Comets and the star Balaam foretold
It has been observed that such stars rise at the time of great events and of the greatest changes in things on earth, signifying either changes of kingdoms, or wars, or whatever else can befall human beings that is able to shake things on earth. We have read in the treatise On Comets by Chaeremon the Stoic how comets have sometimes risen even when good things were about to happen, and he sets out the account of these cases.
If, then, the so-called comet, or some star like it, rises at the coming of new kingdoms or at other great events on earth, is it any wonder that a star should have risen at the birth of one who was going to bring something new into the human race, and to bring in a teaching not only for Jews but also for Greeks, and for many of the barbarian nations as well?
But I would say that no prophecy is on record about comets, to the effect that such and such a comet will rise in such a reign or at such times. About the star that rose at the birth of Jesus, however, Balaam prophesied, as Moses recorded, saying: “A star will rise out of Jacob, and a man will rise up out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17). And if we must also examine what is recorded about the magi at the birth of Jesus, and about the appearing of the star (Matthew 2:1–12), we would say something like this, part of it to Greeks and part to Jews.
Greek
Ἐπὶ μεγάλοις τετήρηται πράγμασι καὶ μεγίσταις μεταβολαῖς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνατέλλειν τοὺς τοιούτους ἀστέρας, σημαίνοντας ἢ μεταστάσεις βασιλειῶν ἢ πολέμους ἢ ὅσα δύναται ἐν ἀνθρώποις συμβῆναι, σεῖσαι τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς δυνάμενα. ἀνέγνωμεν δ᾿ ἐν τῷ περὶ κομητῶν Χαιρήμονος τοῦ Στωϊκοῦ συγγράμματι, τίνα τρόπον ἔσθ᾿ ὅτε καὶ ἐπὶ Χρηστοῖς ἐσομένοις κομῆται ἀνέτειλαν, καὶ ἐκτίθεται τὴν περὶ τούτων ἱστορίαν. εἴπερ οὖν ἐπὶ βασιλείαις καιναῖς ἢ ἄλλοις μεγάλοις συμπτώμασιν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνατέλλει ὁ καλούμενος κομήτης ἤ τις τῶν παραπλησίων ἀστὴρ, τί θαυμαστὸν ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ καινοτομεῖν μέλλοντος ἐν τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδασκαλίαν ἐπεισάγειν οὐ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἕλλησι πολλοῖς δὲ καὶ τοῖς βαρβάρων ἔθνεσιν ἀστέρα ἀνατεταλκέναι; ἐγὼ δ᾿ εἴποιμ᾿ ἂν ὅτι περὶ μὲν τῶν κομητῶν οὐδεμία προφητεία φέρεται, ὡς ὅτι κατὰ τήνδε τὴν βασιλείαν ἢ τούσδε τοὺς χρόνους ἀνατελεῖ τοιόσδε κομήτης· περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀνατείλαντος ἐπροφήτευσε Βαλαὰμ λέγων, ὡς ἀνέγραψε Μωϋσῆς· „ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακὼβ. καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ.“ εἰ δὲ δεήσει καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν μάγων ἀναγραφέντα ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὦφθαι τὸν ἀστέρα ἐξετάσαι, τοιαῦτα ἂν εἴποιμεν, τινὰ μὲν πρὸς Ἕλληνας ἄλλα δὲ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους.