A New York Times article (based on a National Geographic Channel show on the birth), " What Jesus' Birth May Have Looked Like," cites John Mosley, from the Griffith Observatory, who believes it was a rare conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on June 17, 2 B.C. Humphreys says expressions like "'hung over' appear to be uniquely applied in ancient literature to describe a comet." If other evidence emerges showing conjunctions of planets were so described by the ancients, this argument would fail. Humphreys says this is a powerful astronomical sign, but it doesn't satisfy the Gospel description of the Star of Bethlehem as a single star or as one standing over the city, as described by contemporary historians. The angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a son and that His name was to be called Immanuel which means God with us ( Matthew 1:23 ). Jesus arrived on earth to exist with us and to be one of us. This is why Christmas displays at planetariums show the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 B.C. Much more meaningful than where and exactly when Jesus was born is the truth that He was born. Magi accompanied King Tiridates of Armenia when he paid homage to Nero, but for magi to have visited Jesus, the astronomical sign must have been powerful. Humphreys says it was not uncommon for magi to visit kings.
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