Posted on 12/01/2021 12:11:45 AM PST by SunkenCiv
...We know that Halley's Comet was visible in the sky in 11 B.C. However, as the Magi trekked toward Jerusalem and on to Bethlehem, it seems unlikely that they followed a comet because its position would have changed as the Earth rotated, so the comet would not have led them in a single direction. What's more, in the ancient world, comets were often regarded as bad omens...
We can also rule out novas and supernovas. Either event would have resulted in a detectable remnant, but astronomers have not found anything that might date back to this time.
Furthermore, had the Magi followed one, they probably would have walked in a circle...
Such an event would surely have been seen by others at the time, too. Although novas are reportedly quite rare, you'd still expect to find other historical accounts of a large, bright event in the sky.
Other theories suggest a supernova in the Andromeda galaxy as the cause...
This leads us to one of two possibilities. The first is that the Magi were making an astrological interpretation of the sky. The fact that they needed to ask Herod for directions when they arrived suggests they were not being led to their final destination by a single bright object...
Astronomer Michael Molnar suggested that a conjunction theory might be correct in his book "The Star of Bethlehem" (Rutgers University Press, 1999). If the "star" was the result of a conjunction (and this historical event did really happen), then there are a number of different alignments that could be the culprit.
Perhaps the most promising, and the one favored by Mathews, is an alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, the moon and the sun in the constellation of Aries on April 17, 6 B.C.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Star of the East keyword, sorted newest to oldest, by subforum (bloggers, chat, news, religion):
It is likely unexplainable, if you do not include illumination by angels to lead the Magi.
The Magi we’re likely Zoroastrians
How about two neutron stars or two black holes merging?
Or, one planet or one star being sliced and diced by a black hole or neutron star?
I think you could get a pretty good light show from any of those possibilities, and not much radiation, because of the intense gravity.
My understanding is it took them three years to get there
-PJ
The fact that they needed to ask Herod for directions when they arrived suggests they were not being led to their final destination by a single bright object.
******
And that’s why I never ask for directions.
There was a great thread on this subject years ago. It is unlikely that the Magi were following a single prominent feature in the sky like a comet or supernova. Scripture itself pretty much confirms this. When the Magi showed up in Jerusalem and told Herod they had “followed” a star to get there, Herod had to ask his scholars and advisors when the star appeared. If this “star” had been something as remarkable as a comet or supernova, he wouldn’t have needed to ask about it because it would have been clearly visible to everyone.
I live in rural Nevada now and see S.D. license plates here all the time (mostly on rv's).
Ran into a charming couple from Aberdeen in the grocery store the other day and had a nice chat.
Since God was involved, maybe we can speculate about the Goodyear Blimp?
From Matthew 2 (NIV)
The Magi Visit the Messiah
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
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It almost sounds like they saw the star when it rose and that got them on their journey to Israel. The scripture does not say if they followed the star to Israel.
If they were following the star, why would they need to ask Herod? Unless they had to ask so prophecies would come true (Jesus fleeing to Egypt, and upon returning too afraid to settle in Bethleham so it was Nazareth instead).
Also - the scripture seems to indicate that the star reappeared after they saw Herod.
Perhaps only the Magi and Shepherds were given sight to see the star.
I say this thinking of when God opened the eyes of Elijah to see the chariots surrounding the city.
Hmm. Reading the scripture again. The magi knew that Jesus was the King of the Jews. Perhaps they figured the Jews would CERTAINLY know of this birth as well, and had already taken their new “King” to the capitol city and temple to be raised there, or perhaps even installed as their King as a baby? That is why they went to Jerusalem to inquire - thinking he was in a feather bed with gold inlay.
Hmm. I wonder why the birth and His status wasn’t more widely known as the shepherds saw Jesus and the angels years before? (Although I guess the shepherds didn’t run in the right circles to get the word out.)
Interesting point.
Perhaps they were also looking for a miracle. I know folks that are always anticipating and looking for ways God will act and they notice that stuff more than I do. (And act on it.)
That's a big clue right there. They didn't follow the star. If you read other passages in the Gospels you'll see that this star was "in the East," which would have been in the wrong direction if they were traveling westward.
They also wouldn't need directions to Jerusalem -- or even from Jerusalem to Bethlehem (a distance of only a few miles). Anyone traveling in those days would have known how to get to a major destination like Jerusalem.
The "star" was almost certainly only there to tell them WHEN to depart from their homeland and make their way to Jerusalem.
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