page_title: Star of Bethlehem
section_title: Matthew's narrative
hierarchical_section_title: Star of Bethlehem / Matthew's narrative
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Clôture du choeur de la cathédrale de Chartres&#160;; sculpture de Jehan Soulas, XVIe siècle&#160;: scène n°12, Adoration des Mages.
context_page_description: The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears only in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew where "wise men from the East" are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There, they met King Herod of Judea, and asked him:
  "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We have come to pay homage to the newborn king of the Jews."
  Herod calls his scribes and priests who quote to him that a verse from the Book of Micah interpreted as a prophecy, states that the Jewish Messiah would be born in Bethlehem to the south of Jerusalem. Secretly intending to find and kill the Messiah in order to preserve his own kingship, Herod invites the wise men to return to him on their way home.
  The star leads them to Jesus' home in the town, where they worship him and give him gifts. The wise men are then given a divine warning not to return to Herod, so they return home by a different route.
  Many Christians believe the star was a miraculous sign. Some theologians claimed that the star fulfilled a prophecy, known as the Star Prophecy.
context_section_description: In the Gospel of Matthew account, the Magi (often translated as "wise men", but more accurately astrologers) arrive at the court of Herod in Jerusalem and tell the king of a star which signifies the birth of the King of the Jews:
  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East [or at its rising] and have come to worship Him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the King of the Jews was to be born.
  Herod is "troubled", not because of the appearance of the star, but because the Magi have told him that a "king of the Jews" had been born, which he understands to refer to the Messiah, a leader of the Jewish people whose coming was believed to be foretold in scripture. So he asks his advisors where the Messiah would be born. They answer Bethlehem, birthplace of King David, and quote the prophet Micah. The king passes this information along to the Magi.
  Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what day the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also. When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
  Matthew's account suggests that the Magi knew from the star that the "king of the Jews" had been born before they arrived in Jerusalem. They present Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and as verse 11 describes: "they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him". In a dream, they are warned not to return to Jerusalem, so they leave for their own country by another route. 
  When Herod realizes he has been tricked, he orders the execution of all male children in Bethlehem "two years old and younger," based on the age the child could be in regard to the information the magi had given him concerning the time the star first appeared. 
  Joseph, warned in a dream, takes his family to Egypt for their safety. The Gospel links the escape to a verse from scripture, which it interprets as a prophecy: "Out of Egypt I called my son." This was a reference to the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt under Moses, so the quote suggests that Matthew saw the life of Jesus as recapitulating the story of the Jewish people, with Judea representing Egypt and Herod standing in for pharaoh. 
  After Herod dies, Joseph and his family return from Egypt, and settle in Nazareth in Galilee. This is also said to be a fulfillment of a prophecy ("He will be called a Nazorean," (NRSV) which could be attributed to Judges 13:5 regarding the birth of Samson and the Narazite vow. The word "Nazareth" is related to the word "netzer" which means "sprout", and which some Bible commentators think refers to Isaiah 11:1, "And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit." (ESV).
caption: Adoration of the Magi, Chartres Cathedral, by Jehan de Beauce, France, 16th century.
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