What Was the Star of Bethlehem?

In this presentation, Harrison Kerns explores the star of Bethlehem that led the Magi to Jesus. Matthew 2:1-11 mentions that magi from the East came to Judea to worship Christ because they "saw His star in the East." What was this star? Was this a special, miraculous, one-time light sent directly from God to the magi? Or was it some type of very rare astronomical activity from existing stars and planets? Looking at the ways in which certain stars were visible on earth around the time of Jesus Christ's birth can give us a theory about what the star the magi saw might have been. Harrison Kerns explores multiple explanations for what this phenomenon was and the interesting evidence that may indicate that it was the result of natural but rare astronomical activity, planned by God since the beginning of time.

Much of the content in this talk is based on Rick Larson's work, which can be found here: https://bethlehemstar.com

The work mentioned around 7:20 concerning the evidence from numismatics (coinage) comes from a talk given at the 2024 meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society titled "Dating the Death of Herod and the Reigns of His Sons" by Andrew E. Steinmann and Rodger C. Young.

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0:00 The Visit of the Magi: Matthew 2:1-11
2:50 Kepler's Exploration and Herod's Death
8:30 Is Looking for an Astronomical Sign Astrology?
12:02 Nine Criteria for the Star of Bethlehem
15:26 Was It a Comet or a Supernova?
19:23 Was It a Combination of Jupiter and Other Stars?
27:58 How Did It Lead the Magi to Bethlehem?
31:27 Was It a Supernatural Star?