The Christmas Star Puzzle
Christmas has a prairie schooner-load of traditions and legends associated with it that have nothing to do with the Bible. That does not necessarily mean they're automatically wrong, but we can't elevate those (as well as our opinions) above Scripture. The "no room at the inn" section has given rise to legends about the innkeeper and his wife, sometimes images of a cave, maybe a barn — all based on a mistranslation of "inn" that should have been rendered "guest room". Mixed with the legends and traditions are the false claims with which both atheists and uninformed use in attacks. A series of links for your edification and education can be found here.
A real event that has caused a great deal of speculation among scientists a laypeople alike is the Christmas star. There have been many speculations about what caused it using naturalistic explanations, but those miss some details of the narrative and fall short (see "The Star of Bethlehem: A Review" and "The Star of Bethlehem: Divine Design"). I disremember when, but I read of someone who said the Arthur C. Clarke short story "The Star", about a supernova that destroyed an alien civilization and announced the birth of Jesus, made him an atheist. Not only is that amazingly foolish to allegedly lose faith over a work of science fiction, but the star of Bethlehem was not a supernova.
Dr. John MacArthur believes that the star was God's shekinah glory, ×©×›×™× ×”. Although that word is not in the Bible, it was coined by Jewish rabbis where the glory of God was tangible.
Dr. Jason Lisle has a compelling case that the star was a supernatural event, just like the virgin birth and other events at that time. For that matter, Creation itself and the Genesis Flood began as supernatural events.
A long-lasting cause of speculation is the Christmas Star. It cannot be explained through strictly naturalistic explanations, as they have to leave out details found in the Gospel narrative. Dr. Jason Lisle has a compelling case.
 |
| Image credit: Clker clipart |
Dr. John MacArthur believes that the star was God's shekinah glory, ×©×›×™× ×”. Although that word is not in the Bible, it was coined by Jewish rabbis where the glory of God was tangible.
Dr. Jason Lisle has a compelling case that the star was a supernatural event, just like the virgin birth and other events at that time. For that matter, Creation itself and the Genesis Flood began as supernatural events.
The apostle Matthew records that the birth of Jesus was accompanied by an extraordinary celestial event: a star that led the magi (the “wise men”) to Jesus. This star “went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was” (Matthew 2:9). What was this star? And how did it lead the magi to the Lord? There have been many speculations.To read the rest, click on "What Was the Christmas Star?" You may also want to see "Christmas Timeline of the Biblical Account", and for fascinating information on those people following the star, click on "The Mysterious Magi".
A long-lasting cause of speculation is the Christmas Star. It cannot be explained through strictly naturalistic explanations, as they have to leave out details found in the Gospel narrative. Dr. Jason Lisle has a compelling case.