The Star of Bethlehem was most likely the planet Jupiter. In the years 3 & 2 B.C, Jupiter did some pretty weird and amazing things from the perspective of an observer on Earth, but fully understandable if you consider that both Jupiter and Earth are moving in their own orbits. The Magi who came to see the God of the Universe born here on Earth would have followed Jupiter's weird and wonderful movements of this time. Jupiter came to a complete stop on December 25, 2 B.C. over Bethlehem, coincidentally the date we celebrate Christmas every year.
There seem to be a few theories of when the Star appeared, but of them all I find this one the most compelling as among other things, it references the corrected date (1 B.C.) of Herod's death.
For a complete explanation of what I've just said, read The Nine Points of Christ's Star and The Starry Dance ~ BethlehemStar
Of course, none of this matters, as we know from the Bible itself, that Jesus was NOT born on or even near December 25.
ReplyDeleteIf anyting, this further undermines the biblical myth.
Oh, and here's an experiment you can try out home. Go outside on a clear night, seek the brightest star you can find and then tell me which house it is over and how you'll get to that house.
ReplyDelete"The Greek word that is translated “star” in the text is the word aster, which is the normal word for a star or a celestial body. The word is used 24 times in the New Testament, and most of the time it refers to a celestial body. It can be used to denote angels, as in Revelation 12:4, where it is used to describe the fallen angels who followed Satan’s rebellion. However, aster is used in the sense of "a celestial body" in Matthew 2.
ReplyDeleteBasic rules of biblical interpretation state that we should take the normal sense of the word unless there is compelling evidence to suggest otherwise. In fact, many interpreters have done as much by suggesting a natural explanation for the Star of Bethlehem. Their suggestions range from calling it a supernova or a comet to saying it was the conjunction of several celestial bodies which provided a brighter-than-normal light in the sky.
However, there is compelling evidence to suggest that the Star of Bethlehem was not a natural stellar phenomenon, but something unexplained by science."
Read more here: http://gotquestions.org/star-of-Bethlehem.html
See also: http://www.letusreason.org/Biblexp119.htm