Star of Bethlehem: Could it have been a paranormal event?
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VARIOUS THEORIES
There are several theories -- some logical, some wacky -- as to what this extraordinary "star" could have been:
A Supernova. A supernova is a star that, entering a new stage of its life, explodes and gives off enormous amounts of light. In this case, the star could have been one that had been too faint to see with the naked eye, and in this new brilliance was new and significant to astrologers.
British astronomer David H. Clark and two associates reported in The Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society that a supernova explosion occurred in the spring of 5 B.C. in the constellation of Capricorn.
A Comet. A comet also would have been noticed by astrologers -- and would have separate apparent movement in the sky with relation to stars. And, depending on its trajectory, it could have appeared to stand still for time in the sky. As it turns out, Halley's Comet passed overhead in 12 B.C. (No one knows for sure exactly when Jesus was born. Although our calendar is based on his birth as being in the year 0, best guesses today place it somewhere around 2 to 7 B.C.) Worth noting, too, is that comets were considered harbingers of change -- but usually in a negative sense. Ancient Chinese astronomical records show that two objects were unexpectedly seen in the heavens around that time. One of these was a comet that appeared in the vicinity of Alpha and Beta Capricorni in March of 5 BC.
Then another comet appeared in April of 4 BC near Altair in the constellation Aquila.
A UFO. Many who believe that the god or gods of tradition were actually alien visitors advance the idea that the "star" could have been a UFO -- an extraterrestrial spaceship -- that led the Magi to Bethlehem. As ludicrous as this idea is, it's the only one that explains how the object could have suddenly appeared, moved, and stopped for the apparent purpose of pinpointing Jesus' birthplace.
Matthew Made It Up. The story of the miraculous star being such an amazing one, it's remarkable that none of the other three writers of the gospels picked up on it. In fact, Luke's is the only other gospel that relates the birth of Jesus (Mark and John skip all that and go right to his adulthood), but Luke makes no mention of the wandering star.
So is the story of the star just a myth created to validate the divinity of Jesus? Martin Gardner writes in the Skeptical Inquirer: "In my not-so-humble opinion, the story of the Star is pure myth, similar to many ancient legends about the miraculous appearance of a star to herald a great event, such as the birth of Caesar, Pythagoras, Krishna (the Hindu savior), and other famous persons and deities."
Next Page:Best Theories
VARIOUS THEORIES
There are several theories -- some logical, some wacky -- as to what this extraordinary "star" could have been:
A Supernova. A supernova is a star that, entering a new stage of its life, explodes and gives off enormous amounts of light. In this case, the star could have been one that had been too faint to see with the naked eye, and in this new brilliance was new and significant to astrologers.
British astronomer David H. Clark and two associates reported in The Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society that a supernova explosion occurred in the spring of 5 B.C. in the constellation of Capricorn.
A Comet. A comet also would have been noticed by astrologers -- and would have separate apparent movement in the sky with relation to stars. And, depending on its trajectory, it could have appeared to stand still for time in the sky. As it turns out, Halley's Comet passed overhead in 12 B.C. (No one knows for sure exactly when Jesus was born. Although our calendar is based on his birth as being in the year 0, best guesses today place it somewhere around 2 to 7 B.C.) Worth noting, too, is that comets were considered harbingers of change -- but usually in a negative sense. Ancient Chinese astronomical records show that two objects were unexpectedly seen in the heavens around that time. One of these was a comet that appeared in the vicinity of Alpha and Beta Capricorni in March of 5 BC.
Then another comet appeared in April of 4 BC near Altair in the constellation Aquila.
A UFO. Many who believe that the god or gods of tradition were actually alien visitors advance the idea that the "star" could have been a UFO -- an extraterrestrial spaceship -- that led the Magi to Bethlehem. As ludicrous as this idea is, it's the only one that explains how the object could have suddenly appeared, moved, and stopped for the apparent purpose of pinpointing Jesus' birthplace.
Matthew Made It Up. The story of the miraculous star being such an amazing one, it's remarkable that none of the other three writers of the gospels picked up on it. In fact, Luke's is the only other gospel that relates the birth of Jesus (Mark and John skip all that and go right to his adulthood), but Luke makes no mention of the wandering star.
So is the story of the star just a myth created to validate the divinity of Jesus? Martin Gardner writes in the Skeptical Inquirer: "In my not-so-humble opinion, the story of the Star is pure myth, similar to many ancient legends about the miraculous appearance of a star to herald a great event, such as the birth of Caesar, Pythagoras, Krishna (the Hindu savior), and other famous persons and deities."
Next Page:Best Theories
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