Search the Scriptures with an Open Mind

PREVIEW Jesus’ virgin birth is one of the mainstays of the Christian religion. How is that possible? Science suggests three ways: 1. Artificial insemination, 2. Parthenogenesis, and 3. Cloning. Artificial insemination is a modern medical procedure. Some people consider it objectionable, mainly for religious reasons. But is has allowed many married couples to have cherished children they could not have conceived in any other way. Cloning is an even more modern procedure, which involves the manipulation of genetic material. It has worked with a variety of animals being raised for commercial purposes. But there are serious ethical problems which prevent the application of such methods to humans. Parthenogenesis is now a scientific term for birth from an unfertilized egg. Like many scientific words, it is derived from Greek. But unlike most of them, παρθενογένεσης is exactly the same word that is used in the original version of the New Testament. Natural parthenogenesis has been observed among arthropods, fish, and reptiles, and is suspected among amphibians and birds. It has been induced artificially in laboratory mice. The offspring are always female. Most religions, and many ethnic groups, claim that their gods and/or heroes were born to virgins. They include Krishna, Kama, the Buddha Gautama, Mary, Kabir, Mithras, Horus, Ra, Perseus, Hercules, Pan, Ion, Romulus & Remus, Helen of Troy, and Quetzalcoatl. A study of interviewees’ candor found that 0.08% of young American women who have just given birth claim to be virgins. Those who made such a claim were twice as likely to have made a chastity vow as those who did not, and only half as likely to have been told the facts of life. The study was made to assess the credibility of data bases containing highly personal information. But it unintentionally proved that pressure to avoid sex, and withholding of information, about it increase not only the likelihood of precocious sex, but also the likelihood of lying about it. Just a few women have publicly claimed to have given virgin birth. Not one of them permitted the simple DNA test that could have proven or disproven it. § The Bible does not say Jesus was born on December 25. And it does not say He was born in the Year One. Either of those statements would have been false. But it does give several hints as to his birthdate, from which we might draw some useful conclusions. The shepherds were watching their flocks by night. They don’t do that in the winter, so that eliminates the months from November through March. They congregate to watch as closely as possible during the lambing season. So the most likely time of year for Jesus’ birth is late April or early May. Matthew and Luke both give details of Jesus’ birth. Matthew was found to be the more dependable for genealogy, and appears to be also for timing. Luke says that Joseph and Mary travelled to Bethlehem to be enrolled in a census when Quirinius was Governor of Syria. Both say that Herod was king when Jesus was born. Quirinius became governor in 6 AD, and Herod is traditionally said to have died in 4 BC, but new historical studies suggest it was more likely 1 or 2 BC. There is agreement from several sources that Herod was alive when Jesus was born, but died not more than a year or so afterward. The historian Josephus tells us that Herod learned of his son’s treachery during a lunar declipse, and ordered him killed. Herod himself died five days after the murder, in the 37th year of his reign. (The Battle of Actium, 31 BC, took place in the seventh year of Herod’s reign.) Jewish records say Herod died on Shebat 2, which is 72 days before Passover. The date of Passover varies, but it is always within a couple of weeks after the spring equinox. So Herod died during the early part of the year. There was a lunar eclipse on January 10, 1 BC. \ Astronomy can further refine the date by considering the Star of Bethlehem. A temporary bright object in the sky can be a comet, a nova, or a conjunction. Ancient peoples considered comets omens of disaster, and would hardly have accepted one as heralding the birth of the Messiah. Comets follow regular orbits, and the times of their appearances, in either the past or the future can be calculated. Halley’s Comet appeared in 12 BC, too early to qualify. Novas appear at random times, and are not predictable. Chinese astronomers have been recording novas for thousands of years. They reported a relatively small nova in 5 BC. It would have been too inconspicuous to have impressed the Magi. A conjunction is the appearance of two planets, or a planet and a star, along the same line of sight so close together that they seem to be a single body. Several conjunctions occurred during Herod’s reign. By far the most spectacular was the triple conjunction of the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, with the bright star Regulus (he King Star of the Greek astrologers) in 3 BC and 2 BC. The brightness of Venus varies, because it goes through the same sequence of phases as the Moon. During this conjunction its full face was reflecting sunlight toward Earth, and it alone was bright enough to be visible during the day. During the last half of 3 BC Jupiter and Regulus were very close together for several months, moving westward across the eastern sky before sunrise. Then Jupiter went into retrograde motion (one of Aristotle’s infamous epicycles), separated from Regulus, and appeared to earthly observers to stand still for a while. Then it was lost in the solar glare for a few months. When it emerged on the other side of the sun, it was in close conjunction with Venus in the evening sky. They moved westward together, becoming ever closer until on June 17, 2 BC they were at maximum brilliance, one of the brightest objects ever seen in the sky. The Bible says only that the Magi came from the East. They seem to have come a long way, probably from Mesopotamia or Persia. Their actions show that they were unfamiliar with Hebrew culture, but they understood Greek astrology. Conjunction of Regulus,the ‘King Star” with Jupiter, the “God Star” could mean only that a king with godlike qualities had appeared, They travelled to Jerusalem, capital of the province over which the “star” had stopped its apparent motion. From there, its celestial elevation was to the south (toward Bethlehem). The Magi began preparing for their trip after the Star appeared, witnessed its standing still enroute, and spent some time with Herod before heading again toward the Star. It was brighter than before, and still increasing in brilliance when they reached Bethlehem.