Category Archives: Star of Bethlehem

The Star of Bethlehem and the Magi

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Book 695 pages Level: university This 2015 book, edited by Peter Barthel and George van Kooten, is subtitled Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Experts of the Ancient Near East, the Greco-Roman World, and Modern Astronomy, and the book’s nearly 700 pages indeed do include all sorts of scholarly perspectives regarding the Star of Bethlehem.  Those with interest in the Star will find here much to satisfy their interest.  From the publisher, Brill: This book is the fruit of the first ever interdisciplinary international scientific conference on Matthew’s story of the Star of Bethlehem and the Magi, held in 2014 at the University of Groningen, and attended by world-leading specialists in all relevant fields: modern astronomy, the ancient near-eastern and Greco-Roman worlds, the history of science, and religion. The scholarly discussions and the exchange of the interdisciplinary views proved to be immensely fruitful and resulted in the present book. Its twenty chapters describe the various aspects of The Star: the history of its … Continue reading →

An Astronomer’s View of the Christmas Sky

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Article 2000 words Level: all audiences This 2018 article Written by Kyle Peterson and published in the Wall Street Journal is based on an interview Peterson did with Vatican Observatory Director Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J.  The article touches on the Star of Bethlehem, the history of the Vatican Observatory and the unique opportunities for science that the V.O. allows, Galileo and Newton, and God coming before science.  Peterson notes a deeper problem with dragging science into religious arguments: “[Doing that] always makes the science come first and God come at the end of your chain of reasoning,” Brother Consolmagno says.  “To a scientist who’s a believer, it goes the other way around.  I’ve already experienced God.  I’ve already had religious experiences.  I’ve already had things that have made me look at the universe and say: ‘What’s going on?’  Whether they’re tragedies like the death of a loved one or miracles like the birth of a loved one, there are things … Continue reading →

The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Book 208 pages Level: high school and above The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi is a somewhat technical book written by Michael R. Molnar and published in 1999 by Rutgers University Press.  It is technical in that the thrust of the book is that the Star of Bethlehem was the planet Jupiter in a position in the sky that was of importance to the astrologers, that is the “magi”, of the time.  Readers will not find discussions of some spectacular blaze of light such as hangs over many a Nativity set.  Readers will find an argument for why Jupiter fits everything that is described in the second chapter of the Book of Matthew. From the publisher, Rutgers University Press: Could the $50 purchase of an ancient coin by a Rutgers astronomer have unlocked the mystery of the Christmas Star? For years, scientists have looked, with little success, to astronomical records for an explanation of the magical star that guided … Continue reading →

Vatican space explorations

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Article 1600 words Level: all audiences A general overview of questions pertaining to space and the Vatican, from Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly, 2009. Vatican space explorations Study of astronomy reminds us of the beauty of the universe — and its Creator OSV Newsweekly Why does the starlit sky hold such a profound fascination for us? Perhaps because it is there that we encounter, commingled, the mystery of light and darkness — two primal experiences connected with the beginning and end of human life. Perhaps it comes from seeing the order, both overt and occult, in the movements of the celestial spheres, with which we sense ourselves secretly involved. Perhaps it is because we feel so small before the starry universe: like a straw tossed into the ‘great sea of being,’ we feel ourselves confronted with destiny…” So begins Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo in his introduction to the new book “The Heavens Proclaim: Astronomy and the Vatican” (Our Sunday Visitor, $39.95), which celebrates the … Continue reading →

Misplaced Obsessions: Understanding Why Christmas Is On December 25th.

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Article (blog post) 1500 words Level: all audiences Fr. James Kurzynski writes on the subject of the date of Jesus’s birth in this post on The Catholic Astronomer blog.  Know “the date” is complicated, as Fr. Kurzynski explains: So, can we find December 25th referenced as the date of Jesus’ birth in the writings of the early Church Fathers? Yes, we can… with some presumptions that are VERY important to take into account. A basic Google search on when we find the first reference to December 25th as the date of Jesus’ birth will bring you to Hyppolytus of Rome (170AD – 235AD). Most online citations will boldly affirm that Hyppolytus wrote that Jesus was born on December 25th. The problem is, that’s not what Hyppolytus said. He actually said that Jesus was born on the 25th day of the ninth month. What Hyppolytus is referencing is the Jewish month of Kislev. Of particular interest, the 25th of Kislev in Jewish culture is the … Continue reading →