Today is the day of Epiphany. Today in church we heard the story of the visit of the astrologers to King Herod, and how they were given a sign that Jesus was coming. Herod reacted violently, slaughtering all children under two in Bethlehem.
It is a dramatic story. I once heard an astronomer named Karlis Kaufmanis speak at the University of Minnesota speak, and he spoke about astrological evidence suggesting that the star was a conjunction of three planets in the sky.
Herod was the Saddam Hussein of his day, propped up by Rome, collecting oppressive taxes, using forced labor to build cities, and using police state tactics. No wonder he was afraid of being overthrown. However, Jesus did not come as a political leader, as would eventually be clear.
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