A peer reviewed article in Iraq, the journal of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, examining Johannes Kepler's proposal that a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces in 7 BCE underlies the Star of Bethlehem, and setting Kepler's calculation against an actual Babylonian astronomical almanac tablet recording the same planetary configuration for that year. Sachs was a leading Assyriologist specializing in Babylonian astronomical texts. Strong for confirming the conjunction as a real, independently attested ancient astronomical event and for Kepler's own reasoning; it does not itself settle what if anything the event meant to any observer in first century Judea.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
A. J. Sachs and C. B. F. Walker's peer reviewed article in Iraq, the journal of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, the top tier reflecting Sachs's standing as a leading Assyriologist and its setting of Kepler's astronomical reasoning against an actual Babylonian almanac tablet. It is strong for confirming the planetary conjunction as a real, independently attested event; it does not itself settle what if anything the event meant to any observer in first century Judea. NotesPeer reviewed Assyriological journal article, pp. 43 to 55, checked via its DOI and abstract. Use for the astronomical reality of the 7 BCE conjunction and Kepler's own argument; it is a still-discussed hypothesis, not a scholarly consensus identification of the Star of Bethlehem.
Citation
AuthorA. J. Sachs and C. B. F. Walker
PublisherBritish Institute for the Study of Iraq (journal Iraq, vol. 46, no. 1), via Cambridge University Press
Publication Year1984
URLhttps://doi.org/10.2307/4200210
Source Typepeer-reviewed article
Connections
Associated With
This source names Babylonians directly: "A peer reviewed article in Iraq, the journal of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, examining Johannes Kepler's proposal that a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces in 7 BCE..."
Source Kepler's View of the Star of Bethlehem and the Babylonian Almanac for 7/6 B.C.A. J. Sachs and C. B. F. Walker
This source names Bethlehem directly: "Pisces in 7 BCE underlies the Star of Bethlehem, and setting Kepler's calculation against an actual Babylonian astronomical almanac tablet recording the same planetary configuration for that year."
Source Kepler's View of the Star of Bethlehem and the Babylonian Almanac for 7/6 B.C.A. J. Sachs and C. B. F. Walker
This source names Iraq directly: "A peer reviewed article in Iraq, the journal of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, examining Johannes Kepler's proposal that a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces in 7 BCE..."
Source Kepler's View of the Star of Bethlehem and the Babylonian Almanac for 7/6 B.C.A. J. Sachs and C. B. F. Walker
This source names Jupiter directly: "proposal that a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces in 7 BCE underlies the Star of Bethlehem, and setting Kepler's calculation against an actual Babylonian astronomical almanac tablet..."
Source Kepler's View of the Star of Bethlehem and the Babylonian Almanac for 7/6 B.C.A. J. Sachs and C. B. F. Walker
This source names Saturn directly: "a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces in 7 BCE underlies the Star of Bethlehem, and setting Kepler's calculation against an actual Babylonian astronomical almanac tablet recording the..."
Source Kepler's View of the Star of Bethlehem and the Babylonian Almanac for 7/6 B.C.A. J. Sachs and C. B. F. Walker
Claims Backed By This Source (18 claims)
This source backs 18 claims across the atlas. As facts: 9 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 6 holds. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 13 claims: 8 well-attested, 5 holds.
- Religious Events, 3 claims: 1 scholarly debate, 1 holds, 1 general references.
- Historical Figures, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
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