Star of Bethlehem – Merry and True

#2 Bright Comet of 5 BC

In order to establish when Jesus was born in terms of month of the year, we first must know in which year he was born. The obvious answer is at the beginning of 1 AD, but this is not the correct answer. Two lines of evidence establish that Jesus was born several years before 1Continue reading “#2 Bright Comet of 5 BC”

#10 Conclusion to Star of Bethlehem article

The three wise men followed an actual astronomical phenomenon that appeared in the east. It led them from Persia to Judea. The phenomenon travelling across the sky was a comet probably travelling southwards. As stated in the birth narrative of the gospel of Matthew, the star, in the line of sight of the wise menContinue reading “#10 Conclusion to Star of Bethlehem article”

#9 Visit of the Magi

The comet of 5 BC was visible for a very long time – 70 days. The Magi see this star rise in the east and get ready and set out for Jerusalem. I see the appearance of the star as marking the birth of the Messiah as the exact time of its appearance seems toContinue reading “#9 Visit of the Magi”

#7 Was Jesus Born at Passover?

The first appearance of the star seems to mark the exact time of Jesus’ birth – at least King Herod interpreted it this way: Matt 2:7 “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.” This implies that the Messiah – Jesus was born on theContinue reading “#7 Was Jesus Born at Passover?”

#5 Three Indications that the Star of Bethlehem was a Comet

The Star of Bethlehem behaved like a comet in three particular ways. The first indication of it being a comet is its unexpected appearance Comets are actually giant snowballs made of water ice covered with tar. They orbit the Sun in highly elliptical orbits that swing out into the outer Solar System and back aroundContinue reading “#5 Three Indications that the Star of Bethlehem was a Comet”

#4 A Comet of 5 BC?

The article, ‘The Star of Bethlehem’ in Science and Christian Belief written by Colin Humphreys was a great find. It supplies most of the facts upon which this article is based. He recommends that rather than thinking that the Bible is untrue, as many people think today, or surmising that the Biblical authors were using literary devicesContinue reading “#4 A Comet of 5 BC?”

#1 Was the Star of Bethlehem a Comet?

At Christmas this year I decided to entertain the local Association of Christian Writers group at their Christmassy mince pie do with a piece on the Three Wise Men. Hence, I did some research on the origins of the three wise men coming from Persia and found they were priests and astronomers. I started toContinue reading “#1 Was the Star of Bethlehem a Comet?”