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Christianity Today, December (Web-only), 2008 |

Searching for the Star of Bethlehem

A new theory makes the news. But are 21st-century astronomers looking in the wrong place?

Gordon Govier | posted 12/19/2008 08:10AM

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Some Christians are satisfied with the biblical story and don't care what the astronomers think; but others would like to know if there is scientific evidence to support the Biblical account.

Edwin Yamauchi, emeritus professor of history at Miami University, and the author of Persia and the Bible, said, "It is quite legitimate to consider such scientific explanations, as long as they are not reductions which deny God's supernatural ability. God the creator can use his creation to reveal and to work his will."

Related Elsewhere:

Govier hosts The Book & The Spade, a weekly radio program about biblical archaeology.

See Christianity Today's 1999 article on Star of Bethlehem theories, also written by Gordon Govier.

Molnar's The Star of Bethlehem is available at Amazon.com and other book retailers. Google Books has a preview.

The New York Times covered Molnar's theory in 1991.

Michael Ward discussed "C. S. Lewis and the Star of Bethlehem" in the January/February 2008 issue of Books & Culture, a Christianity Today sister publication.

See also quotations on the Magi's mission in "Reflections: Following the Star," a Christianity Today article from 2004.

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December (Web-only) 2008, Vol. 53

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 22 comments.

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mduke

Posted: December 31, 2008 11:10 AM


See bethlehemstar.net for the most original, scholarly work in the Star as well as the Crucifixion's astronomical events.

sister

Posted: December 29, 2008 5:34 PM


I found the program compelling. Since the Magi came from the east, they may have been part of the school spoken about when Daniel was taken to Babylon (now Iraq). It is even possible that they were Jewish, a remnant waiting for the Messiah. Stranger things occur!

Clinton

Posted: December 29, 2008 9:13 AM

For those who are asking "whether it has to be an astronomical event and couldn't God do whatever He wants?". Yes, He can, but you'd be embarking on a really slippery slope. Someone might then ask, "Does the Virgin Birth or the Resurrection have to be real events?" This sort of reasoning also implies that Luke and the early Christians were somewhat stupid and don't know the difference between angels and a "star" especially since Luke and Matthew keep talking about angels throughout their narratives. I'd much rather prefer to believe the Biblical text for what it says and listen to the testimony of the Church. God is able to make "stars" align to herald the birth of His Son - the greatest historical event since the Fall- and like the angel said to Mary, "Nothing is impossible with God".

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