Star of Bethlehem (Last part)

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March L. Fianza

Some of the researches reprinted here were found in Wikipedia. There are thousands of other researches published in books, fiction or not; however, these can not stop the wish of humanity to celebrate Christmas.

Truth is, people can not be prevented from giving and receiving gifts, greeting everyone and sending out messages of love and peace in celebration of Christianity in a season that has been established more than 2000 years ago and recognized by other religions.

Happy Christmas and I wish everyone all the best in the coming year. Since the year 2010 is an election year, may your candidates win.
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The wise men from the East came to Jerusalem , saying, “where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East or at its rising and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired where the Christ was to be born.

Herod was "troubled," not because of the appearance of the star, but because the magi told him that a "king of the Jews" had been born, which he understood to refer to the Messiah, a leader of the Jewish people whose coming was foretold in Old Testament prophecy.

So he asked his advisors where the Messiah would be born. They answered Bethlehem , birthplace of King David, and quoted the prophet Micah. The king passed this information along to the magi.

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Matthew's account suggests that the magi knew from the star that the "king of the Jews" had already been born even before they arrived in Jerusalem . The magi presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and in a dream, the magi were warned not to return to Jerusalem , so they "left for their own country by another road."

When Herod realized that he had been tricked, he ordered the execution of younger, based on the information the magi had given him concerning the time the star first appeared.

Joseph, warned in a dream, took his family to Egypt for their safety. The Gospel links the escape to a verse from the Old Testament, interpreted as a prophecy: "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

The Old Testament version refers to the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt under Moses, so the quote suggests that Matthew saw the life of Jesus as recapitulating the story of the Jewish people, with Judea representing Egypt and Herod standing in for pharaoh.

After Herod died, God called Joseph and his family back from Egypt and they settled in to Nazareth in Galilee . This is said to be a fulfillment of "He will be called a Nazorean," a prophecy of unknown origin.
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Many scholars, seeing the Gospel Nativity stories as later apologetic accounts created to establish the Messianic status of Jesus, regard the Star of Bethlehem as nothing more than a pious fiction.Tthere are several aspects of Matthew's account which give reason to doubt that an actual historical event is being portrayed.

Matthew is the only one of the four gospels which mentions either the Star of Bethlehem or the magi. The author of the Gospel of Mark, considered by modern text scholars to be the oldest of the Gospels, does not appear to be aware of the Bethlehem nativity story.

A character in the Gospel of John states that Jesus is from Galilee, and not Bethlehem . The Gospels often described Jesus as "of Nazareth ," but never as "of Bethlehem ."

Some scholars suggest that Jesus was born in Nazareth and that the Bethlehem nativity narratives reflect a desire by the Gospel writers to portray his birth the fulfillment of a prophecy in the Book of Micah concerning a Bethlehem birth.

Matthew's description of the miracles and portents attending the birth of Jesus can be compared to stories concerning the birth of Augustus (63 BC). Linking a birth to the first appearance of a star was consistent with a popular belief that each person's life was linked to a particular star.

Magi and astronomical events were linked in the public mind by the visit to Rome of a delegation of magi at the time of a spectacular appearance of Halley’s Comet in 66AD, about the time the Gospel of Matthew was being composed.

This delegation was led by King Tiridates of Armenia , who came seeking confirmation of his title from Emperor Nero. Ancient historian Dio Cassius wrote that, "The King did not return by the route he had followed in coming," a line echoed in Matthew's account.
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One factor in interpreting the Star of Bethlehem is the year in which Jesus was born. Matthew wrote that Jesus was born when Herod was king. According to Josephus, Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse.

This is usually identified as the eclipse of March 13, 4 BC. Coins issued by Herod's successors show that they dated their reigns as beginning in 4 BC. Although the mainstream view is that Herod died that year, a recent journal article argues that Herod died in 1 BC.

According to Matthew's account, Jesus must have been born sometime between the first appearance of the Star of Bethlehem and when the Magi arrived in Herod's court. As Herod ordered the execution of boys age 2 and younger, the star must have made its first appearance within the previous two years.

There was, however, no Roman census in 6–4 BC: the Census of Quirinius took place in 6–7 AD. Some scholars have suggested that the census Luke referred to could have been another event, such as a mass oath that took place under Augustus, or to an earlier, unrecorded census. However, according to Raymond Brown, most critical scholars believe that Luke was simply mistaken.

Luke wrote that Jesus was "about thirty" when he began his ministry in AD 29. Following Luke, early Christian writers gave his date of birth as either 3 BC or 2 BC.
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