“The Journey of the Magi” (1894) by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French painter and illustrator, 1836-1902), oil on canvas, Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Ephesians 3: 1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
I don’t know about you but I’m not very good at recognising the constellations. I can find the Great Bear and the Plough but apart from that, I don’t really have a clue.
But thinking about the star the wise men followed made me want to know more. So I downloaded a couple of apps on my phone which tell you exactly what you are looking at. All I need now is a clear sky!
The people who lived 2000 years ago knew a lot more about the stars than most of us do now. They used the stars to find their way before the days of sextants and compasses. And they also believed that important events on earth were reflected in the heavens and also the other way around that changes in the night sky predicted important happenings on earth.
So what was the star of Bethlehem? Modern day astronomers have come up with different possibilities, including a comet, a nova, a supernova, and a conjunction of planets. Continue reading
Early Beginnings 