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Christianity Today, December, 2009

Something in the Stars

The Star of Bethlehem documentary suggests it may have been Jupiter.

Kenneth R. Morefield | posted 12/23/2009 10:57AM

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The Star of Bethlehem (Mpower Pictures) is a fine Christian documentary chronicling Rick Larson's use of contemporary astronomical software in conjunction with historical sources (both Christian and non-) to locate the position of various heavenly bodies during major biblical events. Larson, an attorney, argues that the Star of Bethlehem may very well have been the planet Jupiter, which, due to a unique combination of its alignment with other stars, position in orbit, and retrograde motion, would have shown the characteristics of the star in the east seen by the Magi (Matt. 2:2). Larson also provides an interpretation of one of John's visions in Revelation, suggesting that John was actually describing astronomical phenomena that occurred at the time of Christ's birth.

One small but notable concern is the way the DVD's packaging and introduction tend to conflate the concepts of signs and miracles. Larson states that his project started while he was preparing to teach a Sunday school class on the essentials of Christianity, in which he wished to include a section on "external evidences." He describes these as extra-biblical but verifiable sources that help prove the historical accuracy of biblical events. Rather than arguing that the Star of Bethlehem was a miraculous abrogation of the laws of physics, the film actually relies on external evidences to argue that the Gospel accounts are historically accurate. But these are quibbles about an otherwise genuinely thought-provoking film.

Kenneth R. Morefield, an English professor at Campbell University, is editor of Faith and Spirituality in Masters of World Cinema (Cambridge Scholars Publishing).

Related Elsewhere:

The Star of Bethlehem and Faith and Spirituality in Masters of World Cinema are available at ChristianBook.com, Amazon.com, and other book retailers.

Christianity Today has more articles on Christmas including:

Searching for the Star of Bethlehem | A new theory makes the news. But are 21st-century astronomers looking in the wrong place? (December 19, 2008)

Reflections: Following the Star | Quotations to stir heart and mind (January 1, 2004)

Astronomer Discovers Star of Bethlehem | Rutgers University professor believes Jupiter, other bodies key to biblical mystery. (December 1, 1999)

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December 2009, Vol. 53, No. 12

Comments (8)

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http://ketch22.wordpress.com

December 30, 2009 11:57am

Simply trusting God's Word is great for those of us who are now trusting God's Word. But before I could trust God's Word, I needed some evidence... that's how my mind works. And God allowed me to do this and now I no longer need evidence to believe, my veil has been lifted... but there is nothing wrong with providing measureable evidence that points to God.

JOHN GARRETT(Registered User)

December 25, 2009 12:29pm

Let the Word speak for it'self

desk`

December 24, 2009 9:02pm

The retrograde motion is what allows jupiter to stop above the place where Jesus lay. Remember that it doesn't say the star was hovering right over the house where Jesus was just above the roof. Rather, Jupiter was right above the town of Bethlehem as the Magi were facing the town from Jerusalem. I actually think the theory by Michael Molnar makes more sense since, if Herod died in 4bc, Molnar's dating is more accurate, i.e. in 6BC. See his website: http://www.eclipse.net/~molnar/

Simply Trust God's Word

December 24, 2009 6:26pm

Why can't people just take God at His Word? Who said we need any sort of "external evidence" to validate the claims of Scripture? It sounds like Rick Larson doubts the confirmation of Biblical revelation and goes way out of his way to try and prove the Bible is accurate. Who said that is needed? His DVD actually does more harm than good because it suggests we need historical evidence to believe God's Word. The only thing we need is good old fashioned "faith", something he entirely overlooks in this production. All this research and postulation is such a waste of time and money. Rick Larson needs to sit down, open his heart by faith to God's Word, accept it, teach it and praise God for it. I am not against historical evidence, but the Bible does not need it to be believed !!! All we need is faith in God's Word, that's all. It doesn't matter if the star was Jupiter or not. It matters whether we have faith in God's Word, I assure you. Merry Christmas!!!

Tom

December 24, 2009 11:23am

Both the atheist and the fundamentalist deny that God works miracles using natural phenomenon. Why is it so difficult to comprehend that that God can use a star, a planet or even a flashlight to demonstrate His power? Both sides of the argument attempt to limit His power. We should be grateful that the Lord does not use super-natural phenomenon to communicate with us. If we actually witnessed such a miracle, we would perish

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