What was the Star of Bethlehem mentioned in Matthew 2?

What was the Star of Bethlehem?



There are many theories and astronomical and scientific explanations as to what the mystery of the "Star of Bethlehem" that appeared around the time of Jesus´s birth mentioned in Matthew 2 and what it actually was. Some say it was a comet, others a conjunction between Jupiter and Venus or a Triple conjunction with an extra planet. Others say it may have been a Super Nova. All would produce the effect of a huge bright star, but which one of these was it, or was it something else? The reason for this article is obviously we are on the run up to Christmas but also recently there was an incredibly bright star and rare event on 30 June 2015. I saw that star.

My views on the Star of Bethlehem and the Bright Star I saw on 30 June 2015



Firstly lets take a look at the Bible Verses in Matthew 2 and see what is said.

Matthew 2:1-12
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.


Unlike the Crucifixion of Christ which was written about in all four of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Birth of Christ is only recorded in 2 Gospels which is Matthew and Luke. Matthew mentions the star four times that was seen by the Wise Men known as the "Magi", Luke doesn´t mention the star at all. The star isn´t described in great detail, jut the direction it was shining.

Can the Famous Christmas Carol "We Three Kings of Orient Are" which refers to those wise men mentioned in Matthew 2 shed any more light on the subject, here are the lyrics.

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light


A little more detail from this carol but not much more. Nemesis Maturity produced this video going into great detail about an event that was going to happen on 30 June 2015, which was a much brighter than usual Venus/Jupiter conjunction.




This conjunction happens every year and cycles through brighter phases over longer time periods but this particular event was to be the brightest seen for a long period of time, some saying it was the return of the star of Bethlehem after 2000 years. I saw this star and there will be a few words on this in an upcoming video over at The Twelve Gates You Tube later this week. It had a profound effect on me, I had never seen anything like it, whether it was the return of "The Star of Bethlehem" though is open for debate. One thing for certain, you couldn´t miss it, but strangely I know nobody personally that saw it, but it is mentioned in numerous headlines below on Google, so it was there. Most of the shots in the RT headline are Venus and Jupiter visibly apart, the star I saw was the two together which was way brighter about quarter of the size of a full moon!

'Double star' moment for Jupiter and Venus in the night sky via CNN


Stargazers’ stunner: Thousands catch Jupiter, Venus forming super bright ‘Star of Bethlehem’ (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) via RT


After a deeper search through a number of websites looking more from an astronomy or scientific angle on the web and not really coming up with much more information, I stumbled upon a website called Mark Kidger`s Comet and Asteroid Observing Website with the title "Observations of comets and asteroids by Spanish amateur and professional astronomers." This old school looking website (apparently under construction) which states he has been interested in the subject for nearly 30 years and has studied it for more than 20 delves into the possibilities of The Star of Bethlehem. He mentions what the star could have been and what it definitely wasn´t. He come up with some interesting answers.

What the Star of Bethlehem could not have been
Venus (on it´s own), Comet Halley, Super Nova Bethlehem, A Meteor and Uranus.

What the Star of Bethlehem might have been
Conjunction such as Venus and Jupiter the two brightest planets after the Sun and Moon. A Triple Conjunction, An Occultation (when one celestial object is hidden by another one), Comet or a number of Comets, A Nova (a star showing a sudden large increase in brightness and then slowly returning to its original state over a few months.

With the increasing use of forecasting models for planetary activity and the stars and software such as Stellarium (Free) we can look forward and backwards to see what the Planetary and star positions were right down to the last second at any point in time and with all the possibilities mentioned including Comet´s, Nova´s, Conjunctions, Occultation´s and Conjunctions can be seen at around the time of Christs Birth.

Many of the strong possibilities come close, very close to within a couple of years of Christs Birth but NONE at the exact time of his birth. Which brings us full circle even in this modern sophisticated hi-tech day and age to where we started and the mystery remains as to "What the Star of Bethlehem" really was.

Here´s some other thoughts taken from Comments from the Nemesis Maturity video

This "Bethlehem star" is a regular cycle between Venus and Jupiter that occurs every 24 years.

The star of Bethlehem was the triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 6 BCE. The third conjunction of the two planets was highlighted when Mars became part of the conjunction in 5 BCE.

The "Wise men"from the east, Were astrologer's,so whatever the event they had already charted it,and went to the spot where it would most matter.It was not an anomaly like a comet or supernatural event.It was one the astrologer's from ages before it happened,knew it was coming.


Summary
Which leaves us with the final conclusion, maybe Luke didn´t write about the star for some mysterious reason while Matthew quite confidently did OR the Star of Bethlehem was a Supernatural Event OR there was no star. To say there was NO star would be saying the Bible is incorrect and why would Matthew write quite clearly about this star four times if there wasn´t one, it would put the whole Bible into question, something I don´t think he would do. Only the "Wise Men" or "Magi" are mentioned as actually seeing and following this star. If it was the result of an astronomical event or anything else , it would have been seen by many more? If it would have been seen by the masses, the masses would have been led to where Jesus was born, but that clearly was not the Stars intention or the case, only a select few were present to see the newly Born Jesus?

Where do I stand on this?
None of the above explanations satisfy or explain how the star “went ahead of” the magi or how it magically “stopped where Jesus was".” No known natural or celnestial phenomenon would be able to stand over Bethlehem for any significant period of time. All celestial bodies such as stars (conjunctions or Nova´s or otherwise) continually move, due to the rotation of the earth. They also appear and rise in the east and they also set in the west. There is no mention or indication in the Bible that this star was a natural phenomenon or event.

In Summary I believe there was a star, it was not a normal or super rare celestial event, it was a Supernatural event. If God created the universe, he can create a star in the sky that has no scientific explanation to this day..............that´s a definite! It´s God Created the Universe and The Big Bang Theory all over again, but this time it´s not the Universe but a singular star and again as always...... Science doesn´t have the answers.

Check out this superb website for further details on The Star of Bethlehem at this Spanish Website Observadores-Cometas Form your own opinion.

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