The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew. Wise men from the East are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. They meet King Herod of Judea, and ask him: Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? The star leads them to Jesus’ Bethlehem birthplace, where they worship him and give him gifts.
About Star of Bethlehem in brief
The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew. Wise men from the East are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There, they meet King Herod of Judea, and ask him: Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? 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. Many Christians believe the star was a miraculous sign. Some theologians claimed that the star fulfilled a prophecy, known as the Star Prophecy. Some modern scholars do not consider the story to be describing a historical event but a pious fiction created by the author of the gospel. The visit is traditionally celebrated on Epiphany in western Christianity. It is also used in Luke’s Gospel specifically concerning Jesus’ birth and his later presentation at the temple. The story is a favorite at planetarium shows during the Christmas season. However, most ancient sources and Church tradition generally indicate that the wise men visited Bethlehem sometime after Jesus’ birth. The word παδίον can mean either infant or child, rather than the more specific word for infant, βρέφos. This possibly implies that some time has passed since the birth of Jesus. It also suggests that the word may have been used to refer to a leader of the Jewish people, not a baby.
The king passes this information along to the Magi, who tell him that the child could be in the birthplace of King David, based on the information in the prophet Micah. When Herod realizes he has been tricked, he orders the execution of all male Hebrew babies in Bethlehem up to age two years old, so that they leave for their own country by another route. All male Hebrew children in the area up to the age of two are killed in the Massacre of the Innocents. The child is born in Bethlehem to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the two are married. The baby is called the Messiah, which he understands to mean a leader, a leader who will govern my people Israel. He also understands that he had been born, not an infant, but a leader. He understands that his birth was foretold in the Book of Micah, a prophecy that the Jewish Messiah would be born at Bethlehem to the south of Jerusalem. He is also referred to as ‘the son of David,’ which he also understands to be a leader in the land of Judah, which is by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a rulerwho willgovern my people. ’’“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; 11 and going into the house they see the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. ” “And lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. ‘”
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This page is based on the article Star of Bethlehem published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
