The Star Of The Magi

Tracing the possible origins of the Magi's star, the author uses an ancient Roman coin as a starting point to investigate the possibility that the legendary star may in fact have been an eclipse of Jupiter and the star Aries.

The first interdisciplinary international scientific conference on Matthew's story of the Star of Bethlehem and the Magi was held in 2014 at the University of Groningen, and attended by world-leading specialists in all relevant fields: modern astronomy, the ancient Near-Eastern and Greco-Roman worlds, the history of science and religion. The scholarly discussions and the exchange of interdisciplinary views resulted in the present book. Its 20 chapters describe various aspects of the Star: the history of its interpretation, ancient Near-Eastern astronomy and astrology and the Magi, astrology in the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds, and the early Christian world. An epilogue summarises the fact-fiction balance of the most famous star which has ever shone.

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

“Astonishing, delightful, and theologically sophisticated.” —Marvin Meyer, Griset Professor of Religious Studies, Chapman University Theologian Brent Landau presents the ancient account of Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, the three “wise men” who journeyed to Bethlehem to greet the birth of Jesus. The Revelation of the Magi offers the first-ever English translation of an ancient Syriac manuscript written in the second to third century after the birth of Christ and safeguarded for generations in the Vatican Library. Following in the footsteps of Elaine Pagels and her exploration of the Gnostic Gospels, including the controversial Gospel of Judas, Landau delivers an invaluable source of information to a world interested in learning more about the Nativity and the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Sergei O. Prokofieff and Peter Selg, two leading authorities and spiritual researchers into the life and work of Rudolf Steiner, gave a series of conferences from 2009 to 2010 on the Christological foundations of Anthroposophy. Their aim was to show the power of anthroposophic Christology. Thus, they focused on key turning points in Steiner's exposition--his major work, An Outline of Esoteric Science; the first Goetheanum; the reappearance of Christ in the etheric realm and its relationship to Rudolf Steiner's lectures on the Fifth Gospel; and the Christmas Conference of 1923/1924 and the founding of the New Mysteries. The lectures from these conferences, published as four booklets in German, are collected here in a single volume. The Creative Power of Anthroposophical Christology will prove to be an important work for anyone interested in the true meaning and depth of Rudolf Steiner's experience and understanding of Christ's act on Golgotha and his continuing presence among us and within Anthroposophy.

This text investigates what the Bible has to say about astronomical objects and phenomena. The Bible contains many mentions of astronomical things, beginning with creation and concluding with end-time prophecies. Besides the sun and moon, the Bible names groups of stars, Orion, the Pleiades, and the bears. In addition to what the biblical record shows about astronomical phenomena, many people think that it teaches things that it actually does not teach. These concepts are examined in depth as well. Unique among books discussing the intersection of biblical text and astronomy because of the range of questions explored and answered definitive work that explores many popular questions and misconceptions about the universe and the Bible Sorts fact from fiction and truth from popular myths as the true purpose of these enigmatic lights in the night sky are revealed

"The perfect Christmas gift for anyone interested in the historical background behind the birth of Jesus of Nazareth." — Robert J. Hutchinson, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible, The Dawn of Christianity, and Searching for Jesus. "Utterly refreshing and encouraging." — Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Martin Luther "The best book I know about the Magi." — Sir Colin John Humphreys, Ph.D., author of The Mystery of the Last Supper Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the “wise men from the East” as pious legend. Matthew’s gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche. For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy? In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod. In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world. The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The “star” that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment—confirmed by computer models—that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king. The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod “and all Jerusalem with him” may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.