TBR Bible study -- Matthew 2

Some interesting excepts from a web site on the question ...

"Other Bible translations, like the New International Version, say that the star “went ahead of them (the wise men) until it stopped over the place where the child was.” This suggests that the star simply may have become visible again as the wise men approached Bethlehem and faded from visibility when they came to the house where the child Jesus lived."

and

'Most novae experience only a single explosion. But a tiny fraction have the capacity to undergo multiple explosions separated by months or years. This repeat occurrence seems necessary, for the Matthew text indicates that the star appeared, disappeared, and then reappeared and disappeared sometime later."

 

Yes. If they're from the East, a star pointing them to Jerusalem can't be east of them, too. I'm thinking that "We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him," might more accurately be stated as "When we were in the east, we saw his star and have come to worship him."

Does that make sense?

First century weapon of mass destruction. Seriously. They didn't have nukes or biological weapons, obviously, but genocide works almost as well to accomplish the same task.

 

I guess I have never really understood just how brutal this period in history was! I have done a little reading on Archelaus and he was responsible for the killing of 3000 in a single incident before he was ever appointed to office. He was so cruel and there was such an outrage over his rule that he was finally stripped of his office by Rome and banished to Gaul.

 

Babies are killed today in large numbers. The devil convinced many of us that abortion is not murder. Today is just a violent if not more so than it was in the first century.

 

So many of our "traditions" jumble things up & mislead us. As far as I can tell, there's nothing other than the carol to suggest that there were 3 of them; nor is there any indication that any of them were "kings" as other songs & traditions indicate.

I remember hearing a suggestion at one point that these wise men were astrologers. Anyone else hear or read that?

 

Still happens today in places like Darfur, Rwanda, and Bosnia.

 

I believe the 3 is assumed because Mathew says EACH gave a gift, Gold, Frankensence and Mhyrr. I dont think the figure 3 is actually stated anywhere.

Yeh, ive heard them called astrologers (or wise men) as a better translation for Magi. Makes sense since they followed a star. Had they been Kings, we'd probably know their true names.

 

But that is more of an ethnic cleansing of a whole people. Babies arent specifically targeted like with Moses and Jesus. Just find it weird seeing the similarities between the two stories. Seems Mathew takes alot of liberty with his Gospel.

Nevertheless, point taken.

Im not even touching Thelts comment.

 

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