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The E-Sylum: Volume 02, Number 38, September 19, 1999, Article 5STAR OF BETHLEHEM COMMENTSRegarding Mike Molnar's book on a numismatic connection to the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem, Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr., writes: "Scientists may not have had success, but any high school with a first rate planetarium can reproduce it. Ask one to program the conjunction of three planets (I think that they were Mars, Venus, and Saturn, but I can't remember) lined up one behind the other over Bethlehem. This occurs every 700 years if I recall. Programs nicely to 3 or 4 BC, to the day and month. Explains why the "Star" lasted very briefly. They did it for my son and I at the high school in Herndon, Virginia, back before we went off to Ethiopia in 1973." Mike Molnar notes: "As an astronomer I also thought that this planetary conjunction was the answer until I saw the coins of Antioch. They showed me that my colleagues were not only looking in the wrong part of the sky, but that they also did not know what signified a king's birth during ancient times. Those splendid planetarium programs show conjunctions, not omens. And I had to do a lot of research to understand the difference. I thank Ray Williams for his kind words about my book. If anyone is interested in learning how an ancient coin revealed the clue to understanding the Star of Bethlehem, see my web page, which also has information about the book:" Wayne Homren, EditorContent presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. This is a static archive page documenting the originally published content. Links were active at the time of publication but may no longer work. Check subsequent issues for corrections and commentary. The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site. To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. Visit the Membership page. Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: E-Sylum Editor Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS) |
