by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
For this year, November 28 marked the start of the 8-day Jewish Feast of Dedication (חֲנוּכָּה Hanukkah/Chanukkah) which lasts up to December 6. It is also known as the Festival of Lights. This Feast of Dedication/Festival of Lights celebrated during the December period sometimes overlaps Christmas Day. This happened in 1978, recently in 2016, and later, will happen again in 2027. Last 2016, Hanukkah was celebrated by the Jews on the evening of December 24 (Christmas Eve) up to the evening of January 1, 2017.
I had written about these things a year ago: [The story of Hanukkah came out of the 2nd century BC in what we now call the inter-testamental period. Israel then was ruled by the descendants of Alexander the Great’s successor-generals Ptolemy, based in Egypt; and Seleucus, based in Syria-Mesopotamia. One particular Seleucid ruler named Antiochus IV Epiphanes wanted to wipe out Judaism. The oppressed Jews revolted and this is historically known as the successful Maccabean Revolt of 166-142 BC. This 24-year war resulted in political freedom and independence for about 100 years for the Jews until Rome came into the picture in 63 BC.
As told by Josephus (Antiquities, XII) and 1Maccabees and 2Maccabees (of the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals), in 160 BC against overwhelming odds the Jews defeated the Syrians/Greeks and recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple. They wanted to cleanse, purify and rededicate it to God. They wanted to light the menorah (multi-branch candelabra) but found that they only had one jar of undefiled olive oil good for only a day but the cleansing and purification work would take eight (8) days. Miraculously, the jar of oil lasted for 8 days until new oil became available! This miracle is now commemorated by חֲנוּכָּה (Hanukkah), which means “dedication.” While this Feast of Dedication is not included in the Old Testament as the events surrounding it came about 250 years later, it is explicitly mentioned in the Gospel of John (10:22).
So both the Jews and Christians share a tradition that sees light as a symbol of God’s giving to take away the darkness outside and within us. The menorah symbolized the light that the darkness could not overcome. For the Jews, it lit up their Temple and redeemed them from the darkness of foreign oppression. Likewise, for Christians, we believe God gave his Son to be the ultimate light of the world. God’s light in the person of Jesus Christ redeems us from the inner darkness of our sins.]
Now it should be added that sometime after the celebration of the Festival of Dedication/Lights, in 6 BC or so, another light shone in the skies to show the way to some Parthian (Persian) Magi (Greek μάγοι, “magoi” meaning Babylonian or Mesopotamian wise men, astrologers). Tradition speaks of this light coming from the Star of Bethlehem as that which led them to the newborn Messiah. But what if this was not a “star” at all, but an altogether different astronomical phenomenon?
I first came across an article about what astrophysicist Grant Matthews of the Notre Dame University wrote about the nature of the “star” of Bethlehem in 2016 (http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/12/02/star-bethlehem-may-not-have-been-star-after-all-scientist-says.html). Prof. Matthews believes that the “star” of Bethlehem was not a star at all but an extraordinary and unusual alignment of the two largest planets (Jupiter and Saturn) interacting with other celestial bodies in our solar system on April 17, 6 BC. The professor of physics used his astronomical skills to calculate and hypothesize that the cosmic event involved “the alignment the sun, Jupiter, the moon and Saturn, all in (the constellation of) Aries, while Venus was next door in Pisces and Mercury and Mars were on the other side in Taurus. At the time, Aries was also the location of the vernal equinox.” He says this phenomenon is so unique that it will take another 16,000 years for it to occur and some conditions will not be exactly the same, at that. The good professor further adds that he could not find an astronomical alignment like this Star of Bethlehem even if he extrapolated to more than 500,000 years into the future!
As I cannot pretend to fully understand the astronomical discussion, I will instead invite you to visit the website (https://www.nd.edu/stories/royal-beauty-bright/) which contains all the results of his calculations with beautiful graphical details as well. Another independent non-academic website (https://www.space.com/star-of-bethlehem) seems to support Prof. Matthews’ view that this was indeed an exceedingly rare conjunction event narrated in the Bible (in Matthew 2:1-12; cf. Luke 2:1-20).
Perhaps, God was using the lights in the sky to lead us to understand that the use of science with the Bible and other ancient writings (e.g. Babylonian almanacs and other astrological records) could help us get a better, fuller appreciation of the events heralding the birth of the true Light of the world. Here, faith and science assist each other. And hence, help us to be certain of the veracity of what is witnessed in the Gospels (in the original Greek).
On Saturday, December 11 will be the 2nd birthday of my third “apo,” CAI (the initial “A” is for “Arthur”). The next day, December 12 will be the traditional Carols by Candlelight treat at the UPCRL. It will be our second Christmas in this pandemic. Before we know it, the year 2022 will be upon us. Time really flies. Let us hold on to our faith and hope in Christ Jesus our Lord, the Savior of mankind.
We will take a break for the year and continue in January 2022.
God bless us all.