One way to interpret the Star of Bethlehem is to find the year in which Jesus was born. Matthew wrote that Jesus was born when Herod was king. According to Josephus, Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse. This lunar eclipse is often thought of as the eclipse of March 13, 4 BC. Those who ruled after Herod used coins showing that they dated their rules as beginning in 4 BC. Because of this, it is mostly thought that Herod died that year. However, some still disagree with this idea.