Following a Star

The Morning Star

In a country far away to the east of Bethlehem, there were wise men who studied the stars. One night they saw a new star that was much brighter than all the others.

They knew that this meant something special had happened. After consulting all their books, they decided that it was a sign that a new ruler had been born, and that they must go to find him.

They prepared for a long journey, and set off, carrying presents for this new ruler. Every night they followed the star which moved across the sky ahead of them.

At last, they arrived in the great city of Jerusalem. There they asked, 'Where can we find the baby who is born to be King of the Jews? We have seen his star and have come to worship him.'

When King Herod heard that these strangers were looking for the baby King, he was very worried. The Roman rulers of Israel had made him King of the Jews, and he was frightened that a new king would try to take his throne. He sent for the priests and learned men and asked them where this baby was born.

After much study of all the old writings and records. they told King Herod that. many years ago it had been foretold that one day the King of the Jews would be born in Bethlehem.

King Herod called the wise men to a secret meeting with him. When they came, he told them to go to Bethlehem. 'When you find this child, come back and tell me, so that I may worship him too', he said. The wise men agreed, and started to travel along the road to Bethlehem. 

The star still moved ahead of them and then seemed to stop over the town. The wise men knew then that they had come to the right place.

They soon found where Mary and Joseph were living. When the wise men saw the baby, they knelt down in front of him, and gave Mary the presents they had brought with them. 

The presents were gold, sweet-smelling frankincense, and a special ointment called myrrh. Then they quietly got to their feet and left the stable.

On their way back to Jerusalem and King Herod, they camped outside Bethlehem. That night, they had a dream in which an angel warmed them not to return to King Herod. In the morning they loaded up their camels and took a different road back to their own country, avoiding Jerusalem.

One night. Joseph also had a dream. In it, an angel warned him that Jesus was in great danger, and that he must take Mary and the baby to Egypt where they would be safe. 'Go at once, said the angel. Stay in Egypt until I tell you that the danger has passed.

Joseph woke Mary, and quickly packed up their things, loading them onto their donkey. Carrying Jesus, they began their long journey through the desert while it was still dark.

King Herod waited for the wise men to come back to Jerusalem. When he realized he'd been tricked, he was furious. He ordered his soldiers to march to Bethlehem and kill all the boys under two years old. In that way, he was sure that Jesus, the King of the Jews, would die. 

The soldiers carried out the dreadful task. The people had always hated this cruel King appointed by their Roman rulers, but now they hated him even more.

Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived safely in Egypt. After a while. Joseph had another dream in which an angel told him that King Herod had died, and it was safe for him to take Mary and Jesus home.

After another very long journey, they reached Nazareth, and settled down in their own house again.


The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 where 'wise men from the East', (Magi) are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. The star leads them to Jesus' Bethlehem birthplace, where they worship him and give him gifts. 

The wise men are then given a divine warning not to return to Herod, so they return home by a different route. Scholars who see the gospel nativity stories as later apologetic accounts created to establish the messianic status of Jesus regard the Star of Bethlehem as a pious fiction.


A recent (2005) hypothesis advanced by Frank Tipler is that the star of Bethlehem was a supernova or hypernova occurring in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy. Although it is difficult to detect a supernova remnant in another galaxy, or obtain an accurate date of when it occurred, supernova remnants have been detected in Andromeda.


↪  Ruth and Naomi

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The word 'Bible', is the equivalent of the Greek word biblia (diminutive from bı́blos, the inner bark of the papyrus), meaning originally 'books.' The phrase 'the books' (ta biblia ) occurs in Daniel 9:2 (Septuagint) for prophetic writings. 

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cclesiastical History to us, Sincerely Heaven, who have come after Christ, with lived in times long before? Whence it gion delivered to us in the doctrine of Cltrange doctrine; but if the true and only true religion.

Thus much may suffice on this point Ecclesiastical His to us, who have come after Christ, with lived in times long before? Whence it gion delivered to us. in the doctrine of Cl strange doctrine; but if the truth must be and only true religion. Thus much may succeed on this point.

CHAPTER V.

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It was the forty-second year of the reign of Augustus, but the twenty-eighth from the subjugation of Egypt and the death of Antony and Cleopatra, which terminated the dynasty of the Ptolemies, when, according to prophetic prediction, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea; the same year, when the first census was taken, and Quirinius was governor of Syria.

This census is mentioned by Flavius Josephus, the distinguished historian among the Hebrews, who also adds another account respecting the sect of the Galileans, which arose about the same time, of which also mention is made by our Luke in his book of Acts, in the following words-" After this man arose Judas of Galilee, in the days of the taxing (assessment), and drew away many people after him, he also preached; and all, even as many as obeyed him were dispersed.

The aforesaid author agrees with this statement in the 18th Quirinius.-This Quirinius is the same Cyrenius mentioned by St. Luke. The former is the original Roman name, the latter the Latin mode of transferring the name from the Greek. Had it been recollected that the Greek name was not the original, this proper name would not have been returned to its own language, in a form so disguised.

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