Star of Bethlehem

The only mention of the Star of Bethlehem in the New Testament is in the Gospel of Matthew. This reference has remained a great astronomical mystery, which has intrigued theologians, historians and astronomers throughout the ages. There has never been a satisfactory solution to this 2,000-year-old problem. David Collins goes in search of the truth, examining the historical and astronomical evidence. This book examines the possibility that Matthew fashioned certain texts within the Old Testament to produce a birth narrative in order to introduce Jesus as the Messiah. The references to the star itself may, nevertheless, have some historical foundation, and Collins assesses the various celestial contenders. Could the author, however, who was writing in around AD 80, have been influenced by events within his own lifetime? Living through turbulent times, he would have been well aware of the political and religious upheavals that had taken place in Judea. He would also have witnessed a spectacular comet in the year AD 64. This may have inspired him to identify and associate a similar object with the birth of Jesus.