Star of Bethlehem

===Pious fiction===
Scholars who see the gospel nativity stories as later apologetic accounts created to establish the messianic status of Jesus regard the Star of Bethlehem as a [[pious fiction]].<ref>{{citation |last= Brown |first=Raymond E. |title=The Birth of the Messiah |publisher=Anchor Bible Reference Library |date=1993 |page=188}}.</ref><ref>Markus Bockmuehl, This Jesus (Continuum International, 2004), p. 28; {{Citation | last=Vermes | first=Géza | author-link=Géza Vermes | title=The Nativity: History and Legend | date=2006-11-02 | publisher=Penguin Books Ltd | isbn=0-14-102446-1 | page=22}}; {{Citation | last=Sanders | first=Ed Parish | author-link=E. P. Sanders | title=The Historical Figure of Jesus | date=1993 | publisher=Allen Lane | location=London | isbn=0-7139-9059-7 | page=85}}; [http://www.johnhick.org.uk/article16.html Believable Christianity]: A lecture in the annual October series on Radical Christian Faith at Carrs Lane URC Church, Birmingham, October 5, 2006.</ref> Aspects of Matthew's account which have raised questions of the historical event include: Matthew is the only one of the four gospels which mentions either the Star of Bethlehem or the Magi. Some scholars suggest that Jesus was born in [[Nazareth]], and that the Bethlehem nativity narratives were later additions to the gospels intended to present his birth as the fulfillment of prophecy.<ref>Nikkos Kokkinos, "The Relative Chronology of the Nativity in Tertullian", in Ray Summers, Jerry Vardaman and others, eds., ''Chronos, Kairos, Christos II'', Mercer University Press (1998), pp. 125–26.<br />Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar, ''The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds of Jesus'', HarperSanFrancisco, 1999, {{ISBN|0-06-062979-7}}. pp. 499, 521, 533.<br />Paul L. Maier, "Herod and the Infants of Bethlehem", in ''Chronos, Kairos, Christos II'', Mercer University Press (1998), 171.<br />For Micah's prophecy, see {{bibleverse|Micah|5:2|NKJV}}.</ref> 

According to [[Bart D. Ehrman]], the Matthew account conflicts with that given in the Gospel of Luke, in which the family of Jesus already lives in Nazareth, travel to Bethlehem for the census, and return home almost immediately.<ref>[[Bart D. Ehrman]], ''[[Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium|Jesus: apocalyptic prophet of the new millennium]]'', Oxford University Press 1999, p. 38.</ref>

[[File:L Adoration des Mages.jpg|thumb|''Adoration of the Magi'', by [[Jean Fouquet]] (15th century). The Star of Bethlehem can be seen in the top right. The soldiers and castle in the background may represent the [[Battle of Castillon]] (1453).]]