Scholieren.com forum - De ster van Betlehem

Interessant artikel,.. wat denken jullie ervan (en dan met name: wat denken de christenen hiervan?):

The real story of the star of Bethlehem

1/12/2004

For centuries astronomers and clergy alike have wondered at the significance of this celestial event and its meaning to the nativity.

On December 6, Martin Griffiths and Dr Rhodri Evans, who are both lecturers in Earth and Space Sciences, will consider the possible explanations for the Star during a public lecture, to be held at the University of Glamorgan.

“Despite various explanations, the star and its appearance is still one of the major mysteries of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth,” says Martin.

There have been numerous attempts at rationalizing the star of Bethlehem, however we seem to be no closer to understanding or explaining the phenomenon.

The lecture will consider a number of possibilities:

• That the star was a ‘one-off’ - never before seen and has not been seen since, possibly being placed in the sky by God to announce the birth of His Son
• That the Star was added to the story of the Nativity
• That the Star was a real astronomical object

As Martin Griffiths explains, the traditional idea of the Wise Men, or Magi, following the star throws up an interesting paradox in itself.

“The only persons who followed the star were the magi or astrologers (also called Chaldeans in some bible translations) which would call into doubt the assumption that God set the star to guide them.

“The Jews were a nation bound to God via the law of Moses. This law specifically forbade the foretelling of events, divination or consulting astrologers, so no Jew would realize the import of such a star as their culture was not steeped in the lore of ancient astrology, where celestial events would have major significance.

“The Chaldeans however would be examining the heavens and interpreting events according to their own definitions, and realized that this occurrence would have consequences for the Jews and thus travelled to Israel.”

Griffiths will also question whether the star could have been added to the account after the event to increase the significance of Jesus birth.

“This of course is a possibility as Matthew did write his gospel long after the event, and is the only gospel writer to mention the star and the events surrounding the birth.

“However, I think it is more likely to have been an astronomical event, since unusual celestial events in history can have ambiguous interpretations.

“Most explanations for an astronomical occurrence focus upon comets, supernovae or planetary conjunctions.

During his lecture he will consider a number of conjunctions that happened before, or around, the period of Jesus’ birth date.

“There were a series of significant events across a period of a few years which would all have been clearly visible and may have created an air of anticipation on the part of the Magi.

“Checking these phenomenons via commonly available astronomy software will enable an amateur sleuth to enjoy a rewarding hour or so contemplating this ancient thriller, and still leaves one to ponder the religious significance of this mysterious event.”
http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=...on&F=1&id=7548