The Birth of Christ by Joseph F. Roberts, ThD, PhD - HTML preview

Introduction

I feel it is important for us to consider why that we are only learning of the evidence that has been presented to us.

If the Star was a real historical, and we have seen that it is, why are we learning of the evidence only now?

Again, I want to utilize the website bethlehemstar.net as my source.

Kepler’s discovery

Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was one of the great mathematical minds of human history (1).

As Arthur Koestler wrote in The Sleepwalkers, “Kepler and Galileo were the two giants on whose shoulders Newton stood.”

(1) The definitive biography is: Max Caspar, Kepler (trans. C. Doris Hellman; reprint, New York: Dover, 1993) ISBN 0-486-67605-6

A German by birth, Kepler began his professional career in Graz, Austria teaching mathematics. His views in the Protestant/Catholic contest then raging got him banished from Graz after only a few years, but this actually worked for his good. The reason is that about the time of his ouster, the earnest, middle-class, 28-year-old Kepler had attracted the attention of one Tycho Brahe (1546–1601). Apart from their advanced math skills, the two men had little in common.

Brahe was a wealthy, eccentric, aristocratic, overbearing, hard-partying Danish nobleman who served in Prague as Imperial Mathematician. He was also the acknowledged “prince of

~ 54 ~

astronomers” due to the unprecedented accuracy of his vast collection of astronomical observations. And he could be a wild man.

When Brahe lost his nose in a college-years duel, he did better than our modern fashion of piercing noses. He had a complete replacement nose molded of gold with silver. This he wore the rest of his life.

Brahe invited the expelled Kepler to Prague to collaborate in study of the solar system, which at the time was still poorly understood. Many still thought of planets as “wandering stars.” Both men were brilliant and keen to unravel the mystery of planetary motion, but their temperaments were so different that they mixed about like cats and dogs.

The professional relationship was decorated with verbal warfare and walk outs. The personality conflict was heightened by Brahe’s intent to remain the top dog astronomer—he would not allow Kepler full access to his library of observations. Instead, he dribbled out the data to maintain personal control.

But when Brahe died suddenly of a urinary tract problem in 1601, Kepler found himself promoted to his master’s position. Kepler himself became Imperial Mathematician with full access to Brahe’s library. That changed everything.

Kepler set out to prove that the planets travel in perfect circular solar orbits. This presented a kind of mathematical beauty which particularly attracted him. But try as he might, he could not force the mathematics of circular orbits to align with what he saw in the sky each night. And Brahe’s meticulous records proved inconsistent with the theory of circles.

~ 55 ~

In an inspirational flash, Kepler saw that the planets might travel in elliptical orbits and finally found the perfect mathematical fit. In 1609, he published the First and Second Laws of Planetary Motion and ten years later, the Third Law (2).

These are still used by astronomers, NASA, the European Space Agency, and everyone else studying the stars today.

These laws do not change.

(2) They are: (1) All planets move about the Sun in elliptical orbits, having the Sun as one of the foci. (2) A radius vector joining any planet to the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal lengths of time. (3) The squares of the sidereal periods (of revolution) of the planets are directly proportional to the cubes of their mean distances from the Sun.

With his brand-new mathematical tools, Kepler held keys to the heavens and time. He could do things no astronomer had ever done. With enough pens, ink, and time he could calculate sky maps showing the exact positions of all of the stars and planets in the night sky. Not just for that evening’s observations, but for any day in history, as viewed from any place on the surface of the Earth.

Being a religious man, Kepler soon set his equations grinding on the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem. It’s almost tragic that he didn’t find the phenomena discussed on this web site*, because he pushed very hard in his search for the Star and even published on the topic (3).

*www.bethlehemstar.net

3. De stella nova, 1606, and De anno natali Christi, 1614

He would have been delighted to see what we have seen. But Kepler was working from a flawed understanding of first century history, and that threw him off the track. So, the first

~ 56 ~

piece of the Star puzzle is that, thanks to Kepler, we now have the ability to locate celestial objects with great precision at any point in history and from any viewing point.

For example, we can calculate what the sky looked like over Jerusalem 2000 years ago. But that raises the question of dates. For what years should we be scanning the sky?

Dating Christ’s birth

The great majority of ancient chronographers held that Christ was born in 3 or 2 BC (4), and none held that Jesus was born before 4 BC. The ancients were correct, as we shall see, but by Kepler’s day that earlier and better understanding had been laid aside. Kepler and his contemporaries concluded (as have many present-day historians (5)) that Christ was born before 4 BC.

(4) Tertullian, Africanus, Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus of Thebes, Origen, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Cassiodorus, Orosius and others.

See, Jack Finegan, The Handbook of Biblical Chronology (Revised Edition; Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998) ISBN 1-56563-143-9. Just before his death, Finegan revised this standard 1964 Princeton University Press chronological work. His final revision is based on the latest scholarship and supports the chronology used on this web site.

(5) A typical statement from a reference work, perhaps uninformed by recent scholarship on this issue: “...Jesus' birth happened before Herod the Great's death, which was no later than March or April in 4 BC”, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995) ISBN 0-8407-2071-8

The reasons for that misunderstanding are complex and fascinating, but a major factor was their interpretation of the writings of the ancient Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (37

AD-95 AD) (6). Josephus’ life was a wild ride worth a little detour here.

~ 57 ~

(6) An interesting historical novel first published in 1887 and in which Josephus is a central figure is: G. A. Henty, For the Temple (Reprint; Mill Hall, Penna.: Preston/Speed Publications, 1996) ISBN 1-887159-00-2

(Don’t worry, we’re getting where we’re going).

Josephus was born just a few years after Christ’s execution. A member of the Jewish Pharisee sect, he rose to political prominence in Judea by the time he was in his late twenties.

In 66 AD the Romans, who occupied Judea at that time, were thrown into a war rage by what they saw as growing Jewish arrogance and treachery. Josephus martialed Jewish forces to defend against an enemy that soon grew to the proportions of a tidal wave. Roman troops, horses and siege engines poured into the region in simply overwhelming numbers. Resistance proved futile. Josephus and a fighting unit of 40 men were cornered by Roman forces and retreated to a cave where they made a suicide pact to avoid capture (7).

(7) 38 men died in that cave, but Josephus and one other had second thoughts and were taken prisoners.

That’s a twist, but here’s a tighter one: Josephus wound up winning the favor of Vespasian (9 AD-79 AD), who was then commander of the Roman expedition in Judea. He was drafted into the Roman war effort against his own Jewish people, and ultimately served as the interpreter for Vespasian’s son, Titus (39 AD-81 AD).

Titus had orders to besiege Jerusalem and destroy the Jewish temple. This he did in 70 AD, in apparent fulfillment of a 500

year-old vision recorded by the Jewish prophet Daniel (8).

After the war, Josephus could not remain in Judea. He would have been assassinated on sight. So, he was taken to live in Rome.

~ 58 ~

(8) Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, Chapter VI: Daniel's Seventy Weeks and the New Testament Chronology (Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1977) ISBN 0-310-26211-9

There, his attentions appear to have turned to regaining the acceptance of his Jewish countrymen. Perhaps to achieve this reinstatement, he wrote extensive histories of the Jewish people and ancient times. These histories offer important clues in the search for the Star.

In one of his works, Antiquities, Josephus mentions Jesus, John the Baptist and other New Testament characters, including the murderous King Herod of the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2. The Bible recounts that Herod learned of the Messiah’s birth from astronomers who had seen the Star of Bethlehem. He tried to kill the child, so, obviously, the Bible records that Herod was alive at Jesus’ birth.

Remember that this mattered to Kepler, because historians of his time apparently inferred from Josephus’ history that Herod died in 4 BC (9).

(9) Josephus does not state the date of Herod's death as we would today with our modern calendar system. Deriving the date of death from his writings necessarily involves inference. The primary bases for the inference are the date of a lunar eclipse mentioned by Josephus as closely preceding Herod's death, the duration of his term in office, and the term of office of his son and successor, Philip. For thorough treatments of the date of Herod's death as being 1 BC, see Finegan, at footnote 4 and Martin, at footnote 11. See also, Beyer, at footnote 10.

Necessarily, Kepler assumed Christ was born before that date, perhaps 5 BC or earlier. So, those are the years for which he scanned the skies for the Star. Even with the power of his newly discovered laws of planetary motion, he didn’t find the phenomena we [have examined] here. He searched the skies of the wrong years. But modern scholarship has deepened our understanding of Josephus’ manuscripts.

~ 59 ~

A recent study was made of the earliest manuscripts of Josephus’ writings held by the British Library in London, and the American Library of Congress. It revealed a surprise that allows us to target our mathematical telescopes better than could Kepler (10).

(10) David W. Beyer, Josephus Re-Examined: Unraveling the Twenty-Second Year of Tiberius, in Chronos, Kairos, Christos II, edited by E. Jerry Vardaman (Macon: Mercer University Press, 1998) ISBN 0-86554-582-0

It turns out that a copying error was a primary cause of the confusion about the date of Herod’s death. A printer typesetting the manuscript of Josephus’ Antiquities messed up in the year 1544. Every single Josephus manuscript in these libraries dating from before 1544 supports the inference that Herod passed in 1 BC. Strong recent scholarship confirms that date (11).

(11) Andrew Steinmann, When Did Herod the Great Reign? Novum Testamentum Volume 51, Number 1, 2009, pp. 1-29

Ernest L. Martin, The Star That Astonished the World (Second Edition; Portland, Oregon: ASK Publications, 1996) ISBN 0-94-5657-87-0. This book is a must have reference work if you would like to study the Star. It contains a wealth of material corroborating the date of Herod's death as 1 BC.

Knowing this, and since Herod died shortly after Christ’s birth, our investigation turns to the skies of 3 and 2 BC. So, we have the second factor allowing us to “find” the Star today.

We newly know for which years we should examine the skies.

Enter the power of computers

One more factor accounts for our hearing about the Star now instead of long ago: computers. When Kepler calculated a sky map, it was laborious. Plenty of pens and ink. And when the

~ 60 ~

calculations were complete, he had a picture of the sky at a single moment of time.

If he had selected the wrong day to search for the Star, he might find nothing. More pens and ink. But Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion are playthings for a computer. The equations are solved almost instantaneously by modern astronomy software available to anyone for about $50 (12).

(12) For example: Starry Night, the program used for this referenced investigation, is available at www.space.com

With software which incorporates Kepler’s equations, we can create a computer model of the universe. In minutes we can produce thousands of the sky maps which were a great labor before computers. We can animate the universe in real time at any speed we choose, make months pass in moments or wind back the clock. We can view the sky precisely as it moved over Jerusalem 2000 years ago. And when we look up, examining the correct years, we find remarkable things.

The Stars and the Bible

Many people have concluded that there isn’t anything to astrology—or if there is something to it, it’s a “something” they want no part of. So, are we doing astrology here? A reasonable question with a short answer. No. That’s not what we’re doing here.

Astrology holds that stars exert forces on men.

Astrology is a… form of divination based on the theory that the movement of the celestial bodies—the stars, the planets, the sun and the moon—influence human affairs and determine the course of events.

~ 61 ~

— THE NEW COLUMBIA ENCYCLOPEDIA By contrast, the Bible refers to the celestial objects as carrying signs from the Almighty. But it prohibits worship of what we see above or even holding such things in too high regard.

For example, we read in the Book of Job, Chapter 31:26-28, 26If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; 27And my heart

hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath

kissed my hand:28This also were an iniquity

to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

The Old Testament even decrees the death penalty for star worship (2). Still, the Bible does make a surprising number of references to signs in the heavens. Both Old and New Testaments assume that what happens up there matters. If we are interested in following the counsel of the Bible, we must hold a distinction in mind.

(2) The Book of Deuteronomy 17:2-5 2If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, 3And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 4And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: 5Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

Astrology assumes that stars are causes of earthly events. The Bible assumes that they can be messages about earthly events.

It may be useful to think of this as a thermometer distinction.

A thermometer can tell you if it’s hot or cold, but it can’t make

~ 62 ~

you hot or cold. There is a big difference between a sign and an active agent.

This is the difference between “astrology” and what the Bible holds forth. Scholars believe that the Book of Job is the oldest Biblical text, likely originating before the time of Abraham and the founding of the Jewish nation.

It’s interesting, then, to find that this oldest book speaks of the stars and the constellations with respect. It states that God set them in place. And it references the same constellations we know today.

Even considering ancient literature, other than the Bible, it appears that the configurations of the constellations and what they represent may be older than the oldest surviving texts of any language (3).

(3) E. Capt, The Glory of the Stars (Reprint; Muskogee, Oklahoma: Hoffman Printing, 1998) ISBN 0-934666-02-4

In the Book of Job, Chapter 9, Job credits God with creation of the stars and constellations: 9 Which maketh Arcturus [the Bear or Ursa Major], Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.

And in Job Chapter 38, God makes much the same point.

He, not man, is sovereign over the creation, particularly the constellations:

31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? 32

Canst

thou

bring

forth

Mazzaroth

[constellations] in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

Many other Biblical writers in many other passages state that God arranged the stars.

~ 63 ~

For example, says the Book of Isaiah in Chapter 40: 26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who

hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Several striking passages on this issue were written by David, son of Jesse. David is a towering Biblical figure. A fierce warrior, a revered king who was himself deeply reverent.

Highly intelligent and wonderfully poetic, he wrote much of the Book of Psalms and some of the most beautiful passages of scripture.

Among these is Psalm 19, where David extols God’s handiwork in the stars. But he doesn’t only extol, he tells us that the stars bear a message.

Psalm 19:1-4 1(To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his

handywork. 2Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

3There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

David chose verb after verb which says that the stars communicate. An intriguing passage. But isn’t it just poetry?

Isn’t David just speaking with a poet’s elegant symbolism?

The apostle Paul didn’t think so.

~ 64 ~

In the Book of Romans, Chapter 10, Paul is addressing the question: had the Jews of Christ’s day heard that Messiah had come? He answers the question by saying that of course they had heard. He then quotes David to make his point!

Romans 10:17, 18 17So then faith cometh by

hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. (KJV)

Note the structure of Paul’s argument. Paul is taking the position that something has happened in the stars which indicated to the Jews of his time that the Messiah had come.

As we have seen, the apostle Peter elsewhere forcefully makes the same argument.

Of course, this argument has exactly no force unless something had happened in the stars. The fact that both men employed this line of reasoning shows they are making the same assumption. They assumed that their listeners were aware of celestial phenomena associated with Christ.

We’re not doing something that the Bible condemns. Just the opposite. But there is one more authority who can put the most devout Christian at ease about looking up after dark.

Jesus Himself.

In the Book of Luke, Chapter 21, Jesus tells us: Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (KJV)

~ 65 ~

So, it is Biblically legitimate to look for signs in the stars, but always remembering the thermometer distinction.

The Book of Deuteronomy warns at Chapter 4:

Deuteronomy 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine

eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy

God hath divided unto all nations under the

whole heaven.

At numerous times in Biblical history, the Jewish nation ignored this warning. Rather than looking to the stars for signs, they slipped over the forbidden line into assuming the stars influenced human affairs. They began to worship created things instead of the Creator.

In the Second Book of Kings, Chapter 23, we find King Josiah leading a revival of spirituality among the Jews and a return to worship of God alone. One of the things Josiah had to do was clear out astrological objects which had been brought into the very temple itself:

2 Kings 23:4 And the king commanded

Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. (KJV)

~ 66 ~

The bottom line on the Bible and the stars: we may look to the stars for signs from God, but we are not to revere the stars themselves.

Conclusion

I trust that we now have a good understanding about the Star of Bethlehem.

~ 67 ~

Published by

IMBM Publishing

IMBM Publishing is part of the

International Missionary Baptist Ministries

Sponsored by the

Mayfield Drive Baptist Church

P.O. Box 1676

271 Mayfield Drive

Smyrna, TN 37167

Bernie Dixon, Pastor

International Missionary Baptist Ministries

https://www.imbmpodcasts.com

~ 68 ~

IMBM Podcasts https://www.imbm.podbean.com

IMBM Publishing

https://www.imbmpublishing.wordpress.com

~ 69 ~

About the Author

Joseph F. Roberts

Dr. Joseph F. Roberts has been a Baptist minister, missionary, and pastor for 56 years. He currently serves as Director of the International Missionary Baptist Ministries, a ministry of the Mayfield Drive Baptist Church in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds two Bachelor of Theology Degrees, a Master of Theology Degree, a Master of Divinity Degree, a Doctor of Theology Degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion Degree.

~ 70 ~

Other Books Written or Edited by This Author Books by this author:

Cardinal Doctrines of a New Testament Church: What We Believe as Missionary Baptists

This is a detailed study of the Cardinal Doctrines believed by a group of Missionary Baptists who affiliate with the American Baptist Association.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M5B7T5D

Available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover, and Paperback The Lord's Prayer: A Verse-by-Verse Study of John 17

An in-depth study of the Lord's Prayer as given in John chapter 17. It examines the difference between the Lord's Prayer and the Model Prayer. What is usually called the Lord's Prayer is really the Model Prayer, an example that Jesus used to teach His disciples to pray. The Lord's Prayer is the entire 17th chapter of the Book of John. This work examines that prayer.

To Order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M4YN55Z

Available in Kindle eBook and Paperback

The Steps of Jesus: The Passover Series

This is not a “harmony of the Gospels” but rather a step-by-step journey following Jesus from approximately midway through His three-year ministry to His ascension ten days before the Day of Pentecost. The intent of this work is not to examine all the teachings of Jesus as we follow Him to the cross. The purpose of this writing is to basically follow Jesus in the last year and a half

~ 71 ~

of His ministry. Therefore, to examine each teaching and parable is not possible and keep to the original intent of this book.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M552LWX

Available in: Hardcover and Paperback

Understanding the Holy Spirit: A Basic Guide to the Work of the Holy Spirit

In the 21st Century, there is much misunderstanding concerning the Holy Spirit. Many things are attributed to the Holy Spirit that are not necessarily His doing. Some people even say that they speak to the Holy Spirit or pray to Him. All of these things are because of a misunderstanding of Who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. This book will explain Who the Holy Spirit is and what His function is in connection to the saints of God.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LJTKYNM

Available in: eBook and Paperback.

The Prayers of Jesus: A Study of the Prayers of Christ What is prayer? What does prayer accomplish? Why is prayer important? Who should pray? How should one pray? Is there an example for prayer? If there is an example for prayer, who gave it and why should it be followed? Is prayer effective? If it is not effective, then why not? These are a few of the manly questions that can be asked on the subject of prayer. While I do not claim to have all the answers concerning prayer, I do feel there is an excellent example that can be followed, i.e., the Man Christ Jesus. Jesus was a Man of prayer.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DC5YHKP

Available in: eBook and Paperback

~ 72 ~

How To Go To Heaven: "What Must I Do To Be Saved?"

All want to go to heaven. It is an awful thing to die in sin and go to the devil's hell. Something must be done. Seeing that something must be done, the paramount question is: "How do I go to heaven? What must be done to go to heaven?" Man cannot go as he is! This eBook will tell you just how to go to heaven.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M53FLM3

Available in: eBook and Paperback

How To Be: How to Be Humble, Joyful, Kind, Meek, Obedient, Pure

This is a multi-titled book, “How To” and then six different things are added, Humble, Joyful, Kind, Meek, Obedient, and Pure. The Bible teaches that we are to be of those, but sometimes we are not sure how we are to be humble, joyful, etc. The purpose of this book is to show how to be all these things.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MR461F6

Available in: eBook and Paperback

The John Teague Series

Series description:

The John Teague Series is dedicated to John Teague, ThD, who died many years ago and left behind many works that have until now, remained unpublished. These are several of the works reflecting the literary work of Dr. Teague. The manuscripts were edited and at times, co-authored, by Dr. Joseph F. Roberts,

~ 73 ~

Director of the International Missionary Baptist Ministries Publishing.

First, Second, Third John: An Analysis and Overview (Book One) First, Second, Third John is an overview and analysis of the small three books written by the Apostle John.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M4NW9KM

Available in: eBook and Paperback

Christianity in Action: A Visitation Outreach Program (Book Two)

Christianity in Action is a step by step manual of how to establish a church-wide visitation program.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T4H7LBJ

Available in: eBook and Paperback

The Church Covenant: An Indepth Study (Book Three) The church covenant is important for several reasons. It spells out clearly the agreement made by the membership of the church to one another and to Jesus Christ. It sets forth a well-defined body of belief. It is an agreement of choice, binding the membership of the church to a policy and program which, when followed, will strengthen and build up the spiritual body of the church as well as set forth a system of doctrine which will benefit each believer in matters relating to both the flesh and the spirit.

The Church Covenant is a compact document that reflects basic principles in the Word of God.

~ 74 ~

This study will be an in-depth analysis of the agreement to the church and the church member’s responsibility to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It will be paragraph upon paragraph, sentence upon sentence; phrase upon phrase; and word upon word.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DRV4YBD

Available in: eBook and Paperback

A Sin Unto Death: Book 4 of the John Teague Series (Book Four) Which sin is the sin unto death? Is it murder, incest, rape, sodomy, child abuse, or something like idolatry? Is it one of what is commonly called "The Seven Deadly Sins?" Is it the sin of non-productivity, hypocrisy, scoffing at the things of God, carnality, defilement of the body, sexual immorality, or ingratitude? Is it blasphemy against God in general, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost in particular? This study will endeavor to answer some of these questions.

To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MJ3LFPM

Available in: eBook, Hardcover, and Paperback

~ 75 ~