Unveiling The Star Of Bethlehem Amid The Celestial Tableau Of Jesus’ Nativity
The ‘Star of Bethlehem’ described in the Gospel of Matthew remains one of astronomy’s greatest mysteries. Matthew 2:1-12 explains how magi or astrologer-priests observed the rising of a certain star which imparted that the ‘King of the Jews’ had been born. The star then makes a supernatural maneuver—veering from its mathematically preordained course and going “before them until having come it stood over [the place] where the child was.” The magi then enter the Christ-child’s ‘house’ and found him with his mother, whence they present their iconic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Three Wise Men following the Star, Basilica of Sant’ Appollinare Nuovo, (526 AD) (Public Domain)
The Gospel of Luke recounts an entirely different birth-scenario, devoid of a portentous star, magi, and house. Luke paints a bucolic scene in which the pregnant virgin, Mary, and her fiancé, Joseph, must travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for a census. Upon arrival they learn that there were no vacant rooms at the local caravanserai (kataluma), which forced them to sleep in the inner courtyard where the animals were kept.
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