The star of bethlehem? Fact or Fiction?

I was just watching the History channel about comets, and the "star of bethlehem" came up...


according to scientist, the "star" would have been recorded in history, not a religion's "holy" book.





Why does religion twist religious fiction with scientific fact?

The star of bethlehem? Fact or Fiction?
Fact. It was a star hundred of light years away that went supernova. That is why it appeared new and didn't last long.
Reply:Astronomers can see what remain of the star and the cloud like debris that was blown of, Apparently, they can calculate about how long ago the star went super nova. However, it is only approximately perhaps within decades, but not even the exact year, let alone the days. Report It

Reply:The Star of Bethlehem is associated with the visit of the Magi (Wise men) from the East as recorded in Matthew 2:1-12. From this passage we see three things of interest. First, the text implies the Star appeared only to the Magi in the East (the “East” most likely being the area of Persia, or modern-day Iran). There is no Biblical record of anyone else observing this phenomenon. While we cannot be dogmatic regarding this point, it is clear that the Magi observed something in the heavens that no one else observed that alerted them the Jewish Messiah was to be born (Matthew 2:2 refers to the Star as being “His Star”). Second, the Star prompted them to travel to Jerusalem, the Jewish capital. This would be the logical place to start looking for the birth of the King of the Jews. Third, when the Magi were told that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem, they left. Upon their leaving, the Star that appeared to them in the East re-appeared and led them to Nazareth, and stopped once it was over the place Joseph and Mary were then staying (Matthew 2:9).





Now, the Greek word that is translated “star” in the text is the word aster, which is the normal word for a star, a celestial body. The word is used 24 times in the New Testament, and in the majority of the uses it refers to a celestial body. It can be used to denote angels as it does in Revelation 12:4, when it is used to describe the fallen angels that followed Satan’s rebellion. However, in the sense it is used in Matthew 2, it is referring to a celestial body. Basic 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 Biblical interpreters have done as much by suggesting a natural explanation of 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 what we see in Matthew 2:1-12 is not a natural stellar phenomenon, but something inexplicable by science. That evidence lies in the three things noted above. First, the fact that the Star only appeared to the Magi indicates that this was no ordinary stellar phenomenon. Furthermore, what led the Magi to travel to Jerusalem was the fact that they were looking for the sign of the Messiah. How would Persian Magi know about the Jewish Messiah? They would have been exposed to the ministry of the Jewish prophet Daniel who was the chief of the court seers for Persia. In Daniel 9:24-27, we see a prophecy that gives a timeline for the birth of the Messiah. Second, they would have been aware of the prophetic utterance of the pagan prophet Balaam (who was from the town of Pethor on the Euphrates River near Persia) in Numbers 24:17 (a prophecy that specifically mentions a “star coming out of Jacob”). Finally, celestial bodies normally move from east to west due to the earth’s rotation, yet this Star led the Magi from Jerusalem south to Bethlehem. Not only that, but it led them directly to the place where Joseph and Mary were staying; stopping directly overhead. There is no natural stellar phenomenon that can do that.





So if the normal usage of the word “star” doesn’t fit the context, what does? What we likely have here in Matthew 2:1-12 is a manifestation of what the Jews call the Shekinah Glory. The Shekinah, which literally means “dwelling of God,” was the visible presence of the Lord. The most notable example of the Shekinah can be found in Exodus 13:21. The Shekinah was the pillar of cloud that led the Israelites by day, and the pillar of fire that led them by night. The Shekinah fits all of the Biblical evidence available in Matthew 2:1-12. The Shekinah can appear to specific individuals, it can disappear and re-appear, it was seen frequently in connection with Christ’s ministry (e.g., Matthew 17:5; Acts 1:9), and it can lead people to specific locations. It shouldn’t surprise us that God would use a miraculous sign to signal the advent of His Son, the Messiah, into the world
Reply:The star of Bethlehem is Sirius. The 'magi' is a reference to the belt of Orion. The birth narrative is astrotheological mysticism, not history.
Reply:Does it really matter? Does the existence or non-existence of a star that may or may not have appeared some 2,000 years ago affect anyone's beliefs, or way of life?





Science answers "how." Religion answers "why." There is no reason science and religion cannot co-exist. Religion doesn't twist scientific facts; people do.





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Reply:The star was from Satan. Not a natural event. It led the wisemen right to Herod who wanted to kill the baby. Then it led them directly to the house Jesus lived in. Would that star be from God? Nobody else saw the star except the wisemen or Kings. True religion does not twist the bible. False religion does.
Reply:Why do you automatically assume that a religious book has no historical facts in it?





An ancient history book would be more likely to have earthly events recorded in it, not heavenly events (such as unusual starts or comets).





A religious book would probably be more interested in the stars, since for most ancient people, studying the sky was a religious occupation, not a scientific one. "Science", as we know it, did not exist yet.
Reply:The Zeitgeist movie has a very interesting part about the "star". Have you seen it?





http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
Reply:That's an allegory, gezzz.
Reply:The bible is history, and other history books and archaeological discoveries prove this. Josephus an historian around the time of Christ validates the existence of Jesus so there are sources outside of the bible that back-up the bible's claims.


Had you heard of Josephus?
Reply:The New Testament was written long after the death of Jesus. Much of what is written in the Gospels was passed along by oral history. Anything related about Jesus' life before He began preaching in Galilee is likely to contain factual errors. The whole story of the Magi is likely to have been made up, as is the whole story about Bethlehem. Sometimes the facts are re-invented to make them fit a prophesy, like the Messiah coming from the line of David. If you believe in the Virgin birth, this is patently false since Joseph's lineage is given, and Joseph was not the father of Jesus. I might be wrong on this, but I don't believe Herod's reign and Jesus birth even overlap, nor is there a record of the slaughter of the Innocents.





As to why this occurs, there is an interesting sermon on this at http://www.firstcongoappleton.org/sermon...





The minister makes the case that spiritual truth outweighs historical truth. That the details are not as important as the message. Judge for yourself.
Reply:Its a myth plain and simple.
Reply:According to the Jehovah's Witnesses interpretation of those events. . . It was King Herod who sent the men out to find where the child was born, in order to kill him, cause he was told that the King of the Jews was born, and being jealous he wanted to do away with him so he could retain his kingship. So it was actually the Devil who put the star in the sky to aid the men to find the newborn baby, to have him killed! But since the men did not report back to King Herod, he issued the order to have all male babies under 5 yrs old killed! Thus Joseph and Mary fled into Egypt, to keep baby Jesus safe!
Reply:scientificly it is impossible for them to see a star ahead and then follow it to the point that there under it. theres no possible way on earth you could do that. but who knows maybe it was a phenominon
Reply:Because the star of Bethlehem was really one of God's many flying machines recorded by different people in the Bible. And by the way religion evolved from mankind's misinterpretation of God's ancient scientific text written in the Bible, Torah and The Dead Sea Scrolls.
Reply:Fact.


Scientifically speaking, there were more than one star that came together over the Manger in Bethlehem. Do a web search. I know I have information somewhere. As questions were asked on yahoo about this last Christmas.





So there is some scientific data.
Reply:Isn't the star of Bethlehem the northern star?





Anyway...what OTHER books are still around from that time period? Very few I bet.
Reply:They did not keep history book,s back then,any way the Bible tell,s us it was.
Reply:My God does His best work in the Supernatural. It is hard to disregard the whole Bible just because you didn't conveniently find the truth on today's media. Don't you realize that the media isn't educating you, it's indoctrinating you to conform your world view to theirs.
Reply:“Star” Seen After Jesus’ Birth. The “astrologers from eastern parts,” hence from the neighborhood of Babylon, whose visit to King Herod after the birth of Jesus resulted in the slaughter of all the male infants in Bethlehem, were obviously not servants or worshipers of the true God. (Mt 2:1-18; see ASTROLOGERS.) As to the “star” (Gr., a·ster′) seen by them, many suggestions have been given as to its having been a comet, a meteor, a supernova, or, more popularly, a conjunction of planets. None of such bodies could logically have ‘come to a stop above where the young child was,’ thereby identifying the one house in the village of Bethlehem where the child was found. It is also notable that only these pagan astrologers “saw” the star. Their condemned practice of astrology and the adverse results of their visit, placing in danger the life of the future Messiah, certainly allow for, and even make advisable, the consideration of their having been directed by a source adverse to God’s purposes as relating to the promised Messiah. It is certainly reasonable to ask if the one who “keeps transforming himself into an angel of light,” whose operation is “with every powerful work and lying signs and portents,” who was able to make a serpent appear to speak, and who was referred to by Jesus as “a manslayer when he began,” could not also cause astrologers to ‘see’ a starlike object that guided them first, not to Bethlehem, but to Jerusalem, where resided a mortal enemy of the promised Messiah.—2Co 11:3, 14; 2Th 2:9; Ge 3:1-4; Joh 8:44.