Star of Bethlehem

===Fulfillment of prophecy===
The ancients believed that [[As above, so below#Scholarly interpretations|astronomical phenomena were connected to terrestrial events]]. Miracles were routinely associated with the birth of important people, including the [[Hebrew]] [[patriarchs]], as well as [[Greece|Greek]] and [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] heroes.<ref name="Vermes">{{cite news |last=Vermes |first=Geza |author-link=Geza Vermes |title=The First Christmas |newspaper=History Today |volume=56 |issue=12 |pages=23–29 |date=December 2006 |url=http://www.historytoday.com/MainArticle.aspx?m=31928&amid=30235606 |access-date=2009-07-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214213149/http://www.historytoday.com/MainArticle.aspx?m=31928&amid=30235606 |archive-date=2007-12-14 }}</ref>

The Star of Bethlehem is traditionally linked to the [[Star Prophecy]] in the [[Book of Numbers]]:
{{poemquote|
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult.|Numbers 24:17, NKJV<ref>{{bibleverse|Numbers|24:17|NKJV}}</ref>}}

Although possibly intended to refer to a time that was long past, since the kingdom of [[Moab]] had long ceased to exist by the time the Gospels were being written, this passage had become widely seen as a reference to the coming of a Messiah.<ref name="Freed 2001 93"/> It was, for example, cited by [[Josephus]], who believed it referred to Emperor [[Vespasian]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Josephus |first=Flavius |author-link=Josephus |title=The Wars of the Jews |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2850 |access-date=2008-06-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lendering |first=Jona |author-link=Jona Lendering |title=Messianic claimants |url=https://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messianic_claimants13.html |access-date=2008-06-05 |archive-date=2016-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602013609/http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messianic_claimants13.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Origen]], one of the most influential early Christian theologians, connected this prophecy with the Star of Bethlehem:
{{quote|If, then, at the commencement of new dynasties, or on the occasion of other important events, there arises a comet so called, or any similar celestial body, why should it be matter of wonder that at the birth of Him who was to introduce a new doctrine to the human race, and to make known His teaching not only to Jews, but also to Greeks, and to many of the barbarous nations besides, a star should have arisen? Now I would say, that with respect to comets there is no prophecy in circulation to the effect that such and such a comet was to arise in connection with a particular kingdom or a particular time; but with respect to the appearance of a star at the birth of Jesus there is a prophecy of Balaam recorded by Moses to this effect: ''There shall arise a star out of Jacob, and a man shall rise up out of Israel.''<ref name="Origen2">{{cite web | last = Adamantius | first = Origen | title = Contra Celsum |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf04.vi.ix.i.lx.html | access-date = 2008-06-05 }}, Book I, Chapter LIX.</ref>}}

[[Origen]] suggested that the Magi may have decided to travel to Jerusalem when they "conjectured that the man whose appearance had been foretold along with that of the star, had actually come into the world".<ref name="Orign3">{{cite web | last = Adamantius | first = Origen | title = Contra Celsum | url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf04.vi.ix.i.lxi.html}}. Book I, Chapter LX.</ref>

The Magi are sometimes called "kings" because of the belief that they fulfill prophecies in [[Isaiah]] and [[Psalms]] concerning a journey to Jerusalem by gentile kings.<ref name="Isaiah">France, R.T., ''The Gospel according to Matthew: an introduction and commentary'', p. 84. See {{bibleverse|Isaiah|60:1–7|NKJV}} and {{bibleverse|Psalms|72:10|NKJV}}.</ref> Isaiah mentions gifts of gold and incense.<ref name="Isaiah606">{{bibleverse|Isaiah|60:6|NKJV}}</ref> In the [[Septuagint]], the Greek translation of the Old Testament probably used by Matthew, these gifts are given as gold and frankincense,<ref>[http://ecmarsh.com/lxx-kjv/isaiah/isa_060.htm Isaiah 60:6] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929135716/http://ecmarsh.com/lxx-kjv/isaiah/isa_060.htm |date=2018-09-29 }} (Septuagint).</ref> similar to Matthew's "gold, frankincense, and myrrh."<ref name="Matt211">{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:11|NKJV}}</ref> The gift of myrrh symbolizes mortality, according to Origen.<ref name="Orign3" />

While Origen argued for a naturalistic explanation, [[John Chrysostom]] viewed the star as purely miraculous: "How then, tell me, did the star point out a spot so confined, just the space of a manger and shed, unless it left that height and came down, and stood over the very head of the young child? And at this the evangelist was hinting when he said, "Lo, the star went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was."<ref>{{cite book |last=Schaff |first=Philip |author-link=Philip Schaff |title=St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew |publisher=Christian Literature Publishing Co. |date=1886 |location=New York |page=36 |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110.VI_1.html |access-date=2009-07-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207183010/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110.VI_1.html |archive-date=2009-02-07 }}.</ref>