We cannot find quick and easy answers for Frequently Asked Questions; if we could, people wouldn’t keep asking them. That means that they’re worth looking at simply as a way of understanding why maybe these aren’t exactly the questions we need to be asking.
Consider, for example, questions about the Star of Bethlehem. Why is this so fascinating to people? What’s at stake at being able to identify (or not being able to identify) some astronomical event as the “real” Star? Maybe the better question is why Matthew included this event in his Gospel… and why we’ve been fascinated by it for so long.
Across the Universe: Fools from the East
- Article (blog post)
- 1000 words
- Level: all audiences
A post on The Catholic Astronomer website by Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J., of the Vatican Observatory. This is a reprint of a Tablet column contemplating the meaning of the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem
Across the Universe: Recognizing the Star
- Article (blog post)
- 700 words
- Level: all audiences
A post on The Catholic Astronomer website by Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J., of the Vatican Observatory, discussing how eastern astrologers with their flawed belief that the fortunes of men are told in the stars, followed their mistaken calculations to discover a king very different from what they were expecting.
Across the Universe: When Reason Itself Becomes Flesh
Article (blog post)- 700 words
- Level: all audiences
A post by Vatican Observatory astronomer Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J., on The Catholic Astronomer website, based on a column first published in the Tablet. A reflection at Christmastime about how the Incarnation is also the incarnation of reason itself.
An Astronomer’s View of the Christmas Sky
- 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 that make you say ‘I’m experiencing something that’s more than physical things can explain. Where did this come from?’ Or maybe it’s just something as simple as: ‘I exist. Why do I exist? Why does anything exist? Why does existence itself exist?’”
Facing such questions, he offers a hypothesis: “Let’s assume that there’s a God that’s outside nature, who is responsible for the existence of the universe,” he says. “When I start with that axiom, does the universe makes sense? Does the universe made more sense than if I assume it’s all done by random chance? Am I able to see things I couldn’t see before? Am I able to understand things I couldn’t understand before? Is it an axiom that works?”
“And to me, yes—that’s the answer.”
Click here for a copy of this article (image/PDF format).
Click here to access this article via the Wall Street Journal.
Epiphany: How All of Creation Points to Our Source and Summit.
- Article (blog post)
- 1000 words
- Level: all audiences
A post by Fr. James Kurzynski on The Catholic Astronomer website. “One of the ways to approach the feast of the Epiphany is to see that every aspect of creation is pointing to the coming of the source and summit of all creation. ”
Looking for the Star, or Coming to Adore?
Star of Bethlehem, Credit: Bob Trembley/Universe Sandbox 2
- Article
- 2100 words
- Level: all audiences
In this entry at the Thinking Faith website, Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J., an astronomer with the Vatican Observatory, discusses the questions that Vatican Astronomers are often asked about the Star of Bethlehem. His conclusion: there is no certain explanation about the “star,” and worrying too much about such explanations risk distracting one from the Person whom the star was meant to highlight.
Click here to read the original article at Thinking Faith.
[Click here to download PDF]
Looking for the Star
Misplaced Obsessions: Understanding Why Christmas Is On December 25th.
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 celebration of Hanukkah or the “Feast of Lights.” Might there be a connection being made between this Jewish feast and Jesus as the “light of the world?”
To get from the 25th of Kislev to December 25th, we first make a pit stop at the Julian Calendar, which was determined to be slipping each year through the work of the first Vatican Observatory in the Tower of the Winds, leading to the reformed Gregorian Calendar. The Christian West embraced the Gregorian reforms while the Christian East chose to remain on the Julian Calendar. This is why, to this day, there are two dates in the Christian world for the celebration of Jesus’ birth: December 25th in the Christian West and January 7th in the Christian East. Further, we see that the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar so the 25th of Kislev, Hanukkah, seldom coincides with December 25th. In short, the presumption of when Jesus was born is far more difficult to pin down than one would think.
The Quest and Questions of the Magi
- Article (blog post)
- 1000 words
- Level: all audiences
A post by Br. Guy Consolmagno on The Catholic Astronomer website.This is a reprint (in English) of an article that first appeared in L’Osservatore Romano about the Magi. “The story of the Magi inspires us to look at our own journey. What are we looking for? Why do we look? How do we know it when we find it? And are we brave enough to return home with it, once we have found it?”
Misplaced Obsessions: Understanding Why Christmas Is On December 25th.
- 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 celebration of Hanukkah or the “Feast of Lights.” Might there be a connection being made between this Jewish feast and Jesus as the “light of the world?”
To get from the 25th of Kislev to December 25th, we first make a pit stop at the Julian Calendar, which was determined to be slipping each year through the work of the first Vatican Observatory in the Tower of the Winds, leading to the reformed Gregorian Calendar. The Christian West embraced the Gregorian reforms while the Christian East chose to remain on the Julian Calendar. This is why, to this day, there are two dates in the Christian world for the celebration of Jesus’ birth: December 25th in the Christian West and January 7th in the Christian East. Further, we see that the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar so the 25th of Kislev, Hanukkah, seldom coincides with December 25th. In short, the presumption of when Jesus was born is far more difficult to pin down than one would think.
Across the Universe: Fools from the East
- Article (blog post)
- 1000 words
- Level: all audiences
A post on The Catholic Astronomer website by Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J., of the Vatican Observatory. This is a reprint of a Tablet column contemplating the meaning of the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem
Vatican space explorations
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 →
Across the Universe: Recognizing the Star
- Article (blog post)
- 700 words
- Level: all audiences
A post on The Catholic Astronomer website by Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J., of the Vatican Observatory, discussing how eastern astrologers with their flawed belief that the fortunes of men are told in the stars, followed their mistaken calculations to discover a king very different from what they were expecting.
The Quest and Questions of the Magi
- Article (blog post)
- 1000 words
- Level: all audiences
A post by Br. Guy Consolmagno on The Catholic Astronomer website.This is a reprint (in English) of an article that first appeared in L’Osservatore Romano about the Magi. “The story of the Magi inspires us to look at our own journey. What are we looking for? Why do we look? How do we know it when we find it? And are we brave enough to return home with it, once we have found it?”
Looking for the Star, or Coming to Adore?
Star of Bethlehem, Credit: Bob Trembley/Universe Sandbox 2
- Article
- 2100 words
- Level: all audiences
In this entry at the Thinking Faith website, Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J., an astronomer with the Vatican Observatory, discusses the questions that Vatican Astronomers are often asked about the Star of Bethlehem. His conclusion: there is no certain explanation about the “star,” and worrying too much about such explanations risk distracting one from the Person whom the star was meant to highlight.
Click here to read the original article at Thinking Faith.
[Click here to download PDF]
Looking for the Star
An Astronomer’s View of the Christmas Sky
- 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 that make you say ‘I’m experiencing something that’s more than physical things can explain. Where did this come from?’ Or maybe it’s just something as simple as: ‘I exist. Why do I exist? Why does anything exist? Why does existence itself exist?’”
Facing such questions, he offers a hypothesis: “Let’s assume that there’s a God that’s outside nature, who is responsible for the existence of the universe,” he says. “When I start with that axiom, does the universe makes sense? Does the universe made more sense than if I assume it’s all done by random chance? Am I able to see things I couldn’t see before? Am I able to understand things I couldn’t understand before? Is it an axiom that works?”
“And to me, yes—that’s the answer.”
Click here for a copy of this article (image/PDF format).
Click here to access this article via the Wall Street Journal.
Epiphany: How All of Creation Points to Our Source and Summit.
- Article (blog post)
- 1000 words
- Level: all audiences
A post by Fr. James Kurzynski on The Catholic Astronomer website. “One of the ways to approach the feast of the Epiphany is to see that every aspect of creation is pointing to the coming of the source and summit of all creation. ”
Was There Really a Star of Bethlehem?
- Video
- 4 minutes
- Level: all audiences
In this video from Catholic News Service, Br. Guy Consolmagno, S. J. of the Vatican Observatory talks about the possibility that the Star of Bethlehem was a real astronomical event.
We Saw His Star in the East: BBC Radio Sunday Worship for Epiphany
- Audio program
- 40 minutes
- Level: all audiences
From the BBC Radio 4:
“We saw his star in the east”. On the feast of Epiphany, Fr James Hanvey SJ travels to the Pope’s summer palace outside Rome, home to the Vatican Space Observatory, to explore how God can speak through space and science. Preacher: Dr Guy Consolmagno SJ, Chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory.
First heard in 2008, this program first aired on BBC Radio’s Sunday religious program for Epiphany. This program, hosted by Fr. James Hanvey, explores the meaning of Epiphany, with readings and music as well as a visit to the Vatican Observatory.
Click here to see the original BBC web site for this program.
An Astronomer’s View of the Christmas Sky
- 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 that make you say ‘I’m experiencing something that’s more than physical things can explain. Where did this come from?’ Or maybe it’s just something as simple as: ‘I exist. Why do I exist? Why does anything exist? Why does existence itself exist?’”
Facing such questions, he offers a hypothesis: “Let’s assume that there’s a God that’s outside nature, who is responsible for the existence of the universe,” he says. “When I start with that axiom, does the universe makes sense? Does the universe made more sense than if I assume it’s all done by random chance? Am I able to see things I couldn’t see before? Am I able to understand things I couldn’t understand before? Is it an axiom that works?”
“And to me, yes—that’s the answer.”
Click here for a copy of this article (image/PDF format).
Click here to access this article via the Wall Street Journal.
The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi
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 the Magi to Christ’s manger. Intrigued by the image he found on the latest addition to his coin collection, Michael Molnar thought there might be more to learn by looking, instead, at the teachings of ancient astrologers.
Molnar argues in his book that the Star of Bethlehem was not a star at all, but rather a regal portent centering around the planet Jupiter that was eclipsed by the moon. He bases this theory on the actual beliefs of astrologers, such as the Magi, who lived around the time of Christ. Molnar found some intriguing clues to the mystery while researching the meaning of astrological symbols he found an ancient coin, which bore the image of Aries looking back at a star. He found that Aries was a symbol of Judea at the time, and that ancient astrologers believed that a new king would be born when the moon passed in front of Jupiter. Molnar wondered, could the coin have been issued as a response to the Great Messianic Portent, the Star of Bethlehem?
To match the story of the appearance of the Christmas star, Molnar also knew the event had to happen when Jupiter was “in the east.” Using these criteria and a computer program, he was able to chart an eclipse of Jupiter in Aries on April 17, 6 B.C., a day when Jupiter was precisely “in the east,” which confirmed his theory. Moreover, he found that a Roman astrologer described the conditions of that day as fitting the birth of a “divine and immortal” person.
According to Harvard University Professor Owen Gingerich, “this is the most original and important contribution of the entire 20th century” about the Magi’s star. Using clues from astronomy, astrology, and history, Molnar has created a provocative, fascinating theory on the Christmas Star. He weaves together an intriguing scientific detective story which resolves one of the world’s greatest mysteries: The Star of Bethlehem at the birth of Christ.
Click here for a preview, courtesy of Google Books.