▁thou ▁seen ▁Abraham ?" ▁Fif ty ▁years ▁is ▁a ▁round ▁number ▁which ▁emphas ises ▁the ▁dis cre p ancy ▁to ▁Jesus ' s ▁claim ▁he ▁had ▁existed ▁before ▁Abraham , ▁that ▁is , ▁for ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁thousand ▁years . ▁ ▁Some ▁comment ators ▁have ▁attempted ▁to ▁establish ▁the ▁date ▁of ▁birth ▁by ▁ident ifying ▁the ▁Star ▁of ▁Beth le hem ▁with ▁some ▁known ▁astronom ical ▁or ▁ast ro log ical ▁phenomen on . ▁For ▁example , ▁astronom er ▁Michael ▁Mol nar ▁proposed ▁ 1 7 ▁April ▁ 6 ▁BC ▁as ▁the ▁likely ▁date ▁of ▁the ▁N ativity , ▁since ▁that ▁date ▁correspond ed ▁to ▁the ▁hel ia cal ▁rising ▁and ▁lun ar ▁occ ult ation ▁of ▁Jup iter , ▁while ▁it ▁was ▁moment arily ▁station ary ▁in ▁the ▁const ell ation ▁of ▁A ries . ▁According ▁to ▁Mol nar , ▁to ▁knowledge able ▁ast ro log ers ▁of ▁this ▁time , ▁this ▁highly ▁unusual ▁combination ▁of ▁events ▁would ▁have ▁indicated ▁that ▁a ▁reg al ▁person age ▁would ▁be ▁( or ▁had ▁been ) ▁born ▁in ▁J ude a . ▁Other ▁research ▁points ▁to ▁a ▁ 1 9 9 1 ▁report ▁from ▁the ▁Royal ▁Astronom ical ▁Society , ▁which ▁mentions ▁that ▁Chinese ▁astronom ers ▁noted ▁a ▁" com et " ▁that ▁last ed ▁ 7 0 ▁days ▁in ▁the ▁Cap ric orn ▁region ▁of ▁the ▁sky , ▁in ▁March ▁of ▁ 5 ▁BC . ▁ ▁Auth ors ▁D ug ard ▁and ▁O ' Re illy ▁consider ▁this ▁event ▁as ▁the ▁likely ▁Star ▁of