Star of Bethlehem

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We three kings have travelled far, how we wish we had a car.

The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian tradition that revealed the birth of Jesus to the magi (or "wise men") and later led them to Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the magi saw the star "in the east" and were inspired by the appearance of the star to travel to Jerusalem. There they met King Herod of Judea, and asked where the king of the Jews had been born. Herod then asked his advisers where a messiah could be born. They replied Bethlehem, a nearby village, and quoted a prophecy by Micah. While the magi were on their way to Bethlehem, the star appeared again. As they followed the star, it stopped this time above the place where Jesus was born. The magi found Jesus with his mother, paid him homage, worshiped him and gave gifts. They then returned to their "own country".

Many Christians see the star as a miraculous sign given by God to mark the birth of the Christ (or Messiah). Some theologians claimed that the star fulfilled a prophecy, known as the Star Prophecy. In modern times, astronomers have proposed various explanations for the star. A nova, a planet, a comet, an occultation and a conjunction (alignment of planets) have all been suggested. The star has also been interpreted as an astrological event. One thing is certain — it wasn't in the eastern sky, because that would have required the magi to have come out of the Mediterranean Sea. (Matthew 2:2's "We have seen his star in the east" is generally interpreted today as "We were in The East when we saw his star".)

Many scholars question the historicity of the story and argue that the star was a fiction created by the author of the Gospel of Matthew. While its historicity is in dispute, the tradition of a star has given rise to other Christmas traditions, like topping the Christmas tree with a star. In the Philippines, the bamboo parol ("pah-role"), or star lantern, is the symbol of Christmas.

The Star of Bethlehem is featured in or referenced by the following works:

Anime and Manga

• The Star of Bethlehem appears in A Certain Magical Index Volume 22 as an Ominous Floating Castle summoned by Fiamma of the Right.

Comic Books

• In a Pre-Crisis Superboy/Legion story, the Teen of Steel wants to use his pals' advanced tech to finally locate the Star. Skeptical Brainiac 5 nonetheless aids the search, but all his efforts reveal is a planet full of a species of alien in desperate need of help. Though they never find the Star, Superboy decides that a planet in need of aid that they would never have found but for the search is the same thing as a star that seemingly never existed.

Fan Works

• Mentioned but not actually seen in The First... No... Well..., a short story that is part of the Drunkard's Walk Fan Fiction series. Doug Sangnoir unexpectedly finds himself witness to The First Christmas in a timeline where he's dwelt for most of a year, and judges from the lack of a candidate for the Star that he and the other shepherds he's with have the time to visit the Christ child in small groups spread out over several nights.

Film

• The Veggie Tales movie The Star of Christmas had wacky hijinks revolving around an ancient artifact "The Star of Christmas" representing the Star of Bethlehem.

Literature

• Sci Fi short stories sometimes like this star for a Tomato Surprise. For instance, in Arthur C. Clarke's Short Story "The Star", a Jesuit astronomer is a member of the crew which finds the remains of a peaceful, near-utopian society on a planet that had a Class 5 Apocalypse How when its sun went supernova. His faith is shaken when he realizes that the supernova was the Star of Bethlehem.

Oh, God, there were so many stars you could have used. What was the need to give these people to the fire, that the symbol of their passing might shine above Bethlehem?

• In the Christmas story The Littlest Angel, the littlest angel's gift to the Child Jesus (a box he had on Earth, containing the sort of small things that are treasures to a very young boy—a butterfly, a bird's egg, two stones, and the collar that had been his dog's) is turned into the Star of Bethlehem. You can read it here.

Live Action TV

• A proverbial Star of Bethlehem appears at William's Christ-like birth in The X-Files episode "Existence".

Music

• Many Christmas carols:
  • "We Three Kings of Orient Are"
  • "The First Noel"
  • "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
  • "Oh Holy Night"
  • "Angels We Have Heard On High"
• In the Chris De Burgh song "A Spaceman Came Travelling", the star turns out to be the spacecraft of the titular alien spaceman, parked over Bethlehem.

And over a village he halted his craft And it hung there just like a star, just like a star...

Religion

• The Bible, by many interpretations.