they buried the knowledge of the
  star's astrological roots and in time it was forgotten.

  "I take Molnar's work quite seriously," says Owen Gingerich,
  a historian of astronomy at Harvard University. "Anything he
  comes up with along these lines has to be considered as being
  very likely correct."

  http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991713

  [Molnar's book on the subject was discussed in the September
  12&19, 1999 issues of The E-Sylum (Volume 2, Numbers
  37&38) -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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