One of the most contentious issues of the Magi's historical journey is the question of the Bethlehem star. Those who believe in the literal interpretation of the star within the Magi narrative generally fall into two camps: those who believe that the star was a natural phenomenon (which is not to say that it was not also miraculous) and those who believe that the star was purely supernatural, comparing it to the pillar of flame that guided Moses and the Jewish tribes through the desert. It is not necessary to assume, in either account, that the star somehow "guided" the Magi across the desert. Matthew's narrative does not describe them "following a star" as is popularly believed. More likely, because they were astrologers, they interpreted a significant astrological phenomenon as an indicator that a Jewish King had been born. Hence, they went to Jerusalem, the Jewish capitol, assuming that they would find the new King in Herod's palace. Had they been truly "following the star" they would have gone directly to Bethlehem instead of stopping at Herod's Palace for directions It was only after Herod informed them of the Hebraic prophecies indicating Bethlehem that they set out for their final destination.

The star, according to Matthew's account, then reappears as they near the house where Mary and Joseph are staying. How the reappearance of the star indicated the exact location of the child's whereabouts is uncertain. The star, if it was a purely astrological phenomena, could have appeared or burned brighter when they reached the right house (Joseph and Mary, at this point, were in a house, not a manger). The star, according to a supernatural interpreter, may have simply appeared directly above the house - a phenomenon which, no doubt, every man, woman and child in Bethlehem would have noticed. But can we even summon an image of this miraculous event in our heads? If the star was in the sky (as stars, by definition, must be) there would be no way to precisely pinpoint the location of Jesus. The stars are all "above us" no matter where we stand; they are not above a particular "point" on the earth.

Matthew does not slow down his account to bother with these details (since he must be repeating the narrative, either from Jesus, Mary or some other source, he himself may not have even known the answer). According to www.searchgodsword.org, there exists in Palestine a traditional story explaining this dilemma. In short: one of the Magi stared into a well and saw the star's reflection in the water, indicating that the star was directly overhead. This is a possible explanation from the "naturalist" camp.

The Conjunction of Planets

The conjunction of planets has long been used as a hypothesis to help explain these events. Around 7 BC, there was a "triple conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn which means that these two planets came so close to each other that they appeared to be "touching" on three different occasions in the same window of time. It's been speculated that the Magi would have fit perfectly into this window: seeing the first conjunction and having enough time to depart on their journey, spotting the second conjunction on their journey and sighting the third conjunction as they began their trip to Bethlehem. The conjunction was seen in the months of May, September and December. Jupiter, in the ancient world, represented royalty and Saturn represented Palestine, so it would make sense that the Magi could have interpreted the conjunction as a sign that the "king of the Jews" was about to be born. Jesus' birth is thought to have occurred between 7 and 4 BC because Herod's death has been firmly dated at 4 BC.

Although everything from a Nova to a comet has been postulated as the true star of Bethlehem, the triple conjunction theory is most plausible.