The Star of Bethlehem

"Michael Molnar offers the first revolution in Star of Bethlehem research since Kepler's days. Molnar's big advance comes by considering what the Magi themselves would have deemed important. . . . Don't buy any other book on the Star of Bethlehem, because the old astronomical views are guaranteed to be irrelevant. Second, the new astrological paradigm forces the realization that astrology was an important force in historical times so that the disregard of the topic by most historians is blatant chauvinism. Third, the existence of a stunning astrological horoscope for April 17, 6 B.C, announcing the birth of a great king in Judea will now force scholars of religion to reconcile the event with their own beliefs." * Sky & Telescope * "Mr. Molnar takes a different tack, arguing that [the star of Bethlehem] was not an astronomical event that guided the wise men on their journey, but an astrological one. He may not have the best theory, but he certainly has the best story." * Economist * "And because sophisticated computer calculations reveal that such an eclipse did occur on April seventeenth in the year 6 B.C., Molnar fixes this as the celestial event that signaled the Christ child's birth. . . . The uncanny fit of all the ancient and modern pieces of this puzzle makes for a highly persuasive argument." * Booklist * "[The Star] was an alignment of stars and planets that ancient astrologers would have recognized as significant. No portent would have excited greater expectations of a divine birth in Judea . . . than a lunar eclipse of Jupiter (the 'kings' planet) in the constellation Aries. . . . [A] fresh theory providing new scientific support for the biblical story, making the 'star of wonder' a little less of a mystery." * U.S. News and World Report * "The explanation that appears in Molnar's new book . . . unfolds like a detective story: a clever scientific analysis woven into a cultural and historical fabric. . . . Molnar reports that the Magi considered the planet Jupiter to be the royal star. He argues that their astrological readings predicted that on April 17, 6 B.C. a remarkable alignment would occur when the sun passed into the northern sky, entering the constellation of Aries. Jupiter, Saturn, the sun and moon would appear briefly in close alignmentan event that occurs no more than once a lifetime." * Nation * "This book has stunning new insight and approach, which finally gives a confident answer to a question that has fascinated all Christians through the ages." -- Bradley E. Schaefer * Yale University * "Molnar's The Star of Bethlehem is a fascinating contribution to the immense literature that attempts to come to terms with the Christmas Star represented in Matthew's Gospel. In my opinion, this book is the most original and important contribution of the entire twentieth century on the thorny question of how events recorded there should be interpreted." -- Owen Gingerich * Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics * "In support of an original interpretation of the Star, Molnar has assembled an impressive range of astrological and numismatic data, much of which will be new even to expert readers." -- Virginia Trimble * author of Visit to a Small Universe * "Michael Molnar offers the first revolution in Star of Bethlehem research since Kepler's days. Molnar's big advance comes by considering what the Magi themselves would have deemed important. . . . Don't buy any other book on the Star of Bethlehem, because the old astronomical views are guaranteed to be irrelevant. Second, the new astrological paradigm forces the realization that astrology was an important force in historical times so that the disregard of the topic by most historians is blatant chauvinism. Third, the existence of a stunning astrological horoscope for April 17, 6 B.C, announcing the birth o

MICHAEL R. MOLNAR, an astronomer, is retired from the Physics and Astronomy Department at Rutgers University.

List of Illustrations List of Tables Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction A Mysterious Star The Dawning of the First Millennium Secrets of Regal Horoscopes Astrological Portents for Judea Epilogue Appendices A Defining the Position of the Zodiac B Astrological Influences C The System of Mundane Houses and Cardinal Points D Regal Horoscopes Chronology Notes Glossaries Astrological and Astronomical Terms Historical and Numismatic Terms Significant Historical Persons Bibliography Index