John Byer

The Star of Bethlehem has been a marvel and a mystery ever since the birth of Jesus. For the past 2000 years, the appearance of this magical star has captivated and puzzled all Christendom, especially the historians and astronomers who continually try (generation after generation), to ascertain the unvarnished truth of this wondrous Christmas story. Surprisingly, the report of this fascinating tale is exclusively found in only one Bible document, the Gospel of Matthew … where it has been the subject of intense controversy for two millennia. As a result, the verses about the Star have provoked and instigated a lot of studious scrutiny … as proven by a very sizable batch of scholarly articles and studies produced throughout the ages beginning in the third century with Origen, the renowned theologian and fabled philosopher of Alexandria, Egypt. Over the previous centuries, this myriad of scholastic studies has also identified a diverse number of birth years for Christ to which the detective will now join the mix and add his two cents because he has new insights and even some pertinent and related information that isn’t found in all the other reports. 

In opening up this discussion, the reality of the Bethlehem Star needs to be analyzed and seriously questioned because in the first century, all objects in the sky, not identified as planets, may have been called stars. As such, after a diligent review of the scripture and other known data about stars, it is the judgment of the detective that there never was a Bethlehem Star. The gospel of Matthew doesn’t describe unusual activity with any known star, but the scripture does portray the appearance of a “star in the East” possessing the characteristics of a comet since it very visibly travelled across a wide expanse of the nighttime sky. In addition, and much more significantly, this timely account of Matthew answers a long-running active debate about the correct age of Jesus. As such, it finally provides the confirmation needed to determine the exact year of Christ’s birth --- an issue of endless and unlimited controversy that has raged for nearly twenty centuries.  
All of this information is welcome news for the detective, because in his book, “Lucianity” (page 68), he has decisively declared and pinpointed 5BC as the birth year of Christ, but he uses no astronomical data and only relies on biblical scripture. However, after a little research, one learns that 5BC was also the year of an unusual and spectacular heavenly event. It turns out that a comet is not only described in Matthew’s gospel, but it has been confirmed by Chinese astronomers in the Han Dynasty who reported the observation of a clearly visible comet (due to its dazzling long tail) in the skies for 70 days during the year 5BC.  The source of this data on the comet is an investigative report titled “The Star of Bethlehem – a Comet in 5BC – and the Date of the Birth of Christ” by investigator and author Colin J. Humphreys, 1991, University of Cambridge. It further discloses that the comet was first observed by the Chinese star-gazers between March 9 and April 6. Colin Humphreys then proceeds to calculate the date when Jesus was born. He estimates that the royal birth of the Jewish Messiah occurred between the dates of March 9 and May 4, 5BC. Sadly, both his calculation and conclusion are incorrect because he innocently assumed that the Apostle Matthew was providing dependable and reliable information. In truth, the  comet (or Bethlehem Star) was not visible at the birth of Jesus and the fraudulent  information did not come from Matthew. Colin Humphreys, and the hundreds of other people (who have written articles about the Star of Bethlehem), never knew that the gospel of Matthew had been completely corrupted by the forgery and fraudulent editing of Lucius, one of the 70 disciples and the ghostwriting Bishop of Cyrene. 
A focused reading of Matthew’s scripture (all of which has been edited by Lucius) reveals that it is not factual, truthful, or believable. For instance, at the time of Jesus Christ’s birth, there were no apostles to report events and keep timely records about Jesus; the only known verifiable witnesses were Mary and Joseph, yet they are never identified as the source of any information. And, even if some unknown mysterious scribes existed who were awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, they would not be privy to the privately held inter-actions that the three Magi allegedly had with King Herod. Additionally, it is inconceivable that a written record of their conversations would be available 40 some years later (i.e. the approximate time when Matthew’s gospel may have been written). Then, on top of these various conflicting issues, Matthew was not even an eyewitness to this meeting! So, with all this confusing data, one must ask a pertinent question: Where did he get this information regarding a meeting with King Herod and know the conversational issues? There was no mention or reference to the archival records of King Herod. Thus in all reality, Matthew didn’t know anything, and much of this story simply represents the specious ghostwriting of Lucius. By all accounts, Matthew’s knowledge of any event related to Christ’s birth (such as the Star of Bethlehem) is impossible without him quoting a source, which he doesn’t do. As such, most of the verses in chapter two of Matthew’s gospel are only deemed to be the false contrived fiction of Lucius, since they have no truth and real substance, particularly the verses about the location of the comet in the sky because neither Matthew nor Lucius were present at the birth of Jesus. The reason for their absence is simple: they were either unborn or infants themselves. Jesus would not have any apostles or disciples until he was 30 years old, but nonetheless, this truthful story about the comet had to have its origin somewhere, and the most likely place was Qumran where a community of Essenes resided. Mentioned below, someone from this sect undoubtedly wrote the original story about the comet and Magi which was then made available to Matthew where he could include the basic facts in his gospel. It is the detective’s hunch that Lucius expanded the narrative of Matthew’s gospel, and this accounts for the dubious parts of the story… like the verse about a star that “stood over where the young child was.” Stars may hold fixed positions in the sky, but comets don’t.  Additionally, if the dates recorded by the Chinese for the comet’s visibility are correct, then it is impossible for Jesus to be a ‘young child,’ because he wasn’t even born. Instead, he was comfortably nestled inside his expectant mother’s body (i.e. the womb of the Virgin Mary) and she lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee, located 90 some miles (or 157 kilometers) north of Bethlehem, Judea. Therefore, in this incubated fetal position, the unborn Jesus was fully isolated and hidden from all eyes, so the narrative in Matthew’s gospel must be total fiction. It is particular facts like this which justify why the detective has accused Lucius of forgery and scriptural corruption. And, when speaking of Lucius, he is synonymous with Luke, the same individual who wrote the gospel of Luke; he is not the Greek medical doctor from Antioch. In his gospel, Lucius also discusses the birth of Jesus where his obvious and easily identifiable falsehoods are apparent throughout the first and second chapters. Lucius wasn’t a first-hand witness to any of the things or events that he describes in chapters 1 and 2 of Luke’s gospel; these chapters pertaining to Christ’s birth and his early years definitely reflect the creative writing of Lucius. Some of the basic information may have come from Matthew’s original gospel because Lucius had possession of his gospel ever since 42AD or 45AD whichever year accurately reflects the time when Matthew departed Jerusalem and went to the region near the Caspian Sea. 

The detective discerns that the comet in 5BC, and possibly the two earlier planetary conjunctions involving Saturn and Jupiter (which occurred in the preceding years of 7BC and 6BC), represent heavenly signals or ‘heads up’  alerts indicating the birth of a new King was imminent. The dazzling, 70-Day visible comet did not identify the day or month of Christ’s birth, only the year --- because Jesus was born in October on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This date was more than five months after the comet had completely disappeared from earth’s orbit and lost all visibility from the ground -- according to the ancient records of the Chinese astronomers. Such being the case, it is also proper to report that the estimated dates of Jesus Christ’s birth made by Colin Humphreys are inaccurate. They do not function in God’s agenda (i.e. the timetable of 490 years that the Angel Gabriel delivered to Daniel, also known as the message of the Seventy Weeks). Unrelated to these facts but still on point, there is also evidence to believe that Mary and Joseph were members of the Essenes, a small religious sect  that eagerly awaited the Messiah. They are identified as the same people who were writing the “Dead Sea Scrolls” within the caves of Qumran – located twenty miles to the east of Jerusalem. Additionally, once Mary became pregnant, everyone knew a child would be born close to 40 weeks later. The Magi may have become aware of this information from sources within the Essene community. If this is the case, then the Magi knew exactly when to arrive in Bethlehem (that is, assuming the Three Wise Men are not part of the elaborate story-telling fiction drafted and promulgated by Lucius). Furthermore, Joseph and Mary knew exactly where they had to find lodging on the feast of Yom Kippur. Thus, when the time came for the birth of Jesus, they went directly to Bethlehem in order to fulfill the prophecy about the location of his birth (Micah 5:2) and not to pay taxes as Lucius asserts when he wrote Chapter Two, verse one, in the Gospel of Luke. 
Similarly, the Magi, who must have read the scripture in the Torah, surely understood after their study of Isaiah, Daniel, and Micah that the Jewish Messiah would be born on the Day of Atonement (Feast of Yom Kippur) in the town of Bethlehem. Why is this assumption by the Detective true? Because, if he (the detective) can easily reach this   conclusion in 2020AD, just by reading the Bible’s scripture, then the Three Wise Men could have easily reached the same conclusion more than 2000 years earlier. Yet, the possession of these two pieces of critical information (i.e. the day and place of birth), was still not enough for them to start their trek to Bethlehem. The Magi undoubtedly remained uncertain about the exact year of the Messiah’s arrival. They would need additional confirmation regarding the time of the royal birth before they initiated their long arduous journey to the west. The appearance of a ‘Star’ in the East which was first seen about March 9, 5BC (giving the Magi approximately 8 months of lead-time), forecast the arrival of the King of the Jews on the next Yom Kippur, October 11, 5BC. This eye-catching, celestial signal, along with all the other collaborating information at their disposal, finally gave the Three Wise Men the verification they required and anxiously awaited. In fact, when this divinely timed, eye-popping, astronomical fiery event lit up the sky around the whole world … its light announced to everyone on Earth, not just the three Magi, that the arrival of Jesus Christ would be forthcoming.  Why? Because this fabled Star was real (although fictitiously described by Lucius when he forged and corrupted the gospel of Matthew). Known for millennia as the Star of Bethlehem, this historically significant comet has been misidentified, and misunderstood, for the last two thousand years. 

One thing becomes very clear when reading the Biblical scripture related to the Star of Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, his baptism, and even his death on the cross … it is this: Lucius, as Editor-in-Chief of the New Testament, always circumvents the huge, gigantean, elephant-size issue that sits very prominently right in the middle of the Christian story. His reasoning and rationale for circumvention are unknown, but when Christ is born on Yom Kippur … Lucius knows it, and yet he deliberately hides and conceals this fact from his reading audience. Lucius has intentionally dismissed    critically important, and extremely significant, identifying information about Jesus --- the very information which precisely defines the purpose of his incarnation on Earth. For nearly 2000 years, the forgery and mischief of Lucius have gravely affected all Christianity in a seriously negative way. As a result, billions upon billions of people have been deceived and misled by his fiction. Why? Because they never understood the true purpose of Christ’s earthbound mission. The birth of Jesus on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement for the people of Israel (or the twelve Jewish tribes), is just one more tad of additional evidence that confirms Jesus Christ died and resurrected only  for the sins of the Jews, and not the sins of all mankind. Jesus himself said “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24, KJV).  Therefore “Go not into the way of the Gentiles (i.e. all people not Jewish), and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6, KJV).  What was the reason for this admonition about the lost sheep of Israel? It was given because only the Jews violated the Mosaic Law and Covenant that they had willingly and unanimously made with God (Exodus 19:8). The Jewish people intentionally ‘sinned’ when they denied the eternal, everlasting life of the soul (Genesis 1:27). Thus, the singular reason for Christ’s horrific death and his ensuing resurrection was the presentation of a factual, real-life drama which demonstrated to the Jewish Sadducees, and by extension to all mankind, that human beings really do possess an immortal soul. In any case, a complete explanation of Christ’s mission is revealed in the article titled “The real reason God sent Christ to Earth” --- available on this website.

Detective’s Note ~ Mary and Joseph could not be interviewed by either Matthew or Lucius for two important reasons: (1) their absence from Israel; and (2) their deaths. Joseph had taken Jesus to India as a very young man (his missing years), and it is believed Joseph died there since nothing was heard about him after the trip; his death occurred many years before Jesus ever selected any of his Apostles. In the case of Mary, she had been quietly whisked away from Damascus, and secretly taken to Ephesus by the Apostle John (probably for her safety). This distant Asian city of Ephesus was located on the Aegean seacoast of present day Turkey. She lived there for several years after the resurrection of Jesus, before embarking on a strenuous trek to India with Jesus and Thomas. Mary died at Pindi Point, during the final leg of their long exhausting journey (Pindi Point is now located in Pakistan due to its 1947 United Nations partition from India). Thus, at the time when Matthew and Lucius were writing their Biblical scripture, both Joseph and Mary were dead in distant countries and unavailable for interview. 

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