The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi by Michael R. Molnar

Author:Michael R. Molnar
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2008-01-04T07:24:00+00:00

Ptolemy also repeatedly emphasizes how stationary planets affect the meaning of major astrological conditions. Here, he tells us that the planet influences the country controlled by the sign of the zodiac in which the planet stands still:

Of the prediction itself, one portion is regional; therein we must foresee for what countries or cities there is significance in the various eclipses or in the regular stations of the planets, that is, of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, whenever they halt, for then they are significant. (Tetrahihlos 2.4)

According to Ptolemy, Jupiter's stationary point in Aries bestows special blessings on Herod's kingdom.

Now that we have reinterpi-eted the passage in Matthew in astrological terms, how does it fit with the actual astronomical events of April 17, 6 B.c.? "Went: before" and "stood over" exactly describe what Jupiter did after 11eing "in the east." Figure 20 illustrates several important points regarding the movement of Jupiter in the sign of Aries. First, according to ancient conventions the zodiacal sign does not necessarily conform to the constellation; the dashed outline of the sign of Aries extends into the constellation Pisces and maybe Taunts. Superposed on this star chart are the paths that Jupiter and Saturn traveled during 6 B.c. Both moved eastward (to the left on the chart) from Pisces into Aries early in the year. On April 17 Jupiter emerged in the east and was occulted by the Moon. The positions of the planets on that day are shown in the figure. On the far left, Mars d is in Taurus. The Sun 0, Jupiter !4, the Moon ?7, and Saturn f2, are in Aries; and Venus Y is in Pisces. (Mercury is out of view, in Taurus.) Of course, most of these planets were too close to the Sun to be visible on that day, but as the Sun left Aries and moved into Taurus in the following days, Jupiter became visible and slowly drifted eastward (its usual direction) through the stars of Aries. Jupiter left Aries and entered Taurus ort about June 20 and then stopped at its first station on August 23. The regal planet seemed to stand motionless in Taurus for approximately a week as the earth, in its faster orbit around the Sun, started to catch up to Jupiter. Jupiter, still visible in the night sky, reversed direction and proceeded westward (`went before," in agreement with the biblical account), re-entering Aries on October 27, 6 B.c. During that time, the earth was passing Jupiter, which produced the illusion that the distant planet was going in the opposite direction against the background stars.

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