Once a year, when a dwelling is filled with the scent of pine needles, and the souls of people - with the expectation of a holiday and a half-childish hope for a miracle, believing Christians all over the Earth traditionally remember one amazing heavenly phenomenon …
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said:
Where is the born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
Alarmed, Herod summoned the high priests and scribes to him. They explained to him that Christ, according to the ancient prophecy, should be born in Bethlehem. There the king sent the Magi.
“Having heard the king, they went. And behold, the star that they saw in the east walked in front of them, when at last it came and stopped over the place where the Child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy.
And when they entered the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His Mother, and fell down they worshiped Him; and opening their treasures, they brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Gospel of Matthew 2: 1-11).
The literature on the Star of Bethlehem is enormous. Moreover, it is curious that even many church fathers, for whom the star of the Magi "by definition" is a miracle, a supernatural phenomenon, tried to draw parallels between it and some astronomical phenomena. As for astronomers, for them the question of the nature of the Star of Bethlehem is the subject of a long-standing and endless discussion.
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Some guesses ("meteor", "fireball", "Venus seen during the day") today can be forgotten. So far, three hypotheses of a natural science have remained competitive. One of them considers the star of Bethlehem a comet, the other - an outbreak of a new or supernova star, and the third explains the Gospel phenomenon by the conjunction (visible convergence in the sky) of two bright planets. Each of the hypotheses has its own supporters - and its drawbacks.
Version one: comet
The appearance of a star in the sky with a tail in all ages was considered an omen of some important event. In addition to the strange ("hairy" or "spear") appearance, her movement across the sky was also surprising. "… And the procession to that star was delightful," the Russian chronicler reported about the comet of 1472, "and the ovada is more in front of her, and the ovada is back [the tail was now in front, now in the back], and the procession did not follow the custom of other stars, but maybe [where] at least, there is the procession, when it is at noon [south], when it is at midnight [north]."
It is not surprising, therefore, that before all other interpretations of the physical nature of the Star of Bethlehem, the cometary version was born. And the theologians were its authors! Already in the 3rd century AD, the ideologist of early Christianity Origen drew a parallel between the star of the Magi and comets. Later, Blessed Jerome, who, incidentally, lived most of his life in Bethlehem, joined his point of view. The Byzantine theologian John Damascene also attributed the star to comets, which "do not belong to the number of stars that have occurred from time immemorial, but by Divine command at the right time are formed and again destroyed", fulfilling the role of "some signs."
Later, supporters of the cometary version appeared among astronomers. They mainly tried to identify the gospel star with the famous Halley's comet, which regularly flies to Earth every 75-76 years. The closest to the event of interest to us, the phenomenon of a comet on the earth's horizon was in 12 BC.
Is it far from the supposed date of Christ's birth? Astronomers are usually not embarrassed by such inconsistencies. Today it is generally accepted that the monk Dionysius the Small, who founded in the 71st century A. D. foundations of Christian chronology, he calculated the year of the Nativity of Christ inaccurately. Jesus was supposed to be born a few years earlier, for the notorious King Herod died in 4 BC. Of course, these calculations are no longer able to shake the established system of historical time, but they give a certain chronological freedom to the interpreters of the Star of Bethlehem.
Ukrainian astronomer A. V. Arkhipov indicates a different candidate for the role of the Bethlehem comet, more acceptable in time. The Chinese chronicle "Hanshu" reports that in the spring of 5 BC. in the constellation of Capricorn "for more than 70 days" a "broom star" (the usual designation for comets for the Chinese chronicles) was observed, and in the spring of the following year, 4 BC, a "radiant star" could be seen in the constellation Eagle. Since the position of the two stars in the sky and the time of their observation do not differ much, it has been suggested that they are one and the same object. In any case, AV Arkhipov stresses, “that comet was also visible in the Middle East, and in the eastern part of the sky”, and most importantly, it appeared “in the days of King Herod”!
All cometary hypotheses are opposed by a very simple consideration. The star moved in front of the Magi, showing the way. But in order to notice the movement of a comet against the background of other stars, you need to observe it for more than one night. The Magi did not have such a reserve of time. They would have covered the ten-kilometer distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in a couple of hours …
After all, the whole experience of mankind speaks against the cometary interpretation of the Bethlehem star. Many comets have appeared in the earthly horizon. They gave rise to a lot of speculations, fears, expectations in people. But for no one else, it seems, the comet has become a guiding star.
Version two: outbreak of a nova or supernova
Sometimes a new star lights up in the sky. This name is absolutely conditional: the star existed before, it was simply not visible to the naked eye until the stormy internal processes increased its brilliance thousands and millions of times. In case the jump in brightness is especially large, the star is called a supernova.
In 1572, a supernova broke out in Cassiopeia. And after a short time, the outstanding Italian scientist Gerolamo Cardano expressed the idea that this star flashed periodically before, and one of its appearances, which occurred at the beginning of our era, remained in the memory of mankind as the Star of Bethlehem.
Cardano's hypothesis was not confirmed. Later, the idea of I. Kepler, which was similar in essence, did not find support later, and we will talk about it later. But attempts to explain the gospel miracle by the outbreak of a new star or a supernova continued. About a quarter of a century ago, the British astronomers D. Clarke, J. Parkinson and F. Stephenson undertook a special study on this topic. They note: “Between 10 BC. and 13 A. D. we found only two observations of new stars. " Do not be surprised: we will talk about the same stars of 5 and 4 years BC, mentioned in the Chinese chronicle. It's just that some nuances make it possible to interpret these celestial phenomena in two ways. For example, the chronicle does not say anything about the movement of a 5-year-old star across the sky, although for comets such movements were most often noted. On the other hand, new stars were sometimes mistaken for comets,as happened with the 1572 supernova, which in the Chinese chronicles appears as a "broom star". Based on these considerations, three English astronomers suggested that the star of 5 BC. was not a comet, but a new one, and became the prototype of the Bethlehem star.
This version was immediately criticized by K. Kuplen and can hardly be taken seriously. Much more likely to be considered a new or supernova in the "radiant star" 4 BC, apparently having nothing to do with the "broomstick" mentioned above. As pointed out by the American scientist A. Morehouse, approximately in the region of the constellation Eagle, where the "radiant" once flared up, a pulsar is now discovered - the remnant of a supernova explosion. It is even calculated that on the first day of spring (which was considered the beginning of the new year in Palestine), the inhabitants of Jerusalem would see this bright star just over Bethlehem …
All is well, but let us remember: new and supernovae are motionless for the eye, making only a daily revolution along with the entire starry sky.
True, more than once or twice the thought was heard that the movement of the Bethlehem star was only apparent. For example: "… The star went before the Magi, because they were walking; it stopped over Bethlehem, because the Magi stopped at the entrance to the village." Any of us has experienced this visual illusion at least once. Perhaps the gospel characters also fell for her?
To begin with, let's understand their professional status. The commentators of the gospels are unanimous that the people who are called "magi" in the Orthodox tradition and "magicians" in the western tradition were Babylonian astrologers. The level of development of astronomy (and on its basis and astrology) in ancient Mesopotamia is well known. In the picture of the night sky that opens to the naked eye, the Babylonian astrologer was guided no worse than a modern astronomer. It is difficult for me to imagine that a group of today's astronomers would go after a fixed star, thinking that it beckons them somewhere. Why offend their forerunners with such an assumption?
Version three: conjunction of planets
An entry in the chronicle of Worcester Monastery (England), dated 1285: "In the same year there was a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Pisces, which has not happened since the Nativity of Christ and will not happen, according to astronomers' calculations, for a very long time." Modern experts calculated that the indicated celestial phenomenon took place, according to the Julian calendar adopted in medieval England, on December 24, 1285, on the very eve of Christmas, and Saturn was separated from Jupiter on the celestial sphere by only 0 ° 17 ?. Below we will see that this is indeed a very close, rare planetary conjunction.
The phrase of an unknown English monk contained a lot of information worthy of discussion, but we will note the main thing that was reflected in it. Either in secret scriptures, or in oral tradition, the Christians kept a version, a guess - or perhaps the true message: in the year of Christ's birth in heaven there was a close rapprochement of Jupiter and Saturn under the sign of Pisces.
Several centuries later, this idea was put into scientific forms by the great Johannes Kepler. In 1603, before his eyes, there was a threefold rapprochement between Jupiter and Saturn (the last time was December 17), and in the fall of 1604, the German astronomer was extremely lucky - he discovered a supernova ("Kepler's star") in the constellation Ophiuchus. This whole chain of heavenly phenomena seemed to him not accidental and made him remember the gospel story. Delving deeper into the calculations, he came to the conclusion that the threefold conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces, which happened in 7 BC, became the heavenly sign of the birth of Christ for the Magi. and "reinforced" by the outbreak of a new star in this region of the sky.
Johannes Kepler earned his living as a skilled astrologer, and it was not difficult for him to penetrate the logic of thinking of his ancient colleagues. From an astrological point of view, the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces has a deep meaning. Jupiter was considered the "Tsarskoy" planet, Saturn - the patron saint of the Jewish people. Therefore, the conjunction of two planets, but not simple, but threefold (such conjunctions are rare and are called great), and not somewhere, but in the constellation of Pisces, considered the zodiacal sign of the Jewish people, could be "read" as the news of the birth of the King of the Jews. Having gone to Jerusalem, the astrologers were convinced of the correctness of their interpretation, when a new star shone in the firmament …
Kepler's hypothesis has a peculiar fate. Since neither historical evidence, nor physical traces of the outbreak of a new or supernova star in the constellation of Pisces was found, this part of the hypothesis disappeared and was forgotten. Now Kepler's idea is associated exclusively with the conjunction of the planets. And they show her a fair reproach, stretching back from the century before last.
“The hypothesis is quite convincing,” write, for example, E. P. Levitan and K. V. Mamuna, “but still it is not clear what could have made the ancient magicians consider the conjunction to be the Star of Bethlehem … How could they have mistaken for one star two well-known celestial bodies, and located one from another at an angular distance of up to two diameters of the lunar disk! " For reference: the apparent distance between Jupiter and Saturn during the "Kemerovo" conjunctions of 7 BC. was successively 0 ° 98?, 0 ° 97? and 1 ° 05? …
This explains the enthusiasm that gripped astronomers when it turned out that June 17, 2 BC. Jupiter and Venus approached to a negligible angular distance of 0 ° 04? (less than three minutes of arc) and over the evening horizon merged into one luminous point for the observer! The credit for this discovery belongs to the American astronomer Roger Sinnott. And his adherents J. Chotti, E. Martin and J. Moseley showed that the traditionally accepted date of the death of King Herod (4 BC), apparently, is incorrect, it should be moved to the very beginning of our era. Thus, the merger of the two planets into one luminary happened "in the days of Herod."
From the point of view of astrology, everything also worked out perfectly. The remarkable conjunction of Jupiter and Venus was preceded by a threefold rapprochement of Jupiter with the star Regulus, the brightest in the constellation Leo, symbolizing the Jewish people. Again, a heavenly allusion to the birth of the King of the Jews, who could not pass by the attention of the Babylonian astrologers. When the "royal" planet Jupiter in the same Leo merged with Venus, symbolizing fertility and favorable to the birth of kings, astrologers moved to Judea. Leaving Jerusalem after a conversation with Herod, they saw that the "royal" Jupiter hangs in the southern side of the sky, that is, over Bethlehem. And on December 25 of the same year, Jupiter was in the very center of the constellation Virgo …
A beautiful hypothesis. Perhaps even more elegant than Kepler's hypothesis. And it is somehow awkward to wedge into this unearthly beauty with a prosaic remark that an illusory "star" formed by the convergence of "two well-known celestial bodies" could not lead anyone, moving and stopping, and would soon break up again into two acquaintances celestial bodies …
UFO over Bethlehem
Enough pounding on the open door. We briefly outlined the history of the issue, but there was no need to seriously prove anything along the way. For every lover of astronomy understands that none of the natural celestial phenomena fit into the description of the gospel star. Other explanations are needed.
Having designated the Star of Bethlehem as a UFO, we will not put forward a new hypothesis, but simply state: a flying object was observed that qualified experts could not identify. True, it was as if the Magi themselves "identified" it, calling it a star. Barry Downing reasonably spoke about this in The Bible and Flying Saucers:
“The Air Force is constantly explaining to people who think they have seen a UFO, that in reality they have seen a star or planet; perhaps the Magi fell into an opposite error. In any case, if beings from another world tried to draw attention to the birth of Christ, then the spacecraft corresponding to the descriptions of modern UFOs was able to do what the Bible says: guide the Magi with the help of a beacon that looks like a star.
Of course, this point of view is unacceptable to orthodox theologians. But here's the paradox: of all the interpretations of the star of the Magi, the closest to the theological … just the ufological! And there is nothing strange here. Both interpretations see in the Bethlehem UFO a manifestation of superhuman intelligence, only they understand the latter somewhat differently … And the artificial, rational nature of the phenomenon over Bethlehem is again not a hypothesis, but an evidence that opens up to anyone who reads the Gospel lines.
For illustration, let us turn to an essay written in those years when there was no talk of any "flying saucers". Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria (XI century), dedicated his "Evangelist" to the interpretation of the Gospels. Among other plots, he analyzes the story of the Star of Bethlehem, in every possible way emphasized the supernatural, "wondrous" nature of what happened. Commenting on the Evangelist's message that the star leading the Magi “stopped over the place where the Infant was”, Theophylact notes: “And this is marvelous: for the star came down from the height and, becoming closer to the earth, showed them the place. For if it appeared to them from above, how could they more often recognize the place where Christ was? For the stars cover a large space with their radiance … And that star would not have indicated Christ if it had not descended and stood, as it were, over the head of the Infant."
Very sound reasoning. But look what happened: the pious commentator, without deviating one iota from the text of Scripture, deduced from it another “artificial” feature of the Bethlehem phenomenon, invisible upon superficial reading. In addition to the ability to move and stop, the "star" was also able to descend in the right place.
However, some church fathers (for example, John Chrysostom) and many interpreters of a more modest rank believed that the Star of Bethlehem was generally much lower than all other stars. As one commentator at the beginning of the last century put it, "its course was apparently in the lowest layers of the atmosphere." Another commentator put it this way: "… The sign that brought the Magi to Bethlehem was probably not a large, well-known heavenly phenomenon, but some rare but modest … Otherwise, the whole story of the evangelist … would have been contradictory and unclear." Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand why the most important heavenly sign was observed by a few.
Let's remember the story of Matthew. The Eastern Magi discovered the star. But in Jerusalem, it turns out, no one saw her, since the Magi have to tell about her. (Biblical textual scholars argue about how to correctly translate the Gospel phrase: “we saw His star in the east” or “we saw His rising star,” but now this is not the point.) And the Magi themselves again saw a familiar object, very happy about it, just on the way to Bethlehem. "Discontinuous appearance of a star" - this is how theologians describe this phenomenon.
Let's summarize. In the Holy Gospel from Matthew, an object is described that moved freely in the atmosphere, changing its course, altitude, hovering motionless in the air, lighting up with a bright light - and disappearing from the eyes. And all this, let me remind you, is not hypothetical interpretations of our contemporaries, but information that directly and indisputably follows from the Gospel text.
Star with wings
The ufologists' statements about the Star of Bethlehem are saddening with dull monosyllables. "Flying saucer", "spaceship" - and everything, as if there is nothing more to analyze, nothing to prove. The only one who tried to get a deeper understanding of the Gospel image from this angle was the Soviet philologist V. K. Zaitsev. Since the beginning of the 60s, in lectures and articles, he defended the hypothesis that Jesus Christ was an astronaut from another planet. The star of the Magi also found its place within this hypothesis.
According to V. K. Zaitsev, the first visit of aliens took place about 4 thousand years ago. The newcomers have visited many parts of the world, contacted people, including the inhabitants of the Middle East. Before leaving, they informed the earthlings that they could return, and the appearance of a "walking star" in the sky would be a sign of their new arrival. The memory of this prophecy has been kept for centuries. And then one day the Middle Eastern sages saw the long-awaited star.
This point of the concept of V. K. Zaitsev once again proves that any person, even a scientist, interprets the past, willingly or unwillingly looking sideways in the mirror of his time. Just in those years when the Soviet scientist was formulating his seditious thought, millions of people all over the planet with the onset of dusk looked for and found on the heavenly surface "walking stars": these artificial satellites began to circle around the Earth. VK Zaitsev himself said that the Star of Bethlehem flew across the sky, “like a current satellite that cut the horizon” (unpublished report “Cosmic reminiscences in the monuments of ancient writing”, 1960). However, the New Testament "star" did not remain in near-earth orbit, but sank in the region of Bethlehem, where it - that is, the landing ship of aliens - was found by the Magi.
One of the ship's crew members, a doctor, decided to see how the local people were living, and went with the Magi to Palestine. He talked a lot with people, telling them about life on his home planet, and the image of the “kingdom of heaven” that opened to him coincided with the age-old earthly dreams of a world of goodness and justice. The newcomer often used his medical skill, healing the sick, and soon the rumor spread: "works miracles", "raises from the dead." In short, the figure of a simple extraterrestrial, V. K. Zaitsev argued, eventually grew in the minds of people into the fundamental figure of the God-man, Jesus Christ.
It is clear that the alien arrived in the "Star of Bethlehem" as an adult. For this reason, V. K. Zaitsev rejected the gospel story of the earthly birth of Christ, considering it "an invention of Christian ideologists."
In support of his version, the scientist gave a curious description of the star of the Magi in one ancient source. The medieval "The Tale of the Three Kings-Magi", translated in the 15th century from Latin into Belarusian, reports that "the melting star was not like that, as in our countries it is painted in churches, but it had wings, like an eagle, and many long rays that moved the star in a circle."
You can imagine my feelings when, while still a student fascinated by the topic of space aliens, I first read this quote in one of the articles by V. K. Zaitsev. There was a desire to see for himself an intriguing place in an old story, since it was published. Found this publication, then its original source. And … with sadness I was convinced that I did not want to believe: an experienced scientist, translating the corresponding fragment of the monument, was mistaken. It seems to be a little, but sensitive for the meaning. For the story actually says: "… The star was not the same as it is painted in churches in our countries, but it had many very long rays that burned like torches; and like an eagle flutters its wings in the air, so its rays moved around the star" … A jet-powered space plane disappeared before my eyes, and instead appeared just a bright star with "flapping" rays. Although also a curious image … Nothing to say - UFO.
I had to tackle the problem seriously. I began to search and compare references to the Star of Bethlehem in ancient written sources. There were surprisingly many of them.
Fantasy logic
The gospel story about the star is very laconic and does not provide answers to many questions. This situation did not satisfy all the growing masses of the early Christians. The parsimony of information about a spectacular event in the biography of Christ was compensated by rumors, guesses, and legends. They found their way into the pages of theological works, penetrated into apocryphal writings that did not receive official approval from the church, but were very popular among wide circles of believers.
The evangelist did not tell anything about the wise men themselves, did not even tell their number. The later legendary tradition filled this gap. It was decided that there were three wise men. Then they raised their status: it was not ordinary wise men who came to worship the newborn Christ, but kings, as foretold by the Old Testament prophecy. They began to be considered the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth, representatives of the three main human races - white, yellow and black. Names were invented for them: Melchior, Balthazar, Kaspar. Medieval scholastics determined their age: one was only twenty, the other was forty, the third was sixty years old. In the XII century, the kings-magi were canonized. Even their relics were found, which were transported to Cologne and are stored there to this day …
The image of the star has also undergone significant "revision". It's funny that from the pages of ancient manuscripts, sometimes echoes of disputes about the nature of the phenomenon are heard, which directly anticipate the modern disputes of astronomers. So, in the apocryphal legends about the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin it is said: some, thinking about a star, compared it with a comet, others - with a fiery meteor. And in the apocrypha about the Star of Bethlehem, included in the Russian chronograph of the 13th century, a different point of view is presented, moreover, put into the mouths of eyewitnesses. Here the Magi themselves say: “And the ineffable star appears to us, cut off from all the stars. Not more neither from the seventh planets, nor from the man, nor from the swordsman, nor from the archer, nor from the vapors (the popular names of comets are listed. - Yu. M.), but she is bright, like the sun, and joyful."
It should be noted at once that this point of view prevailed. The people were disgusted with the idea of an ordinary heavenly body. All the descriptions of the Star of Bethlehem in the post-Gospel sources only strengthened its uniqueness, "excommunication" from all other celestial phenomena. At the same time, the imagination of the writers followed absolutely predictable paths.
First, the brightness of the star was hyperbolized. Already at the beginning of the II century A. D. e. Bishop Ignatius of Antioch, clearly relying on the legends circulating in those years, wrote that the star of Bethlehem shone brighter than all the stars, the moon and even the sun. Secondly, its maneuverability was enhanced. In the apocryphal proto-Gospel of Jacob (end of the 2nd century AD) it is said: the star led the Magi, “until it entered the cave,” where the baby Jesus was. And thirdly, the legends developed an answer that was understandable for the broad masses of believers to the question of how the wise men, having seen a star in the sky, guessed about the birth of the King of the Jews. In a literary monument of the 6th century A. D. "The cave of treasures", born somewhere in the Christian communities of Syria, we read: "A star appeared to the Magi, and in the middle of it there was a maiden holding a baby in her arms, and on her head was a crown."Other apocrypha slightly varied the vision - not a virgin, but only a baby, and a cross instead of a crown - and in other writings it was added that an angelic voice was heard from the star, explaining what all these figures meant, and commanding the Magi to go to Judea.
The Book of the Three Blessed Kings
Now we can return to "The Tale of the Three Wise Kings" and consider this monument in detail. The title of the Latin original is slightly more corny: "The Book of the Acts of the Three Most Blessed Kings." It was written by Johannes von Hildesheim, a Carmelite monk who lived in the 11th-5th century. The author's preface says that he studied ancient manuscripts, questioned the crusaders and people who traveled in the East. Indeed, his book is the most complete summary of the legends about the Magi and the wonderful star.
The book begins at the huge Mount Vaus, or Mons Victorialis, Mount Victory. (On the medieval map of the world, kept in the Vatican Library in Rome, the mythical "Mount Vous" is placed near the mouth of the Euphrates.) Upon learning of the Jewish prophecy about the coming birth of Messi, which will be marked by a heavenly phenomenon, the Eastern elders sent twelve astrologers to the mountain. The choice of the observation post in the book is explained quite rationally: more stars are visible from the mountain top.
The "long and difficult" watch of the astrologers was eventually crowned with success. One day, an amazing star rose over Mount Vaus. “She rose slowly, like an eagle takes off, and all day she stood motionless over the mountain. She shone like the sun and illuminated the whole world. The midday sun could not eclipse her … "Immediately it was reported about the miraculous rays of the star, which served her instead of wings, and further:" On it was the image of a baby, and above - the sign of the cross, and a voice from the star said: "Today the King of the Jews was born, go and seek him out, and worship him!"
Johannes von Hildesheim's book, like legends from other sources, strongly rejects the "intermittent appearance of the star." Having ascended over Mount Vaus, it did not then disappear from the firmament, but became a guiding line even in the East.
Three kings of the East went to worship the Child. The author of the book emphasizes: “None of them knew about the other, but each was guided by a star in his path. She moved when they walked and stood when they stopped. At night she did not shine like a star or the moon: shining brightly, like the sun, she stood over their road. Here, of course, there is ambiguity: either the travelers, moving along different roads and even “not knowing” about each other, made halts and set off absolutely synchronously, or the star “tripled”, adjusting to the schedule of movement of each of the kings … But not expect complete coherence and logic from the story of the miracle.
Just before Jerusalem, the three kings met and continued their journey together. After talking with Herod, they turned to Bethlehem. “… The star went in front of them, and the closer they came to Bethlehem, the brighter its light shone… And suddenly the star stopped above the stable. She sank down between the dilapidated walls and shone there with inexpressible clarity … Then the star rose again into the heavenly heights and stood there motionless."
Where are the eyewitnesses?
It is easy to see that all the features of the Star of Bethlehem in the description of Johannes von Hildesheim - "symbolism", maneuverability, brightness - are taken by him from the previous legendary tradition. And she, too, did not present us with anything unexpected, contrary to the cliches of religious fantasy. So where did the "ufological" passage about the strange "mover" of the star come from in Johannes's book? In other sources, we have not met anything similar.
I'm afraid the answer is very simple. Someone, reflecting on the miraculous phenomenon, asked the question: how could a star fly almost above the ground? And he answered to himself: the star has rays, so it flapped them like a bird with its wings … And it doesn't matter who came up with this simple idea - whether it was Johannes himself or someone of his predecessors, whose works have not reached us … In any case, you can be sure that this is a late invention.
I hope that the attentive reader has already caught the pattern: the further from the beginning of our era, the more exotic they told about the star. Conversely, the closer in time to the event of interest to us, the more sparse are the stories about it. On both these grounds, the indisputable primary source is the Gospel of Matthew.
But even here there is something to think about. Only one of the four canonical gospels speaks about the Star of Bethlehem. Moreover, this episode, according to the textual experts, is a later insertion that did not belong to Matthew. The Evangelist Luke (2: 8-20) tells another story: an angel appeared at night to the shepherds who were guarding the flock, accompanied by the "heavenly host" and announced the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, prompting them to go there. Other evangelists are silent about miracles in heaven. It follows from this that even Jesus' disciples did not know about the Star of Bethlehem. The boom of stories about her began after the death of those who could have witnessed a heavenly phenomenon, or at least hear about it firsthand.
It is also very characteristic that no realistic information about the star has been preserved in the memory of local residents; the historian Gregory of Tours wrote it down in the 6th century AD. legend: the star that led the Magi then fell into one of the wells in Bethlehem and was visible there for some time. The "Well of the Star of the Magi" was also shown not far from Jerusalem. Of course, this legend is a touching fiction. She could be born elementary. It was enough for someone to look into the well on a clear night and see the reflection of some bright star …
If the legend originated in Bethlehem, the neighbors from Jerusalem jealously “took” it for themselves. It could have been the other way around. In any case, the creators of the legend just tied the famous star to his native place forever. But to report something interesting about its appearance, circumstances of its appearance, etc. the inhabitants of Bethlehem could not. It turns out, and they knew about the star only from the Gospel?
It remains to add that in ancient sources that do not depend on the gospels, there is no mention of the passage of a luminous and maneuvering object at the beginning of our era. But we are not talking about some cultural province. On the one hand - the civilization of Mesopotamia with their thousand-year astronomical traditions, on the other - the brilliant Greco-Roman world. Ancient authors have always had great interest in various heavenly signs …
A new star is born
Could the Star of Bethlehem have been invented? Can. All the "building materials", all the "tips" for creating an image were already available in the Old Testament tradition.
This is what the biblical prophets said about the coming birth of the Messiah. Prophet Micah (5: 2) indicated that he would be born in Bethlehem. The prophet Isaiah foretold: the glory of the Lord will shine over Jerusalem; "And nations will come to your light, and kings to the radiance that rises over you" (60: 1-3). The prophecy of Balaam in the form of a parable also hinted at the sight of a heavenly sign: “I see Him, but now I do not yet; I see Him, but not close. A star is rising from Jacob …”(Numbers 24:17).
In general, in ancient times, the idea was widespread that at the birth of a great man, a new bright star would light up in the sky. This was stated, for example, by the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator, who was born in 132 BC. Among Jews, messianic ideas were so strongly associated with the expectation of a new star that the leader of the anti-Roman uprising in Judea, who declared himself the messiah, began to be called Bar-Kokhba, which means “son of a star”.
For the first Christians, it was fundamentally important to believe (and assure others) that their teacher is the true Messiah, who appeared in this world in full accordance with the predictions of the prophets. Jesus himself did not appear to have revealed anything about the circumstances of his birth. His followers had to conjecture them on their own. The reference points were set: the birth in Bethlehem, the wonderful star, the arrival of the kings in Jerusalem …
But why was the star of Christ, unlike other heraldic stars, made "walking"? The clue, again, lies in the Old Testament. Let us recall the procession of the Jews from Egypt. “But the Lord walked before them by day in a pillar of cloud, showing them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, shining on them, so that they might walk day and night” (Exodus 13:21). Here's a tip for the creators of the New Testament legend! Let the star, which marked the birth of the Messiah, be also a guiding one - for those who from afar will go to worship the Child. Guiding in the truest sense. How all ingenious is simple.
The Gospels reflected the earliest stage in the formation of the corresponding legend, when some Christians talked about a wonderful star, others about the heavenly angel, and still others did not know anything definite about the childhood of Jesus. The appearance of the Star of Bethlehem has not yet become an integral part of his biography. It happened very soon …
Miracle won't happen again
It would be the height of arrogance to think that the hypothesis proposed above can put an end to the dispute over the Star of Bethlehem. The very topic of the dispute has already become eternal. And instead of a conclusion, I will tell a story similar to a parable.
Throughout the article, we tried to understand if the Star of Bethlehem was a reality. Now I want to add: it could become reality. Already in our time, before our eyes. But she didn't.
There was a beautiful project called "Space Monument". It was supposed on the eve of the two millennium of the Nativity of Christ to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth, equipped with a powerful light source. And on the night of December 25, 2000, a bright artificial star would cross the sky over Bethlehem.
The project was international. They worked directly on the creation of the spacecraft at the Lavochkin Scientific and Production Association, which was once famous for its "Moons", "Mars" and "Venus". By the summer of 1998, the satellite was ready in blueprints. It's time to embody our plans in metal. And then the default struck.
The financial meltdown that everyone remembers put the project on the brink of collapse. We must pay tribute to foreign sponsors: they did not refuse to finance the project further. But they needed guarantees that their money would not disappear into the opening black hole of the Russian economy. Such a guarantee for them could be an application for participation in the project by Russia of any solid, financially sound organization.
I know from the project developers that they knocked on every conceivable door in search of "guarantors". I can imagine how this happened, because once in a conversation with a representative of the largest domestic monopoly I tried to interest him in the idea of supporting the project. “We are stripped and undressed,” my interlocutor answered mournfully, referring to the consequences of the default. “No, you don't understand,” I began to explain hastily. “You don’t need a penny or a cent! Your participation in the project can be purely formal. See how profitable: there are no costs, and the international prestige of your organization will only benefit … " We don't need this, "they majestically answered me.
Apparently, this scenario of negotiations was typical. None of the famous people wanted to help recreate the gospel miracle. In the meantime, the project deadline has passed. The "Cosmic Monument" remained on paper.
The next jubilee reason for the launch of such a satellite will appear so soon that it is easier to assume: a new star of Bethlehem will never flash in our sky.
Yuri Morozov, candidate of philological sciences