Mike tells me that I've gone over to the dark side with the creation of this blog. Perhaps he is right ;)
I managed to cut my hand again preparing dinner. Third time within two months, or something ridiculous. It hasn't stopped bleeding ...
Sunday nights are becoming my TV documentary nights. Of particular interest is tonight's story by Jeremy Bowen on Compass, an investigation into the time of Jesus' birth and childhood - the culture, the way of life and the political climate.
There were some very interesting points: for one, the Star of Bethlehem ...
Astronomers have been looking for remarkable phenomenon like comets or asteroids and haven't found anything significant. The documentary reveals that it was more likely to have been an astrological phenomenon rather than a necessarily astronomical one, seeing as astrology was very much advanced during the 1st Century.
Jesus wasn't born in 0 A.D, but 6 B.C, due to an error in the calculation of the Roman calendar. The constellation of Aries was important at the time because it signified the reign of Herod. The planet Jupiter was thought of as 'King of the Planets'. In about mid-April in 6 B.C., Jupiter was seen in the constellation of Aries, then Saturn, as well as the Sun and the Moon - this was a most unusual occurrence. The Star of Bethlehem might well have been an eclipse of the Moon over Jupiter, with the Moon moving across to reveal the planet as a morning star. And the wise men from the East might well have been astrologers ;)
There were other enlightening aspects - like Jesus was most probably born in a kind of a cave, quite unlike the Nativity scene depicted on modern Christmas cards. However, caves under the houses of 1 A.D. in Bethlehem were used as stables. The houses of the time were separated mostly into two levels - people slept upstairs, whereas the animals were kept downstairs. Interestingly enough, an old translation of the word 'inn' means 'upstairs'. There was no room at the inn, there was no room upstairs, so they slept in the stable with the animals.
This is documentary in 3-parts - so if you're in Australia, it's on ABC TV for the next two Sunday nights at 9.30pm, if this is your kind of thing.