It was this star which was believed to have appeared just after the birth of Jesus and must, therefore, have been the one which Matthew’s magi observed and followed.” Biblical prohibitionįor the Jewish people, the Old Testament strictly bans every aspect of astrology. If this were the case, it would be most appropriate to go and pay homage to the future king. He elaborates: “To an astrologos, the appearance of this star would mean that the Queen of Palestine had brought forth an heir to the throne. This constellation, according to Christopher McIntosh, was known as The Woman with Child in The Astrologers and Their Creed.
In Chaldean (or Babylonian) astrology, the constellation of Cassiopeia brought forth an unusually bright star every 300 years. The story of the magi in Matthew’s Gospel seemingly belongs in this worldview. For example, the births of illustrious men were heralded by the appearance of signs and wonders in the heavens. One of the aspects of astrology is what was known as horoscopic astrology, according to which the appearance of any unusual phenomenon in the sky was an omen of important events to come. In Chaldean astrology, a certain constellation with an unusually bright star every 300 years signalled the birth of an heir.
The Babylonian priests observed the solstices and equinoxes and charted the motions and cycles of the planets almost accurately.
Scholars who have extensively studied ancient astrology agree that astrology originated as early as in 3,000 BCE in the Mesopotamian world, particularly in Babylonia, where it flourished as a science and art of its own kind. The magos (astrologers or astrologos) established relations between humans and the heavenly bodies, believed to be personified divine beings, in order to predict how the stars and planetary movements predetermined human life on earth (in general) and human destiny (in particular). It is traced back to the ancient Persian or Babylonian magoi (magicians) who were considered experts in reading the positions and movement of the stars, divination and sorcery. Matthew presents the story of the magi as the first instance that anticipates the universality of the Gospel of Jesus.Īstrology is the art of foretelling events by the positions and movements of the aster (stars).