Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

was no solar eclipse visible from anywhere within the Roman Empire from 44 

B.C.

 through 41 

B.C.

, inclusive 

(see section 1 above). 

Augustus' Comets 

    The Christmas Star, which appeared at the time of the Birth of Jesus Christ and assisted the Magi in finding 

the Christ Child (Mt 2:1 12), was most likely a comet (see chapter 4). This comet appeared at the time of the 

census/taxation under Caesar Augustus and Quirinius (Lk 2:1 2). Cassius Dio does mention a comet at the 

time of the census (about 16/15 

B.C.

, revised).

903

 He states that this comet occurred at about the time of 

Agrippa's death. Dio places his description of the comet after his description of Agrippa's death. He does not 

tell us that the comet was an omen which foreshadowed the death of Agrippa, as he typically does with a 

comet seen before the death of a Roman leader (e.g. Vespasian), but states merely that it was one of many 

events  connected with Agrippa's death. 

904

 Thus, the comet may have been seen after the death of Agrippa. 

As explained in chapter 4 of this book, my revised date for the death of Agrippa is spring of 15 

B.C.

 (the usual 

date is 11 

B.C.

). This comet was therefore seen in 15 

B.C.

, most likely sometime between March and 

December, after Agrippa died. 

    There is no record of a comet, seen by the ancient Chinese and Korean astronomers, in 15 

B.C.

 However, 

there are gaps in the extant records of these ancient astronomers, during which time we have no record of any 

comet observations (e.g. 31 

B.C.

 to 13 

B.C.

, and 4 

B.C.

 to 

A.D.

 12, inclusive). Also, there is no extant record of 

a comet observation by Chinese astronomers from 

A.D.

 40 to 

A.D.

 53, inclusive; but ancient Korean 

astronomers did record the sighting of a comet in 

A.D.

 46. This recorded sighting by the Korean astronomers 

reveals the gap in the recorded sightings of the Chinese astronomers. These gaps may have resulted from either 

the loss of some records as the centuries passed or from an interruption in the work of observing and recording 

comets (perhaps caused by political or social disruptions). The usual chronology would place the death of 

Agrippa in spring of 11 

B.C.

, and use Halley's comet as the comet at the time of his death. However, Dio's 

description indicates that the comet was seen after the death of Agrippa (spring 11 

B.C.

, usual), whereas 

Halley's comet (Aug. to Oct. of 12 

B.C.

) was seen before that date. 

    Pliny the Elder lists four comets seen the western sky, one of which he places  during the civil disorder 

during the consulship of Octavius . 

905

 The consulship of Octavius is not the consulship of the Octavius who 

became Caesar Augustus, but of some other person. When writing about the comet seen by Augustus after the 

death of Julius Caesar, Pliny refers to Augustus as  His late Majesty Augustus,  even though he had not yet 

received the title Augustus at the time of that comet.

906

 Again, when writing about this same time period, Pliny 

calls him  Augustus Caesar,  though he had not yet even become part of the triumvir (three man council) that 

governed Rome after Julius Caesar's death.

907

 Pliny refers to him only as  Augustus,  not as Octavius, even 

when referring to periods of time before he was actually called Augustus. Later on, Pliny refers to the 

consulship of a different Octavius (clearly not Augustus):  In the consulship of Gnaeus Octavius and Gaius 

Scribonius . 

908

 Furthermore, Pliny's list of four comets seen in the western sky appears to be in 

chronological order. The second comet in the list took place during the war between Julius Caesar and 

Pompey. The first comet in the list is the one placed during the consulship of someone named Octavius. This 

consulship must have taken place before Julius Caesar died and before his war with Pompey. Augustus Caesar 

did not have a consulship before the death of Julius Caesar (he had no real power before Julius died and he 

was too young to be consul). Therefore, this comet sighting did not take place during Augustus Caesar's reign. 

    A comet is described by Dio as one of the omens associated with the war between Augustus and Marc 

Anthony:   and for many days a flaming torch was seen to rise over the sea in the direction of Greece, and to 

soar aloft in the sky. 

909

 A comet recorded by the ancient Chinese astronomers, which occurred in the lunar 

month beginning on Feb. 6 of 32 

B.C.

, fits this description well. That comet had a long tail, which might be 

described as a torch, and was seen against the constellation Pegasus.

910

 From the point of view of Rome in that 

month and year, Pegasus would be visible rising in the east beginning just before dawn.

911

 Greece is east 

southeast of Rome. This comet does fit the usual chronology, which places the defeat of Marc Anthony in 

Sept. of 31 

B.C.

, about one year and 6 months after the comet. 

200