We now know that Herod died in January of BC 1, and that Jesus was born in the fall of BC 2. (See previous article.) Since the wise men from the east visited Jesus between these two events, it settles an otherwise debatable matter concerning the date of their visit and of Joseph’s flight to Egypt to escape Herod’s decree. Now we know that the wise men saw Jesus just weeks, at the most 2-3 months, after his birth, before he was taken to Nazareth.

After Herod inquired “diligently” of the wise men, he set the age limit of the boys to be slaughtered at 2 years. (Matt. 2:7, 16) Assuming that he allowed some margin of time previous to the wise men’s first special notice of the “star,” it is safe to say that the “star” appeared to the wise men not earlier than 3 BC, and they found Jesus not later than about the end of 2 BC.

With this information Ernest L. Martin (“The Celestial Pageantry Dating Christ’s Birth,” Christianity Today, pp. 16-22, December 3, 1976.) looked back into astronomical history to determine what natural celestial appearances would have been visible to the learned astrologers from the east, and has found that during this period Jupiter was very active in striking a number of close conjunctions:

• 1, BC 3 Jupiter becomes a morning star
• 12, BC 3 Jupiter/Venus conjunction (.23 degrees)
• 1, BC 3 Venus/Mercury conjunction (.36 degrees)
• 14, BC 3 Jupiter/Regulus conjunction (.63 degrees)
• 17, BC 2 Jupiter/Regulus conjunction (1.19 degrees)
• May 8, BC 2 Jupiter/Regulus conjunction (1.06 degrees)
• June 17, BC 2 Jupiter/Venus conjunction (.02 degrees)
• 27, BC 2 Jupiter/Mars conjunction (.14 degrees)
• 25, BC 2 Jupiter “stood still” over Bethlehem at Pre-Dawn observation.

Noting that “Jupiter was often associated with the birth of kings and therefore called the King- planet,” (Hendriksen, Mathew, p. 153). Martin gives detailed suggestions on the probable, and notable, meanings the other luminaries Jupiter conjoined with would have had to the wise men of the east. Then he adds:

“When [the wise men] reached Jerusalem, the Magi were told to look toward Bethlehem for the newborn king.  This happened at a time when the New Testament says the star came to a definite halt in the heavens – it “stood over where the young child was”(Matt. 2:9). And indeed, the planet Jupiter [the other planets as well] does become stationary in its motion through the fixed stars. This happens as its times of retrogression and progression.  It could well be that Matthew was referring to such a thing.

Jupiter had come to the point of retrogression . . . The precise time for the retrogression of Jupiter of December 25, 2 BC (Footnote – He does not suggest that Christ was born that night) . . . at the ordinary time of the Magi’s predawn observations, Jupiter would have been seen in meridian position (directly of Bethlehem) sixty-five degrees above the southern horizon. This position would have shown the planet shining right down on Bethlehem! . . Jupiter was then situated in the constellation of Virgo the Virgin.”

If the “star” was Jupiter, or a natural luminary which had gained the attention of the wise men because of its special movements, it is easy to see why the common populace would not have noticed it. If it were a miraculous, super-bright star, or a natural super nova, Herod would not have required to ask the wise men of it. A planetary movement of symbolic significance seems to fulfill the requirements of the case.

We think the visit of the shepherds the night of Jesus’ birth, and the wise men shortly thereafter, were typical of events pointing to our Lord’s second advent. As there they viewed our Lord 30 years before he was prepared to present himself as the Messiah at Jordan, so 30 years before our Lord’s arrival as the new King of earth, many “shepherds” pastoring their flocks in the early 1800’s came to view the new King’s approach in 1844. And “the wise” who were privileged to “understand” (Daniel 12:10) some of the fulfillments of Daniel’s prophecies approached that date expectantly also. But the time was not yet to behold our Lord’s return as King. They merely saw the foregleams of prophecy, 30 years before the destined time.

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