X-DreamersReading A
A unique sign
PlausibleInterpretation
A light given for this purpose, which moved and stopped as no ordinary star does.
Enter from a verse
Matthew 2:1
Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Scripture: King James Version (1769).
Matthew's Christmas story begins with strangers from the east and a worried king. Four doors open the time, the two towns, the house and the star.
When: in the days of Herod the king
Jesus was born while Herod the Great was still king, and Herod died in 4 BC by the usual reckoning, so the birth falls a few years before AD 1. The Magi came some time after the birth: they found a young child in a house.
Scripture
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
What we know, and how sure
Strongly supportedThe Magi did not come on the night of the birth: they found a young child in a house, and Herod reckoned by the time the star had appeared, killing boys up to two years old.
PlausibleLuke moves from the presentation straight to Nazareth (2:39) and mentions neither the Magi nor Egypt; Matthew does not mention the presentation. A visit after the presentation, while the family was again in Bethlehem, is one common way of fitting the two together.
Where: Jerusalem, then Bethlehem
The Magi go first to the capital and ask Herod where the king of the Jews is born. The scribes answer from Micah: in Bethlehem of Judea, a short walk south of Jerusalem.
Scripture
5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
What we know, and how sure
Strongly supportedResearchWhere the Gospels' Bethlehem was: Bethlehem (Bayt Laḥm), West Bank.
Coordinates: Pleiades 687856 (Bethlehem).
The space: the house
The star stops over the place, and the Magi go into the house, see the child with Mary his mother, worship him and open their treasures. Matthew names three gifts; he does not say there were three Magi, or that they were kings or rode camels.
Scripture
9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
What we know, and how sure
Textually statedMagi from the east came to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem, entered the house, worshipped the child and gave gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Textually statedMatthew does not say how many Magi there were; he names three gifts.
SpeculativeThat they were kings comes from later reading of Psalm 72 and Isaiah 60; Tertullian already says the East held magi to be “almost kings”.
SpeculativeThe camels are traditional, from Isaiah 60:6; Matthew does not say how the Magi travelled.
Readings: what was the star?
Matthew calls it his star, seen at its rising, going before the Magi and standing over the place. Several explanations have been offered; each is shown with its evidence level, and none is chosen.
Reading B
A planetary conjunction
SpeculativeInterpretationJupiter and Saturn met three times in Pisces in 7 BC, a sign astrologers could read.
Reading C
A comet or new star
SpeculativeInterpretationChinese records note a 'broom star' seen for over seventy days in 5 BC.
What we know, and how sure
SpeculativeInterpretationAn angel: Some early Christians took the star to be an angel, since it moved, led and stopped, and Scripture links stars with angels.
See it in the Labs
Doors into the verse
Back to the verse
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
For discussion
- 1Foreigners came to worship while Jerusalem's leaders stayed at home. Who does Matthew show finding Jesus?
- 2The Magi followed what light they had. What light has God given you to follow?
See this verse's connections in the Knowledge Graph
Read Matthew 2 in full
Every door is drawn from the Bible Labs knowledge graph: each claim keeps its evidence level, and readings that link one passage to another are marked as interpretation. King James Version (1769).