What was the star of Bethlehem?

The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star or Jesus Star, is a star in Christian nativity tradition that revealed the birth of Jesus to the magi (or 'three kings') and later led them to Bethlehem. According to the New Testament account, found only in the Gospel of Matthew,[1] the magi were men "from the east" who were inspired by the appearance of the star to travel to Jerusalem in search of a "king of the Jews".[2] There they met King Herod of Judea, who advised them that the child they sought was in Bethlehem, a nearby village. The magi then went to Bethlehem, found Jesus and his mother, paid him homage,worshiped him, gave gifts, and returned to their "own country".[3]





Christians regarded the star as a miraculous sign given by God to mark the birth of the Christ (or Messiah). Ancient theologians claimed that the star fulfilled several prophecies, including the Star Prophecy. In modern times, astronomers have proposed various explanations for the star, including a nova, a planet, a comet, an occultation, and a conjunction (massing of planets). The subject is a favorite at planetarium shows during the Christmas season,[4] although the Biblical account suggests that the visit of the magi took place at least several months after Jesus was born.[5] The visit was traditionally celebrated on Epiphany.[6] Many modern scholars regard the star as a pious fiction created by the author of the Gospel of Matthew.





Midnight~Angel :)

What was the star of Bethlehem?
Hermione Gingold
Reply:It was the three planets lining up at one time together to become one to shine it's lite
Reply:It has been documented as a comet whose path went that way during that point in time.
Reply:Look at the crab nebula through a telescope.. amazing! It was a supernova and was documented by the Chinese.
Reply:Venus.
Reply:Could have been Halle s comet which appears every 70 or so years.
Reply:there is a good article in decembers Sky and Telescope that discusses this, check it out
Reply:A comet
Reply:The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star or Jesus Star, is a star in Christian nativity tradition that revealed the birth of Jesus to the magi (or 'three kings') and later led them to Bethlehem. According to the New Testament account, found only in the Gospel of Matthew,[1] the magi were men "from the east" who were inspired by the appearance of the star to travel to Jerusalem in search of a "king of the Jews".[2] There they met King Herod of Judea, who advised them that the child they sought was in Bethlehem, a nearby village. The magi then went to Bethlehem, found Jesus and his mother, paid him homage,worshiped him, gave gifts, and returned to their "own country".[3]





Christians regarded the star as a miraculous sign given by God to mark the birth of the Christ (or Messiah). Ancient theologians claimed that the star fulfilled several prophecies, including the Star Prophecy. In modern times, astronomers have proposed various explanations for the star, including a nova, a planet, a comet, an occultation, and a conjunction (massing of planets). The subject is a favorite at planetarium shows during the Christmas season,[4] although the Biblical account suggests that the visit of the magi took place at least several months after Jesus was born.[5] The visit was traditionally celebrated on Epiphany.[6] Many modern scholars regard the star as a pious fiction created by the author of the Gospel of Matthew. [7]





Because the magi told Herod that they saw the star "at its rising",[29] the obvious conclusion is that of an astronomical object.





In 1614, German astronomer Johannes Kepler determined that a series of three conjunctions of the planets Jupiter and Saturn occurred in the year 6 BC. [30] Although conjunctions were important in astrology, Kepler was not thinking in astrological terms. He argued that a planetary conjunction could create a nova, which he linked to the Star of Bethlehem.[30] Modern calculations show that there was always a large gap between the two planets, so these conjunctions were not visually impressive. An ancient almanac has been found in Babylon which covers the events of this period, but it makes no specific reference to the conjunctions.[31]





Chinese and Korean stargazers observed an object thought to be a nova or a comet around 5 BC.[32] This object was observed for over seventy days with no movement recorded.[32] Ancient writers described comets as "hanging over" specific cities, just as the Star of Bethlehem was said to have "stood over" the "place" where Jesus was (presumably the town of Bethlehem).[33] This phrase was not used to describe other astronomical objects, so perhaps the tail of a comet was thought to point to a specific terrestrial location.





Another Star of Bethlehem candidate is Uranus, which was visible at various times. However, it probably moved too slowly to be recognized as a planet.[34]








A zodiac from a 6th century mosaic at a synagogue in Beit Alpha, IsraelAnother recent hypothesis states that the star of Bethlehem was a supernova or hypernova occurring in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy. The author notes that a Type Ia or Ic supernova/hypernova occurring in the Andromeda Galaxy would have been visible directly overhead in the town of Bethlehem at the same time of the birth of Jesus. Although supernovae have been detected in Andromeda, it is extremely difficult to detect a supernova remnant in another galaxy, let alone obtain an accurate date of when it occurred. [35]








[edit] An astrological event


The use of the phrase "king of the Jews" by the magi has led many writers to link the Star of Bethlehem to astrology. In Hellenistic astrology, Jupiter was the king planet and Regulus was the king star.[36] As they traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, the star "went before" the magi and then "stood over" the place where Jesus was. In astrological interpretations, these phrases are said to refer to retrograde motion and to stationing, i.e. Jupiter appeared to reverse course for a time, then stopped, and finally resumed its normal progression[37] (This assumes that the magi had an instrument equivalent to an astrolabe that allowed them to detect to the motion of a planet between one night and the next.)





In 3-2 BC, there was a series of seven conjunctions, including three between Jupiter and Regulus and a strikingly close conjunction between Jupiter and Venus on June 17, 2 BC.[38] "The fusion of two planets would have been a rare and awe-inspiring event", according to an influential paper by Roger Sinnott.[39]





Astronomer Michael Molnar has proposed a link between a double occultation of Jupiter by the moon in 6 BC in Aries and the Star of Bethlehem.[40] This event was quite close to the sun and would have been difficult to observe, even with a small telescope.[41] Occultations of planets by the moon are quite common, but Firmicus Maternus, an astrologer to Roman Emperor Constantine, wrote that an occultation of Jupiter in Aries was a sign of the birth of a divine king.[42] "When the royal star of Zeus, the planet Jupiter, was in the east this was the most powerful time to confer kingships. Furthermore, the Sun was in Aries where it is exalted. And the Moon was in very close conjunction with Jupiter in Aries", Molnar wrote.[40] This set of conditions reoccurs every sixty years.[40]





A modern and exclusively astrological interpretation of Matthew's account of the star, based on the magi's role as astrologers, "decodes" the Star of Bethlehem as a rare celestial configuration that was visible only to the magi. The "star" was revealed in an astrological chart dated March 2, 5 BCE
Reply:the north star in which you follow to get to your destination
Reply:I think it may have been Halle's Comet

gary