Star of Bethlehem

==Religious interpretations==

===Eastern Orthodoxy===
[[File:Nativity Icon.jpg|thumb|[[Russian icons|Russian icon]] of the Nativity. The Star of Bethlehem is depicted at the center top as a dark semicircle, with a single ray coming down.]]
In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the Star of Bethlehem is interpreted as a miraculous event of symbolic and pedagogical significance, regardless of whether it coincides with a natural phenomenon; a sign sent by God to lead the [[Biblical Magi|Magi]] to the [[Christ Child]].{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} This is illustrated in the [[Troparion]] of the Nativity:

{{poemquote|
Your birth, O Christ our God,
dawned the light of knowledge upon the earth.
For by Your birth [[Biblical Magi|those who adored stars]]
were taught by a star
to worship You, the Sun of Justice,
and to know You, Orient from on High.
O Lord, glory to You.<ref>{{cite web | title = Hymns of the Feast| url = http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/nativity | work = Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ | publisher = [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]] | date = 2009}}</ref>}}

In Orthodox [[Christian iconography]], the Star of Bethlehem is often depicted not as golden, but as a dark [[aureola]], a semicircle at the top of the icon, indicating the [[Uncreated Light]] of [[Divine grace]], with a ray pointing to "the place where the young child lay" (Matthew 2:9).<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:9|KJV}}</ref> Sometimes the faint image of an angel is drawn inside the aureola.

[[Simon the Athonite]] founded the monastery of [[Simonopetra]] on [[Mount Athos]] after seeing a star he identified with the Star of Bethlehem.<ref>[https://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/12/28/103680-venerable-simon-the-myrrh-gusher-of-mt-athos Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos] at oca.org, accessed 31 October 2017.</ref>

===The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints===
[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] members believe that the Star of Bethlehem was an actual astronomical event visible the world over.<ref>{{cite journal |title= Birth of the Messiah |journal= [[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |date=December 1997 |first= Paul Thomas |last= Smith |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1997/12/birth-of-the-messiah?lang=eng }}</ref> In the 1830 [[Book of Mormon]], which they believe contains writings of ancient prophets, [[Samuel the Lamanite]] prophesies that a new star will appear as a sign that Jesus has been born, and [[Nephi the Disciple|Nephi]] later writes about the fulfillment of this prophecy.<ref>{{lds|Helaman|hel|14|5}}; {{lds|3 Nephi|3-ne|1|21}}</ref>

===Jehovah's Witnesses===
Members of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] believe that the "star" was a vision or sign created by [[Satan]], rather than a sign from God. This is because it led the pagan astrologers first to Jerusalem where King Herod consequently found out about the birth of the "king of the Jews", with the result that he attempted to have Jesus killed.<ref>[https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/jesus/events-up-to-jesus-ministry/astrologers-visit/ ''Jesus – The Way, the Truth, the Life'', ch. 7: Astrologers Visit Jesus]</ref>

===Seventh-day Adventist===
In her 1898 book, ''[[The Desire of Ages]]'', [[Ellen G. White|Ellen White]] states "That star was a distant company of shining angels, but of this the wise men were ignorant."<ref>The Desire of Ages, [http://text.egwwritings.org/publication.php?pubtype=Book&bookCode=DA&lang=en&collection=2&section=4&pagenumber=60/ p. 60] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126050741/https://text.egwwritings.org/publication.php?pubtype=Book&bookCode=DA&lang=en&collection=2&section=4&pagenumber=60%2F |date=2020-11-26 }}.</ref>