Star of Bethlehem Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Matthew's narrative== [[File:Chartres2006 039.jpg|thumb|''Adoration of the Magi'', [[Chartres Cathedral]], by [[Jehan de Beauce]], France, 16th century.]] The [[Gospel of Matthew]] tells how the [[Biblical Magi|Magi]] (often translated as "wise men", but more accurately astrologers){{sfn|Brown|1988|p=11}} arrive at the court of Herod in Jerusalem and tell the king of a star which signifies the birth of the King of the Jews: {{quote|Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, {{sup|2}}"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." {{sup|3}}When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; {{sup|4}}and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. {{sup|5}}They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: <poem> {{sup|6}}'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'"</poem> {{sup|7}}Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; {{sup|8}}and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." {{sup|9}}When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. {{sup|10}}When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; {{sup|11}}and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.|Matthew 2:1–11, [[Revised Standard Version]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:1–11|RSV}}</ref>}} Herod is "troubled", not because of the appearance of the star, but because the Magi have told him that a "king of the Jews" had been born,<ref>{{cite book |last=Long |first=Thomas |title=Matthew |location=Westminster |publisher=John Knox Press |date=1997 |page=18}}</ref> which he understands to refer to the Messiah, a leader of the Jewish people whose coming was believed to be foretold in scripture. He asks his advisors where the Messiah would be born.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:4|NKJV}}</ref> They answer Bethlehem, birthplace of King [[David]], and quote the [[prophet]] [[Book of Micah|Micah]].<ref group=nb>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:5–6|NKJV}}. Matthew's version is a conflation of {{bibleverse|Micah|5:2|NKJV}} and {{bibleverse|2|Samuel|5:2|NKJV}}.</ref> The king passes this information along to the Magi.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:8|NKJV}}</ref> In a dream, they are warned not to return to Jerusalem, so they leave for their own country by another route.<ref name="Matt212">{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:12|NKJV}}</ref> When Herod realizes he has been tricked, he [[Massacre of the Innocents|orders the execution of all male children in Bethlehem]] "two years old and younger," based on the age the child could be in regard to the information the magi had given him concerning the time the star first appeared.<ref group=nb>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:16|NKJV}} This is presented as a fulfillment of a prophecy and echoes the killing of firstborn by pharaoh in {{bibleverse|Exodus|11:1–12:36|NKJV}}.</ref> Joseph, warned in a dream, takes his family to Egypt for their safety.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:13–14|NKJV}}</ref> The gospel links the escape to a verse from scripture, which it interprets as a prophecy: "Out of Egypt I called my son."<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:15|NKJV}} The original is from {{bibleverse|Hosea|11:1|NKJV}}.</ref> This was a reference 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.<ref>"An Exodus motif prevails in the entire chapter." ({{cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Joel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=byeQn2T93LAC&q=Matthew+recapitulates+story+of+Jewish&pg=PA156 |title=Recapitulation of Israel |page=132 |access-date=2009-07-04 |publisher=Mohr Siebeck |isbn=978-3-16-149825-1 |date=2008}})</ref> After Herod dies, Joseph and his family return from Egypt,<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:10–21|NKJV}}</ref> and settle in [[Nazareth]] in [[Galilee]].<ref name="Matt223">{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:23|NKJV}}</ref> This is also said to be a fulfillment of a prophecy ("He will be called a Nazorean," (NRSV) which could be attributed to Judges 13:5<ref>{{bibleverse|Judges|13:5|NKJV}}</ref> regarding the birth of [[Samson]] and the [[Nazirite]] vow. The word ''Nazareth'' is related to the word {{transliteration|he|netzer}} which means "sprout",<ref name="Hebrew meaning netzer">[http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5342.htm Concordances on the meaning of the word "netzer" on Bible Hub.] Retrieved December 29, 2015.</ref> and which some Bible commentators<ref name="Matthew 2:23 commentaries">[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/2-23.htm Commentaries for Matthew 2:23 on Bible Hub.] Retrieved on December 29, 2005.</ref> think refers to Isaiah 11:1:<ref>{{bibleverse|Isaiah|11:1|NKJV}}</ref> "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots."<ref name="Isaiah 11:1 bh">[http://biblehub.com/isaiah/11-1.htm Isaiah chapter 11, verse 1 on Bible Hub with commentaries.] Retrieved on December 29, 2015.</ref><ref group=nb>{{bibleverse|Judges|13:5–7|NKJV}} is sometimes identified as the source for {{bibleverse|Matthew|2:23|NKJV}} because the [[Septuagint]]'s {{lang|grc|ναζιραιον}} (Nazirite) resembles Matthew's {{lang|grc|Ναζωραῖος}} (Nazorean). However, few scholars accept the view that Jesus was a Nazirite.</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page