Adoration of the Magi[/caption]Marsha Hunt with Carol Forsloff---Whether it is entirely true or not, some of the historical and astrological evidence reveal Jesus was not born in December but in May. But what is the value of the date of the birth as opposed to the life and death of the man?
Astrology may be bunk to some people, but the ancients believed in its value, and for some it is part of a reasoned approach to learning about one's universe. Some astrologers who have studied history maintain Jesus was born much earlier in the year than December, most likely in May, which is the astrological sign of Gemini.
Astrologer Christine Arens says a more likely date of Jesus birth would be May 29, 7 BC.
History.com, an Internet website that covers various historical events, tells us that the early Christians did not know the true date of Jesus' birth but established it near the winter solstice in December in order to blend in with the pagan festivals taking place in Europe. Historical records are sparse on the details, except for the interventions of the Roman Catholic Church that formally established when to celebrate Christmas in December.
According to History.com, the true date of Christ's birth wasn't known to early Christians. In the 4th Century AD, the Roman Catholic Church established the Christmas holidays in December near the winter solstice in order to blend in with pagan Saturnalia festivals observed in Rome and elsewhere in Europe.
Arens says the Bible does offer clues. For example the Gospels tell us that angels heralded the birth of Jesus to shepherds who were tending their sheep by night. "The sheep indigenous to this region have their mating season from October to December. With a five month gestation period, all of the new lambs would have been born by late May and the shepherds would be in the fields watching their flocks by night to make certain none of the newcomers went astray.
"What this gives us is a birth date for Jesus sometime in late spring." she says, continuing: "The Roman historian Flavius Josephus writes about the illness and death of Herod, which occurred while a lunar eclipse was visible in Judea on March 13, 3 BC. Since the Bible tells us Herod was very much alive when Jesus was born His birth had to be prior to this date."
Aren points to another clue from the Bible, that at the time of the birth of Christ Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to register for their taxes. Ancient Roman records discuss three such calls for taxes that were sent from Rome - in 28 BC, 8 BC and 14 AD. "The 28 BC date is probably too early and the 14 AD date is obviously too late. Most likely, the 8 BC tax call is the one Scripture refers to," Arens said.
Astrologers can also use modern computers to create a star map that shows what the heavens would have looked like from an astrological perspective. They observe that 8 BC was not especially eventful but the following year, 7BC was."Given the distances and communications challenges involved, it's likely that most Jews would have registered for taxes in the year following the call, or in 7 BC when the heavens better explained the events unfolding," she said.
The three Wise Men who followed a star to Christ's birthplace were likely members of the Zoroastrian religion, who were astrologers. Arens believes the star these Magi followed was not an astronomical phenomenon but a meteor shower, comet or nova, none of which were technically recorded as occurring in December of the year considered by Christians to be the birth of Jesus.
More likely, she tells us, the Magi believed from their own religious influences and practices that there was to be an extremely rare coincidence when the planets line up in the same zodiacal degree. In 1603 Johannes Kepler suggested the Christmas Star could actually have been a conjunction of the two planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Arens agrees with this supposition.
"When the planets involved in the conjunction are the two largest gas giants in the solar system they can light up the night sky spectacularly. This is what Kepler observed in 1603 and what ancient astrologers viewed in 7 BC," she points out.
Arens also tells that archeological evidence confirms the ancient Magi astrologers were competent mathematicians and astronomers who understood the Saros cycle, which identifies the positions of new moons and eclipses and how these positions regularly repeat themselves. The Magi astrologers would have realized that Jerusalem - and the little town of Bethlehem nearby - was the only major urban area in the known world where both the sun and moon would be rising exactly together on the Eastern horizon. It is the reason the wise men traveled to Jerusalem.
"The ancient astrologers would have considered the coinciding of these two cycles to be an event of major significance. Two Roman emperors who claimed to be "divine" said they were born exactly at sunrise. A new moon sunrise birth would be even more significant. "With the new moon on Jerusalem's Eastern horizon it would be seen as bringing the power of the heavens to the physical world of the earth," she says.This fixes the time for Christ's birth on May 29, 7 BC at 5:36 a.m. with the sun, moon and the sign rising on the eastern horizon all at 4 degrees of Gemini. Jupiter and Saturn would be conjoined high up in the eastern sky (the Star in the "East") at 20 degrees of Pisces."Although maybe not the earthly king the Magi were reportedly looking for, with this combination Christ was born to be a great leader - a spiritual teacher and healer - who was destined to serve mankind," Arens concludes.
But as the Christmas season approaches, and these facts and details are revealed and discussed, even as some who don't believe in astrology may repudiate the information, the date of Christ's birth is celebrated by Christians around the world, within a general time period of a few weeks. It remains, however, not the date but the fact of a birth that was predicted and preordained that makes the significance of the birth of a child whose impact on the world has been one of tremendous influence on many generations in the past and those to come.
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