Identifying the Star

Let’s get straight to the point:

The Star of Bethlehem is Jupiter.

At first glance, this may seem peculiar. Jupiter is a planet, not a star. How could it possibly lead the Magi or hover over Bethlehem?

First, we should analyze the term Matthew uses for the Star. He employs the Greek word astera, which can denote any moving light in the night sky. This includes traditional stars, but also planets, comets, or meteors.

Jupiter fits this ancient definition.

Now, let's delve into Matthew's account.

Ten Key Details

Matthew provides ten crucial details about the Star of Bethlehem:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1–2, ESV)

From these verses, we extract five insights:

1. The star indicated kingship.
2. The star pointed to a King from the Jewish lineage.
3. The star signified a King’s birth.
4. The star rose in the east, like most stars.
5. The Wise Men sought to worship the person indicated by the star.

Later, we find additional clues:

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him […] Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. (Matthew 2:3,7, ESV)

From this, we can conclude:

6. The star appeared at a specific time that could be verified.
7. Herod and all Jerusalem missed it entirely.

These details refute the notion that the star was a comet or a supernatural light guiding to Bethlehem. If it had been so obvious, everyone would have noticed, yet Herod was completely unaware.

Whatever the star was, it was easily overlooked by those not paying attention.

Many depictions show the star as a huge glowing object (often shaped like a cross) with a beam of light pointing directly to Jesus’ manger. Such a sign would be impossible to miss in a world with minimal nighttime illumination.

The following verses provide us with the final three clues:

And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (Matthew 2:8–10, ESV)

From this, we can determine:

8. The star endured over a significant period.
9. The star led them on their journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
10. The star halted in the sky.

Searching Ancient Skies

Let us take these ten details and compare them to Jupiter's movements through the ancient skies of Israel.

The first three points require the star to perform actions that signify kingship, birth, and the Jewish people. Does Jupiter fulfill these criteria?

Absolutely:

Here, we witness a coronation.

Ancient astronomers consistently associated Jupiter with royalty, due to its status as the largest planet in the solar system—hence, the King Planet.

Similarly, Regulus was recognized as the King Star, shining more brightly than almost anything else in the night sky. (Today, we know Regulus is a collection of four stars closely grouped together, appearing as a singular entity to the naked eye. This fourfold brightness explains why it outshone all others, reigning as the King Star).

Jupiter makes its way past Regulus every twelve years. Typically, they pass without much fanfare.

However, in 3 B.C., they enacted something extraordinary.

Jupiter passed by Regulus as it typically does, but then it looped back to pass Regulus a second and a third time—effectively forming a crown.

In September of 3 B.C., the King Planet crowned the King Star.

This rare triple conjunction is an event no astronomer had likely witnessed before. Yet, anyone casually gazing at the night sky would see nothing unusual. There was no supernova or comet; to an astronomer who studied the skies, however, the King Planet's unusual behavior in crowning the King Star was a remarkable once-in-a-lifetime event.

This aligns perfectly with our first data point. The King Planet crowning the King Star unequivocally signifies kingship.

But where’s the connection to the Jewish people? For this, we turn to Genesis:

Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (Genesis 49:9–10, ESV)

Judah’s tribe has always symbolized the lion, a representation that carried through as Israel’s identity became distinctly Jewish. Even today, the emblem of Jerusalem prominently features the Lion of Judah.

Thus, when the coronation occurs in the constellation of Leo, it directly points to Judah. This coronation even coincided with the Jewish New Year.

So far, we have established kingship and a clear connection to the Jewish people. But what about the star's significance of birth? If this conjunction indicated the conception of a new king, we would expect an event to follow nine months later.

Indeed, exactly nine months after the coronation, Jupiter, the King Planet, emerged from Venus, the Mother Planet.

In June of 2 B.C., Jupiter approached Venus, both planets shining at their brightest. When they aligned, they did not obscure each other but positioned themselves closely together. On June 17, they combined their brilliance, becoming the brightest object in the night sky. This date marks the birth of Jesus.

Planetariums worldwide often recreate this conjunction around Christmas time. It’s a spectacular sight.

With these three points, we have kingship, the Jewish people, and birth. The coronation signifies conception, and nine months later, the King Planet emerges from the Mother Planet in the most brilliant display in the night sky.

These actions also fulfill four additional criteria:

• The star rose in the east, as most stars do.
• The star appeared at a precise time, allowing anyone tracking planetary paths to reproduce the observations.
• The star was visible, yet completely overlooked by Herod and the people of Jerusalem. To the unobservant, the stars appeared as they always did. However, to astronomers, the symbolism was rich with meaning.
• The star persisted over time, allowing the Magi to witness both the coronation and birth in the sky before traveling to Jerusalem to seek out the newborn king.

This accounts for seven criteria.

Seemingly Impossible Actions

Now, we face a seemingly impossible task: the star must lead the Magi to Bethlehem and halt in the sky directly above where Jesus was born.

Can Jupiter accomplish this?

After the Magi witnessed the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in June of 2 B.C., they began their journey. Such a trek would take months, particularly if they departed from areas around Babylon, where many Jewish descendants resided at the time.

It’s reasonable to assume they arrived in Jerusalem by December of 2 B.C. If so, upon looking south to Bethlehem (only five miles away), they would have seen Jupiter directly overhead.

In other words:

Jupiter guided them straight from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

But for Matthew's account to be accurate, Jupiter needed to stop in the sky. Can a planet do that?

Indeed, it can—and it did.

The Magi first traveled to Jerusalem, assuming the newborn King would be found in the palace. Herod and the scribes directed them to Bethlehem, as Micah prophesied the Messiah's birthplace.

As the Magi left Jerusalem and gazed toward Bethlehem, they noticed Jupiter hovering directly above the small town.

At that moment, Jupiter was positioned uniquely in its orbit. Before the Magi's eyes, Jupiter entered retrograde motion, meaning it initially traveled in one direction across the sky, then halted and reversed its course.

And you’ll never guess when this occurred.

On December 25th of 2 B.C., Jupiter paused in the sky directly above Bethlehem.

Bethlehem was only five miles from Jerusalem. When the Wise Men observed the star halted over Bethlehem, they hurried to the village, found Jesus, and presented Him with their gifts. December 25th indeed marked the first Christmas.

King and God

Only one detail remains: worship. The Magi came not just to pay their respects to this newborn King but to worship Him.

Whoever these Magi were, they were well-versed in Hebrew Scriptures. They recognized the Lion as a symbol of the tribe of Judah. They understood that Daniel had prophesied the arrival of a King, the Messiah Prince, around this time. They knew that this King, even as an infant, was worthy of their worship.

Seven hundred years prior to the star illuminating the night sky, the prophet Isaiah explicitly foretold who this King would be:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, ESV)

The Magi worshiped this King, recognizing Him as the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, come in human form.

This child is Jesus.

The Bible Revealed

For generations, skeptics presumed the Star of Bethlehem was a fabrication, a story crafted to add flair to the Christmas narrative.

After all, it seemed implausible. A star halting in the sky? A king's birth foretold in the celestial realm? Such tales might fit in a fantasy novel but not in history.

Until astronomy validated its truth.

The Bible is far more accurate than we often acknowledge. Every single detail regarding the Star of Bethlehem holds true.

If we can confirm such seemingly obscure details, revealing them to be perfectly accurate beyond expectation, what might we dare to believe about the rest?