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ASTRONOMY*
Science dealing with the phenomena outside the earth’s atmosphere but especially concerned with the observable arrangements, motions, and characteristics of the heavenly bodies. The word “astronomy” is based on two Greek words meaning “the law of the stars.”
Remarkable Astronomical Events in the Bible
Several remarkable astronomical phenomena figure prominently in the Bible, including an apparent long day (Jos 10:12-14), the retrogression of the shadow on a sundial, which was a sign for King Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:8-11), and the star that led the magi to Bethlehem.
Several explanations of Joshua’s long day have been suggested. The opinion is held by some that the rotation of the earth actually ceased. There is no theological difficulty involved in this event, for the Creator may perform miracles within the sphere of the universe by temporarily altering or suspending natural laws. There is a scientific difficulty in the fact that such an interruption of gravitational force probably would have caused great dislocation of everything on the earth’s surface. God could have acted within the limitations of natural law to prevent such an upheaval, however.
The long day may have been the result of other changes in the natural phenomena rather than the cessation of the earth’s rotation. Some have noted that the Hebrew word translated “stand still” may mean “to be quiet.” When applied to the sun, the word would imply a “quieting” of the sun’s activity, or a diminution of light. This would be an apt description of the eclipse of the sun. Such an occurrence would cause Israel’s enemies to flee in terror. Still others see the account as a highly poetic description of Joshua’s victory, not intended to be understood literally because it is a quotation from the book of Jashar. This book was probably a poetic work celebrating the exploits of Israel’s heroes.
Examination of the account of the shadow’s movement on Ahaz’s sundial (as a sign to Hezekiah) shows that the event was purely local, since envoys came from Babylon to learn about it (2 Chr 32:31). It is possible that both the long day and retrogression of the shadow were local phenomena, perhaps caused by abnormal refraction of light. Atmospheric disturbances could have occurred at the time; the account of Joshua’s battle specifically mentions hailstones (Jos 10:11).
The star of Bethlehem (Mt 2:1-11) has been identified with various astronomical phenomena such as the conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and Venus in 12 BC. In 2 BC Venus and Jupiter came into close proximity as well. That type of phenomenon does not seem to fit the description of the star, however. The star reportedly went before the magi and hovered over the site of the birth of the Christ child. Of course, the writer may have been using phenomenological language—that is, describing the event as it appeared to the observers. Some think the description points to a nova or supernova, a sudden increase in a star’s brightness; supernovas occur in a stellar system about once every 600 years. Although some natural event may serve to explain in whole or in part the star of Bethlehem, many Christians regard it as a miraculous supernatural phenomenon that God used to herald the event of the Incarnation.
These unusual phenomena and others like them accompanied important events in the history of God’s dealing with humanity. Not only do they witness to the importance of those events in God’s redemptive plan, but they demonstrate God’s power as well.
The attempts of some biblical scholars to explain these miracles in terms of natural phenomena is not an attempt to deny the validity of miracles. They only attempt to explain the phenomena within the sphere of observable natural order and the scope of biblical texts. Other scholars understand miracles to be the result of a supernatural alteration of physical laws, believing that the God who created the natural order continues to control that order and may perform miracles by altering the processes of nature to effect his will. In either case the power of God is central to the event, and the Bible faithfully records what took place.
Astronomy is by no means a modern science. Human beings have always been preoccupied with the heavens. The concern of the earliest civilizations with the universe appears to have been mainly astrological, but intellectual curiosity and the need for navigational orientation were certainly additional factors.
The Bible provides some interesting insights about astronomy. According to Genesis 1:14-19 the sun and moon, along with the stars, have the function of giving light on the earth, determining the seasons, and functioning as “signs.” The word “season” may denote festal seasons as well as the annual seasons. The Hebrew calendar was a lunar-solar calendar similar to that of the Babylonians. Hebrew festal seasons were based on the phases of the moon. The function of the heavenly bodies as signs seems to relate to their delineation of the heavens, permitting human beings on earth to orient themselves, navigate, etc.
Although the observed occurrence of an eclipse is never mentioned in the Bible, such a phenomenon is probably behind the numerous references to the darkening of the sun and moon in certain apocalyptic passages (Jl 2:31; Am 8:9; Mt 24:29).
A number of constellations are cited in the OT. It is difficult to determine with certainty, however, which constellations are intended by particular Hebrew words. The Hebrew word translated “Pleiades” (in many versions) means “cluster” or “heap.” It is reasonable to suppose that the term applies to the most prominent cluster of stars in the heavens, the Pleiades. That cluster, within the constellation Taurus, is alluded to in Job 9:9; 38:31; and Amos 5:8.
A Hebrew word possibly related to the word “fool” is frequently understood to be the constellation Orion. The connection between that constellation and the word “fool” is unknown. Other constellations are noted as “the constellations of the southern sky” and the “the constellation of the Bear” (Jb 9:9; 38:32, NLT). The Bear is known to most North Americans as the Big Dipper; it can be seen in the northern sky.
The stars are often referred to in Scripture. Their vast number was used as an analogy in God’s promise to Abraham (Gn 15:5). The apostle Paul referred to the varying magnitudes of the stars (1 Cor 15:41). The writer of Jude used the concept of wandering stars to describe teachers in the early church who were propounding false doctrine (Jude 1:13). The metaphor is thought by some to be based on the observable movement of the stars around the polestar. It is the fixed polestar, not the stars apparently moving in paths around it, that provides the reference point for navigation. A false teacher, like the apparently moving stars, would be an unreliable guide. It seems better, however, to understand Jude’s metaphor as referring to the planets. The study of astronomy by that time had advanced to the point where the regular apparent movements of the stars around the polestar and the position of constellations and star clusters were all well known. It is unlikely that all stars but the polestar were considered wandering stars. Planets, on the other hand, were regarded by ancient observers as traveling in erratic paths quite different from the fixed rotation of stars around the polestar. Some commentators think wandering stars referred to comets.
See also Astrology.