When they arrived in Jerusalem and paid their respects to Herod, they obtained a more direct fix on Bethlehem by the direction of the conjunction when night first arrived which was then actually in Virgo but which was now in line with Bethlehem as night first arrived. Jupiter then stopped going going east and seemed to stand still, before it headed back towards the west a few days later.

Constellations and conjugations of planets both move across the sky so they could never directly point to any specific location on the earth’s surface. Their appearances at dawn were more important than their appearances at twilight, but any specific location could have a specific interpretation if one was trying to arrive at the same location that the conjunction was also headed.

The ancient science of astrology was a very fascinating mix of astronomy and the inter-relationships between nations and fate/predestination. Different nations had slightly different ways of interpreting what the messages in the stars meant, but they all had a common root that probably went back to before the flood. There are references in the Bible (both Old and New) to several constellations and even specific stars as the chief stars in specific constellations that held importance for specific nations or specific world rulers.

Haven’t you people ever heard of the longitude problem? The knowledge of how to accurately navigate by celestial navigation was not figured out until more than seventeen centuries after the birth of Jesus, and even then it required the invention of timekeeping technology that did not previously exist. Accordingly, at the time of Jesus birth, neither the Magi, nor anyone else on this planet, could have used the stars to navigate to Jesus’ birthplace.

As regards Mark’s comment about Polynesian navigation, indeed, ocean crossings apparently did occur, but these required far less navigational skill than the Magi would have needed to find the manger. For example, even if longitude cannot be determined, latitude can be followed at sea relatively easily and, in fact, this is probably how early mariners made their crossings — by simply following a line of latitude until they hit something. In fact, that’s how European mariners found and settled North America. Another skill early mariners had was the fact that bird traffic and flotsam tend to increase significantly when one is near an island, even if the island is well over the horizon. Using that knowledge, early mariners found many islands, even though they could not use quantitative navigation to do so.

Please show me why and how I should limit myself to having less hope.

If I were an atheist or a pure humanist I too might put my faith in evolution.

I also read the advice of many human animals and find they are often very rational, but biased just enough to think they aren’t biased. No amount of interpreted observational evidence will ever make me doubt there is a God, and that we humans are not God. We have a spiritual nature that can be empowered by God, but without the Holy Spirit we infuse our minds and spirits with at best noble stuff that falls short of ultimate truth and attitudes that are often suspect to say the least.

Science that claims to be predictable but morphs to resists being falsified is not the kind of science I would put any confidence in.

Evolution can never be disproven scientifically because it fundamental principle is that change happens. So unless change is shown not to happen as it is proposed, the constancy of anything is only a few million years away from no longer being constant.

I don’t buy as observational science anythat claims the existence of evidence that is based upon the principle of unobservable long term change.