The opinion is, however, not unchallenged. Augustine suggested special interior revelation. Origen held that the Magi recognized the star as the fulfilment of Balaam's oracle in Nm 24.17. Other's hold the star to have been a striking, but essentially natural, phenomenon, the precise nature of which is a matter of conjecture. While the traditional opinions focus attention on the star in isolation, as it were, more recent studies attempt to evaluate it in the general setting of the Infancy Gospel.
Most commentators agree that the narrative belongs to a genus comparable to haggadic midrash.
Because this literary form presents a fact of history in a popular manner with fictional decorations adapted to the common mentality, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish fact from fiction. In the framework of midrash, the theological import of the star is of far greater concern than its historical reality. Perhaps, as E. Lohmeyer suggests, the star signifies the fulfillment of Balaam's prophecy. In another midrash, astrologers inform the king of Abraham's birth made known by a star rising in the heavens. Christ would then be presented as the new Israel.