It is commonly thought the star of Bethlehem rose in the east and continued brightly as the wise men followed the star to Bethlehem. Recent evidence has shown this is not the case. Key evidence shown in the Bible reveals nine specific characteristics this ‘star’ needs for it to be the true star of Bethlehem. Beyond these, there are questions about the star and those who witnessed the event that need to be answered. These questions include: Who were the wise men? How did they know what the star meant? And how can a star stop? The first three of the nine points state what the star meant to the wise men. When the wise men asked in Matthew 2:2 “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?” This question implies the star indicated three things: Jews, kingship, and birth. Following this question, the wise men informed King Herod, “We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Therefore the fourth point is that the star must rise in the east. After Herod heard of the news of the star, he called the wise men to him to find out the exact time in which the star had appeared. The fifth and sixth points are that the star appeared at an exact time and that Herod didn’t know the star had appeared. Because he didn’t know, this means the appearance of this was a regular occurrence. The wise men followed the star, which brings up point seven, the star endured over time. The wise men followed the star to Bethlehem from Jerusalem. This creates point eight: The star traveled ahead of them. The last point is one of intrigue. The wise men followed the star until it stopped over Bethlehem. Point nine: The star had to be able to stop. Can stars stop? When did the star occur? What was the star? Knowing these will help find the st... ... middle of paper ... ...xtremely bright star. A Jupiter continued through the sky, it began a motion known as retrograde motion. This motion is when an object doubles back and makes an elliptical shape. What makes this occurrence unique is that Jupiter not only preformed this motion once, but three times. This also was unheard of prior to the time of the star. A further look at Jupiter and Regulus shows both rising from the east just as the wise men stated. Furthermore, at the same time when Jupiter and Regulus crossed paths the constellation of Leo was rising with the ‘king’ stars at the feet of the constellation. The date is December 25, 3 B.C. This incidence more likely signified the conception of Christ. Advancing nine months in the sky, we find the constellation of Virgo in the sky above Bethlehem with a crescent moon at the foot of the constellation, the sign of the birth of Christ.
Anson Rainey and R. Steven Notley are the authors of The Sacred Land Bridge, which is an Atlas of the biblical world and includes maps, pictures, and historical cementation as to the significance of this region. The biblical world that this atlas focuses on is defined as the eastern Mediterranean littoral, or more commonly called the Levant in modern archeological discussions. In my critique of this book I will be focusing on pages 30-34 which will define the boundaries and explain the importance of the Levant.
How the Stars Fell into the Sky is a Navajo legend penned by Jerrie Oughton and illustrated by Lisa Desimini for publication in 1992. The tale begins with a conversation between two characters-First Woman and First Man-about how to give the laws to the people in a way that they will always see and have them. First Man tells First Woman to set them in the sky for all to see and she begins to do so. A coyote comes along and offers his assistance with the long task, but he loses his patience and flings the stars into the sky. And so, the story tells us, the people lived on in confusion because of the coyote’s careless actions (Oughton). The story is rather vague, even by the standards of a children’s story. What the reader is presented with already
Today we have new technology that allows us to do many incredible things. One of those things is the ability to calculate the stars, where they will go and where they have been. Most know of the star of Bethlehem and how it symbolizes the birth of Jesus. The star of Bethlehem marks the birth of Jesus but what about when Jesus was conceived, did the sky show any signs then? Yes, in Revelation 12:1 it states “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” What does that have to do with the conception of Jesus? Well, if you take our new technology you can go back and see exactly what happened that night. That night Jupiter came into close conjunction with Regulas then turned around (retrograde motion)and passed Regulas two more times. Jupiter for centuries has been known as the king planet and Regulus in the Roman culture is called Rex which means king. Regulus is part of the constellation Leo the Lion. The constellation following Leo the Lion was Virgo, the virgin, and the sun was passing through her – a woman clothed in the sun . And the moon was close to the foot of the...
But this does not justify it. Whether there is a star after the other, the assumption of uniform distribution (at that time there was no reason to think of a more privileged, more full of stars elsewhere) allows the existence of stars "next". This formal language, the stars are "dense" in the celestial sphere.
Religion and Science are two conflicting forces that guide our rationality and our beliefs. Science takes a more practical and concrete approach to finding the answers to our questions through testing and evidence. Religion is centered on our minds and human spirituality and finding answers to things from our own perspective and ideology. However different they may be they serve the same purpose in our society; it is a means to answer some of the burning questions that we do not have answers to. The short story, “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke plays on the idea of the two vastly different ideas and intertwining and portraying the narrator as both a scientific and religious figure. The narrator firmly believes that the two ideas are truly connected but faces a revelation and that forces him to rethink about his ideology.
Overall, The Star is thought-provoking and a good read. However, I don’t believe this short story is for everyone. This story would probably appeal more to people who love philosophy and science fiction, as it pertains to outer space and human beliefs. I am not surprised that the short story was a big hit win it came out, nor am I shocked that Arthur C. Clarke won the Hugo Award for it, as it was well-deserved.
2, Alter Dinsmore, Cleminshaw H. Clarence, Philips G John. Pictorial Astronomy. United States: Sidney Feinberg, 1963.
The spirit of Christmas continues, as the notable star is place at the tip-top of the Christmas tree. When comprehending the birth of Jesus Christ, one will soon learn of the part of the story that is about a star that led the three wise men east, towards the
Monuments such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and San Vitale in Ravenna, perform a great importance in Byzantine and Islamic architecture. Both of these structures did not exclusively represent the main place of worship, but most importantly as a symbol of achievement and growth within the current times of construction. Starting in 524, under the influence of Orthodox bishop Ecclesius, the development of San Vitale was to represent the achievements of the emperor Justinian. Julius Argentarius was the sponsor for this structure and it was dedicated by Bishop Maximian in 547. The Dome of the Rock is built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 692 with the help of Abd al-Malik with the suspected intention to symbolize Islams influence in Jerusalem and its involvement in a highly Jewish and Christian supremacy. Although separated by over 100 yrs, both of these domes share multiple similarity's including a projected confidence of their originating culture.
Stars are luminous spheres that have been around longer than humans. In fact, it has been said that, “We are a way for the universe to know itself. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star stuff.” [1] Just like any other animate object, stars also go through a life cycle. They grow up, live their life, and slowly but surely die out. Stars can live for billions and even trillions of years. The life span of a star depends on how fast or how slow they use up and burn their nuclear fuel. The size of the star also determines the longevity.
Another key factor in the overall story represented has faded, which is one of the lamps or incense holders beneath Christ. The positions of the stories in the apse show the importance of the figures represented in the images. Christ's placement at the center of the apse holding a book with his left hand provides a direct relationship to the Bible. His right hand held up in blessing illustrates his divine power towards the people, who receive the sacrament on the altar below him. Christ is also surrounded by stars, which represent the heavens and his own divine nature....
In conclusion, Lois Lowry compares the Jewish people to the stars in the sky. The title, Number the Stars, explains how an all-knowing God gives hope and mercy to his chosen people. At the end of the book, Annemarie realizes how the Jewish people were saved because of God’s help. Annemarie learns that God knows everything including the number of stars in the
Shklovskii, Iosif S. Stars: Their Birth, Life, and Death. Moscow: Central Press for Literature in Physics and Mathematics, 1975.
Everyone has a Zodiac sign that they base their daily horoscope on. But do they really know where those signs come from? First of all, all that horoscope stuff is really astrology, but the real signs come from the constellations on the ecliptic. In our celestial atmosphere there is the ecliptic which is the path of the stars and constellations. On this path there are twelve constellations including Virg...
Astronomy is a natural science focusing on the study of celestial objects such as moons, stars, planets, nebulae and galaxies. Astronomy is considered to be one of the oldest natural sciences; early civilizations throughout history such as the Babylonians, Egyptians and Greeks performed methodical observations of the sky. The Babylonians had different astronomical records regarding the position of the moon, sun and stars, on the other hand the Egyptians used astronomy to know the time and afterwards they developed a calendar based on the solar year. The following paper will focus on the ancient Greek astronomy, interestingly the origin of the word astronomy is Greek it comes from two words; astron meaning "star" and nemien refers to "to name". This paper will explain and highlight the methods used, famous figures and the achievements attained during the ancient Greek astronomy era.