The Star of Bethlehem

 

Our study proposes for the first time that Kepler had solved the mystery,

but did not reveal it openly because he risked a fiery death at the stake.

 

 

This miraculous star has a special significance for Christians, because it is celebrated as the divine "annunciation" of the birth of Jesus. Of the four Gospels that open the New Testament, two mention the nativity -- with some interesting differences: According to Luke, an angel is joined by a "multitude of the heavenly host" and announces the birth of Jesus to shepherds in the fields, after which they go to adore the child in Bethlehem. The scenario of Matthew features a miraculous star as the messenger that guides wise men to the child in Bethlehem. Neither gospel mentions the story of the other, but their symbolism is similar. The remaining two gospels speak of "Jesus of Nazareth" and make no reference to Bethlehem. Unfortunately, there are neither original texts from the period nor copies, only later versions in Greek, Coptic, and Latin. This English translation of Matthew's gospel from a Greek text, dated roughly 80-100 CE, tells us everything we know about the star:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of king Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him..." (Mt. 2 1-2)

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem..."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star they were overjoyed." (Mt. 2 9-10)

The excerpts, which vary slightly in each translation, are from the New International Version (1978). Some versions define the visitors as wise men, others as astrologers or Magi. Following Tertullian (ca. 160-220 CE), some Catholics venerate them also as the three kings, and believe their relics are enshrined in Germany, at the cathedral of Cologne. This change may have been an attempt by the early Church to distance itself from the Magi because of their negative image in the Book of Daniel. Although some scholars contend that Luke's angel replaced the star for the same reason, evangelical Christians accept the simple solution that the shepherds visited first, followed by the Magi later, when the child is no longer in a stable. That a cave is identified today as the possible birth place in Bethlehem is not an issue.

Aside from the fact that a book on the Star of Bethlehem has a wide audience among Christian denominations and sects, its mystery has always attracted serious scholars, especially astronomers, because it is the only "divine miracle" that allows a scientific evaluation. Quite a challenge, as we shall see, because an acceptable solution needs to confirm the following statements in the gospel:

We have seen in "Kepler & the Jesuits" that the German astronomer had researched these problems. This is why his peers, and the amateurs, are forced to start with his findings before they can develop their own theories. Some use the triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 7 BCE, others expand Kepler's "great conjunction" with Mars in 6 BCE, and the rest simply contradict or misinterpret Kepler to make their own case -- all of which is easily reviewed on the internet.

It took our scholars roughly four hundred years to agree on a tentative Biblical chronology, and the majority accepts now that the "star" would have appeared between 8 and 5 BCE, because the Church had miscalculated the calendar. Nevertheless, each author recycles the chronology in great detail because it expands their interpretation of six sentences to an entire book. We don't need to waste time with these issues, because they are basically resolved! There is also a consensus that an astronomical event enabled astrologers to interpret the "star" as some sort of royal or Messianic omen, and that the Magi were Medians from Mesopotamia, Babylonia, or Persia: Zoroastrian priests. The Messianic omen is a bit of a stretch, but why else would Matthew (27:37) say that the letters INRI were attached to the cross to mock Jesus as "King of the Jews"? Although Jesus preached that his kingdom is not of this world, some locals may have resented the wise men for having fooled Herod and "all of Jerusalem"!

It is not widely known that Newton was a pious Christian and wrote more works on religion than on science, and that Kepler had studied theology and published works on Biblical chronology. He even made yearly weather forecasts, wrote Somnium, the first sci-fi novel, and earned extra money by casting horoscopes for the rich and famous. Like the German astronomer, who had to find ways to supplement his meager salary, some modern astronomers appear to be compelled to do the same. That they develop their theories from Kepler -- yet disagree with him and each other -- makes our project much more interesting.  Especially, because we will present a theory that confirms the seemingly impossible criteria 1 - 6 in every respect, which should be appreciated as an amazing score for anyone who doesn't take the Bible literally! But it is entirely due to Kepler, as we will show below, because he seems have solved the mystery of the "Star", but couldn't reveal it openly.

What makes our conjecture controversial is the simple fact that none of the experts have ever thought of it. It would be quite acceptable otherwise!  Among contemporary scholars, the leading authority on Kepler's "astrological superstitions" was for decades the English astronomer David Hughes, whose triple-conjunction theory of 7 BCE features Saturn "as star of the Jews and symbol of their Messiah" and Jupiter as "associated with kings", which he adjusts later to "Saturn as Yahweh and Jupiter as Messiah" to claim that the Star of Bethlehem was "their acronychal rising in mid September 7 BC."  He is eclipsed in recent years by Mark Kidger, a British astronomer in Spain, and his American colleague Michael Molnar, the latest darling of the media at Christmas time. Kidger follows Kepler a bit too closely, and misunderstands him by identifying a Supernova in March/April, 5 BCE, as Christmas Star. Molnar features the "regal" Jupiter of Hughes, but favors 6 BCE, when the planet eclipses with the moon in Aries, the "sign of the Jews". This only happens every 60 years, which Molnar considers quite significant -- although it means that Jerusalem attracted astrologers "in search of a royal birth" more than once -- until the Biblical Magi finally got lucky. Molnar disagrees with Kidger, because Supernovas have allegedly no astrological meaning, and Kidger disputes Molnar because his eclipses were either invisible at daytime, or barely visible at night. However, Kepler's "star" repeats every 800 years, which makes it quite rare in comparison. But this may have been a secret signal by Kepler to make us look for another cycle, because he flatters his patron, Emperor Rudolf, by elevating him to a 800-year cycle with Charlemagne and Jesus. In his other works, Kepler features always a "great conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars" -- yet there wasn't even a regular conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 800 CE, only on Feb. 15, 789 and Oct.11. 809. The "great conjunctions" can be found in Tuckerman's tables (see below), which extend the cycles to 854 years, or roughly 853.98 years, to be more precise. The modern discoverer of this cycle is the Viennese astronomer K. Ferrari d'Occhieppo, who got it from cuneiform tablets.

Kepler's official 800-year cycle is made up of four times 200 years, the time it takes the Trigons to travel through the Zodiac, which is an ancient astrology that is a bit of an obstacle if we try to follow his reasoning. But Kepler compares the astronomical events of 1604 with the "great conjunction" of 6 BCE, which implies that he may be playing some sort of "mind game". Why else would he mention a cometary star in the atmosphere? This is difficult to understand because Kepler's strange idea is endorsed by A. J. Maas (1), a Jesuit scholar from the 19th century. Following Kepler, he writes that Matthew's Gospel requires an additional miraculous appearance of a star in the lower region of the atmosphere. This view prevailed in Christian circles for centuries -- although any rational person knows that the descent of a star into the atmosphere is impossible, especially if it is not a falling star but one that can stop and stand still! But it looks like Kepler made the Church happy, because this apparent paradox secured the "star" as a divine miracle well into the 20th century.

The quietus ended in 1936, when Washington's Science News mentioned a "miraculous triangle" in the sky at Christ's birth that had become a popular Christmas show at the planetariums. This suggestion was attacked immediately by another Jesuit, the astronomer Burke-Gaffney, who blamed Kepler for the discovery of the triangle. He cites the famous astronomer Pritchard (Oxford) to calculate that Kepler's "great conjunction" of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars was meaningless because it was too close to the setting sun to be seen by naked eye observers. The Jesuit backs this up with a clever rhetoric that intimidated his peers at the planetariums enough to discontinue their shows. Who knows if a local clergyman put in a good word as well?  However, we expose this as a false claim (see Kepler) with the help of two contemporary astronomers who prove without a shadow of a doubt that the triangle of 6 BCE was clearly visible. 

With the strange position of Maas restored, we are forced to speculate what may have been on Kepler's mind when he wrote the above nonsense. After all, he is celebrated as the "father of astronomy" and discoverer of the true motions of our Solar system. Why would he mention an additional star that descended miraculously into the atmosphere? There is but one logical answer:  He meant two very different "new stars" in 1604! The Supernova, a spectacular astronomical event, and some kind of  cometary star that only an astrologer would be able to see. Consequently, the additional "new star" that appeared in 1604 was the same that led the Magi to Bethlehem! In a sense, this is even implied by Burke-Gaffney, although he omits Balaam and that some early Christians (Justin ca.165 CE) held that the Magi came from Arabia, because he says that Kepler claimed to have found a grain in the dung of Arabian superstition, and that in September 1604 all eyes were turned to the sky “to see if there would be a comet, as had been expressly predicted by the astrology of the Arabs.” 

Kepler’s De Stella Nova, the Latin treatise on the Supernova of 1604, has as little vignette on the cover with a hen and her ten chicks scratching for grains in a farmyard. This is the Baroque version of the medieval symbolism we know from Chrétien and Wolfram. Ambiguities that are meant to challenge our creativity, and which seem to have fooled all modern astronomers. Ferrari d'Occhieppo included, who failed to recognize Kepler's cautious hints and actually accused him of believing that the Christmas Star was a supernova! Yet he had clearly localized the Nova of 1604 CE in the realm of fixed stars -- not in the atmosphere!

            For Burke-Gaffney, these ambiguities were great stuff to ridicule the astronomer. He was apparently blinded by the times, 1937, when a name like "Kepler" rhymed with "Hitler" and anything German were either suspect or despised. That's probably why he failed to consider the dangers Kepler had to face himself: Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake in Rome, Galileo persecuted, Kepler's mother accused of witchcraft and almost burned at the stake, and he himself "more than once" in fear for his life -- which is stated in his letters (2). It was an age of mass-hysteria when "witches" were burned all over Europe! According to Max Caspar, Kepler reacted to the criminal charges against his mother with unutterable distress, 'as he writes', nearly causing my heart to burst in my body. After six years of accusations, his mother had to spend 14 months in jail, bound in chains, and guarded by two men. Kepler had to pay the costs of her imprisonment, led her defense during the witch trial, and according to Caspar (2a), was able to use "his prestige as imperial mathematician to save her from certain death at the stake".

            In 1621, after Kepler had left for Linz, 27 prominent citizens of Prague were beheaded publically, including "men that were close to Kepler, including his friends Jessennius and Budowetz von Budow" (2b). To live in such a dangerous environment shows that Kepler could not reveal any kind of "heresy" that would contradict the Church, either Catholic or Protestant. We must also keep in mind that his works were censured by theologians (3), and that he only dared to propose that Christ may have been born as early as 5 BCE after a Jesuit had published a book about the four-year error in the calculation of the Christian calendar. This is also why Kepler chose the above vignette, to imply most cautiously that the fertile dung of superstition may hold some valid discoveries. In his book Kepler and the Jesuits, Burke-Gaffney criticizes Kepler for daring to write to a Jesuit that the implications of the grain he had found in Arabian dung may be in accordance with their rules (4). Although Kepler mastered his difficulties as a Protestant, even by hinting at a conversion to Catholicism, it is sad to see how he had to lower himself to a scratching hen to humor some influential Jesuits -- as "life insurance"!

 In most parts of the world, our lives are no longer in danger if we decode Kepler's "heresies". Thanks to the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton (and IBM) the ancient skies are finally opened up to the general public. Bryant Tuckerman's Planetary, Lunar, and Solar Positions (5) allows a day-by-day reconstruction of the planetary movements in 7/6 BCE. The celestial scenario is similar to 1603/4, the one Kepler observed: But in correction of the article in the Science News, we see that not one, but two triangles had formed during the line-ups of our Solar system. But in 6 BCE, their order was reversed: The "watery" triangle is followed by a "fiery", and their relative positions are similar to the positions (and slight tilt) of the Watery and Fiery Trigons in the Zodiac.  For those with a science background, Tuckerman's numbers should suffice. But don't forget a math problem: 1 BCE is followed by CE 1, because there was no 0 year. This is why -5 represents 6 BCE!

 

            For the majority of amateurs that can't interpret these numbers, your gatekeeper has made a little sketch (below). Just like reading a Hebrew text, you need to follow the planets from the right to the left. Mars starts at almost at 346 degrees to flank the right of the watery triangle on February 11, and moves 10 degrees toward the left to top the fiery triangle on February 25, 6 BCE. At the same time, Jupiter moves about three degrees to the left, and Saturn only half as much.

In 6 BC: Fiery Triangle (Feb. 25) at left and Watery Triangle at right (Feb. 11)

    

In recent years, astronomers have abandoned Tuckerman's tables because of some minor inaccuracies, especially in regards to Mars. According to Nick Strobel, the computations of JPL are preferred today. Below are the planetary positions between Feb. 13 and 24 as printed out by JPL, which indicate that Mars tops the fiery triangle a day later, on Feb. 26, 6 BCE. If you check Strobel's visualization of the evening sky on that date, you'll find that he is a pretty good teacher of astronomy: He shows us that Pisces is directly below Aries in the western, evening sky after sunset, which forces us to tilt our head 90 degrees to the right to understand why only wisemen could see the triangles -- and fuse them into a star. (More of these neck exercises will follow with Kepler's woodcut below.)  

Here's a brief description of the celestial spectacle: After the SAT/JUP conjunction on May 26, 7 BCE (see above), both planets remain together within 7 degrees for nine months until they are joined by Mars to form a watery triangle. Then, Mars advances for two weeks to top the fiery triangle. (Note: Although Saturn and Jupiter remain on course, the wobbling of the Earth changes the perspective, creating the illusion that the planets slow down, remain together, and even move backwards!)

It appears to be relevant for astrologers that the triangles of 1604 formed in the reverse order, because Mars passed below Saturn and Jupiter. The symbolism in 6 BCE of death, the watery triangle, followed by rebirth, the fiery, is quite "pregnant" with meaning for ancient astrologers. We have finally an explanation for Kepler's ambiguous statements in Das unser Herr und Heiland... (1613), the preview of De Vero Anno (1614), where he refers to a "cometary star" in the atmosphere. The two stars he implied, and really compared, are made up by a fusion of the triangles, which also creates a star. This is esoteric, astrological symbolism and explains why astronomers were so easily misled by Burke-Gaffney, who argued that Kepler compared (confused) the Christmas Star with the Nova.

Only an expert astronomer, fluent in Latin and German, can determine if Kepler made other veiled references to the planetary triangles in his oeuvre. As far as we are concerned, and based on our limited knowledge, he only mentions them esoterically and in the context of superstitions. Aside from de nive sexangula, it seems that his closest hint is the wood-cut of Christmas 1604 (below), which looks like a secret message because Mercury, the messenger, is involved. The picture is an interactive trompe d'oeil, because it has three triangles: Amateurs will tilt their head a bit to the left and see the "watery" and to the right for the "fiery". Astronomers know better and tilt 135 degrees to the right, because of the ecliptic. Pretty clever, right? Kepler may have been trying to break the neck of his peers, but only virtually, of course. Wise men can do this without contortions by simply imagining the triangles. A lot of meaning was also attributed to each of the planets since ancient times: Jupiter symbolizes Marduk, Saturn Judaism in some traditions, and both "control" the warlike Mars in 6 BCE. Although this symbolism makes the celestial event even more spectacular, it is of little relevance for our case because the triangles speak for themselves.  There is no need to tilt our heads because we finally understand what Kepler had found in the fertile dung of Arabian superstition.

A quote from Kepler: "... Thus in early October 1604 Mars, Jupiter and Saturn would be at the vertices of a triangle, - forming a fiery triangle in the Fiery Trigon. A conjunction in the Fiery Trigon presaged great things..."  Astronomers like Burke-Gaffney and David Hughes not only overlooked Kepler's Eselsbrücke (at left), but also that these triangles formed in 1604 CE and 6 BCE, and that the latter were in a reversed order and even more spectacular: At the vertices of a watery triangle in the Watery Trigon, followed by a fiery triangle in transit to the Fiery Trigon. (Both Trigons are depicted at right!)

 

 

 

 

 

           

           

            Please study the above three sketches to visualize what went though the minds of the Magi! On the left, the triangles are merely copied from the astronomical data and remind a bit of Chrétien's Magic Sword. But this is a false impression, because only one triangle is actually seen at a time!  First, the three planets form the watery triangle, connected here by the solid line. Only it is visible at first! Then, as Mars at the top continues to the left, the triangle dissolves, and after two weeks, the same three planets unite into a fiery triangle. Only then could the Magi fuse them into the hexagram we see in the middle. Note how the elongated shape makes it look like a star in perfect perspective at the horizon -- as if it were shining down on Bethlehem. 

          Although the hexagram is associated exclusively with Israel today, Jewish sources are quoted below that suggest that it is not necessarily of Davidic origins, that it was known before the Christian era in the east and west, and even as a Messianic symbol. All of this is good news for Christians because a controversial passage in Matthew's Gospels has a valid explanation:

The phenomenon of a single star (aster), not a planet or conjunction, which actually stood still. It stood still on Feb. 25, 6 BCE, over Bethlehem, "house of David", when the Seal of David fused in the minds of wise men.

            The celestial scenario could even inspire the imagination of those who know nothing about astrology: It begins May 27 of 7 BCE , with Mars in Virgo setting in the west, and shortly before dawn, Saturn and Jupiter rise in conjunction in the east, a few degrees short of Aries. This is what the Magi saw in the east and which enabled them to predict the formation of the long-expected "Star". Then, both planets begin their retrograde motion, as if they attract Mars to join for the triangles. Saturn and Jupiter remain together for over six months, until December, while Mars passes four constellations to Capricorn.

            The Magi knew from their original calculations that Mars would reach Saturn and Jupiter exactly nine months later to form the first "watery triangle", with Saturn back at the original location of the first of three conjunctions in 7 BCE. During the entire period, the planets were seen every night farther west, as the Magi followed, until February 11, 6 BCE, when they stood briefly above the south-western horizon, to follow the Sun after sunset. During a metamorphosis of roughly two weeks, Mars passes Saturn and tops the fiery triangle inside Pisces, crowning the watery Trigon on Feb. 25, 6 BCE.

             If astrologers followed the star as it formed, from the east to the west, and arrived in Jerusalem in February, 6 BCE, they merely had to mention the miraculous birth of a king – and some locals would point toward sunset where the triangles stood in the sky, even in broad daylight. Not because of the planets, Judaism prohibits astrology, but because the south-west is the direction of Bethlehem, the House of David. 

            With this solution to an old debate, even the midrash of Herod's worries has a valid explanation: According to the gospel, Herod only knew the exact time when the star appeared, not the actual birth date (Mt.2:7). The earliest possible date could have been May 27, 7 BCE (the first conjunction), and the second nine months later, February 25, 6 BC (the hexagram). But Herod's astrologers had to be careful, this "king" could have also been born during the vernal equinox of 6 BCE, or even another nine months later. Consequently, the span of almost 19 months (May 27, 7 to January 6, 5 BCE) supports the passage where Herod allegedly orders the massacre of all boys under two years of age (Mt.2,16). This would also confirm why Kepler said that the "star" appeared one or two years before the birth of Christ.

            Our solution confirms the claims in the Gospel, even the problems 1-6 as stated at the top of this essay, and reconciles the narratives according to Matthew and Luke: The Star of Bethlehem is the description of an actual astronomical event, which a sophisticated wise man has put into very simple words. Because simple people would not understand it, and because the Magi had a bad reputation from the Book of Daniel, another wise man retold the story in the Gospel according to Luke by replacing the "star" and its planets with an angel and his "heavenly host", retaining the meaning of "divine messenger". The use of a "parable" was quite acceptable -- and could mean that Jesus had originally told these stories about his birth. That the first Christians knew so much about the Magi and their astrology indicates that they educated Jesus, which is probably why over 30 years of his life are never mentioned.  If this hypothesis has any merits, it might give us a better understanding of the newly discovered Gospel of Judas! 

            But before we expand our quest to tackle the myth of the phoenix, which takes our questionable hexagram to a higher level, the competing theories merit some serious study. It would be a good preparation for our thorny path because they represent a good summary of our knowledge on the subject:  1. Konradin Ferrari d'Occhieppo (d. 2007) was a Viennese professor of astronomy and expert on Babylonian cosmology who established that the Magi were capable of predicting Saturn-Jupiter conjunctions. He proposes in his publications, and correspondence with your gatekeeper, that the Magi followed Jupiter, the star of Marduk, which was enhanced by "Zodiacal lightening" (6).  2. The British astronomer David W. Hughes (Oxford) maintains for over 30 years that it was merely Kepler's triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 7 BCE, excluding 6 BCE and Mars. 3. Ernest Martin (Worldwide Church of God) has a large following with his conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, which is based on Herod's death in 1 BCE, and has the support of the astronomer John Mosley. 4. Of interest is also the entertaining "starry dance" of Jupiter and Regulus by professor Frederick A. Larson, an attorney and engaged Christian. 5. But for the past ten years, the leading theories are offered by Mark Kidger (Supernova) in 5 BCE and 6. Michael Molnar (Jupiter-Moon eclipses) in 6 BCE. Of course, they all looked up to the sky searching the heavens -- and never saw noticed the "miraculous star" down here on Earth.

    

 

            Appendix:

           

            Although it is to be expected that our hypothesis will remain controversial for some time, especially because of the clout of the above astronomers, we have some additional support from Christian and Jewish sources that deserve a closer look:  In the above-mentioned "The Gospel according to Saint Matthew", the Reverent A.J. Maas S.J. (7) explains why the Nova near the Saturn-Jupiter-Mars conjunction is properly described as a "star", although the literal meaning of the gospel requires an additional miraculous appearance of a star in the lower region of the atmosphere. In view of Kepler's cautious hints, which Maas seems to have fully understood, it likely that it was a decision by the Vatican to give Burke-Gaffney the "green light" to silence Jesuits like Maas, and to end the controversy once and for all. Because we are grateful for his help, we dare to quote him anyway:

"Kepler observed in December, 1603, a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn; Mars acceded in the following spring, and in autumn a very splendid star, much resembling a fixed star, was added. It occurred to the devout astronomer that the Wisemen might have witnessed a similar phenomenon, and on calculation he found that Jupiter and Saturn had been in conjunction A.U.C. 747 (i.e.7 BCE), and that Mars had made his approach the following February and March; later on, the Sun, Venus, and Mercury were added, so that in March, April, and May A.U.C. 748 (i.e.6 BCE) there was a perfect conjunction...  

Kepler did not, however, explain the star of the Magi wholly by means of the conjunction; he thought that the Wisemen, like himself, must have observed a new star in the place of the conjunction  which first excited their curiosity, and when it descended into the lower regions of the air and finally disappeared in the west, it recalled Balaam's prophecy, and inspired them with the wish to follow its westward course.”

          This is the premise of Burke-Gaffney’s attack on Kepler, which was also directed at  Maas. We learn that a very splendid star that appeared in the place of the conjunction descended with the planets to the horizon. Or, in laymen’s terms into the lower region of the air. According to Maas, it would have replaced the conjunction, which supports our theory: When the three planets were fused into the hexagram, this new star had descended to the lower regions of the air, because it phenomenized in the mind of the Magi.  This is how Maas sums it up:

"That a natural star or a comet's tail (Patr.) cannot point out a single house is plain to every observer. To say that the star pointed out the child's presence by its sudden and unexpected appearance, when the Magi were near his place, does not sufficiently satisfy the words of the evangelist... 

Whatever extraordinary natural phenomenon may have occurred... the literal meaning of the gospel and its traditional interpretation require an additional miraculous appearance of a star in the lower region of the atmosphere ."

              Because of the planetary hexagram, it is now plain to every observer that the Shield of David did indeed point out a single house (or child) in Bethlehem, the House of David. Burke-Gaffney kept featuring the supernova so that his students would confuse it with Kepler's esoteric star. Of course, he also avoided to mention Mass! But how could Gentiles like the Magi and Balaam have known this Jewish star? The answer is simple, according to Jewish encyclopedias:

"Hexagrams were known in many ancient civilizations as far apart as Britain and

Mesopotamia, India and the Iberian peninsula prior to the Roman conquest".  

            The Encyclopaedia of Judaism links it to early Judeo-Christian magic and holds that the term shield points to an astrological and mythical connection. It even mentions a frieze at the Synagogue of Capernaum with a hexagram next to a swastika, the ancient sun-wheel, which is exactly what happened and fully confirms our findings. (Your gatekeeper saw it in the 1970's, among the scattered ruins, and could not believe his eyes!) 

            We will deal with the Shield of David in greater detail when we return to Kepler's Prague, where the astronomer David Gans was the first to use it on a gravestone -- his own! This may relate to the winter of 1610, when Kepler crossed the famous Charles Bridge in Prague -- and a snowflake landed on his sleeve and melted before his eyes. He could have been on his way to meet Gans at a pub and discussed the mystery over a few beers. Inspired by this link of the macrocosm and the microcosm, they discussed what force or "agent" could determine that every snowflake has six corners? Kepler wrote the treatise de nive sexangula and pondered why six corners are prevalent in nature, and dedicated it as a "gift of nothing" to a friend. Did the melting of the six-cornered star remind him of Wolfram's three drops of blood in the snow, and did he connect it to the triangles in the sky? Or both? He may have visited the grail chapel of emperor Charles IV near Prague, and decided to check out Wolfram's works where a similar great conjunction calls Parzival to the grail. David Gans, who was an intimate friend of Kepler, died in 1612. Although the hexagram was known in esoteric, Cabbalist circles, he was the first in modern history to use it publically as a Jewish symbol, which supports our imagined conversation of Gans and Kepler.

            The earliest documented use of the "Star of David" coincides with the most ancient depiction of an Israelite. It is on the Black Obelisk at the British Museum: In the center is the crouched Israelite king Jehu (2 Kings 9:1-10, 33), paying tribute to king Shalmaneser III of Assyria (859-824 BCE). The bas-relief on black limestone is from Nimrud, in northern Iraq, where it was erected in 825 BCE as a public monument. The exaggerated submission of an Israeli king may be wrongly identified in archeology, because the other crouching man above him is allegedly Sua of Gilzanu a king from Persia. A close examination reveals that they wear identical caps, clothes and belts, suggesting that it could be the one and same Assyrian court translator -- and that Jehu is standing behind him, identified by the star. On the other hand, it may have been a custom to depict all Assyrian rulers as Sargon the Great, and every submissive king like a cartoon character. Who knows, perhaps even in the case of Jehu, whose submission was largely symbolic. According to the Bible, king Jehu was not only anointed by the prophet Elisah, but also went on a rampage to kill the descendants of king Ahab. (It's amazing how Christians teach this our children!!!) 

            There is additional evidence for Kepler's star that could erase the remaining doubts: The Universal Jewish Encyclopaedia, largely an adaptation of Jüdisches Lexikon (Herlitz/Kirschner, Vol. III, Berlin, 1929, p.1282) proposes that as a Messianic symbol, the hexagram:

"Represents the zodiacal sign of Pisces (February 21 to March 20),

the time of the year when the Messiah was supposed to appear".

            This may surprise the astronomer Michael Molnar, who identifies Aries with Judaism, because the above dates cover precisely the time when the planetary hexagram stood over Bethlehem (Feb. 25), as seen from Jerusalem -- before the sun joined the planets and made them invisible, "burned" them with its light.         

            One step back:   
            Until this point, we have attempted to reconcile the Christian gospels with Kepler's discovery. But a critical scholar could argue that the first Christians were so inspired by their mission that they embellished everything to proselytize successfully. The birth of Jesus, during the reign of Herod, became midrash and was dramatized to involve the evil king personally. The murder of the children is an example to show that Old Testament brutality, where Elisah murders 450 prophets of Baal, is an evil deed that is transferred to Herod by the new religion, which teaches love and forgiveness. The matching symbolism of Matthew and Luke, with the Star of Bethlehem and the Magi opposed by an angel and his "heavenly host", is an astrological concept for educated people -- and a fairy tale for simple people and children. The dilemma that the other gospels refer to "Jesus of Nazareth", and not "of Bethlehem", is another example that legends were created. The most dramatic midrash is probably the resurrection and physical return after death! It could be argued that Jesus announced his reincarnation in the distant future, which may be a secret his apostles decided to keep for themselves. Quite likely under the direction of Paul, who showed them a better way to spread the word. This could make sense, because some scholars consider Paul the "first Christian", including the erudite Karen Armstrong.

            Two steps forward:

            One undisputable fact remains: Planetary triangles appeared in the sky at around the probable birth date of Christ. But, unfortunately, onlyt little is known about the Magi, and nothing about the hexagram as a magic symbol in their astrology. This leaves us with speculation and interpretation: What if the astronomical Star of Bethlehem invokes not only the symbolism of Balaam, but also the most famous myth of the ancient world? The fabulous phoenix -- which would fuse all ancient wisdom with  Kepler's "cometary star".

            

            The star in perspective above the horizon is easily interpreted as a bird, with its wings spread wide -- which would mean that the Magi followed the flight of the phoenix from the east to the west -- which Matthew interpreted as a Christmas Star!  If our findings are valid, it would come as quite a shock to astronomers who have spent so much time with superstitious beliefs at the time of Christ. If this phenomenon was known since Antiquity, and described in the diverse cultures by different names, it could symbolize an astrophysical phenomenon that still eludes modern science! It might also pertain to the grail mystery, because Wolfram mentions the planetary positions throughout his Parzival, and describes the grail as a "lapsit exillis", a stone from paradise that gives the phoenix the power of rebirth!  If seems that this unknown force was also known as the fullness of time, as discussed in Plato's Timaeus, and includes the catastrophic predictions of Berossus of Babylon! Yes, there are other surprises ahead that used to guarantee a fiery death at the stake! You are  herewith challenged to post your support or critique a.s.a.p. At this stage of the game, all you need is write to info@grailgate.com and wait and see – or start your own blog, with due credits and links to this site.

 

 

Bibliography:

(under construction)

 

1.  A.J. Maas, S.J., The Gospel according to Saint Matthew, 2dn. Edition, Herder, St. Louis, 1916, p.20

 

2.  Carola Baumgardt, Johannes Kepler - Life and Letters, Philosophical Library, New York, 1951

 

2a. Max Caspar, Johannes Kepler, Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1950, p.240

 

2b. Max Caspar, op. cit. p.257

 

3.  Johannes Kepler, Gesammelte Werke, Band IV, C.H. Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, München, MCMXXXXI, Nachbericht, p.429

 

4.  M.W. Burke-Gaffney, Kepler and the Jesuits, Bruce Publishing Company, 1944, p.37

 

5.  Bryant Tuckerman (IBM), Planetary, Lunar, and Solar Positions, Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, 2 Volumes, 1962

 

6.  K. Ferrari d'Occhieppo, Der Stern von Bethlehem in astronomischer Sicht, Brunnen Verlag, Giessen, 1994

 

7.  A.J. Maas, Ibid

 

 

 

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