The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1866-06-14
The Star in the East.

eve have seon his star in the East and arc come
to worship him. Matt. II, 2
1t forms no part of the design we
have in view specially to inquire con-
cerning the venerable men who are here
introduced by the Evangelist Mathew,
on the pages OF Gospel history with
such brevity and simplicity of statement,
but rather of the signal star which in
dicated to the WISE MEN the advent Of
Messiah.
All the researches of the learned have
failed to define, with any clearness or
certainty, the rank, nationality, or num-
ber, of these Magi; whether they came
from the far East, beyond the Euphrates,
or from southeastern Arabia, will ever
be veiled in much uncertainty The
legends concerning them. mainly in
vented between the fourth and twelfth
centuries, are quite in keeping with a
multitude of others Of kindred charac-
ter and age, and were well adapted to
feed the morbid cravings for the mar
velous, SO rife in medieval times, as
we'll as to promote the policy of the
Romish and Oriental hierarchs.
The spirit Of speculation has been
busy in its inquiries from the age of
Justin Martyr to the present time, in
framing specious theories by which to
account for the unique and luminous
phenomenon that arrested the attention
of the sages Of the Orient in their far
of abode from Palestine, and which
occupied their gaze in their subsequent
search for "I{im who was born King Of
the5aws," directing their pathway to
the huni'e abode where, at the feet of
lions King their treasures were laid
and their deNoaJ worship rendered.
Was it a comet, meteor, planet, or
conjunction Of planets, or rather phe-
nomenon, miraculous, and entirely out
side the ordinary laws of Nature?
Miracles are not to be predicted
where natural causes can be shown
adequate to produce an assigned effect;
neither are we to discard the supernat-
ural to satisfy a morbid spirit of infdeli-
ty. We should be sorry, however, if
any one should infer that we design to
impute any such insidious motive as
attaching to the distinguished expositor,
whose work has induced this commune
cation.
The early fathers, following the sug-
gestlons Of Justin, supposed the star of
the Magi to have been comet. Some
later writers and eXpositors, better in.
structed in Astronomical facts, have
regarded it as a meteor. Most of the
plain unsophisticated readers of the
Bible, we believe, have reached the
truth in The main, regarding the whole
as supernatural.
The distinguished astronomer and
mathematician Kepler, more than two
centuries ago, ascertaiued by laborious
calculation that very remarkable
three.fold conjunction Of the planets
Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, occurred
about the year TAT, from the building Of
Rome, and the proximate to the advent
of Messiah. The fact, thus demonstra-
ted, was regarded as affOrding not only
q specious, but the true solution of the
narrative Of the Evangelist, Mathew,
of the "star" that guided the Eastern
Magi to the abode Of the infant Jesus
This fascinating conjecture Of Kepler,
more fully expanded in recent years by
DR.. Ideler Of Berlin, has been received,
without due regard to its insuperable
difficulties, by not few, in this country
and Europe, as entitled to confidence;
and adopted by DR.. Lango in his great
"Bible Word" or commentary, the
Anglo-American edition of which is
now passing through the prolific press
OF Scribner, and receiving very high
commendation from the organs Of in-
formation for the religions public. Dr.
Lange's exegis and criticism on Mat.
thew's narrative, il we understand him,
Enthusiastically accepts the Planet Con-
junction ided for, following a somewhat
extended account Of this and other
speculations, and their various advo-
Gates, he adds with reference to Kep-
Ter: "The circumstance that Herod
caused all the male children in Bethle.
hem, of two years old and under, to be
put to death, is strong argument in IA
vor Of the supposition that the principal
star in the constellation was that which
directed the Magi in their search
All will concede that the occurrence Of
this remarkable phenomenon in the
planetary system Of the heavens, within
period proximate to the birth OF the
Redeemer, was coincidence quite
worthy of remark, aud the inference
drawn by Kepler thereirom was natural
and specious. On various grounds,
however, we are compelled, on its rigid
scrutiny, to regard this whole spCcua-
ton of his and others as entirely cro-
neous
Recent and accurate accounts gives
some four years earlier date to these con-
functions, of which there are two or
three within short period, at the near
est approach Of any OF which there was
double the apparent room between any
one of these planets aud the others, for
full moon to be seen had not that orb
been in proper near conjunction at the
time.
Moroo,ar oslrononv hog lisclnsn1