The Star of Bethlehem in Connection (or Conjunction) with Regulus

An atheist in a combox on atheist Bob Seidensticker's blog, under an article devoted to the star of Bethlehem in December 2022, noted a Christian who had noted that "the king planet Jupiter moved past the king star Regulus three times." This had to do with the symbolism of "royal stars" in ancient astronomy / astrology, in relation to the star of Bethlehem, that signified a king being born. Then he skeptically observed:

"Regulus" was given that name by Copernicus in the 1500s. In BC times the Persians called it Venant (watcher of the north) and later Miyan (the center). So, no 'king' in there. D'oh!

Ha ha (very funny!). But I'm not among those laughing. I never do laugh at willful, obstinate ignorance (it's much more a matter of pitying). Persian astrology was derived from Babylonian. Wikipedia ("Regulus") states:

Regulus is Latin for 'prince' or 'little king'; its Greek equivalent (Latinised) is Basiliscus. It is also known as Qalb al-Asad, from the Arabic ??? ?????, meaning 'the heart of the lion', a name already attested in the Greek Kardia Leontos whose Latin equivalent is Cor Leonis. The Arabic phrase is sometimes approximated as Kabelaced.[citation needed] In Chinese it is known as ????, the Fourteenth Star of Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor. . . .

Babylonians called it Sharru ("the King"), and it marked the 15th ecliptic constellation. In India it was known as Magha ("the Mighty"), in Sogdiana Magh ("the Great"), in Persia Miyan ("the Centre") and also as Venant, one of the four 'royal stars' of the Persian monarchy. . . .

In the Babylonian MUL.APIN, Regulus is listed as Lugal, meaning king, with co-descriptor, "star of the Lion's breast". [it being in the constellation of Leo, and the brightest star in it] (utilizing research from Geminus; James Evans; J. L. Berggren (29 October 2006). Geminos's Introduction to the Phenomena: A Translation and Study of a Hellenistic Survey of Astronomy. Princeton University Press;  Allen, Richard Hinckley (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. Dover (pp. 255-256); Rogers, J. H. (February 1998). "Origins of the ancient constellations: I. The Mesopotamian traditions". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 108 (1): 9–28)

Wikipedia ("Leo (constellation)") adds:

Leo was one of the earliest recognized constellations, with archaeological evidence that the Mesopotamians had a similar constellation as early as 4000 BCE. The Persians called Leo Ser or Shir; the Turks, Artan; the Syrians, Aryo; the Jews, Arye; the Indians, Simha, all meaning "lion". . . .

In Babylonian astronomy, the constellation was called UR.GU.LA, the "Great Lion"; the bright star Regulus was known as "the star that stands at the Lion's breast." Regulus also had distinctly regal associations, as it was known as the King Star. (utilizing research from the book, Babylonian Star-Lore: An Illustrated Guide to the Star-Lore and Constellations of Ancient Babylonia by Gavin White (Solaria Publications, 2008): specifically to page 140)

Moreover, as to the four "royal stars" in Persian astrology, see Wikipedia ("Royal stars"; section "In Persia"): "Regulus was seen as the main star because it was in the constellation of Leo, giving it the power of the lion, signifying the strength of kings with large implications." A link is given to Benson Bobrick's book, The Fated Sky: Astrology in History (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006). The article later states that Regulus "was the most influential of the royal stars."

In summary, then, to paraphrase our confused atheist commentator: "yeah, there is a 'king' in there. D'oh!"

Regulus, therefore, remains a relevant factor in the scientific / astronomical analysis of hypothetical "celestial candidates" for the star of Bethlehem. It wasn't arbitrarily invented after the fact, for an attempted "force fit." This is how the ancient Persians -- following the Babylonians -- thought of it. And that is what we're trying to determine vis-a-vis the wise men, per Matthew's Gospel.

I hasten to add neither the Bible nor Christianity embraces astrology (nor do I). I'm simply recounting the history of people who believed in astrology (which was then inextricably intertwined with scientific astronomy) finding out about a very significant birth, as a result of stargazing and using the belief-systems of that time. One could make the correct conclusion based on false premises, or based on partial truth mixed with error. So, for instance, the Greeks in Athens were worshiping an "unknown God": for which St. Paul commended them as "very religious" (Acts 17:22). Then he proceeded to inform them about the one true God of Christianity (Acts 17:22-31), including citing two of their own pagan poets / philosophers (17:28) in agreement. Truth is truth wherever it is found (often mixed with error).

The pagan Greeks in Paul's time had partial and partially incorrect knowledge. Many great scientists (even those lionized by atheists) like Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler, were enamored of astrology (and Newton with alchemy and the occult), while folks like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas were not at all. St. Augustine brilliantly refuted horoscopes by studying the life of twins.