Short Commentary on the Book of Job

“Job belongs to the corpus of wisdom literature, yet it stands apart for its global, rather than national, scope. Its universal themes—suffering, justice, mortality, and faith—speak across cultures and ages”. The Way of Truth ________________________________________ The Way of Truth article (with Damien Mackey’s comments added) can be found at: Understanding the Book of Job: Suffering and Divine Wisdom …. The book of Job stands as one of the most profound and challenging works in all of Scripture. It grapples unflinchingly with the problem of suffering—the question that has haunted humanity since the dawn of time: Why do the righteous suffer? Written in majestic poetry and framed by a prose narrative, Job confronts this question not through philosophical speculation but through divine revelation. It shows that while God’s purposes often lie beyond human understanding, His wisdom and justice remain perfect, and His grace is sufficient even in the darkest affliction. Damien Mackey’s comment: The Book of Job is actually a highly philosophical work: Why Job Had to Suffer (A Philosophical Answer to the Problem of Pain) — The Think Institute The Deeper, Philosophical Meaning of the Book of Job | Owen Anderson (ThinkPod) Worldview Legacy | The Think InstituteBy The Think InstituteJun 23, 2021 The problem of suffering has been with humanity since the very beginning. And no book of the Bible addresses this problem more directly than the book of Job. But what is the meaning of the book? How should we really understand Job's story? And is it possible that the majority of commentators are missing something important here? In this episode, Dr. Owen Anderson helps us get to the true, deeper, philosophical meaning of Job. Owen has been teaching philosophy and religious studies for more than two decades and is a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Arizona State University. His research focuses on general revelation and related questions about reality, value, and knowledge. He has been a fellow at Princeton University, a visiting scholar at Princeton Seminary, and a fellow at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has published several books including "Job: A Philosophical Commentary" (2021), in which he argues that it is Job, not the Greeks, who was the earliest philosopher. Specifically, you will learn: • Why Owen Anderson believes Job is the earliest work of true philosophy. • Why we should view Job as a philosophical conversation. • What is the deepest problem being addressed in the book of Job? • Whether Job had been sinning, and why he was still called "blameless." • What's up with Job's 10 kids. • How Job's interpreters have gotten him wrong over the years. • The deep, philosophical meaning of Job. And much, much more. …. I. Historical Setting and Authorship The exact time of Job’s life is uncertain, but internal clues suggest an early patriarchal setting, perhaps contemporaneous with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Damien Mackey’s comment: I believe, on the contrary, that the prophet Job clearly belonged to the time of the Chaldean empire (Job 1:17): ‘The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them’. This era was a good millennium and more after “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. For, Job was none other than Tobias, the son of Tobit, whose life began in Assyrian captivity in Nineveh. On this, see e.g. my article: Job’s Life and Times (5) Job’s Life and Times There are many parallels between Job and Tobias, not least of which is having seven sons (cf., Job 1:2; 42:13; Tobit 14:3) – which is, surprisingly, quite rare in the Bible. The article continues: Job’s wealth is measured in livestock, his lifespan exceeds 140 years, and there is no mention of the Mosaic Law or Israelite institutions. The author is likewise unknown. Some traditions attribute the book to Moses, while others suggest an ancient sage inspired by God to record Job’s story as both history and divine drama. Regardless of authorship, the book’s literary excellence and theological depth mark it as one of the earliest and greatest masterpieces of biblical revelation. Damien Mackey’s comment: The Book of Job is, in fact, considered to be closest in style to the Book of Jeremiah, which, again, is much later than the era as suggested in The Way of Truth article: “Some traditions attribute the book to Moses …”. intertextual.bible | Biblical Intertextuality | Comparing Job and Jeremiah Job and Jeremiah: A Comparison The Book of Job and the Book of Jeremiah share several parallels, particularly in their treatment of suffering and the relationship between the individual and God. Both texts address the question of why the righteous suffer, with Job's narrative providing a way to relate to the Jewish exile and the themes of divine justice and human suffering. The cursing of the day of their birth is a strikingly similar moment in both texts, highlighting the shared human experience of despair and the search for meaning. The comparison between Job and Jeremiah also touches on the idea of knowing God's will in advance, a theme that resonates in both texts as they explore the complexities of suffering and the human condition. That may make the prophet Jeremiah, who was the High Priest, Eliakim (Joakim), of the Book of Judith: Jeremiah was both prophet and high priest (2) Jeremiah was both prophet and high priest and who is a favoured candidate for the authorship of that book: Author of the Book of Judith (2) Author of the Book of Judith a potential candidate also for the authorship of the Book of Job. Another, perhaps likelier, candidate for the authorship of Job would be the inspired “Elihu … the Buzite” (Job 32:2), who may well be the same as the great prophet “Ezekiel son of Buzi” (Ezekiel 1:3): Elihu a contemporary of the prophet Ezekiel (3) Elihu a contemporary of the prophet Ezekiel Elihu and Ezekiel were contemporaries, both of whom referred to Job (Elihu addressed Job), Buzites, they experienced similar awesome theophanies, and were filled with God’s spirit. There are three other points raised in The Way of Truth article upon which I would like to comment. Firstly: “Job’s wealth is measured in livestock…”. In “Job’s Life and Times”, I compared Job and Tobias in this regard: …. The fortunes of the once-impoverished Tobias had taken a quantum leap upwards by the conclusion of his successful visit to Ecbatana. We read: “... Raguel ... gave Tobias half his wealth, menservants and maid-servants, oxen and sheep, donkeys and camels, clothes, and money and household things” (10:10. Jerusalem Bible version). Moreover, the angel Raphael had retrieved for Tobias, from nearby “Rages”, the ten talents of silver that his father had “left there in trust with Gabael”, one of his kinsmen (v.14), some 20 years before (cf. 4:20 and 9:5). Interest on this sum (equivalent to many thousands of dollars) must have greatly accumulated during that period of time. Materially speaking, Tobias would eventually benefit further from family inheritances; from his father’s estate in Nineveh, and afterwards, from that of his parents-in-law, in Ecbatana: “[Tobias] inherited their property and that of his father Tobit” (14:13). Thus the wealth that Tobias had accumulated by the time that he had settled down away from Assyria would compare most favourably with the following description that we encounter in the opening verses of the Book of Job: “There was a man ... whose name was Job .... He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and very many servants ...” (1:1, 3). Note that the very same types of livestock are listed in both accounts: “oxen”, “sheep”, “donkeys” (she-asses) and “camels”, plus the abundance of human “servants”. We might add another domestic animal here as well: the sheepdog. The dog in the Book of Tobit is sometimes singled out by commentators as being an irrelevancy. What is the point, they exclaim, of even mentioning it! I personally am glad for the dog’s inclusion. Apart from it adding a realistic, eyewitness flavour to a story that is already saturated with such detail (as is often noted by biblical commentators), it provides a further possible link with Job. For, whereas virtually every reference in the Old Testament to a “dog” or “dogs” is derogatory or unflattering - and never homely - it seems that the rare exceptions are to be found in the books of Tobit and Job. Thus: Tobit: “And Tobias went forward; and the dog followed him ...” (cf. 6:1 and 11:4). …. “Then the dog, which had been with [Tobias and the angel] along the way, ran ahead of them; and coming as if he had brought the news showed his joy by his fawning and wagging his tail” (Tobit 11:9). Job: “But now they make sport of me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have distained to set with the dogs of my flock” (30:1). (RSV version). Another version has: “... no sheep-dog of mine ever tended”. …. According to the Heb. Londinii (or HL) version of Tobit, a large party went with the bridal pair (Tobias and Sarah) a day’s journey homewards; and “... everyone gave a ring of gold … and a piece of silver” (11:1). The only other place in Scripture of which I am aware, where the same thing happened, is in the Book of Job; and it is virtually word for word with Tobit: “... each of them gave [Job] a piece of money and a ring of gold” (42:11). Secondly, “Job’s … lifespan exceeds 140 years …”. While Tobias, likewise, surpassed 1oo, the numbers vary in the different versions of the Book of Tobit, e.g. “a hundred and twenty-seven years” (RSV); “117 years” (GNT); but only “ninety-nine years” in the Douay version. Thirdly, “… and there is no mention of the Mosaic Law or Israelite institutions”. The supplementary Book of Tobit, however, is replete with such: e.g., Tobit 1:3-8; 2:1-9; 3:1-6, 11-15; 4:3-19; 6:11-15; 8:5-7; 12:6-10; 13:1-18; 14:4-6, 9. II. Structure and Literary Form Job is composed of a prologue and epilogue in prose (chapters 1–2 and 42:7–17) framing an extensive poetic dialogue (chapters 3–42:6). 1. Prologue (Chapters 1–2): Job is introduced as “perfect and upright,” yet Satan challenges his integrity, asserting that his faith depends on prosperity. God permits Job to be tested, first by the loss of his possessions and children, then by personal affliction. Yet Job refuses to curse God. 2. Dialogues and Discourses (Chapters 3–37): In poetry of unparalleled intensity, Job and his friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—debate the cause of his suffering. They assume that suffering is always the consequence of sin, while Job maintains his innocence and wrestles with God’s silence. Later, a younger man, Elihu, adds his own perspective, emphasizing God’s justice and pedagogical use of suffering. 3. The Divine Encounter (Chapters 38–41): Out of the whirlwind, God speaks, not to explain why Job suffers, but to reveal who He is. Through a series of awe-inspiring questions about creation, providence, and power, God humbles Job’s limited understanding and restores his trust. 4. Epilogue (Chapter 42): Job repents in dust and ashes, not for hidden sin but for presuming to judge God’s ways. His fortunes are restored twofold, and his relationship with God is deepened through the experience of divine grace. III. Purpose and Message The central purpose of Job is not to solve the mystery of suffering, but to deepen our understanding of God’s wisdom, sovereignty, and justice. The book teaches that: • The righteous may suffer not as punishment, but as part of God’s hidden purposes. • True faith clings to God even when His ways are inscrutable. • Human wisdom cannot fully grasp divine providence; “the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28). • God is sovereign over both prosperity and pain, and His plans ultimately display His glory and goodness. In essence, Job challenges the shallow theology of retribution, the belief that good things always happen to good people and bad things to the wicked. It replaces this moral simplism with a theology of reverence: God is not obligated to justify Himself to man, and yet He is always righteous in all His dealings. Damien Mackey’s comment: This profound message from the ancient Book of Job appears to have been completely lost on the Apostles (John 9:2-5): His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned’” said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world’. IV. Theological Themes 1. The Sovereignty of God: God reigns supreme over creation and over Satan. Even the Adversary’s attacks are bounded by divine permission. 2. The Reality of Satan and Spiritual Conflict: The opening scenes remind us that earthly suffering often has unseen spiritual dimensions. 3. The Mystery of Providence: God’s purposes transcend human understanding, yet they are never arbitrary or unjust. 4. Faith under Trial: Job’s perseverance under unimaginable loss exemplifies the triumph of faith refined by fire. 5. The Quest for a Mediator: Job’s yearning for an advocate between himself and God (9:33; 16:19) anticipates Christ, the ultimate Mediator who reconciles man to God. 6. The Grace of Restoration: Job’s story ends not in despair but in renewal, prefiguring the resurrection hope that emerges from the ashes of affliction. V. Historical and Apologetic Considerations Job belongs to the corpus of wisdom literature, yet it stands apart for its global, rather than national, scope. Its universal themes—suffering, justice, mortality, and faith—speak across cultures and ages. The book’s ancient setting and poetic style affirm its authenticity as an early and inspired work, while its insights into divine providence and moral order testify to its revelation from God rather than mere human speculation. VI. Christological Significance Throughout Job, faint rays of messianic hope pierce the darkness of suffering. Job’s cry—“I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (19:25)—is one of the clearest anticipations of the resurrection in the Old Testament. Christ is the answer to Job’s longing: the sinless sufferer who bore undeserved pain, the mediator who pleads for His people, and the risen Lord who guarantees final vindication. In Jesus, the riddle of innocent suffering finds its ultimate resolution, not in explanation, but in redemption. VII. Practical and Devotional Application For believers, Job is not merely a philosophical treatise but a pastoral companion in seasons of pain. It teaches that worship is possible even when explanations are withheld, that faith may question without forsaking, and that God’s silence is not His absence. It calls us to trust the God we cannot always trace and to rest in His character when we cannot understand His plan. VIII. Conclusion The book of Job stands as a monument of divine wisdom and human faith. It does not promise easy answers but invites us into a deeper trust in the God who “doeth great things past finding out” (Job 9:10). Through suffering, Job’s knowledge of God moves from hearsay to encounter: “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee” (42:5). That is the goal of every believer’s trial: that through pain, perplexity, and perseverance, we might see God more clearly and worship Him more truly. Job thus teaches the greatest lesson of all: though the righteous suffer, God remains righteous. And in the end, His purposes will shine brighter than the storm.

Barry Setterfield partly correct about Christ’s Star in Matthew

by Damien F. Mackey “But wait! There is one more important detail. Matthew 2:9-11 implies that something was marking the very house that Jesus had been living in for 15 months. The planets and stars can never mark a single building. What is the answer to this Biblical conundrum? Throughout the Scriptures, God has consistently appeared to His servants in what has often been called the Shekinah Glory Cloud.” Barry Setterfield THE CHRISTMAS STAR By Barry Setterfield ________________________________________ The Christmas story with the angels, shepherds, wise men and star has gripped the imagination of many over the last 20 centuries. We are indebted to two Biblical accounts, one in Matthew, and one in Luke. They provide the basic information needed to reconstruct Mid-Eastern history and astronomical events in order to discover exactly what occurred in the night sky on that first Christmas when Messiah was born in the cave at Bethlehem amongst the cattle and horses. Luke records that it was the whim of the Roman Emperor Augustus which sent Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This 125 Km journey by foot, and on the back of a donkey, was particularly exhausting for a woman in her 9th month of pregnancy. In the event, they only just got to Bethlehem in time. To make matters worse, when they arrived there, Bethlehem was so crowded that there was no room for them at the inn. Mary had the [same] Emperor Augustus to thank for that too. He had decreed that there should be a world census and taxation so that he would know the exact resources of his Empire. This order required that each return to the city which had originated their family lineage, and Bethlehem was the city for all those descended from King David. The Census order was given by Augustus in 8 BC, but it was implemented province by province. Provincial Italy was taxed in 8/7 BC. Rome itself was taxed in 7/6 BC. As for the province of Judea, Luke records that it was taxed when 'Cyrenius was first Governor of Syria.' Senator P. Sulpicius Quirinius, otherwise known as Cyrenius, was Governor of Syria twice. As Luke states, it was on the first occasion that the world census occurred. Quirinius was Legate (Governor) to Syria an that first occasion for 5 years during the Homonadensian War. He then become adviser to Gaius Caesar in I BC. Additionally, the Christian historian Tertullian records that the Judean census took place when Sentius Saturninus was Proconsul to Syria, attending to the day to day running of the province, which included Judea. He left early in 2 BC to be replaced by Quintillius Varus, about a year before the death of Herod, who was the king of Judea. These facts indicate that the census acted on by Joseph and Mary had been completed by late in 3 BC. This is confirmed by the date of Herod's death. Damien Mackey’s comment: There may still be a lot of work to be done on all of this. For example, what if this is the case?: Time to consider Hadrian, that ‘mirror-image’ of Antiochus Epiphanes, as also the census emperor Augustus (2) Time to consider Hadrian, that 'mirror-image' of Antiochus Epiphanes, as also the census emperor Augustus Barry Setterfield continues: According to Matthew, Herod ordered the slaughter of all children two years old and under, according to the time the Star first appeared to the Wise Men. Therefore, if we back-track two years from the date of Herod's demise, this will give the date for the first appearance of the Star and an approximate date for the birth of the Christ-Child. Josephus records that Herod died shortly after an eclipse of the Moon seen at Jericho, and sometime before the Feast of Passover. It is this point which has caused much historical confusion, as we have to select between four Lunar eclipses. Damien Mackey’s comment: We may, in fact, need a full-scale reconsideration of the life of King Herod himself: King Herod ‘the Great’ (2) King Herod ‘the Great’ Barry Setterfield continues: There is one key piece of evidence which is often overlooked. The Jewish historian Josephus, records that there was a Jewish holiday celebrating Herod's death on 2nd day of the month Shebat. Significantly, this date is in accord with only one of those 4 eclipses, namely the one an 9th Jan, 1 BC. The 2nd Shebat date fell just 15 days after that eclipse. This means that Herod died 24th January I BC. Consequently, the Christmas star must have appeared throughout 3 and 2 BC. This accords with the census completed by late 3 BC. As to the time of the year that Messiah was born, Luke gives us further details. He records that shepherds were watching over their flocks by night. There are only two specific times in a year when this was done, namely when lambs were being born in the spring or autumn. At other times of the year they were kept safely in their sheep-folds to protect them from wild animals. Significantly the flocks bred in the Bethlehem fields were used for the Temple sacrifices. It was there, to those shepherds, that the angels announced the birth of the Lamb of God who was to make the final sacrifice for the sin of the world. However, we can pinpoint the in the time of Messiah's birth more exactly. Revelation 12 tells of the birth of Messiah when the constellation Virgo (the woman in the heavens) was clothed with the sun and had the moon at her feet. This tells us that Jesus was born when the sun and moon were in Virgo. In other words, at the time of the September New Moon, or shortly thereafter. This fits the autumn lambing season. Furthermore, it coincides with the season of the three Jewish feasts, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles. Interestingly, the apostle John records in John 1:14 that the "Word became flesh and tabernacled amongst us." As the New Moon was on the 10th and Tabernacles on the 25th September in 3 BC, the birth of Christ would be somewhere between those dates. Why then do we celebrate Messiah's birth on December 25th? There are 4 reasons. Firstly there was the Jewish feast of Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights, or Feast of Dedication as it is called in John 10:22. On this occasion, Jewish children lit candles, sang hymns and gave gifts to celebrate a genuine miracle which occurred with the Temple Menorah (or 7-branched lamp-stand) in 165 BC. Now the early Christians were nearly all Jewish and the other Festivals were linked with Messiah's ministry rather than his birth. It seemed the natural occasion to commemorate the birth of Messiah who had come to be the Light of the World [Jn 8:2), and who admonished His followers to have their Lamps trimmed and burning as they waited for Him to Return (Matthew 25). This Jewish feast occurred on 25th Kislev which corresponds to our month of December. Up until 1583 AD, the time when the Gregorian calendar was introduced, the 25th Kislev and 25th December were the same day. Following the introduction of the new calendar, the two dates parted company. England did not adopt the new calendar until 1752 AD, by which time it was 11 days out of step with Europe. However December 25th was also celebrated by the Romans as the feast of the Saturnalia, which celebrates the winter solstice-the longest night of the year. In the northern hemisphere this now occurs on December 21 or 22, but back then it was December 25. On this day the Romans celebrated the birth of the 'New Sun' as the days lengthened and light triumphed over darkness. Romans Christians in those days saw a new significance in this pagan festival. They too celebrated the birth of the New Sun in accordance with Malachi 4:2 - this time the Sun of Righteousness who will arise with healing in His wings. On the 3rd of February 313 AD in Milan, Italy, the Roman Emperor Constantine issued an edict giving absolute tolerance to Christianity throughout the Empire. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to find that December 25th was first documented as Christmas Day in 354 AD. Under the Roman Emperor Justinian, it became an official holiday around 550 AD. This constitutes the third reason why we celebrate Christmas on that date. However, there is a fourth reason. All the astronomical evidence suggests that this date also marked the final appearance of the Christmas Star. It was on 25th Dec in 2 BC when Jesus was 15 months old, that the Wise Men presented their gifts to the young Messiah. Damien Mackey’s comment: Much of the above may be fanciful. The author now turns to a subject of greater relevance: This leads us naturally to consider who these Wise Men were. THE CHRISTMAS STAR PART 2: … who were the Wise Men? Matthew 2:1 says that they came from the East, that is east of Judea. Now Judea was a buffer state between the sprawling Roman Empire in the West, and the fabulous Persian Empire of the Parthian Dynasty in the east. Whenever the Persians and Romans clashed militarily, the Persians almost always won. Their crack cavalry units could pin down the Roman legions indefinitely. The Persian Empire also controlled the Silk Route to India and China. The gifts that the Wise Man brought to Jesus, the gold, the frankincense and myrrh were the very best that world trade could offer from this route. Damien Mackey’s comment: Unfortunately, for what follows, the Magi could not possibly have been Persians. On this see e.g. my article: Where exactly in Bethlehem was the Christ Child born? (2) Where exactly in Bethlehem was the Christ Child born? Barry Setterfield continues: As to the identity of the Wise Men, the word that Matthew uses to describe them is Magoi. As we take this word over into a Persian setting, an amazing fact emerges. The Parthian Dynasty was ruled by something equivalent to our houses of Parliament. They called It the Megistanes. The Lower House members were called the Sophoi or 'Wise Ones': the Upper House members were called the Magoi or 'Great Ones'. It was these Magoi, the king makers of their empire, that come to visit Jesus. It was not the astrologers - It was the politicians - and there were more then 3, even if only three types of gift were given. This delegation of Rulers from Persia penetrated 750 km into Roman territory. They would be escorted by their crack cavalry units that consistently won out against the Romans. These Persians were the finest equestrians in the world. They always rode horses as their means of transport - camels were only used for baggage. Consequently, it was no wonder that Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. He had a small army from a foreign power at the gates of Jerusalem. And at a very inconvenient time too. Herod's garrison that normally protected Jerusalem was away helping fight the Homonadensian War. Jerusalem was virtually undefended. Furthermore, the news was not good. These Magoi proclaimed the birth of a contender for Herod's throne. Indeed, they had come to support this child-king, and their army was there to back them. It was a very tense time for Herod, but he played his options very skillfully. But why did the Persian Magoi make such a perilous trip at all? There were 3 reasons. Firstly, the Hebrew prophet Daniel had been held in high regard in the Persian court. In Daniel 9, the Magoi had the prophecy of Messiah's sacrifice as a man cut off at age 35 (in the midst of his years). They knew that this event would occur 483 Babylonian years of 360 days after a specific decree. Backtracking 35 years gave a birth date for Messiah of 448 Babylonian years or 442 actual years after the decree. As It turned out, that decree was Issued by the Persian king Artaxerxes in his 20th year which was 445/444 BC. The Magoi consequently knew the time of Messiah's birth as around 3/2 BC on our Calendar. Damien Mackey’s comment: Barry Setterfield will come up with some good ideas now. Whether or not Matthew’s Magi were readers of the constellations, they were certainly able to see what the author calls by the popular name of Shekinah, a non-biblical term. Barry Setterfield continues: The second reason was that there had been a Mesopotamian [sic] prophet called Balaam who had foretold the coming of the Star that would herald Messiah for all the tribes of Israel (see Numbers 24). Finally, Zoroaster, a pupil of Daniel, had incorporated these prophecies in his bible, called the Zend Avesta, and Zoroastrianism was the State Religion of Persia at the time of Christ's birth. It prophesied that there would be born unto the Jews a King Messiah, and that His coming would be heralded by a sign in the heavens in the constellation Virgo. That compels us to find out just what this sign was in the heavens. What was the Star that appeared in the skies of 3 and 2 BC? As we begin this search, we note that the word star had a variety of meanings back then. It could mean anything that blazed, shone or moved across the sky. It could mean an aurora, the sun, moon, or a star. It may mean any strange light in the sky - a bolt of lightning, an oddly illuminated cloud, a planet, or grouping of several planets. The two-year time period for visibility automatically eliminates many objects. Meteors are too transitory. Meteor showers only last a few weeks. Novae or unstable stars shine longer, but rarely last two years. When the record is searched, there was only one nova at the time - a faint one in 4 BC. Supernovas last longer and can be visible in broad daylight. But again we are disappointed. Only two supernovae are recorded near the time of the Nativity: one in 134 BC, the other in 173 AD. As we examine Matthew, it becomes apparent that the account requires the star to appear in the eastern sky, move across the starry background, and go before the Magoi to Judea. Damien Mackey’s comment: Nowhere does Matthew say that the Magi followed the Star to Judah. Barry Setterfield concludes: Only comets, planets, or groupings of planets behave this way. Comets can travel through the background stars at the rate of 1 or 2 degrees per day. They may be visible to the naked eye for 100 days or so. Now a journey to Judea from Persia would take the Wise Men about 6 weeks. Comets would thus be visible long enough for the journey itself. But none last 2 years, and no comets were recorded for the prime dates of 3 and 2 BC. Halley's comet flared in the skies in 11 BC. Another comet swept across the heavens in 4 BC. But both of these were too early. So comets fade as a possibility for the Star. This leaves the option of planets. When we examine the night sky with planets in mind, a series of amazing celestial events occurred. On the 1st August 3 BC the drama began to unfold with Jupiter rising helically in the rays of dawn. On the 13 August Venus and Jupiter stood very close together in the sunrise. On the 18th, Mercury came out of the solar glare, and on September 1st, Mercury and Venus stood 1/3rd degree apart in Leo. These were dramatic events. The astronomers who were based at the Sippar Institute would see an astrological significance in these signs. Essentially, Jupiter, the King planet, had left the Sun, the Father of the Gods, to be conjoined with Venus, the Virgin Mother in the constellation of Leo, which is the symbol for the tribe of Judah in Israel. Furthermore, Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, had come from the Sun's presence to stand with Venus the virgin mother in the rays of the dawn. Then on 14th September 3 BC and 17th February and 8th May in 2 BC, Jupiter the King planet stood next to Regulus the brightest star in Leo, which also represented Royalty. Then came a climax to the display. On June 17th 2 BC, Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets in the Solar System, appeared to collide. They stood an Incredible 1/50th degree apart and seemed to fuse into one immense ball of Light. This was an unprecedented event. But that was not all. On 27th August in 2 BC there was a grand meeting of the planets In Virgo. Jupiter and Mars were only 1/7th degree apart and close at hand were Mercury and Venus standing together in the glare of the rising sun. This dramatic sequence of events ending in Virgo qualified for the Star spoken of by the Zend Avesta. But then Jupiter left the other planets in the dawn, and moved westwards. This was the sign the Magoi were waiting for. Jupiter the key player in the Christmas star sequence was leading them towards Judea. And so they set out. From that moment in Mid-November, Jupiter the King planet actually went before them in the sky towards Judea. Six weeks later as the Magoi checked the pre-dawn sky, Jupiter was on the Meridian due south of Jerusalem. It would appear directly over Bethlehem 65 degrees above the southern horizon. And just at that time, the final event occurred. Jupiter had reached its furthest point westward, and no longer moved against the background store. It actually 'Stood Over' where the young child was. Incredibly, on that some day, the Sun was at its furthest point south for the year, and stood still in the heavens (for that is what the word 'solstice' means). Jupiter was again in the constellation Virgo as the Zend Avesta predicted, when this occurred on 25th December in 2 BC. It was a unique sequence of events that had landed the Magoi at Bethlehem. Damien Mackey’s comment: Finally, the author becomes really interesting. But wait! There is one more important detail. Matthew 2:9-11 implies that something was marking the very house that Jesus had been living in for 15 months. The planets and stars can never mark a single building. What is the answer to this Biblical conundrum? Throughout the Scriptures, God has consistently appeared to His servants in what has often been called the Shekinah Glory Cloud. The Children of Israel were guided from Egypt to Canaan by the 'Pillar of cloud by day, and a Pillar of fire by night' (see Ex.13:21.22 etc). In Genesis it is described as looking like a twisting blazing, shining object at the entrance to the Garden of Eden. The Shekinah out of which God spoke to the patriarch Job appeared as a whirlwind of bright and shining cloud. Abraham saw this cloud of Glory at sunset outside his tent as a burning smoking light. Ezekiel witnessed the Shekinah In which God dwelt as a whirlwind of fire enfolding itself. For the Magoi, this oddly Illuminated cloud also qualified for the word 'star'. It would have been seen and described by Balaam as he looked down on the hosts of Israel. The Wise Men also had the record of Daniel 7 where the Shekinah is linked with Messiah and described as the 'Cloud of Heaven'. This same Glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds just before the angels announced Messiah's birth to them. Similarly, when the Persian Magoi arrived near Bethlehem in the early dawn, the Shekinah would be seen standing above and marking the very house where Messiah was. The Magoi would Immediately recognize this as a sign of Messiah's presence. They had seen the blazing planetary orb in the sky. Then the key planet, Jupiter had led them to Judea and was now poised above Bethlehem. Finally, with the sign of the Shekinah Glory Cloud standing over the house, the Magoi from Persia would assuredly know that their quest had ended. They had found the One of Whom the Star of David speaks - the Messiah of the Tribes of Israel, Who was to become the Savior of the world. Has your quest to find Messiah ended? Remember, with child-like faith in the prophecies of Daniel and Balaam contained In the Scriptures, the Wise Men set out. In the depths of winter, they undertook a long and difficult journey deep into enemy territory to come and worship Christ. ….