A mad tyrant Herod, a turbulent and rebellious people under Roman occupation, mass executions -- all are under the shadow of the greatest astronomical event in 800 years, at a time when astrology was the cutting edge of political science. Here is a program that sheds new light on the events and circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus. This is no nativity-play treatment of Christ's birth, but an attempt to set it in the real political and social context of the time, based on the best available sources and research.The program is presented in a news format as if the events surrounding Christ's birth were happening now. The incidents are reported by on-the-scene correspondents and political analysts, just as television presents world news today. The reporters discuss the threat to Herod's succession and the danger to him if he fails to control this unruly province. The report on the tax census discloses the fiscal oppression of the people. Also documented is the instability caused by putting a whole country on the move at a time when gatherings of more than three people could be seen as subversive.This enlightening presentation provides a greater understanding and new appreciation of the world into which Jesus was born.