Biblical scholars, leading astronomers and expert scientists join forces to explain the Christmas Star’s origins in this one-hour documentary using ancient sources and new technology.
Dramatic re-enactments, computer-generated imagery and maps are also used to trace the Magi’s footsteps from Babylon to Bethlehem.
Star of Bethlehem is a “must-see” television documentary for those interested in astronomy, history and Christianity.
It was the brightest star anyone saw, but only the Magi searching for a Messiah actually saw it. What did they really see about 2,000 years ago? Was it actually a star, a planet or something else? Star of Bethlehem: Behind the Myth examines the current theories and debunks some myths which have persisted since the Middle Ages and in a traditional Christmas carol.
Christmas Day
The Star of Bethlehem points out how most people assume the Christian calendar began in 1AD—the year Christ was born. However, mistakes in calculations were four years out as Emperor Augustus had ruled for four years as Octavian. The Year 0 was also not included.
Christmas Day is celebrated on the day of an ancient pagan festival.
The Bible says Jesus was born during King Herod’s reign. The historian Flavius Josephus’s writings support this evidence as he records Herod’s death in 4BC.
So astronomers and scientists turn back the celestial clock to a few years prior to 4BC.
St Matthew’s Gospel
The Magi are one of the Bible’s enigmas. They emerge from the desert to visit the baby Jesus before they vanish (Matthew 2).
Astronomer Professor David Hughes points out in his interview the facts are few and far between.
Theological Scholar Canon Claire Foster from London’s St Paul’s Cathedral says Philo, who was alive and writing at the time of Christ, described the Magi as scientists who studied the heavens and earth for portents, or things to come.
Narrator Stephen Rashbrook adds Ancient Greek historian Herodotus, writing back in the 5th Century BC, said the Magi as “Persians, not Jews,” during the 5th Century BC.
The Magi brought three gifts so people have assumed there were only three wise men.
This documentary examines whether only three wise men actually visited Bethlehem, or were there actually more—even though they only brought three gifts?
What did they look like? The answer lies on the walls inside Rome’s catacombs—the earliest known painting of the adoration painted soon after Jesus’ death. They were portrayed as Persian horsemen, instead of kings.
Early Astronomical Records
Dr Christopher Walker decodes Ancient Babylonian clay tablets stored in the British Museum. These include the first ever astronomical records ever kept so they provide vital clues to cosmic activity occurring about 2,000 years ago.
Further historical evidence of his momentous event includes ancient coins minted in Antioch.
Native Americans and Chinese astronomers recorded a cosmic phenomenon in 1054. Was it the same one Johann Kepler saw in 1604?
Star of Bethlehem: Behind the Myth airs on ABC1 on Thursday, 17 December 2009, at 8.35pm. This BBC documentary was produced by Executive Producer Anthony Geffen and directed by Tim Walker.
Carolyn M Cash - Carolyn M Cash is a freelance writer residing in the Sutherland Shire (aka God's Own Country), Sydney, Australia, whilst studying ...
Join the Conversation