Star of Bethlehem

==Relating the star historically to Jesus' birth==
{{See also|Chronology of Jesus}}
If the story of the Star of Bethlehem described an actual event, it might identify the year Jesus was born. The Gospel of Matthew describes the birth of Jesus as taking place when Herod was king.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:1|NKJV}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|2:2|NKJV}}</ref> According to Josephus, Herod died after a lunar [[eclipse]]<ref>Josephus, ''Antiquities'' XVII:7:4.</ref> and before a [[Passover|Passover Feast]].<ref name = "Josephus 17.9.3">[http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/flavius-josephus/antiquities-jews/book-17/chapter-9.html Josephus, Flavius. ~AD 93. ''Antiquities of the Jews''. Book 17, chapter 9, paragraph 3 (17.9.3) Bible Study Tools website. First sentence of paragraph 3 reads: "Now, upon the approach of that feast ..."] Retrieved on March 16, 2016.</ref><ref name = "Josephus WAR 2.1.3">[http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/flavius-josephus/war-of-the-jews/book-2/chapter-1.html  Josephus, Flavius. ~93 AD. ''The War of the Jews''. Book 2, chapter 1, paragraph 3 (2.1.3) Bible Study Tools website. About one-third through paragraph three it reads: "And indeed, at the feast ...".] Retrieved on March 16, 2016.</ref>  Some scholars suggested dates in 5 BC, because it allows seven months for the events Josephus documented between the lunar eclipse and the Passover rather than the 29 days allowed by lunar eclipse in 4 BC.<ref name="Herod4BC">Timothy David Barnes, "The Date of Herod’s Death," ''Journal of Theological Studies'' ns 19 (1968), 204–19.

P. M. Bernegger, "Affirmation of Herod’s Death in 4 B.C.," ''Journal of Theological Studies'' ns 34 (1983), 526–31.</ref><ref name = "Finegan Handbook 300 1998">Finegan, Jack. ''Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible''. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998. p. 300. {{ISBN|1565631439}}</ref> Others suggest it was an eclipse in 1 BC.<ref name = "Steinmann Abraham 219-256">Andrew Steinmann, ''From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology''. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2011), Print. pp. 219–56.</ref><ref name = "Filmer Chronology 283-298">W.E. Filmer, "The Chronology of the Reign of Herod the Great". ''The Journal of Theological Studies'', 1966. 17(2): pp. 283–98.</ref><ref name = "Finegan Handbook 238-278">Finegan, Jack. ''Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible''. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998, 2015. pp. 238–79.</ref> The narrative implies that Jesus was born sometime between the first appearance of the star and the appearance of the Magi at Herod's court. That the king is said to have ordered the execution of boys two years of age and younger implies that the Star of Bethlehem appeared within the preceding two years. Some scholars date the birth of Jesus as 6–4 BC,<ref name="BritJesus">{{cite book | title=Jesus Christ | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica | location=Chicago | url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303091/Jesus-Christ | date=2010}}</ref> while others suggest Jesus' birth was in 3–2 BC.<ref name="Steinmann Abraham 219-256"/><ref name="Filmer Chronology 283-298"/>
 	
The Gospel of Luke says the census from Caesar Augustus took place when [[Quirinius]] was governor of Syria.<ref name="Luke 2:2 parallel Bible Hub">[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2&version=ESV Luke 2:2 Luke chapter 2 verse in parallel translations on Bible Hub.] Retrieved on March 3, 2016.</ref> Tipler suggests this took place in AD 6, nine years after the death of Herod, and that the family of Jesus left Bethlehem shortly after the birth.<ref name=tipler/> Some scholars explain the apparent disparity as an error on the part of the author of the Gospel of Luke,<ref>Ralph Martin Novak, ''Christianity and the Roman Empire: background texts'' (Continuum International, 2001), p. 293.</ref><ref>Raymond E. Brown, ''Christ in the Gospels of the Liturgical Year'', (Liturgical Press, 2008), p. 114. See, for example, James Douglas Grant Dunn, Jesus Remembered, (Eerdmans, 2003) p. 344. Similarly, Erich S. Gruen, 'The expansion of the empire under Augustus', in ''The Cambridge ancient history'' Volume 10, p. 157, Geza Vermes, ''The Nativity'', Penguin 2006, p. 96, [[W. D. Davies]] and E. P. Sanders, 'Jesus from the Jewish point of view', in ''The Cambridge History of Judaism'' ed William Horbury, vol 3: the Early Roman Period, 1984, Anthony Harvey, ''A Companion to the New Testament'' (Cambridge University Press 2004), p. 221, Meier, John P., ''[[John P. Meier#A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus|A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus]]''. Doubleday, 1991, v. 1, p. 213, [[Raymond E. Brown|Brown, Raymond E.]] ''The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke''. London: G. Chapman, 1977, p. 554, [[A. N. Sherwin-White]], pp. 166–67, {{cite conference | first = Fergus | last = Millar | author-link = Fergus Millar | title = Reflections on the trials of Jesus | book-title = A Tribute to Geza Vermes: Essays on Jewish and Christian Literature and History (JSOT Suppl. 100) [eds. P.R. Davies and R.T. White] | pages = 355–81 | publisher = JSOT Press | year = 1990 | location = Sheffield}} repr. in {{cite journal | last = Millar | first = Fergus | author-link = Fergus Millar | title = The Greek World, the Jews, and the East | journal = Rome, the Greek World and the East | volume = 3 | pages = 139–63 | publisher = University of North Carolina Press | year = 2006}}</ref> concluding that he was more concerned with creating a symbolic narrative than a historical account,<ref>Marcus J. Borg, ''Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith'', (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 24.</ref> and was either unaware of, or indifferent to, the chronological difficulty.<ref>Elias Joseph Bickerman, Studies in Jewish and Christian History, p. 104.</ref>

However, there is some debate among Bible translators about the correct reading of [[Luke 2:2]] ({{lang|grc|"Αὕτη ἀπογραφὴ πρώτη ἐγένετο ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς Συρίας Κυρηνίου"}}).<ref name="Luke 2:2 Bible Hub commentaries">[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/2-2.htm  Luke 2:2 commentaries on Bible Hub.] Retrieved on March 3, 2016.</ref> Instead of translating the registration as taking place "when" Quirinius was governor of Syria, some versions translate it as "before"<ref name = "Wright Bible Luke 2:2">Wright, N. T. 2011. ''The Kingdom New Testament: A Contemporary Translation.'' Luke 2:2. New York, HarperOne. {{ISBN|978-0062064912}}</ref><ref name = "Luke 2:2 Biblegateway OJB">[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2&version=OJB Luke 2:2 in the Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) on BibleGateway.] Retrieved on March 3, 2016.</ref> or use "before" as an alternative,<ref name="Luke 2:2 Biblegateway NIV">[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2&version=NIV Luke 2:2 in the New International Version NIV) Bible on BibleGateway.] Retrieved on March 3, 2016.</ref><ref name = "Luke 2:2 Biblegateway ESV">[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2&version=ESV Luke 2:2 in the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible on  BibleGateway.] Retrieved on March 3, 2016.</ref><ref name="Luke 2:2 Biblegateway HSCB">[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2&version=HCSB Luke 2:2 in Holman Christian Standard Bible (HSCB) on BibleGateway.] Retrieved on March 3, 2016.</ref> which [[Harold Hoehner]], [[F.F. Bruce]], [[Ben Witherington]] and others have suggested may be the correct translation.<ref>Brindle, Wayne. "The Census And Quirinius: Luke 2:2." JETS 27/1 (March 1984) 43–52. Other scholars cited in Brindle's article include A. Higgins, N. Turner, P. Barnett, I. H. Marshall and C. Evan.</ref> While not in agreement, [[Emil Schürer]] also acknowledged that such a translation can be justified grammatically.<ref>Emil Schürer, Géza Vermès, and Fergus Millar, ''The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ'' (175 B.C.–A.D. 135), (Edinburgh: Clark, 1973 and 1987), 421.</ref> According to [[Josephus]], the tax census conducted by the Roman senator Quirinius particularly irritated the Jews, and was one of the causes of the [[Zealot]] movement of armed resistance to Rome.<ref name = "Josephus 18.1.1">[http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/flavius-josephus/antiquities-jews/book-18/chapter-1.html Josephus, Flavius. ~93 AD. ''Antiquities of the Jews''. Book 18, chapter 1, paragraph 1 (hereafter noted as 18.1.1) Entire book free to read online. Bible Study Tools website. Scroll down from 18.1.1 to find Jewish revolt also mentioned in 18.1.6.] Retrieved on March 3, 2016.</ref> From this perspective, Luke may have been trying to differentiate the census at the time of Jesus' birth from the tax census mentioned in [[Acts]] 5:37<ref name = "Acts 5:37 on Bible Hub">[http://biblehub.com/acts/5-37.htm Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5, verse 2 with commentaries. Bible Hub.] Retrieved on March 16, 2016.</ref> that took place under Quirinius at a later time.<ref name = "Vincent's Luke 2">[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/vws/luke/2.htm Vincent, Marvin R. ''Vincent's Word Studies''. Luke chapter 2, verse 2. Bible Hub.] Retrieved on March 16, 2016.</ref> One ancient writer identified the census at Jesus' birth, not with taxes, but with a universal pledge of allegiance to the emperor.<ref>Paulus Orosius, ''Historiae Adversus Paganos'', [http://attalus.org/translate/orosius6B.html#22 VI.22.7] and [http://attalus.org/translate/orosius7A.html#2 VII.2.16].</ref>

Jack Finegan noted some early writers' reckoning of the regnal years of Augustus are the equivalent to 3/2 BC, or 2 BC or later for the birth of Jesus, including [[Irenaeus]] (3/2 BC), [[Clement of Alexandria]] (3/2 BC), [[Tertullian]] (3/2 BC), [[Julius Africanus]] (3/2 BC), [[Hippolytus of Rome]] (3/2 BC), [[Hippolytus of Thebes]] (3/2 BC), [[Origen]] (3/2 BC), [[Eusebius|Eusebius of Caesarea]] (3/2 BC), [[Epiphanius of Salamis]] (3/2 BC), [[Cassiodorus|Cassiodorus Senator]] (3 BC), [[Paulus Orosius]] (2 BC), [[Dionysus Exiguus]] (1 BC), and [[Chronography of 354|Chronographer of the Year 354]] (AD 1).<ref name = "Finegan Handbook 279-292">Finegan, Jack. ''Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible''. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998. pp. 279–92.</ref> Finegan places the death of Herod in 1 BC, and says if Jesus was born two years or less before Herod the Great died, the birth of Jesus would have been in 3 or 2 BC.<ref name = "Finegan Handbook page 301">Finegan, Jack. ''Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible''. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998. p. 301.</ref> Finegan also notes the [[Alogi]] reckoned Jesus's birth with the equivalent of 4 BC or AD 9.<ref name = "Finegan Handbook 289-290">Finegan, Jack. ''Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible''. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998. pp. 289–90.</ref>